Monday, October 7, 2013

Windows Phone 8 tile for web page shows how far Microsoft has to go with their mobile operating system.

Recently I created icons for Search Australia (www.JustLocal.com.au/search/samobile/) so people could pin the site to their home screen on an Apple device, an Android device, or the Windows 8 Start screen on a desktop, notebook or tablet.

For something that I think should be relatively simple, things can get pretty messy. For Apple's range of devices I had to create seven images which I thought was a bit over the top. Android simply worked with whatever I'd set up for Apple, so that made things very easy for Android. But then I decided to create a tile for Windows Phone 8. The more I read the more I realised it was best to skip Windows Phone 8. There isn't a relatively simple technique. You have to create a page to overlay your site and then only display the page for Windows Phone 8 users. Microsoft seems intent on making their Windows Phone 8 far more difficult than it should be. Hopefully in the next iteration of Windows Phone Microsoft makes setting up an icon much simpler but I don't expect it to be.

If you have a web site and would like to create an icon your users can put on their home page of Windows 8, Apple iPhones, or Android devices (but not Windows Phone 8) and don't know how, please feel free to contact me.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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