Why it is hard for me to make the switch from Android (back) to Windows Phone

[G_The_One]

Hi y'all

I used to be an avid fan of then Windows Mobile Devices, with my last device having been the Xperia X1. I liked tinkering away at my phone, changing the panels (oh, how I miss them so) the UI, themes and the set-up of my today screen. Despite it being called "clunky", I like delving through the settings menu and getting my device just how I wanted it to be, and the fact that not everyone could do that on their deivce, and my device was UNIQUELY my own. I also loved the apps that were available, with a sizeable number of them being for free. I also had the HTC Touch Pro and got introduced to early versions of HTC Sense. It was not long before I had a custome ROM running Sense on my Xperia.

With the demise of Windows Mobile and the uncertainty and gap at the time, I moved to the HTC Desire (original with AMOLED Screen) and HTC Sense. It was and still is a marvellous device, and it had all the things I loved about Windows Mobile such as customisability and flexibility, tons of apps and a lot of them free. So the switch was not that hard. By the time the first Windows 7 devices were out, I was too immersed in the world of Sense and Android to consider a move. And there were a lot of things still missing - Copy and Paste for example?

Mango has now addressed a lot of these issues, and I am rather excited by the Lumia series. They bring some things which are key to me from Android, such as free navigation (via Nokia Drive on the Lumias) and a unique package, the polycarbonate construction. I am not too swayed by the quad core devices as I am not totally convinced yet that they are needed on mobile devices. Mango devices have been doing rather well on single cores. And Mango is so elegant, so smooth, and I adore the Social Networks integration.

I am now faced with the upgrade decision and as much as I like Windows Phone, I have a few things still holding me back which might ultimately tip the scales for me in favour of staying with Android:
- MOST of the apps I actually use and like are available for Windows Phone, yay! But they also come at a cost on Windows phone that is not applicable for Andorid. Why are apps like Angry Birds (original, seasons, Rio) not free like they are for Android? Even the WPCENTRAL App is not free?! And yet the Android Central App is free for Android? Words with friends, the list is fairly long...
-I can't send contacts via SMS?! Really? In 2012? It is a function I use a bit.
- While I understand the problems completely open bluetooth might raise, sure this could be restricted to allow at least for the sending of certain information and files? Photos, Contacts, and such?
- No "phone" style keyboard, just the QWERTY one? Occassionaly, I like to use this for one handed use.
- Smart dialling - I have lots of contacts, and I understand there is a workaround using the people hub but this is an annoyance.

What is the greatest annoyance for me is the things that are holding me back used to be in Windows Mobile, and worked well. And are also provided by other platforms and work. Why not Windows Phone?

I would be interested to hear from others who have made the switch (Back) and from other platforms how they have worked around some these minor issues, which in combination can be material. To those in the "know", will Tango address these "issues"?

I am considering getting the Nokia Lumia 900 when it becomes available or the international Samsung Focus S (if it is ever announced - no, I am not in the US).

 

[dannejanne]

I come from Android. Been using HTC Z and Xperia Play. I also customized like crazy to personalize the phone and flashed custom roms decompiled apk's to modify the graphics to my liking.

I do not have to do that on WP though! I do not even feel the need to. Everyting looks so elegant and modern from the start and it is so smooth. As soon as I pick up a Android phone now it feels so sluggish. I will never be able to go back to Android. WP has spoiled me with its elegant smoothness.

I do hear ya on the issues though. Only they are not really issues for me personally. Or I can accept the little flaws that are present. I just use my Lumia 800 and I have never loved a phone as much as this one for obvious reasons.

I still have my Xperia Play. Only that one is solely being used for emulating SNES and PS1 games now. Which it does an excellent job at. WP is lacking quality games (I think every OS does) and touch is just not the way to play the majority of games.

If you can not live with the flaws you listed perhaps Android is the better choice for you. Beware though if you try out a Lumia for too long. Then you might not be able to resist it.

 

[selfcreation]

regarding apps not being free.

MOST of them have TRIAL version witch IS the free Version!!!! like the WPcentral app is free but your limited ( you can watch vids or post comments or something )

most apps trial version = FULL version but with ADD SUPPORT!!!

Angry birds is not free cause the DEV decided to make you pay for it , you can complaint to them about it!!!

- you can get an APP to send contacts/Music/vids/pics VIA blue-tooth . forgot what its called sorry i dint use it so i uninstalled it.

