Jason Black: My Windows Phone 8 Start Screen

There's a healthy mix of work and play, all in one convenient location.

When the editors at Conversations asked me to write about the start screen on my Nokia Lumia 822, I must confess, I panicked a little. I thought ‘Oh no, they’ll think all I do is work!’ So, naturally, I made some edits, and fine-tuned my personal start screen so it shows that I am not an all-work kind of guy. (There’s a little bit of fun tucked in there.)

Which apps have you prioritized?

With that said, I do keep track of two different email accounts from my home screen (personal and one for the agency that keeps me really busy) – yes, I check email from the moment I wake up until I finally put the phone down at the end of the evening. I also have Twitter nearby, since as the social editor for DVLUP.com I manage the day-to-day interactions for the @DVLUP account.

There is a small tile for the Camper app, which is tied directly to the Basecamp projects that I am working on – that app is really worth having if you use Basecamp at all, and it is a free download.

The calendar is the only large tile on my start screen – I need to keep track of both meetings with clients, as well as the personal (family) calendar – and this one view shows me all upcoming appointments.

What apps do you use to pass the time?

I check Facebook more often than I probably should – the recent update that came out for the Windows Phone version of the app does seem to speed things up a bit, which is great.

I am also a huge fan of Pandora for music streaming, and have it pinned right in the middle of my start screen. I like that the live tile shows the name of the artist, and the song that is playing.

And, even though I know I prioritize the work-side of my day on my start screen, I do find time for mobile games, too. I am /trying/ to figure out a new puzzle game called “Fling Theory” which happens to be exclusive to Windows Phone right now, and comes from a developer who is a member of DVLUP – I am hoping to have an interview with him for Conversations later this month. The game is very clever, with great graphics and it happens to be free. My daughter took one look at the game and assured me it is a play on the ideas of “string theory” or super colliders or some such – apparently, her science classes are paying off.

What is the last app you paid for?

I just paid for my favorite word game called “Ruzzle”. It was available on other mobile platforms, and just came out for Windows Phone a week or so ago (it is priced at $2.99). It is kind of like Boggle, where you have a grid of 16 random letters, placed 4X4, and – unlike the game Wordament where you play against a lot of people who happen to all be online at once – you play against one other person at a time. My user name in the game is “Contentqb” – feel free to challenge me!

Which app is your guilty pleasure?

OK, I will admit it … I am addicted to Foursquare. There I said it. It feels good to get that out there. I love the points, the badges, and the occasional free stuff I get when I check in at local family-friendly restaurants. I don’t check in to every place I go, but I do like to make sure I get credit for check-ins to new locations I am visiting, and the places where I think I could be mayor someday … Wait a second, my son is now ahead of me in points this week. I need to go now before he steals the mayorship of my own home!