[APP] WizTiles -[R]- 21 DEC 2011 -[U]- 06 FEB 2012 -[V]- 1.2.0

UPDATE: 26 MARCH 2013
Wiztiles has made it to the Top 16 for the Windows Phone Next App Star Contest! There is no better way to make our statement heard, that Windows Phone users want to customize their home screens.
I have tried my best to convince Microsoft that developers need access to launch First Party and Third Party applications, and access to live tile notifications. They have partly given us what we want, which is launch Third Party apps, but is still very limited. Please help me keep the pressure on, and get our voices heard by getting their attention. We are now in the spotlight for making it to the Top 16 of a contest that Microsoft is promoting. For every round we win, we will get noticed even more. Also, you just might win a Lumia 920!

Please vote here: http://nas.newwp.it

UPDATES TO WIZTILES:

With the new APIs, different resolutions, and different tile sizes, we had to basically re-write the application from the ground up. I know we’re taking long, but I don’t want to release an update that will remove all the current features we are enjoying now. Aside from the current features already available, these are being added:
1. Support for higher resolutions
2. Support for all tile sizes
3. Launching of some third-party apps allowing their apps to be launched (Facebook, Groupon, WhatsApp, Nokia Drive, etc.)
4. Launching of more tasks (battery, music, etc.)
5. Folders
6. Custom background behind tiles
7. Uploading your themes to share with others
8. Downloading your themes to other phones you own
9. Applying and cycling through different themes of already pinned tiles at timed intervals
10. Custom lock screen wallpaper

Let me know if you guys have any questions about these upcoming features, or any suggestions. Thanks!

UPDATE: 21 MAY 2012
Version 1.3 is now available!
http://windowsphone.com/s?appid=f8f66960-acba-40b2-842b-1fbec2664739

You are now able to cut up images into tiles, as well as use your phone's accent color easily as your tile's background color. Update to free version is also coming soon! If you can't wait for the free version, download the TRIAL of Wiztiles Pro. Here is a complete list of the new features:

1. use accent color as background
2. ability to create themes
3. ability to edit themes
4. ability to cut up images into 8,6,4,2 tiles
5. pinch to zoom in/out for image cutter
6. drag/drop to move image around in image cutter


C'mon guys, we are 190,000+ strong! WP8 is right around the corner. If you want to launch all apps, hubs, and settings with live tile notifications, please vote! It only takes 2 clicks, and you don't even have to register! Let's make this happen for the next release of Windows Phone! Please vote below:


http://wpdev.uservoice.com/forums/1...ty-to-launch-stock-apps-with-live-tile-notifi


UPDATE: 21 FEB 2012
I've been getting emails about people's themes not working when they upload to their Skydrive or Google Sites accounts. For some reason, both those services don't work with the Wiztiles application. One service that does work is Dropbox.com. I tried to doing this on the phone browser, but easier with desktop. So after you create an account, upload your zip file to the Public folder. When that file shows up, click on that file's row.. a little dropdown appears on the right. Choose "copy public link". There is also an option to "Shorten Link". Copy/paste the link to email to yourself, or just type it into Wiztiles application to download the theme. We will add the ability to upload the themes easily in Wiztiles Designer, but this is a nice temporary fix. Also, don't be shy! Share your awesome themes with the rest of the community, and post on this thread!

UPDATE: 20 FEB 2012
Hi everyone. I'm very excited to announce a little tool we created so anyone can now make themes. It's called Wiztiles Designer, and it's a little Silverlight app that will run on any Windows or Mac Web Browser that allows you to specify a background for both front and back tiles. The theme will automatically be packaged, and ready for download. This is Version 1.0, and more features will be added in future updates. After designing your theme, all you need to do is post the zip file somewhere to share, like this thread. I will add your creations to the front page for everyone to download. Go nuts!
http://wiztiles.com/designer/



For anyone wondering, YES this feature will be available in the Wiztiles phone application as well. For now, we want anyone to make themes even if they don't own a WP7. Let me know if you guys have questions. Also feel free to email info@wiztiles.com for any bugs, suggestions, or if you want us to feature your awesome theme!

UPDATE: 9 FEB 2012
Some people are reporting that their pinned tiles no longer work after the update. As djntraining45 posted on the Wiztiles Marketplace review page, unpin from your home screen, and pin it back again from within Wiztiles. The tiles should work again as expected. Sorry about that bug, there was no way for us to catch it during testing. Thanks everyone who sent in the bug.

We've also had a complaint about the loading screen. Please note that having that loading screen does not slow down the launching of pinned tiles in any way. We had to put that in, as we needed a loading screen when loading the main application. It will go away once we've figured out a way to make a separate loading screen for the main application. Thanks.

