Prospective Lumia owner here: Users who switched from IOS and Android, how are you finding it?

[GomzyRockz]

Like many of our friends, I have switched from Android. Though there are some apps which are missing, I am willing to give it some time.

Many of my fav things about WP8 has already been talked. One of my fav features is the People's Hub and the fact that we can create a group of my best friends and pin it on my home screen. That way I can get only their FB and twitter updates. Great Social Integration!!

 

[anon(2255)]

I don't just harp on the lack of LTE, which is significant, but also the fact that LG builds garbage. If you think corners aren't being cut to make the phone that price, you're sadly mistaken.

I loved the Galaxy Nexus and was dead set on selling my Galaxy S3 for the next Nexus. As soon as I heard it was going to be LG I gave a resounding "NOPE!" ****, LG themselves have basically admitted they crippled the Nexus to sell more Optimus Gs. If I was a betting man, I'd put money on Google being VERY upset with LG right now. That being said, the Galaxy S3 is amazing, and the Note 2 is absolutely incredible. Flash AOSP android on there and you have a great device.

Now, as for WP8... I gave up Android cold turkey for the 920, and I initially loved it. There are some minor things that drive me absolutely bonkers though, and it's not just app selection. In fact, app selection is the least of my concerns, as I have 95% of what I used on my Android on my Lumia.

- Ringtones & notification tones: First, my alarm. While it was blaring on my previous phones. Not sure wtf is going on, but it's low. Second, I prefer having a different tone set up for different things, and obviously that can't happen on WP8. Not a deal breaker, but annoying.

- Nokia Drive: In my area, it's not that great. Odd routing choices are my biggest concern, but the nav doesn't feel "finished", which is odd considering how long it's been out. Not really a complaint as it's just not what I'm used to.

- The email app: I use GMail for all my mail. I have an older personal Gmail account, a more professional, recent Gmail account, along with a yahoo spam account and a Live.com account for WP8 that all comes into my "professional" Gmail account. That being said, I LOVED Gmail on Android (obviously), and I hate the mail app on WP8 for 2 main reasons: First, having to download pictures manually on EVERY email I receive, instead of having an option to remember my preference. Second, I'm kind of OCD about all my deleted mail being marked as read, and with WP8, I have to select about 20-30 each morning, mark them all as read, then select them all AGAIN, then hit delete. Why the **** can't the mail app just remember which were marked? Works just fine on Android, doesn't here. This is silly, but it's a major annoyance for me.

- Apps that I do use have horrible ports: Yelp is a disaster on WP8, and Untappd (Think 4Square for beer) doesn't exist so I have to use the web page. Rowi is nice but Plume is 100x better. NextGen RSS is actually amazing, and I have no complaints about it, as compared to GReader by Noinnion. Facebook obviously blows on both platforms, but it's MUCH worse on WP8.

- Google Voice blows: I use Google Voice for my voicemail, and post my GVoice # for texts when I sell things on Craigslist. The best I've found is Metrotalk, and it's not great by any means. I can't really complain since it's a Google based service, but it's something pushing me back to Android.

- The Dialer: No T9 dialing or even a predictive list based off the number you're entering? Using a 3rd party dialer app makes you confirm everything before you call? There's no reason for it. This is a MAJOR annoyance for me.


Now, the good: WP8 is a breath of fresh air design wise. It works, and it works well if you can come in with a clean slate. For a first smartphone, I will ALWAYS recommend WP, and for those who want simplicity this is definitely the OS for them. The home screen and live tiles are great, and the information is right where you need it. I just don't know if it's enough to keep me. I originally got this phone as an iPod replacement, to be a spare phone. I LOVED the music management on WP7, loved the Zune player and software, loved wireless sync. Of course, Microsoft had to ditch that feature, so... Yeah. Still making up my mind. I will say that if they EVER made an Android phone as well built as the 920, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[sym1a1a]

supertube and i believe metrotube will both allow you to upload to youtube, I use supertube and it works great,

 

[SteveISU]

Make sure you use both hands when reaching for the Note. LOL

Luckily I have big hands.

 

[anon(5370748)]

I switched from Android and iOS. No regrets so far. I can recommend the hardware 100%, but read up on the issues (most of which are documented on this forum) and make sure to exchange it if you run into any of those problems. Mine has worked perfectly from day one (knock on polycarbonite). The voice quality is great, the screen is beautiful, and the camera hardware is amazing for a phone (though the processing software needs work).

