Switching platforms? | Thinking of leaving?...comment here!

[anon(8532178)]

Not leaving Windows Phone... but I am taking a break from it.

View attachment 127179

I've been with Windows Phone since the beginning, back when it was just Samsung, HTC, LG, and Dell. And I still like the OS more than Android or iOS. In fact, I was using the iPad at work today and the OS feels like stepping into the past - but I digress.

Basically, I'm feeling a little Windows Phone fatigue. I know some will disagree, but aside from a handful of UI changes, Windows 10 feels a lot like 8.1. The way I use the OS hasn't changed much over the years. My home screen is still the same boxy live tiles. I'm still swiping left to access my other apps. I'm still using the action center in much the same way I've always used the action center.

Furthermore (and I'm sure more will disagree), smartphone hardware is duuuuullll. I'm having a hard time telling what actually makes phones different besides camera quality. Large screen? Check. Fingerprint reader? Check. Glass front? Check. Processor that does everything you need but everyone thinks is under powered? Check and check. I couldn't take anymore boring, flat pieces of glass.

So instead of being a bitter forum nerd, I decided to do something about it. Hence the BlackBerry Passport. It's not like I'm expecting BlackBerry 10 to make a stunning comeback. I don't expect it to do anything besides its out-of-the-box functionality. But it's different. It breaks the mold. It reminds me that hardware should be aspirational.

I also don't expect it to last forever. It is, after all, Blackberry 10.

Eventually I'll have to switch to another OS. Hopefully, by the time I do there will be more on the market than generic pieces of flat glass.

And no, I'm not leaving Windows Central. You guys are stuck with me. :evil:

Haha after looking at your post I'm going to dust off my old blackberry.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android (V10 or 5x)

 

[libra89]

Now enjoying android in my new Xperia Z3
View attachment 127185
Thank you libra89 and Guytronic.

Very nice! Love how you set it up!

 

[HeyCori]

That's cool! I hope you like your new Passport.

I'd be interested in hearing more about it, since I've never seen one, so I'm really curious. :smile:

It's a really cool device. Blackberry 10 has a few convenient features and the Passport's keyboards only makes them better. The entire keyboard functions as a track pad. I can delete a word with a quick swipe left, flick up to choose word predictions, swipe down to cycle through different characters, map apps/shortcuts to individual keys, and several other useful features. The device feels great in the hand, very premium. The 1440x1440 screen is nice and clear (though, IMO, colors are better on my 1520). Call quality is great too. At first I thought I might be bothered by the smaller 4.5 inch screen, especially now that I'm use to 6 inches. But width wise, it's wider than the 1520 so I don't miss the additional length at all. I can navigate the phone with mostly one hand but typing is strictly a two handed affair. And Blackberry 10 is feature rich enough to keep it from feeling stale. Plus Blackberry Blend is a cool way to answer texts from my tablet.

It does feel weird using it in public because it becomes very obvious that I'm "that guy" with the oddball phone. :grin:

 

[Laura Knotek]

It's a really cool device. Blackberry 10 has a few convenient features and the Passport's keyboards only makes them better. The entire keyboard functions as a track pad. I can delete a word with a quick swipe left, flick up to choose word predictions, swipe down to cycle through different characters, map apps/shortcuts to individual keys, and several other useful features. The device feels great in the hand, very premium. The 1440x1440 screen is nice and clear (though, IMO, colors are better on my 1520). Call quality is great too. At first I thought I might be bothered by the smaller 4.5 inch screen, especially now that I'm use to 6 inches. But width wise, it's wider than the 1520 so I don't miss the additional length at all. I can navigate the phone with mostly one hand but typing is strictly a two handed affair. And Blackberry 10 is feature rich enough to keep it from feeling stale. Plus Blackberry Blend is a cool way to answer texts from my tablet.

It does feel weird using it in public because it becomes very obvious that I'm "that guy" with the oddball phone. :grin:

How do videos scale on the screen? Does it just put black bars due to the screen being an unusual dimension?

 

[HeyCori]

How do videos scale on the screen? Does it just put black bars due to the screen being an unusual dimension?

It's total black bar city. The image is still big enough so I'm not too bothered by it.

 

[libra89]

It's total black bar city. The image is still big enough so I'm not too bothered by it.

I think it is really cool that you are doing this! I find it fascinating. Please continue to post your impressions. How about some of the official apps, like twitter?

 

[HeyCori]

I think it is really cool that you are doing this! I find it fascinating. Please continue to post your impressions. How about some of the official apps, like twitter?

Some of the official apps feel as though they're lacking but I think that's because I haven't had much experience with them. For example, the Contacts app has basic stuff like linking contacts to their social media accounts but the Photos app can't integrate my OneDrive account (although the File Manager can). Twitter, like many of the apps, are functional but look basic. The Music app is bare bones. It doesn't support jump lists so I don't think there's any way to get to an artist without using the search feature. And yet, because the device has true universal search, I can search for artists from the home button. All I gotta do is just start typing away. The Docs To Go app is more useful than I thought it would be. I was able to open an Excel doc from my OneDrive account, edit it, and then have the changes sync to OneDrive. And it did so without making me jump through a bunch of hoops. So some of the apps may not look like an app from 2016 but they definitely get the job done.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Some of the official apps feel as though they're lacking but I think that's because I haven't had much experience with them. For example, the Contacts app has basic stuff like linking contacts to their social media accounts but the Photos app can't integrate my OneDrive account (although the File Manager can). Twitter, like many of the apps, are functional but look basic. The Music app is bare bones. It doesn't support jump lists so I don't think there's any way to get to an artist without using the search feature. And yet, because the device has true universal search, I can search for artists from the home button. All I gotta do is just start typing away. The Docs To Go app is more useful than I thought it would be. I was able to open an Excel doc from my OneDrive account, edit it, and then have the changes sync to OneDrive. And it did so without making me jump through a bunch of hoops. So some of the apps may not look like an app from 2016 but they definitely get the job done.

