I was part of an interesting discussion this morning on Twitter, thanks @eferron & @hermitdave, and the key element of that discussion was that the Live Tiles that are displayed on the newly revived Start Menu in the Windows 10 Technical Preview are lost.
The only time you see them is when you click on the Start Button in the lower left corner of the desktop and that effectively squashes any benefit that you get from them being Live Tiles.
The whole idea behind Live Tiles is that they dynamically show you up to date information so you can see what is happening in various apps. If that info is hidden in the new hybrid desktop then they effectively become useless.
However, what if Live Tiles in Windows 10 could be placed on the desktop so that the live information displayed on the tile could be seen easily.
Yes, that is correct, bring Live Tiles to Windows 10 like the widgets of yesteryear which we had on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
As I write this I already hear the arguments against it.
- “This is what the Start Screen is for…”
- “Why would I want to clutter my freshly clean desktop with live tiles…”
I have no doubt many of you have additional issues with this concept.
Think about this though.
Microsoft and developers have invested a lot of time and effort into programming these tiles as extensions of their Modern Apps. In Windows 10 we can already see that Modern Apps are not going anywhere and they are becoming more desktop compatible by being capable of running on the desktop as a windowed app, having a persistent title bar and even gaining a menu to access features that used to be solely on the Charms Bar.
So why waste that live functionality and hide it in the Start Menu?
By merging the traditional Start Menu and the Start Screen in this new desktop interface, Microsoft is looking at combining the best elements of both worlds. By continuing that process and retaining the dynamic capabilities of an apps Live Tile and making that information available to desktop users at a glance through the use of a Live Tile on the desktop you continue to get the best of both worlds.
What do you think?