I can't recommend WP8 yet to most of my friends yet. It's still rough around the edges and missing a few key apps and features that iOS and Android have had for awhile. I'm pretty confident it'll work itself out over time, and I'm totally fine waiting. Overall, I like the experience more than Android or iOS. All the basics (phone/txt/email) are solid if not a little feature-barren. If you're a patient early-adopter type, you might end up liking it a lot. If you're expecting it to be as polished as Android or iOS, or have specific app/feature needs that aren't available yet, then keep it on the back burner for another contract cycle and check back later to see if it's baked enough to your liking.

 

[AngeloUCF]

Things I don't:
-the app differential, as much as people hate to hear it mentioned, is real, unavoidable, and legit. Super frustrating seeing all these great apps (Stick-n-Find, Zite 2.0, Instagram, Pocket, etc etc etc the list goes on) available for iOS and Android but not WP8. Hopefully that will improve with time. Hopefully. I'll be thrilled if and when it does, but I won't be shocked if it doesn't.

Have you tried Weave? Best news app I've ever used. I looked for it when I moved to iOS, and found Zite was lacking in comparison. Haven't tried 2.0 though.

 

[jdhooghe]

Pro-tip: just download your maps and use them offline. That is, if they actually are up to date enough to travel with.

Myself, Ive used meego, maemo5, nokia belle, android 2.3 and up and wp7.5. My last phone was the SGS3.

SGS3 is a GREAT phone. Like seriously, its basically a perfect phone for me. Battery is amazing, screen is great, phone feels good in use, its fast, and so on and so forth.

However, my 920 FEELS amazing. In addition it does have as good a screen as the SGS3, about the same battery or so it seems (mine had battery issues and is in for a fix atm), the OS itself just feels more coherent, and the way social sites are working with contacts, pictures, chat, Me-tile etc is great. I love that.

Iunno, Id put the 920 and the SGS3 on almost equal footing for my own use. With the 920 a step ahead for doing 80% of what I do easier, prettier and faster than the SGS3.

Protip: GPS does not work unless you have a working SIM card in that region.

 

[Sahkolihaa]

Having had a Nexus S, Galaxy Note and still currently own a Nexus 7, I'm starting to like WP8 more than Android. The main reason is because there's little manufacturer 'changes' that I feel ruin the experience (Galaxy Note was terrible for this), but also because even my Nexus 7 has plenty of stutters and lag issues even on a Tegra 3 chip, which are now more noticeable after getting used to the extreme silky smooth experience I've had with my Lumia 920.

I was quite surprised at how well Microsoft had worked on social capabilities with WP8. The fact I can sync my Google account, Live, Facebook and Twitter to my phone with no additional apps is superb. I do use the Twitter and Facebook apps since they give you more features, though.

 

[Slai]

Protip: GPS does not work unless you have a working SIM card in that region.

Really? Cause GPS worked fine with NO simcard on my other Nokia phones.

 

[dameon_03]

i switched from android and i just love how intergrated twitter and facebook is even though i have apps for them. i tend to forget sometimes that i have those apps and just use facebook and twitter right from the phone. as for me there werent may apps that needed to be replaced since i barely used many on android. i like the smoothness and fluidity of wp8. there were some minor quirks here and there like not being able to import bookmarks directly into the browser, but i found a workaround for it. i want to tinker around with the insides of this phone if possible, but i dont wanna render my 920 useless lol. this phone has the best battery life i have had in a phone. it is a very nice and very well built phone

 

[awsman]

I've only had one other smart phone, and it was an iPhone 3GS. I do, however, have a little experience with Android as I have an Android tablet.

Moving from the 3GS to the Lumia 920 is not exactly a fair comparison to make, as the 3GS is comparatively ancient, but I'll try. One other note, my wife does have an iPhone 5 so I have a little bit of experience with that.

Speed is obviously much better and more fluid on the Lumia than my old phone. I can't say how it would compare with a current competing device though. I haven't looked at my wife's phone enough to really experiment with that.

I can say that the screen size is amazing, and even the iPhone 5 can't compete with that. Of course, to get a bigger screen you need a bigger phone, but after nearly a month of using the Lumia, I don't even notice it's size and weight.

