[General Topics] AngryNil:
I was wondering, with the Windows Mobile Marketplace coming in 2 weeks, whether it will step up app standards, particularly graphical standards? Comparing primarily to the iPhone (sorry), and focusing on differences I find mainly with gaming (;}), WM's applications are behind in some of these areas:

Software Icons

WM 6.5 is a step forward graphically. The icons actually properly blend! However, I see many developers overlook icon creation. Well I'm picky, and I see too many icons with poor use of colours, jagged edges or edges that are blended to white (instead of transparent, if you know what I mean). And it can be done - SPB Mobile Shell replaces some of the ugly WM6.0 icons with fantastic ones.

Menus and Controls

The iPhone has games and apps that have menus that utilize scrolling and finger-friendliness. This is one of the issues with supporting WM6.0 and WM6.1 - they don't have WM6.5's kinetic scrolling. While some apps create their own scrolling (ThumbCal and Resco Contact Manager, quite a few developers seem to opt for simple menus. Most games I've tried that use menus or numerous controls on the display make them small - therefore less finger-friendly. Some of the great games I've played were developed without touch really considered - small controls & menus, not utilizing touch gestures and scrolling...

On the topic, how do options and settings show up on WM6.5? They are so ugly on WM6.0 (why I haven't flashed? I'm waiting for a final release of 6.5, based on the official ROM).

Graphics of the UI

Some games have proven to be kind of PSP-graphical standard. Not as in all the action, but that many corners and edges aren't blended properly (giving that jagged edge look). Some just look plain terrible. Sharper graphics that also look good are possible(Warfare Incorporated), but 1 game has stunned me. My Little Tank by AstraWare / Binoteq. It's a game that matches the iPhone in perfect blending and stunning graphics, and imagine if all WM apps were like that...

Unified Graphics

Many of the iPhone's apps have headings and interfaces that match the overall OS. It would be nice if you could identify an app as a WM app. Certain games (Warfare Incorporated) have their own UIs, and that is effective to fit in with gameplay. However, some apps don't even have a unified graphics within the app itself. If anyone has tried the game Towers Trap by Zone Projects (tower defense game), I found the graphics also superb, but the title menu (and gameplay controls) looked so lame compared to the gameplay. On a side note, there was rather awkward spelling in that - completion of a game gave the text 'CONGRATULATION!!!', and you could build 'ROCKET LUNCHERS'.

Fullscreen Apps

Is there a proper way to make them? I minimized some games with the end key on my Elf; when I maximize them the 'taskbar' of WinMo hides, but takes over the space (i.e. tapping the screen where the taskbar should be functions like a taskbar is there)...

Multitasking is a big feature of WinMo, hopefully it gets prettier (and admittedly I can't use it much due to the ridiculously under-spec'd Elf), but it should work right.

Price

At what price will apps enter the MarketPlace at? I understand they probably can't get as cheap as the iPhone's (Microsoft's price on releasing an app + a smaller target audience), but currently a good app can cost quite abit. And often I find myself using expensive apps to replace what should be perfectly fine with an OS (calendar, contacts, file explorer - you name it).

Oh well, apologies, my rant is now finished.

Uploaded images as attachments, sorry.

Anyways, what are your thoughts?