How is the camera compared to your 1520?

 

[HeyCori]

Thankfully the camera is much better than I thought it would be. While it is slow to focus, I was surprised at how much light it could capture without resorting to flash. Here are some examples.

Passport (auto)


1520 (manual - had to adjust brightness)


without adjusting brightness


Passport (auto)



1520 (manual - had to adjust brightness)

 

[HeyCori]

Passport (auto)

1520 (auto)

Passport (auto)

1520 (auto)

Passport (with flash)

1520 (with flash)

Ultimately, given the Passport's lack of manual controls and focusing issues, the potential for a superior picture remains with the 1520. And while the Passport's camera is better than expected, it's still a step below.

 

[fatclue_98]

The Passport was an awesome phone that never stood a chance. Now with Facebook, PayPal and WhatsApp abandoning the platform, it's almost like having a webOS phone. The missus has my old Priv and Android's version of the BlackBerry Hub is a joke. They share the same name but the Android iteration is markedly inferior.

 

[zimilaci]

Since this is the place to post it: I recently left WP after the disaster that was the Icon (poor support, broken AMOLED screen firmware, no Glance, no Tap to Wake). I am not married to my carrier (VZW), but an employment service discount and living in a rural area means I sacrifice both service and/or money to have the OPTION of using a 950/XL.

I picked up the HTC 10 and I have been pleased with the device. The camera is pretty good and about on par with my Icon's. The audio quality is a HUGE leap forward and that is important to me. The device has been solid for me, no software issues or bugs to speak of.

However, I don't much care for android. I miss my live tiles. I miss the camera button. I miss being able to uninstall ALL carrier bloat. I miss the MS Keyboard most of all. It just worked well for me. I have disabled all Google apps except for the Play Store and Photos (because HTC didn't include their own gallery app), and I have installed almost all of the MS apps I have come to rely on. With that said, I feel like the quality and support of the apps is vastly superior on Android over WP8.1. It is much better on WP10.

I have W10m installed on my Icon currently, so I can keep pace with the changes as the OS matures. Perhaps when MS deems the CDMA folks worthy, I can come back to a finished and well supported W10m platform. Please make a phone worthy of the Surface moniker available for ALL carriers! Please?

~Ex (still a fan of WP)

Same here,

HTC 10 (I hope it records also distortion free) and I will keep my 950XL to see what will happen to win10m
but recording in flac with 96000khz damn

 

[J Dubbs]

My wife wanted to try windows phones because of the HERE free offline navigation and tempting sales prices. As soon as she got her phone she accidentally turned on the narrator for the blind the night before a business trip, and the screen would only stay black and say strange phrases regardless of restarting and battery removal. It took an hour and a half with me on the phone with an AT&T tech to figure out what odd button combo it took to shut that darn thing off......very frustrating (but typical) that Microsoft would choose not to explain what switching that feature on in the menu would do :unhappy:

Then my first Nokia phone was defective.......I fought with it for 2 days before sending it back and being without a phone (different sim card then my phone before). After that they were okay for awhile until Microsoft decided to break things with W10M......that's when I decided to leave. My wife decided to go when they dropped support for the HERE navigation on 8.1, she won't try 10 mobile after watching my experience with it. She's been using kindles and android tablets for years so adjusting to an android phone is going to be a snap.

Her windows phone was her first smartphone.......she really liked it for a while. I'm just glad to be back on an android again myself, windows phone was an interesting experiment, but Microsoft is handling their phones just like their pc os, that's okay in the pc market because they're the big dogs and don't have to try, but in the phone market they're huge underdogs and their attitude has killed windows phone.

 

[Kevin Rush]

Re: J Dubbs,
The HERE apps still work for me. I guess it's never too early to quit?
.
Neither me nor my wife have ever had problems at all with our Windows Phones, much rather all the problems you and your wife have had.
Hope you have better luck with your new phones.

 

[libra89]

From my understanding, the HERE apps will continue to work on 8.1 but not on Windows 10 Mobile after July?

 

[RumoredNow]

From my understanding, the HERE apps will continue to work on 8.1 but not on Windows 10 Mobile after July?

That's my impression as well.

 

[Laura Knotek]

From my understanding, the HERE apps will continue to work on 8.1 but not on Windows 10 Mobile after July?

From HERE's website: "This means the HERE apps will no longer work on devices running Windows 10 mobile after June 30, 2016.

HERE is deeply integrated in the Windows Phone 8 operating system. The HERE apps for Windows Phone 8 will continue to work for you without any disruption. However, we made the business decision to stop the development of new features. Additionally, the maps developed specifically for Windows Phone will not be updated."

 

[wgs84]

If the HERE suite ceases to function starting in July, I hope Microsoft at least enables the compass function in Maps by then. I know some might not use the compass function, but I find it incredibly crucial, especially when traveling.

 

[libra89]

Thinking of Leaving | Switching platforms...comment here!

The app that I felt like I needed to get through the work week, I'm not using it as much since I started my new position. This has me considering dabbling with the 640 again. The MLB app is a little sad though so ugh. It helps that the instagram app is pretty good on w10!

 

[Reflexx]

Had to drop back in to say that I HATE handling email on my Android phone.

With WP, I had 3 tiles. One for work email. One for several combined personal email accounts. One for my business.

I don't know how to do that with Android... or if it's even possible. Right now I'm using three separate email apps, and they all work a little differently so it's irritating.