UPDATE: 6 FEB 2012
FREE VERSION UPDATE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE MARKETPLACE!
Get it here:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/54397d90-7f29-46b3-81b9-f78c3fd3b779

How to force an update:
1. Open Marketplace
2. Search for "Wiztiles"
3. Press "Share"
4. Press the back button
5. Press "Update"

If you don't see the Metro theme, just download it from "download themes" list.

*ATTENTION THEME DESIGNERS*
The new update will break the old themes. I am currently updating all the old themes for compatibility with the Version 1.2. This block need to be added to the top of Theme.txt:

[Theme]
Name=Metro
Version=2.0
UpdatedOn=2012/01/01
Description=Metro theme
Author=Wiztiles
AuthorUrl=http://www.wiztiles.com

Please let me know(PM me) what Description you want, Author Name, Author Website for your respective themes. This information will be visible to users when they are previewing your theme. Thanks!

*Got an email today that it passed certification. Update should be available in the next 24-48 hours*
Certification for FREE Version is taking longer than expected. I've attached the new version of the following themes below: Metro, Museum, and Metro Plus

I've also posted instructions on how to make themes:
http://wiztiles.com/HowToMakeThemes.pdf

THEMES ARE HERE:

Looks like some of you have been busy making themes. I'm listing out all the themes submitted in this thread. From you phone browser, long press on the link below, "copy link", fire up wiztiles, go to download themes, click on textbox, paste the link, click on download theme. Theme should get added to your theme list to the right. Let me know if you guys have problems downloading the themes. Also, I made a URL shortener, so if you want to type in URL of theme, just type in the short URL below. On the download theme textbox, no need to type in "http://" just type: goo.gl/5jYW2

CATEGORY TILES by smoedjn:
http://goo.gl/wUBGx

TOXIC by M0RFGFX:
http://goo.gl/GxAb0

WEBSITES+APPS by Wiztiles:
http://goo.gl/0nW1n

EAT+DRINK by Wiztiles:
http://goo.gl/FMKLZ

HEINEKEN THEME by Frosty3k:
goo.gl/3C9YK

BOKEH THEME by Frosty3k:
http://goo.gl/1Aj4m

BRETT FAVRE THEME by Brannian:
http://goo.gl/LnIYI

METRO PLUS THEME by Wiztiles:
http://goo.gl/8T5rt


MUSEUM THEME by Wiztiles:
http://goo.gl/KJwfp


METRO THEME by Wiztiles:
http://goo.gl/Ak37j


KING HEART QUEEN THEME by Tecurps:
http://tinyurl.com/7z96knh



HALO THEME by ceed0t:
V2: http://goo.gl/JkYdB (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/fykEt



STREET FIGHTER THEME by ceed0t:
V2: http://goo.gl/yfSIq (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/N5gT0




LUMIA BLACK THEME by Leapo:
V3: http://goo.gl/oAY1S (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V2: http://goo.gl/xU1ER (optimized images)
V1: http://goo.gl/xU5QH




LUMIA WHITE THEME by Leapo:
V3: http://goo.gl/cMsoS (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V2: http://goo.gl/bgGzA (optimized images)
V1: http://goo.gl/zmtx9




DEADMAU5 THEME by Leapo:
V3: http://goo.gl/nDAa2 (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V2: http://goo.gl/CrWTe (optimized images)
V1: http://goo.gl/5dGMm




HITMAN ABSOLUTION THEME by Leapo:
V3: http://goo.gl/xGJMj (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V2: http://goo.gl/AG2fq (optimized images)
V1: http://goo.gl/BFOcr




BLUE BEAR THEME by CreamPuff007:
V2: http://goo.gl/XyvLx (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/JQqIU




SPIDERMAN THEME by ceed0t:
V2: http://goo.gl/2ZJFx (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/Z8gHe




LITTLE TWIN STARS THEME by CreamPuff007:
V2: http://goo.gl/3TdVs (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/csE3b




HELLO KITTY THEME by CreamPuff007:
V2: http://goo.gl/16ssk (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/Dp8aK




BATMAN THEME by ceed0t:
V2: http://goo.gl/YmyvO (for Wiztiles 1.2)
V1: http://goo.gl/5jYW2





UPDATE: 01 FEB 2012
Wiztiles Pro is up in the Marketplace!

Download it here:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/f8f66960-acba-40b2-842b-1fbec2664739

Quick Notes:
You guys currently have the FREE Version. The FREE Version will also get an update shortly, as soon as it passes certification. The PRO Version contains TRIAL and PAID versions. As of now, the TRIAL of PRO Version will be exactly the same as the FREE Version that you guys already downloaded. The advantage of using the TRIAL of PRO Version is that if you ever decide to upgrade to the PAID Version, all your themes and settings will be saved. Also, the PAID Version will eventually have additional features that the FREE and TRIAL version won't have.

