February Top Member App: Who wants 7 millions

Have you ever watched "Who wants to be a millionaire?" Making fun of the intellectually underperforming candidates? Ever imagined how you would fly through the questions to win the ultimate prize? Well thanks to thoughtful developers you can re-live the experience yourself. The "Who wants 7 millions" app is a conversion of the quiz to the Windows Phone platform. Bring your Slumdog-Millionaire-like knowledge along and sit on the famous chair in the spotlight. Only without the spotlight. A chair is also not required. Just your Windows Phone device.

This month, we decided to have a look inside the Windows Phone Marketplace. The new Nokia WP devices have hit the market and we are anxious to see how they will perform in contributing to a third strong ecosystem alongside iOS and Android. The Windows Phone Marketplace currently has around 60.000 apps available and the one among them, that we are looking at today has been created by a developer team from Macedonia.

Functionality

This is not a very complicated app, yet it is one that is quite fun and has a strong addictive factor to it. If you have ever seen the TV version, you know what to do. You get questions you have to answer choosing between the four suggestions, working yourself up the difficulty foodchain. The main menu lets you submit your name, enter the settings, get help and eventually start the game.



The app comes with a big pool of 2000 questions in English. They can be translated to 30 languages using the Bing API, but it makes them difficult to understand. Additionally, the menu language can be set to Spanish, German, French and Italian. Also among the features is the option to have the app read the question out loud using speech synthesis (again via Bing API), optionally accompanied by some dramatic music. A high score list remembers your best runs, and the help area explains the features of the app.

The only thing that can be a bit annoying is the fact that after selecting one of the answers, there is no step to confirm it. The app immediately interprets your input as right or wrong. The uncertain "are you sure" moment, which usually expands the suspension factor, is left out. Also, clicking on an answer unintentionally, leads to an instant input. We can see the intention to keep the app simple and easy to use, involving as little steps as possible, but an option to turn the confirmation step on and off would solve the issue.

Design

The application welcomes you in the familiar Windows Phone themed design (can we say metro?). All navigation, animation, screen transition effects and fonts are 100 percent consistent with the rest of the OS. The app is very responsive, giving a very native user experience all throughout the application. The purple background fits nicely with the big typography and the system fonts. The design side of the app is definitely one of its strong sides.

Wrap-up

"Who wants 7 Millions" is a simple, but very entertaining application with big addictive potential. What stands out is the simple and easy navigation throughout all areas of the app. The metro themed UI is very intuitive, smooth and friendly to the eye. The big pool of questions is also a plus, avoiding the questions to repeat themselves. The app is free for download and it includes ad banners on top of the screen.

Overall, "Who wants 7 Millions" is a fun app for Windows Phone with few things to complain about. The developer team from Macedonia has done a good job with carrying over the format to a WP mobile app. If only the money that can be won was real...


More info:
Who Wants 7 Millions: Web, Facebook, Windows Phone Marketplace


See also:
January Top Member App: Timesheet
December Top Member App: Vienna Location Service
Developers, get an HTC Surround for free at Creating Apps!
Tips and tricks when using PhotoCamera in WP 7.5 Mango
These are the winners of our Nokia Lumia 800 give-away