A closer look at Windows Live Metro style apps on Windows 8: People, Messaging and Call

Sep 24, 2011 10:25 pm by | 18 comments

Microsoft gave us a first glimpse into the future of Windows Live during its BUILD conference, with Chris Jones, Corporate Vice President of Windows Live, demoing several Windows Live Metro style apps on Windows 8. Last week we took a closer look at the Mail and Calendar apps, which looks to replace the functionalities of Windows Live Mail. This week we’ll take a closer look at the People, Messaging and Call apps, which looks to replace the functionalities of Windows Live Messenger.

People

Windows 8 - People

With Windows Phone 7.5, Microsoft decided to make it as the most people-centric phone on the market. On Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to extend this idea of a “People”-centric hub, where you can view all the details, photos, and other updates of all the people you care about all in one place, and turn it into a full-blown Metro-styled app that works on PCs and tablets. Upon launching the People app for the first time. provided you have signed in with your Windows Live ID, you’d be presented with the option to connect other social networks to your account, if you haven’t done so already:

Windows 8 - People - Connect AccountsAs shown in the screenshot on the left, you can pull all your contact information from Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, Exchange, as well as any other accounts that supports Exchange ActiveSync (such as Google and Yahoo!). Once you have connected all these accounts together, Windows Live will do all the contact de-duplication work for you, similar to how it works today, but at the same time you’d also be able to manually link contacts together (if your contacts decided to have different names between two social networks).

Live TilesTo cut through the clatter, you’d be able to “favourite” your contacts that you care the most about, and that will make them featured at the start of the People app. You can even "pin” contacts to your Start Menu such that they appear as a Live Tile, which will display notifications and status updates from these contacts. To search for other contacts, you can also navigate through the entire contact list by alphabetical order, or use the Search Charm on Windows 8 to quickly find the contact you want.

Windows 8 - People - ProfileWindows 8 - People - What's NewWindows 8 - People - Pictures

Upon clicking into an individual contact, you’ll be presented with three pivots: Profile, What’s new, and Pictures – very similar to the People hub on Windows Phone. The “Profile” pivot shows all the details about this contact, including their email address, contact number, home address, birthday, and work details. This is also the launch pad to initiate communication with the contact, which will start the respective apps such as Mail, Messaging, and Bing Maps. The “What’s New” pivot will show all the status updates and feeds related to that contact from all the social networks that you have connected to Windows Live. This could be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace or Windows Live, and where supported, you can also “like”, comment, or reply/retweet to these updates. The “Pictures” pivot looks very similar to the thumbnail view in Windows Live SkyDrive, which will pull all the albums the contact has uploaded onto SkyDrive or Facebook, and also all the photos the contact was tagged in.

Messaging

Windows 8 - Messaging

The Messaging hub looks to replace the text chatting capability of Windows Live Messenger. According to Chris Jones on the official blog post, [Messaging app] keeps track of all of your IM conversations across Messenger, Facebook, and other connected IM networks. We’re not so sure what “other connected IM networks” there is (Skype?), but this definitely sounds like a good thing. Judging by one of the screenshots from the People app above, it seems like messaging via SMS is also supported. Just like Windows Phone’s Messaging hub, this app uses the idea of “threads” which allows you to continue a conversation with a particular contact regardless of which IM network they’re on, as long as they’re available.

Looking at the app bar in the screenshot above,  you can also start a new conversation and change your online presence within the Messaging app. We’re not sure what the last button does, which we believe will pull up a menu for additional actions or switching IM networks.

Windows 8 - Messaging - Live Tile and NotificationThe Messaging app also integrates well into Windows 8. The app’s Live Tile will display any recent messages received, as shown on the right. The unread messages count will also appear on the lock screen, alerting you to any new messages received while your PC was on standby. We assume the app will also provide notification alerts too whenever you receive a new IM, similar to Windows Phone, but we haven’t seen any of that in the demos shown at BUILD yet.

Call

So at the beginning of this post, we said that the People and Messaging apps looks to replace the functionalities of Windows Live Messenger. We’ve seen the People app taking care of the contacts management and social network features of Messenger, and we’ve also got Messaging app providing IM and text chatting functionalities. However, one important area of Messenger was not covered by these two apps – the ability to have voice and video chat.