So what's changed?
All the FREE stuff that you guys currently enjoy has been preserved. Plus, we've improved the loading time of custom tiles, as well as overall app performance. We've also added new backgrounds and icons to the base Metro theme.

What's the advantage of getting PAID version?
PAID has additional features to make downloading of themes easier. It also has theme versioning, so if a new version of a theme is available, the app will let you know. Then all you have to do is download the new version from an easy interface. PAID also lets you store unlimited themes into your phone. FREE and TRIAL will only allow you to store 1 theme at a time. BUT, if you've been downloading themes the old way (putting in the URL to download from server) you are allowed UNLIMITED number of those. Why did we do this? Because we want to encourage the community to keep making themes on their own, and share with the community. It also lets theme designers test their creations without limitations. So, if you are willing to maintain your own version of themes, and download themes the OLD way, you can probably live with the FREE or TRIAL version. If you want the convenience of EASY downloading and version maintenance, get the PAID version. Also, if you just want to support us, get the PAID version

What do you mean FREE and TRIAL Versions allow only ONE theme at a time?
If you downloaded a theme the easy way, which is pick it from a list of available themes, and pressed "download theme", you only have 1 slot available on your downloaded themes list. You can always delete a theme from that list to download another theme. To delete, simply long-press on the theme you want to delete, and select "delete". As I mentioned above, if you downloaded a theme the OLD way, you are not limited to just 1 theme at a time.

New for Version 1.2.0
1. faster launching of custom tiles
2. performance enhancements to make app faster
3. easy access to 12 new themes!
4. theme versioning
5. theme preview with screenshots
6. create tiles without using a theme
7. updated none task to go back to home screen
8. added task to launch wiztiles application
9. quick access to review app
10. added mini icons to metro theme for use with wallpaper themes
11. added backgrounds with gradients to metro theme
12. added url parameters to browser task for theme designers
13. added disabled back tile for theme designers
14. improved overall user experience

Here are screen shots on how the new icons and backgrounds from the base theme can be used:





UPDATE: 19 JAN 2012
Apologies for not updating for a while. I'll try to answer some of the questions asked on this thread later on. We've been busy with the next release. We've solved the loading problem, so custom shortcuts will now load within 1 second or less. We've also made it very easy to download themes. I will update more as we get closer to next release. In the meantime, here's some screen shots. Enjoy!




UPDATE: 29 DEC 2011

NEW UPDATE IS OUT! PLEASE UPDATE OR GO TO MARKETPLACE TO GET IT NOW!

Surprise! We took out the ads! We removed everything you guys hated about the app. It is still FREE!!! Enjoy, and Happy New Year! Please rate our app after you download. Thanks!

New for Version 1.1.0

1. No more ads!
2. Performance Enhancements
3. No more annoying splash screen image
4. Added ability to disable back tile
5. Improved overall user experience
6. Removed having to click back twice to reach home screen

UPDATE: 22 DEC 2011
It's been a crazy 24 hours. Thanks for all the tremendous feedback! Please keep them coming! It helps us improve and find out which is annoying to users. So first thing first, I will list the pains that people are experiencing. Most of the reviewers seem to remember the bad, and the satisfied reviewers just don't say anything. So please, if there is something that you love and hate about the app, we would love to know about it. So, for the pains:

1. Hate the wiztiles splash screen
2. Hate the loading time of the created shortcuts
3. Hate the ads

Our response:
1. Windows phone apps are encouraged to embed a jpg image while the app loads. This is what you guys are seeing every time you click on your custom tile. Obviously, our app has to start in order to launch your action. We are not intentionally plastering an image in your face for a few seconds to remind you of what app your are using. We are simply launching the wiztile app. We are working on making the launch time shorter, so you won't have to wait so long, and hopefully the launch time will be short enough, that we won't need to load a splash screen.
2. We are currently looking for ways to optimize the app, so load time is cut short.
3. The app is free. We need to eat. We are working on the paid app. We refuse to sell an app that does not meet your expectations. The paid app will hopefully get around all the loading time issues, and hopefully when that paid app is released, our tiles will behave as you guys expect. Fast loading, and with more features.

Conclusion: We love the feedback. Especially feedback that tells us how to improve the app. We do hate the 1 star review. Please rate us fairly, as we want the app to bubble up to the top of the marketplace, and get the word out. If you love the app, please rate it! We need the positive reviews! I will post more later about making themes, and where to find them. Thanks for all your support!


UPDATE: 21 DEC 2011
Name: Wiztiles

Hi guys, I'm proud to announce that my app is finally here. It's late getting certified in the Marketplace for 2 weeks because of a silly icon that did not pass, but it's finally here now.
Basically this app lets you create custom tiles and tile themes for your homescreen. Sure, there are tons of similar apps in the marketplace, but I promise, this one is different. The main difference is that you can create themes, then download them into your phone. We've also created 15+ basic tasks that you can execute from the custom pinned tiles.

