iOS power user switching to Windows Phone 8.1

[Paul Lindqvist]

Hi!

I recently got a Lumia six30 for my daughter and was so impressed by the phone (for the price) and the OS that i got a windows phone my self!

Now i'm a hardcore Apple user, i use mac computers, ipad 4, ipad mini *and iphone for my work.

However i found Windows Phone 8.1 to be a nice breath of fresh air when compared to my iphone 5, and certainly compared to my daughter old candy OS phone!

As a new user i have few questions though, to set this up so i can use it as my primary phone.

1. Mail

As iphone user I'm used to apple mail app where i can see all my mail accounts and all their "boxes" (inbox, sent, trash etc)

From what i'v gathered WP 8.1 (outlook) does not support push with iCloud accounts ? Fastest is every 15min, which i found strange since a 3rd party app offers push for iCloud mail accounts ?

Also when adding account every inbox appear as a "app" in the app list instead of having them listed as different accounts in outlook.

Is there a way to have outlook setup to look like the iOS mail app (or any mail app for that matter) ?

If not is there a good alternative ?

I'v installed Metromail and while it support push with my iCloud accounts, it seems to lack a view of the sent folder etc.

2. Webbrowser

Is IE the best browser ?
Also is there a way to import my Safari bookmarks to it ?

3. Youtube

Microsoft Youtube app seems to leave a lot to be desired...

Which youtube app would recommend ?

I was pleasantly surprised to see how well WP 8.1 synced my iCloud account's contacts and calendar!

If i only can get the mail sorted satisfactory i will be able to use it as my primary phone!

The big downside of WP 8.1 for (from my short experience with it thus far) is the lack of apps i use daily, i redeem that with my Ipad mini Retina 4G though.*

Any input/tips will be much appreciated!

Thanx!

 

[Paul Lindqvist]

I got her a Lumia 630, for some reason this forum doesn't allow me to post that in my original message ?!?!

 

[nexialbinding]

2. IE is the best browser for WP. There are some alternatives but none are decent. IE on WP should sync bookmarks with the desktop client, so you could try importing your Safari bookmarks to IE on desktop and then syncing them.
3. The "official" Microsoft Youtube app is terrible because Google wants to see Windows Phone crash and burn (you can read up on their history about that if you want). The best ones are MyTube and MetroTube.

All in all, switching from one locked-down ecosystem to another is not going to be a smooth process. I can't help with your first question since I know nothing about iCloud.

 

[maggotbeer]

if I understand correctly what you're looking for is "linked inboxes" and you can find it by pressing the 3 dots to the lower right of your email app

 

[Paul Lindqvist]

Thanx for the input guys!

Neixialbinding
Ok thanx! I'll might have to install windows on my mac then .. Well i guess i can import them manually by exporting a html file.

Yes it certainly is, i liked metrotube, thanx!

Well i got the honest, it's a lot smoother then i would have guessed.

maggotbeer

Well i would have hoped to get something looking more like a mail app by default. Going a extra step to enable folders is bit tedious.

Also my sent folders only reflects mail sent from my phone, not from any other device.

Metromail on the other hand supports push and all my folders syncs correctly (sent,deleted etc.) so I'm gonna make that my primary mail app and only use outlook for syncing contacts and calendar, where a 15 min delay isn't such a big deal.

Thanx!

 

[Paul Lindqvist]

Ok i thought i update this thread my self regarding iCloud accounts, for other iCloud mail users.

Metromail has the feature that you can choose which folders that will be visible in the default view (unlike outlook from what i understand anyway)

So in outlook i just add my iCloud account to get it to sync my contacts and my calendar every 15-minutes. The mail i setup in Metromail which will sync all folder correctly and support push mail!

Maybe it will help another iCloud user!

 

[xandros9]

Hi!

I recently got a Lumia six30 for my daughter and was so impressed by the phone (for the price) and the OS that i got a windows phone my self!

Now i'm a hardcore Apple user, i use mac computers, ipad 4, ipad mini *and iphone for my work.

However i found Windows Phone 8.1 to be a nice breath of fresh air when compared to my iphone 5, and certainly compared to my daughter old candy OS phone!

As a new user i have few questions though, to set this up so i can use it as my primary phone.

1. Mail

As iphone user I'm used to apple mail app where i can see all my mail accounts and all their "boxes" (inbox, sent, trash etc)

From what i'v gathered WP 8.1 (outlook) does not support push with iCloud accounts ? Fastest is every 15min, which i found strange since a 3rd party app offers push for iCloud mail accounts ?

Also when adding account every inbox appear as a "app" in the app list instead of having them listed as different accounts in outlook.

Is there a way to have outlook setup to look like the iOS mail app (or any mail app for that matter) ?

If not is there a good alternative ?

I'v installed Metromail and while it support push with my iCloud accounts, it seems to lack a view of the sent folder etc.

MetroMail is a fine thing, but while not sure if what you want, you can link inboxes so they all appear in one list and app.

2. Webbrowser

Is IE the best browser ?
Also is there a way to import my Safari bookmarks to it ?

For the most part, IE is going to be just fine.
There's no direct way. There might be a roundabout way, do you have a way to import your Safari bookmarks onto desktop IE? Because IE on your phone syncs with IE on Windows 8.x.

3. Youtube

Microsoft Youtube app seems to leave a lot to be desired... Yup, thank google.

Which youtube app would recommend ? there are two major ones that are quite nice. MetroTube, and myTube. I recommend the latter, but MetroTube has an unlimited trial I believe.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how well WP 8.1 synced my iCloud account's contacts and calendar!

If i only can get the mail sorted satisfactory i will be able to use it as my primary phone!

The big downside of WP 8.1 for (from my short experience with it thus far) is the lack of apps i use daily, i redeem that with my Ipad mini Retina 4G though.*

Any input/tips will be much appreciated!

Thanx!

my input in bold above