The camera is gorgeous in low-light situations and middle of the pack in normal-light situations, at least compared to current devices. It's leaps and bounds better than my 3GS was in every way.

As far as user experience, it's really great. The start screen's customization blows me away. I still tinker with it trying to find what really suits me. Not in a frustrating way, but a fun way. I had zero issue adapting to the new UX, but I pick up new things pretty easily. Someone who doesn't may have a harder time of it.

Apps are lacking, but not really. What I mean by that is that there are certain glamor apps from iOS that aren't on WP, but there are quality substitutions. The only thing that you can't find a suitable replacement for, in my experience is Instagram, but I've gone a month without it and it hasn't affected me at all. No, there isn't a flipboard app, but there are others to replace it. Would I download flipboard if it came along? Yes, but I'm certainly not going to let that affect my phone decision anymore than the lack of Instagram.

To wrap it up:

Pros:

• User Experience
  • Start Screen Customization
  • Live Tiles
  • Lock Screen Customization
• Screen Size
• Speed & Fluidity
• Camera
• Office
• Social Media integration (I saw someone mention the FB app is lacking, who cares you don't need it, just go to your people hub)
• Dynamic lockscreen pictures through Bing (also a minor negative, see further down)
• Wireless charging
• NFC
• It's a gorgeous phone inside and out.
• Skydrive

Very Minor Issues:

• Would like to see less empty space between the top of the screen & where your tiles begin when starting.
  • Where they are now cuts off the bottom row, but if it were moved up a bit, to right under the clock you could get a whole small tile row in rather than a partial one.
• My Bing lockscreen pic doesn't update every day like it should. I basically have to manually update it.
• I'd like to see separate volume controls for ringer & other sounds like music & games.
• My notification count that shows up on my Facebook tile doesn't drop off when I go in and look at notifications. It just keeps adding them.

Bigger Issues:

• Lack of some Apps (Insta, Flipboard & Fitocracy are my big 3, although again, not dealbreakers)
• Lack of a notification center
• Camera during normal/high-light situations is not as crisp as it should be. Hoping for a fix.

Here is my recommendation. If you have invested a lot into another ecosystem by purchasing a ton of apps or you have an iPad, a Macbook & an iPhone, stay with what you had. Also if you don't pick up on new technology well and have been using one OS for years, stick with what is familiar to you.

However, if you haven't invested into a lot of paid apps, you aren't bound by one company and you don't have any issues picking up new tech, I'd say go for it. It's a better phone, IMO.

 

[outsider7p]

Thanks for the responses guys, it's the little things that are scaring me off. Like broken FB notifications, no forward button or tab caching in the browser, universal volume. I just think they might bug me so much.

 

[falcon304]

• No "iMessenger/BBM" MS equivalent.

Yes, there is. Creating a Room via the People Hub will use the WLM backend to send messages to those in your Room.

 

[anon(5370748)]

Thanks for the responses guys, it's the little things that are scaring me off. Like broken FB notifications, no forward button or tab caching in the browser, universal volume. I just think they might bug me so much.

In that case, I'd wait a generation if I were you. Check back next time you're up for contract renewal - I'm sure most if not all of these things will be fixed by then.

 

[ripple23]

Honest answer. If you can live without the fancy transition animations of IOS and WP8, go with Android. Get a Nexus 4. It's blazing fast, although windows just pop up without a fancy animation sometimes. It has the best hardware by far in the Qualcomm S4 pro, wireless charging, 2gb of ram, screen that looks just as good as anything out there. All that for $299 unlocked. You just can't beat that.

Sure, some WP8 and IOS fans like socialcarpet might give you some terrible advice and harp on the fact that it has no 4g LTE anywhere except in Canada, but what they think doesn't follow logic. They suggest you pay twice as much for an iphone 5 or put up with poor applications or brick phones with a WP8 device.

Well depends on what you really want. Prior BMW owners are not normally going to be future Kia buyers ;-)

WP8 is new and any new OS will have growing pains. As users we need a working device no doubt but it will take a few OS releases to iron them all out much like the original iPhone.

I know Nokia has missed the bus badly during the smartphone era, but that might exactly what it required to give the company a jolt. Comparing the design and build quality of a Lumia 920 to ANY LG made phone is probably deeply insulting to Nokia if I were Mr. Elop. Would one buy an LG dishwasher or a Bosch? The underlying argument is the same. The Nokia 920 is a marvel of engineering design and practicality.

