Application folders on Windows Phone: how they work

What did Nokia surprise us with today? With the official deployment of the latest update for its terminals with Windows Phone 8, named Lumia Black. Curiously, in the description of the new features included, there was talk of App Folder, a feature that allowed the creation of app folders applications to display them on our home screen.

But, thanks to one of our readers we were able to conclude that in reality App Folder or Application Folders was a very independent feature to the update and that could be used thanks to an application that is available for terminals with Windows Phone 8 that have or do not have the Lumia Black update installed, Do you want to know how they work? , I invite you to review the application."

Application folders, an in-depth review

When my colleague Guillermo Julián informed us through his post, a few hours ago, of the Lumia Black update and that it included the possibility of creating application folders, we got up from our seats to receive a feature that we had longed for on different occasions but, unfortunately, after I found out that it is an independent application and that it was not integrated into the operating system, well….

Application Folders has a quite simple interface, the The first screen that you come across only shows the folders that we have already created as well as the button necessary to create a new one, we press it and go to another screen."

The second screen is nothing more than to enter the name of the folder, press accept and go to the following. Now if we are shown the list of applications that we want to include in the folder, beware, only those that we have downloaded can be selected, so those integrated into the operating system (mail, telephone, messages, Internet Explorer, etc.) will be left out of the list, although next to the applications we have at our disposal the selection of some direct access to settings (WiFi, Bluetooth, mobile network, location, .etc). In the list of applications we have a button to sort them (by name or installation date) or one to search for them, something simple but useful.

Once our applications have been selected, or, failing that, the configuration accesses, we will go to the folder screen where we can order the applications by position, we will have a button to add more, and another to --what we were looking for-- pin the folder to our home screen.

Already pinned the folder tile to the home screen, let's review it. The tile shows --as was obvious-- the icons of the applications that we have inside the folder in a discrete size and they are accompanied by the name with which we have named to the folder. Here it is worth clarifying that we are not dealing with a live tile so there is no animation on it, although we do have the three different sizes available, which show the first applications of the folder depending on how many fit on the tile.

Conclusions

So far a nice tile but, when we click on it, we get a surprise. The application Application folders is not at all integrated into the operating system because once we press the tile it redirects us --like any other application-- to the screen that It appears after we select the applications that we want to have in the folder."

Here I know that it already depends on how the application works, but on personal matters --and I clarify why the Xataka Windows team could have another opinion--, Application Folders is a very disappointing attempt to offer folders in the operating system There are advantages, like being able to organize applications, having shortcuts to settings on a single tile, but on the outside, it doesn&39;t offer anything that really makes a difference on our home screen."

In addition to this I will add the low response speed, because it takes a long time to open the list, and the impossibility of including the applications that comes from the factoryin our terminals, because at least now I don't find a powerful utility for it.

Will it get better in the future?, for now it's too uncertain, but at least I would expect more integration into the operating system, a faster response, and that the screen that shows the list of applications has a more unique aspect and that defines well that we are dealing with a container of a specific list of applications, and not a simple interface to configure the folder.

See complete gallery » App Folder (7 photos)

This is my impression after thoroughly reviewing Application folders, so now it&39;s up to you to say what is your impression of it and also indicate what ideas could improve it."