Monday, January 31, 2011

Custom Icons in METRO UI

Custom icons are more-or-less available in METRO UI (BETA).  I suggest using the gallery to select icons for now.  I am working on the fix that should allow custom file managers to work as well.  Here is an update on some of the requests and where they are on my priority list:

1. Fix issues with custom icons
2. Long press tile to Edit/Delete
3. Updates to Status Bar (new icons: WIFI, Bluetooth, Vibrate/Silent)
4. Custom tile color

Started looking at, found it will require LOTS of work:
1. 2x1 tiles.  I am using a GridView and it does not allow column span.  So this will require a pretty large rework :(
2. Rearranging tiles.  Again the GridView does not seems to be very friendly for drag-n-drop.

Very low on the list:
1. Widgets.  My experience is that widgets really slow down the system.  Since my goal is a lightweight get-in, get-out launcher, if widgets slow it down too much they will be removed.  When/if they are implemented it will most likely be on a separate screen.  Accessible from the menu(?)

Anyway, if I missed anything I apologize, I was doing this from memory :)

On a side note, check out this screenshot.  Submitted by bamick823 on XDA.  The icon pack is available from ubergeekinc on DeviantArt.



Thursday, January 27, 2011

METRO UI - Stable

I have released a stable version of Metro UI.  It is the same as BETA version 0.3.3.  It is currently listed at 4.99, but I may adjust that price depending on the feedback I get.  This version will be updated whenever the BETA version reaches a mostly stable point.  Eventually the BETA version will cease to exist (at least not get updated). Let me know if you think this is a fair price.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

METRO UI

It has been a while, but I have managed to carve out some development time.  With my other projects fairly stable I have moved on to a home replacement that imitates the new Windows mobile environment.  I still have plans for my other projects but they are a lower priority for me right now.  My METRO UI project is currently in BETA and a work in progress, so please be patient.

My major obstacle for this project is not actually owning a new Windows phone so everything I am doing is based on demos.  The other major issue is that Android does not allow access to notifications from other applications.  So in some cases I have to reverse engineer (via logs) how to grab unread/notification counts.  It is a long process and specific to each application.  So again please be patient.

I would just like to thank all of those that have taken the chance to send me constructive feedback.  It really helps.