 

[Silly Putty]

Having both the Lumia 920 and Nexus 4 in my possession, I must say that the Nexus 4 feels infinitely better in my hands than the Lumia. I don't know how to otherwise describe it than it just feels right. It's lighter and it's probably the best phone I've ever owned in terms of feel. LG hit a home run with the design (although I could do without the chrome ring around the bezel. Not that the Lumia 920 is a slouch or anything - just a little too heavy for my tastes.

 

[deuxani]

I've had the iPhone (and upgraded to all other iPhones) since day one. But when the iPhone 4S was announced I was really disappointed (the iPhone 5 should've been the iPhone 4S) and a couple of months later I got the Galaxy Nexus because it fascinated me (thanks to The Verge) and I would only want the pure Google experience and not Touch Wiz or Sense.

Coming from the iPhone I was really disappointed by the quality of the 3rd party Android apps. They almost always looked and felt worse, dated (Gingerbread style design), open-sourcy, etc. The functionality is all there, but the design was just not comparable with iOS where the 3rd party apps feel like they are part of the OS. After almost a year with the Galaxy Nexus I got used to it and frankly most apps did get updated with the Google designed Holo theme. Still the OS and the apps feel open-sourcy (I don't know how to better describe it) and animations don't feel natural (they are fast, but they don't look and feel modern) like on iOS.

Then I got the Lumia 920. I was already used to make a step down in 3rd party apps, so going from iOS to Android to WP is a good way to accept the shortcomings of the Store Some apps are really great looking and have great functionality, but to be honest, most of them are lacking big time. They can't be compared to iOS or Android in functionality. This comes next to the fact that many localized apps aren't available and you have to resort to the browser. The browser on the other hand doesn't always render sites like on iOS or Android, giving you an even worse experience of the site you would normally have an app for.

But..... the OS is really amazing. It is something different, really different from iOS and Android which in my opinion work (and to some extent look) the same. The design is really consistent (Android is not) and the animations are maybe even on a higher level than iOS. The integration of different services and accounts is really good. I'm very impressed with what Microsoft has done here. Of course the OS isn't ready and some 3rd party apps (that are WP7 leftovers) make the OS feel unstable, but when they get updated and the first fixes are pushed out, the OS is a great contender for iOS and Android.

The only thing left are the apps. Like I said, they aren't on the same level and developers need to really be motivated to step up their game. The OS has a lot of potential, but in my opinion, if developers don't see a reason to invest in WP, it won't have a future for me. To be honest, when I really think about it, I feel like I'm making a lot of compromises to use WP when I compare it to the iPhone. Right now I love the OS so much that I can live with it, but the big question for me is: how long am I willing to compromise....

 

[astraith]

Honest answer. If you can live without the fancy transition animations of IOS and WP8, go with Android. Get a Nexus 4. It's blazing fast, although windows just pop up without a fancy animation sometimes. It has the best hardware by far in the Qualcomm S4 pro, wireless charging, 2gb of ram, screen that looks just as good as anything out there. All that for $299 unlocked. You just can't beat that. Sure, some WP8 and IOS fans like socialcarpet might give you some terrible advice and harp on the fact that it has no 4g LTE anywhere except in Canada, but what they think doesn't follow logic. They suggest you pay twice as much for an iphone 5 or put up with poor applications or brick phones with a WP8 device.

Honest answer ... just like I skipped the iPhone 4, 4S,5 because it can't be dropped, I'll skip the Nexus 4. I have kids, hate gettibg case, and that phone eould be dropped. Nope sorry Nexus 4 (snd the iPhone's) in my opinion aren't mobile. Mobile means it should be able to br dropped.

 

[anon(5395037)]

I still have mixed feelings (going from my galaxy s with cyanogen mod 10 on android 4.1.2). WP8 is great, intuitive and different system but im missing the android freedom from time to time. Also the SGS battery life is a lot better than my lumia 920. My lumia lasts 1,5 day with normal use and my old samsung with 2 year old battery still lasts 3 days (with more options on like wi-fi etc.).

 

[maverick96]

I just switched from an iPhone 5 to the 920 and so far I LOVE it!!!! One issue I'm having is the weird vibrate feature? Feels like the insides are rattling. Anyone else notice that vibrate is kind of weird?