Windows 8 - Call Tile

The Call app was never demoed or officially acknowledged by Microsoft. However, traces of clues can be found in various places. As shown in the screenshot above, we saw evidences of the Call app first on the Windows 8 Start screen as demoed during the BUILD keynote. Windows 8 - Call - Live Tile and NotificationThen later on as spotted by Long Zheng, we also saw an expanded Live Tile showing the number of “Missed Calls” during a BUILD session on tiles and notifications, as shown in the screenshot on the left. This Live Tile showed the number of missed calls on the bottom right corner, as well as the person and time of call for the last three callers. Furthermore, on the Windows 8 lock screen, we also saw a notification icon which matches the Call app’s icon shown on the Start screen, possibly also showing the number of missed calls.

Long Zheng also noticed that within the People app, users are given the option to call a mobile number from the app, as shown below, further suggesting that Windows 8 will provide calling capabilities:

Windows 8 - People - Call

Indeed, looking at the WinRT documentations, we also found API references to voice and video calling capabilities for Metro-styled apps. Now what we’re not sure is whether this is simply voice and video calling over Windows Live network, or would it support other networks such as Facebook Video Chat, Lync, or even the recently-acquired Skype? We’ve previously seen references to a codenamed “Chatter” application in a leaked build of Windows 8, as well as hints of web-based video chat coming to Windows Live, could these also be related to the Call app on Windows 8?

So now we’ve taken you through the Windows Live-powered Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging, and Call apps. In the next part, we’ll take a closer look at SkyDrive integration in Windows 8, and how it’ll play a part in the upcoming SkyDrive changes. Before then, let us know in the comments below what you think about these Metro-styled desktop communication apps powered by Windows Live.

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  • Silhouette

    I just want them. :( Use the People Hub on my Windows Phone far more often than the Facebook or Twitter apps, and would love to have this here too.

    • http://twitter.com/jkavanagh58 jkavanagh58

      Agreed!  Especially with the Windows Live connected services from my People hub or even home.live.com I can watch my Facebook stream without ever actually going into Facebook.  I just hope they bring twitter back to the connected services.

  • Anonymous

    > replace the functionalities of Windows Live Messenger

    The word ‘replace’ makes me feel queasy. Can’t we say ‘matches’, or some other word that doesn’t imply that desktop users will be using these Metro style apps instead of Windows Live Essentials?

    • Tuxplorer

      Metro styled apps are for Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Netbooks — from 7” to 70” displays — for both touch-based and mouse and keyboard-based inputs. Metro is NOT a tablet or phone UI. Metro IS the Windows 8 UI.

      • http://twitter.com/jkavanagh58 jkavanagh58

        Metro is not a tablet or Phone UI?  Works very well on my Windows Phone device and is the only UI for that device.

        • alterSchwede

          I think he means Metro is NOT ONLY for tablet and phone ui

      • Kuttyjoe

         Not right now it’s not.  It just feels like a program running in Windows.  Microsoft doesn’t even look like they’re planning to make the desktop Metro-style.  They’re adding the ribbon and the rest looks exactly like Windows 7.

    • Anonymous

      i don’t see MS making two versions of consumer focused apps (they haven’t even had the time to get all of Control Panel ported to Metro). it might happen i guess !?!?! (but i wouldn’t hold my breath). Metro is the future (for MS). Have the Dev Preview. Don’t think that it is perfect by any means (of course it is a Dev Preview) but love it or hate it, the “Desktop” is going to fade away (if MS has its way)

      • http://twitter.com/jkavanagh58 jkavanagh58

        Not sure the desktop can go away.  While I did not install the Visual Studio stuff, opening necessary apps like Powershell and the ISE, the desktop is still prominent.

  • http://twitter.com/jkavanagh58 jkavanagh58

    Working with the developer preview I have to say that I will still be using the desktop more and this is where the metro apps seem to be an issue.  I don’t mind the concept of Metro Windows Live apps for the main screen but when I am in the desktop mode I still need the functionality that Windows Live Essentials (Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Writer and Windows Live Photo Gallery).  If the metro apps are an addition, that’s great but if its a replacement then I am less interested.