Here are some examples:
1. Make a phone call
2. Compose email
3. Launch a website
4. Compose text message
5. Take a picture
6. Share status to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Live
7. Airplane Mode
8. Bluetooth Settings
9. Cellular Settings
10. Wifi Settings
11. Directions
12. Location Search
13. Bing Search
14. Browse Marketplace Applications
15. Browse Marketplace Music and Videos

The one you will most likely use is Launching websites. Instead of ugly pinned website shortcuts, you can make custom tile shortcuts to your favorite sites like m.youtube.com or reddit.com. So the most interesting part of the app is the themes. Themes are zip files with a bunch images and text files inside to define a theme. I've attached a sample theme here:
View attachment sample.zip

A sample blurb from the theme text file:

task=Phone
front.icon=phone.png
front.background.color=#635297
front.background.image=back1.png
front.title=Phone
back.background.color=#635297
back.icon=phone2.png
back.background.image=back2.png
back.title=Phone
back.text=this is awesome!

Currently, you can make themes on your desktop since it's much easier with a big screen. I'm attaching a PSD Template to get you guys started.
View attachment WiztilesThemeTemplate.zip

Once you've created a theme, zip it up and upload somewhere. Then from the phone app, pivot to menu, then click on "download themes". Enter the URL in the box, and click on "download theme" button. So that's about it with themes. I hope you guys like the app, and feel free to post some theme files on this thread. I'm excited to see what you guys can come up with! Also, please review the app in the marketplace! We would love to get 5 stars if you like it



Source:
http://www.wiztiles.com

Download:



http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/54397d90-7f29-46b3-81b9-f78c3fd3b779

DJRedline,
Currently, the app itself can't split images. It is the highest priority feature right now that is being worked on. It just didn't make it for this release. The next release is coming very soon, depending on how long certification will approve. You can manually make these images from the WiztilesThemeTemplate.zip I attached above. I will let you guys know as soon as Version 1.2 is available. Thanks!

DJSave said:

are the pinned tiles Live? or just static?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Yes, pinned tiles are live, as they flip to reveal more info that you specify. It does not, however, give you counts of missed calls, new sms count, new email count, etc. We will try to implement these in the near future, depending on how much is allowed by the API's. There is no easy way to do this with the tools Microsoft currently provides.

Thanks, Livven!

I have a few friends who are making themes and will be posting a couple soon! Paid version is coming soon! As far as showing the WizTiles screen, that is really the loading screen for the app. We are investigating why it takes about 2 seconds to load the app. We are trying to find out how we can load it faster, so there will be no delay. Thanks for planning on featuring in portal!

Hi Livven, thanks for pointing out the scaling down of tile icons. We will look into that. Also, unlike Supreme Shortcuts, this app does not require Homebrew. We don't have direct access to the actions that Supreme Shortcuts offer. We might do a homebrew version of this later on, to make this a real launcher. As of now, we are focusing on non-homebrew version. Thanks!

wpxbox, thanks for the input and the review! We will look into the Windows Phone Hacker Tool when we decide to go homebrew. I will need to ask my fellow coder if he's up for it.

agion1 said:

Hi. I'm trying and upload a new theme and am being told that the theme file is corrupt. I tried uploading your sample theme zip and then downloading it as well and get the same message. Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong?

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Hi Agion, try to upload the zip file in this thread. For example, I uploaded the sample.zip file at the beginning of this thread. If you right-click on that link, and copy link, it looks like this:
http://xdaforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=825470&d=1324532072

Email and copy and paste that link into the download themes textbox in the phone app. It should download the theme called "sample" It's a duplicate of metro theme. On your list of themes, you can do a long press and the menu item will contain "delete". Click on that if you want to delete the downloaded theme. Hope this helps!

OK, and even better tip: In your windows phone web browser, long press on the link above. Pick "copy link". Paste the URL into the "download themes" textbox, and voila! Theme is downloaded into the app.

Hi Agion, sorry to hear you're having difficulties. By the way, skydrive link has not worked for me either, even if I setup as public link. We will need to figure out exactly what Skydrive is doing. I will test on a focus phone, and see if I can recreate your problem. Do you mind posting the zip file you created? Thanks!

poloche said:

I would like a paid version with not Splashscreen when i open a shortcut tile... with not add bottom the screen ...

More, when i open a shortcut tile and clic on back button to return in my screen home, the application is re-open. I must clic X2 to "back button" to return in my screen home! If i clic x1, i go in your application screen :s

Can you improve this ? ....

Thankx,

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Poloche, we appreciate your feedback. We've received similar feedback from many people. We are working on a paid app with no splash screen, faster loading, and no ads anywhere. We don't want to charge people for a half-finished app. Please be patient, as we resolve these issues. Thanks for your support!