Hello All,
As a Windows fan I thought I would share some thoughts after attending this evening's event and having hands on time with the new products. I'd welcome anyone else to share their observations and would be happy to answer questions.
This shouldn't be viewed as actual fact, it is my opinion which is far from perfect.
Phones: I've used several Windows Phones over the years, most recently alternating between the 930 and the 1520. I've preferred the 930's form, but went back to the 1520 for LTE and the battery. Here are my thoughts on the 950 and 950XL.
For weeks looking at the rumors and renders I was pretty underwhelmed by both phones. After seeing them in person I can say they are awesome. Both are extremely light and feel great in the hand. I went in leaning towards the XL but the regular is a lot better than I thought it would be. I like the standard placement of the lock button and the circle on the camera actually looks great. I have resigned myself to the fact that I'll have buyers remorse no matter which one I end up with. When I was holding the 950 I was staring at the gorgeous screen of the XL. When I was holding the XL I continued getting frustrated with the lock button and desired the form factor of the 950. Verdict: Both seem great, personally I will lean towards the 950. (Sidenote: the extra covers look amazing, but also disable qi charging.)
Surfaces: Thanks to work I was able to try out a few different Surfaces and got the Surface Pro 3 in June and fell in love with it. The Surface Pro 4 is gorgeous but not enough to tempt me to upgrade, but if I had a Pro 2 I'd definitely upgrade. Surface Book WOW! This device is just absurd on so many levels. I've never seen a tech device designed and manufactured so well. It looks a little odd given the height since I've gotten used to wider screen looking devices, but all around it is phenomenal. When the screen is detached it is easier to hold and more natural to work on than my Pro 3. When it's attached it works better than you'd expect. I have a Dell XPS 13 for my personal device which I think I like a little more due to it's compactness, but if I had to choose between two devices (Pro 3 and XPS 13) or 1 device I'd opt for the Surface Book.
Band: I can only compare the band 2 with the Pro 3 in terms of its comparison with its predecessor device. The band is so flexible you could almost fasten it inside out. The screen is beautiful and responsive and the colors really pop. It is much thinner and can more easily be worn with a suit. Often times I would not wear it when wearing a suit because I couldn't comfortably wear my shirt sleeves over it. This one seems to solve that problem as well as the issue with leaning on a desk with it.
Outcome Every device is incredible. Personally I am going to pre-order the Band 2 and the Lumia 950 and call it a day.
I'm happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.
As a Windows fan I thought I would share some thoughts after attending this evening's event and having hands on time with the new products. I'd welcome anyone else to share their observations and would be happy to answer questions.
This shouldn't be viewed as actual fact, it is my opinion which is far from perfect.
Phones: I've used several Windows Phones over the years, most recently alternating between the 930 and the 1520. I've preferred the 930's form, but went back to the 1520 for LTE and the battery. Here are my thoughts on the 950 and 950XL.
For weeks looking at the rumors and renders I was pretty underwhelmed by both phones. After seeing them in person I can say they are awesome. Both are extremely light and feel great in the hand. I went in leaning towards the XL but the regular is a lot better than I thought it would be. I like the standard placement of the lock button and the circle on the camera actually looks great. I have resigned myself to the fact that I'll have buyers remorse no matter which one I end up with. When I was holding the 950 I was staring at the gorgeous screen of the XL. When I was holding the XL I continued getting frustrated with the lock button and desired the form factor of the 950. Verdict: Both seem great, personally I will lean towards the 950. (Sidenote: the extra covers look amazing, but also disable qi charging.)
Surfaces: Thanks to work I was able to try out a few different Surfaces and got the Surface Pro 3 in June and fell in love with it. The Surface Pro 4 is gorgeous but not enough to tempt me to upgrade, but if I had a Pro 2 I'd definitely upgrade. Surface Book WOW! This device is just absurd on so many levels. I've never seen a tech device designed and manufactured so well. It looks a little odd given the height since I've gotten used to wider screen looking devices, but all around it is phenomenal. When the screen is detached it is easier to hold and more natural to work on than my Pro 3. When it's attached it works better than you'd expect. I have a Dell XPS 13 for my personal device which I think I like a little more due to it's compactness, but if I had to choose between two devices (Pro 3 and XPS 13) or 1 device I'd opt for the Surface Book.
Band: I can only compare the band 2 with the Pro 3 in terms of its comparison with its predecessor device. The band is so flexible you could almost fasten it inside out. The screen is beautiful and responsive and the colors really pop. It is much thinner and can more easily be worn with a suit. Often times I would not wear it when wearing a suit because I couldn't comfortably wear my shirt sleeves over it. This one seems to solve that problem as well as the issue with leaning on a desk with it.
Outcome Every device is incredible. Personally I am going to pre-order the Band 2 and the Lumia 950 and call it a day.
I'm happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.