- yeah smart dialing is a big problem with me as well it sucks

- you dont get a phone style keyboard unless you download an keyboard app with one , and copy-past your text to the SMS section.

 

[Eirenarch]

If free apps will mean that the apps will be of Android quality instead of iOS quality I'd rather not see a single free app in the marketplace.

 

[selfcreation]

If free apps will mean that the apps will be of Android quality instead of iOS quality I'd rather not see a single free app in the marketplace.

thats simply not true , we have ALLOT of free apps!

trail = free app = add support = full feature = is more profitable for DEV then an actual paid app!!!! ( they did surveys/statistic test of this 3-4months ago)

unless it has allot of attention ( like the WPCentral app) add support apps actually bring in more cash.

free and GREAT:

- Youtube Pro
- Skydrive
- WpCentral
- Adobe
- facebook
- Free RingTones
-IMDB
- NetFlix
- Weather ( official weather network app!! amazing!!)
- TANGO Video Calls!!!!

the list goes on!!!

 

[dannejanne]

Yeah. And most apps for WP is "seamless" with the UI. Designed with the Metro theme in mind. Can't say the same about Android apps.

 

[bear_lx]

i switched from android and ios back to windows phone. i miss a few good apps, but the quality of the OS makes it easy. i was at my uncles the other day and he was showing me his nexus s 4g, and bragging about how smooth it was, LMAO! you should have seen the lag on his scrolling, it was so choppy! hahaha, he has no clue! not to mention the force closes and battery draining... i sometimes wonder myself if the apps and features i get with other OS's are worth losing, and all i have to do is pick up my phone and scroll... it just works...

 

[based_graham]

A WP7 is a great "phone" if you need a mini Pocket PC then pair a WP7 with a Android or iPad and your set with all your mobile apps.

 

[bigkevbosky]

Its funny this thread was created - because this is exactly what I just went through.

I went from an iPhone 3GS to an HTC Inspire to a Samsung Focus to a Dell Streak and back to the Focus.

I went to the Streak because I got a killer price on a brand new unit and I really wanted to give Android another chance. After spending hours rooting it (because the Streak can only go up to 2.2 without root) I was up and running. I paid for a few apps to make the device snappier, spent a lot of time customizing it, and used it for about 3 weeks.

What I came to realize was that the WP experience beats the Android experience on nearly every level. Now - I haven't used Android 4.0 yet, so it could be awesome - I have no idea. But I came to be frustrated by the following things on Android :

1) Force Closes. Its ironic that Microsoft used to get so much sh*t for the Blue Screen of Death yet on a DAILY basis BOTH Android phones I've used (Inspire and Streak) would get force closes and cause me to reboot. I don't want to have to reboot my phone every day.

2) Constant turning off turning on turning off turning on. I came to be spoiled by WP7s battery life. I'd leave Bluetooth and WiFi on all day and not even think about it, and my battery was never a problem, even with heavy usage. Yet with the Inspire and the Streak (and the Streak even came with an extended 1800 mah battery) I was having battery issues and constantly having to make sure if I left a WiFi area, the WiFi was turned off. So frustrating.

3) LAG LAG LAG - Every Android device I've used in the past year has lag. I don't get how, no matter what alternate keyboard I use, every Android phone can't keep up with my typing. My Focus has no problem with the keyboard keeping up with me. And scrolling smoothly through a webpage? Awesome on WP7 - terrible on Android.

Not to mention device specific annoyances - like the Streak being too big and heavy. I decided to go back to the Focus full time and leave my Streak as my "tablet" and backup phone. Because, really, what do we all use our phones for? Internet browsing, media player, phone, text, games. That's really it. And the Focus (and all WP7 phones) do those basic tasks better than Android and as good as iOS - and unlike iOS, WP7 phones come in a variety of sizes and styles and don't cost an arm and a leg to buy.

 

[doublebullout]

I really struggled with the switch from PalmOS to webOS/Android/iPhone because those mobile OSes moved away from the traditional PDA functions on which Palm devices were so focused. I could push power on my Centro and get a true agenda screen view without having to launch anything. This "glance and go" capability made even Palm's Windows Mobile devices better PDAs than the webOS devices that replaced them. Android, with its widget capability, seemed like a good alternative at first, but I couldn't put up with the typical Android annoyances for long. The iPhone, prior to iOS 5, made a poor PDA because there is no way to get "glance and go" functionality without jailbreaking. (The notification center in iOS 5 helps a little, but the user still has to power on, unlock the phone and then swipe downward to get it. Hardly "glance and go".) This is not progress.

