Where's The Alarm Clock?

[bosamar]

I think the specific Alarm Clock app required it. Much better apps will come....

 

[nanodoc]

Me too - because this tablet is a fabulous piece of hardware and even without some of the "yet to come improvements" very usable.

I'm positive the RT OS will only get better... I expect leaps in 3-6 months...

 

[Bruce]

I'm using Sunrise Clock and Alarm. It allows you to pick an image and music, which both increase in intensity over a specified period. It's a very nice way to wake up.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Of course the musuc app will stream Xbox live music in the background I think the OP was talking about sites (not apps) than are running on ie. This is totally unacceptable and I hope it will be fixed with updates presently. I found a work around by chance. I was playing Pandora music on the Pandora website and the music stops as soon as you minimize ie. Off topic, Pandora is one of the main stream music streamers that is conspicuously absent in the apps store. Back on track, I found if you stream music on the Pandora website through the DESKTOP ie it will run while minimized. AARGH!
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express

 

[nanodoc]

Not only sites but apps too - why is there no simple alarm that runs so that even if the device is sleeping it will wake me in the morning - even a 99 cent phone will do this! I am talking about the complete unacceptability of NOT be ing able to have an app run in background, for example an alarm clock or music streaming while I do something in the foreground. As it is now, once you leave an app it stops. Surely this cannot be rocket science for MS. My belief is that if IOS and Android can have alarms, stream music, email... there's no tech reason for MS not to do it.

 

[nanodoc]

Does it run when the screen is off (i.e., tablet sleeping)?

I'm using Sunrise Clock and Alarm. It allows you to pick an image and music, which both increase in intensity over a specified period. It's a very nice way to wake up.

 

[ArnoldC]

Sunrise Clock and Alarm uses the Toast for notification, so yes it can notify via Toast.

The toast element do have a child audio element for adding sound to the notification. Two particular interests are ms-windowssoundevent:Notification.Looping.Alarm and ms-windowssoundevent:Notification.Looping.Alarm2

 

[Bruce]

Does it run when the screen is off (i.e., tablet sleeping)?

I tested it with the Surface awake, but the alarm app not open, and with the alarm app left open but the Surface asleep. Both instances no alarm.

I use it as a night clock while plugged into the charger, and only as a wake up alarm. I have my phone for other alarms.

 

[R0bR]

The built-in apps take advantage of the fact that Microsoft keeps certain API's to itself (just as Apple and Google do) - they do not release certain API's to all developers because they do not like 3rd party apps messing around with the OS. As an example (and to answer bosamar's question, Metro Media Player [in the app store] stops playing when you switch to a different app.

Stop generalizing, just because certain apps don't work in the background doesn't mean MS is keeping APIs from developers. There are plenty of media apps that work in the background and continue to play if the Surface goes to sleep. One example is Mutimedia 8, I can play music from my network share on it and it continues to play until I stop it. Also, the whole purpose of API's is to give developers access to the Windows framework without messing with the OS.

 

[nanodoc]

You Missed My Meaning...

It's not whether apps run in foreground or background (and it's not the definition of an API) - it's that Microsoft deliberately holds back certain API's (Apple does exactly the same thing) so that independent devs cannot access the framework. You might find the following article interesting - just one of a plethora relating to API's.

Yes, Windows RT Isn't Utterly Open

And, I'm not at all saying Microsoft is evil - I love my tablet and it will do about 99% of what I need - I just want to truly multitask.

 

[R0bR]

I realize that they hold back APIs, currently they are holding back APIs to allow 3rd party VPN clients, but those required to play music in the background are available.

 

[nanodoc]

I believe that you are correct - I do think that they may be sightly modified - nonetheless I am going to try Multimedia 8 based on your experience. And by the way, are you aware of any way to easily make playlists in MM8? Also, over on XDA-Developers I have found a nice suggestion to use the Calendar reminder function as a sort of alarm - apparently it works, even if the tablet is sleeping.

I realize that they hold back APIs, currently they are holding back APIs to allow 3rd party VPN clients, but those required to play music in the background are available.