  • Kuttyjoe

    I don’t see how the Desktop can ever fade away.   There’s not enough space to take all the necessary options on a desktop and put them into large boxes Metro-style.  The Metro start screen in Windows 8 has either removed options or hidden them.  Both causes it to take longer to do what we normally did with Windows.  Instead of inputting information, we now have to call up the box, then put in information.  It’s not faster, it’s more steps.  On a touchscreen tablet style pc this might be a better compromise because it’s already difficult to get around trying to click tiny windows, or even with a mouse.  There’s just not enough space so something needs to be sacrificed.  But not on a desktop.

    • Tuxplorer

      The Metro Start Screen is FAR more efficient than the old Start Menu. EVERY single task that could be done through the old Start Menu can be done using the Metro Start Screen with fewer clicks and less time.

      • Anonymous

        If only that were true. The shut down button is a trivial example – why does it have to be buried under ‘Settings’?

        From the keyboard standpoint nothing much has changed (though it takes an extra key press to get to control panel items like Windows Update), but the mouse experience is seriously degraded. Despite being much smaller, the Vista/7 Start menu exposes much more information than the Start Screen in the Windows Developer Preview. I do realise that it’s possible to pin items on the Start Screen just like one can pin items to the Start menu, but I miss things like jump lists in the Start menu, program groupings/folders (the flat list in the Start Screen grows to be massive very quickly) and in particular all the buttons on the right-hand side of the Start menu (‘Computer’, ‘Control Panel’, ‘Network’, ‘Home Group’, etc.).

        I understand the appeal of the Start Screen and Metro style apps for touch input, and I like the changes on the desktop (Windows Explorer ribbon, improved file copy UI, USB3 support, etc.). It’s a pity that the Start Screen is a significant retrograde step for desktop/laptop users (at least for me).

        Still, it’s early days and I will try to keep an open mind.

        • Damaster – LiveSide.net

          Agree with you on the shut down button.

          But I think you are comparing the Windows 8 Start menu to the Win7 taskbar… Which isn’t really an equal comparison. And FYI the Win7 taskbar is still there in Windows 8, so you still get things like pinned items and groupings on the taskbar.

          • Anonymous

            No, I meant the Start menu, sorry if I wasn’t clear.

            By ‘groupings’ I meant folders in the ‘All Programs’ list – in the Windows Developer Preview, everything is in a single flat list (no visual hierarchy) on the Start Screen. I guess the idea is to use the keyboard to launch programs, as scrolling through this gigantic list with the mouse is very cumbersome (and I don’t have much more than Visual Studio and Office installed at this point).

            I know jump lists appear for items on the taskbar, but they also appear for items pinned to the Start menu (I see no equivalent in the Start Screen).

            As an aside, is anyone using the new Language Bar in the Windows Developer Preview? I honestly don’t see the point to it… it displays no information apart from the main input language: no indication of the input or conversion mode, no shortcuts to advanced IME functionality. I was excited when I saw screenshots of a new language bar in Windows 8 (the language bar in Vista/7 is an inconsistent mess from a UI standpoint), but I hope what we see in the Windows Developer Preview will have a lot more functionality added to it between now and RTM.

    • Anonymous

      really you have used Windows 8?… seriously, people really talk crap.
      why? i understand if someone dont like the UI because they dont like tiles or something,

      but saying “Both causes it to take longer to do what we normally did with Windows” This is so lie… really, when you have a point where old start menú is superior to new start menu/screen i would believe you. BOTH launch programs, both let you type… in fact, the new UI lets you see better the result of a search like a file or something….

      its more steps maybe because you just dont know how to use it? its simple but people sometimes make so much drama about it that i bet they (you) even know how to use it. specially since its a developer PREVIEW so its missing some stuff….

      dramatic people… thats the best part “more steps” like if old start menú was efficent all the time. specially when you had to scroll down for a program among alot of folders… yeah thats more efficent.  /s

      “where is snipping tool?” oh yeah, its start, all programs, accesories.. folders folders folders. thats better? then keep using Windows 7.

      and of course, what can you expect from someone like you, complaining about mouse and keyboard? so i cant expect anything Smart nor good from someone who cant even use mouse and keyboard…

      you know, you never saw much start menu… you dont have to see much new start screen. stop making drama. if you dont like it keep using win7

  • StevenA

    Kip – Can you remove the PII on the last screen shot please! Thanks Steven

    • Damaster – LiveSide.net

      Hi Steven. Thanks for dropping by. I have blurred the PII from the profile screenshot.

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