But Windows Phone is fundamentally different. Microsoft, whether by accident or not, seems to have rediscovered the feature that made all those old Palm devices so appealing to professional users. Busy people don't want to navigate through multiple apps or endure occasional reboots to see quickly what's happening. They want a reliable device that works quickly and consistently. And without having to root or jailbreak it or mess around with custom ROMs.

I'm currently using a Quantum as my weekday phone and an iPad as my tablet. On weekends, I swap my SIM back into my iPhone 4. This combination is working very well for me so far. But I didn't get to this point without a lot of experimentation and frustration. Good luck.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[G_The_One]

Thank you all for the responses. They are very encouraging and I feel almost brave enough to take the plunge. I did not know that trail apps in WP are essentially the full apps with adds - I can live with that!

And...

If free apps will mean that the apps will be of Android quality instead of iOS quality I'd rather not see a single free app in the marketplace.

while I agree with you that the quality of android apps leaves a lot to be desired in some cases, there are also quite a lot of free apps that are as good as the WP and iOS counterparts. Case in point, Angry Birds, Pulse, Words with Friends.

I will poke around a bit more, unless someone can help me with the names of the apps to send contacts and other information via bluetooth and the app to change the keyboard to "phone mode".

Is there an app out there which brings smart dialling? Maybe an opportunity for a developer out ther?

 

[bigkevbosky]

Thank you all for the responses. They are very encouraging and I feel almost brave enough to take the plunge. I did not know that trail apps in WP are essentially the full apps with adds - I can live with that!

And...

while I agree with you that the quality of android apps leaves a lot to be desired in some cases, there are also quite a lot of free apps that are as good as the WP and iOS counterparts. Case in point, Angry Birds, Pulse, Words with Friends.

I will poke around a bit more, unless someone can help me with the names of the apps to send contacts and other information via bluetooth and the app to change the keyboard to "phone mode".

Is there an app out there which brings smart dialling? Maybe an opportunity for a developer out ther?

[App] Smart Dialer [Mango/Market] -[R]- 06/Sep/2011 -- 29/Dec/2011 -[V]- 1.10.0.0 - xda-developers

Smart Dialer app - never tried it but the demo video looks ok.

Edit - you CAN get a bluetooth file transfer app - unfortunately its limited to custom roms. If you have a first gen HTC or Samsung device, they're easier to install than they are on Android phones, but I don't know if you want to go that route. Don't think there's any bluetooth file transfer app out there yet without custom roms. The point is - if you TRULY need that function, it CAN be achieved on a Windows Phone - just requires more work.

 

[mb-dape]

Thank you all for the responses. They are very encouraging and I feel almost brave enough to take the plunge. I did not know that trail apps in WP are essentially the full apps with adds - I can live with that!

And...

while I agree with you that the quality of android apps leaves a lot to be desired in some cases, there are also quite a lot of free apps that are as good as the WP and iOS counterparts. Case in point, Angry Birds, Pulse, Words with Friends.

I will poke around a bit more, unless someone can help me with the names of the apps to send contacts and other information via bluetooth and the app to change the keyboard to "phone mode".

Is there an app out there which brings smart dialling? Maybe an opportunity for a developer out ther?

I am more or less in the same situation as you. Have been using WP7 for some time but regardless of how much I like MS products and how much I want to like WP7 I think I "have to" go back to Android.

I feel like a beta tester with WP7, the system has little too many flaws for me to be usable as a combined personal/work phone.

I absolutely think that WP has a future, but I want a functional smartphone now.

You will have to get used to that you cant customize even basic things. For me it is a break dealer that you can not change how the calendar shows on the start screen. You can not see later events than tomorrow and not your tasks.

Regarding forced restart I have had two of them on my WP7, both while using IE, about the same amount I had on my Android.

And app quality? Yeah, Android has A LOT of ****ty apps, but the same is happening to WP7 too. I sometimes browse through New apps om WP7 Marketplace. Last weeks I havent downloaded a single app, because there is (almost) only crap coming out.

It comes down to what you want. I highly recommend you to test a WP7-phone as your main phone for a couple of weeks before you decide.

While Android devs can take advantage of the phones hardware, the WP7 apps are more limited. On Android you can customize the phone in detail. Change how it notify you, change how the led behaves etc etc. You can keep the phone simple and smooth if you want, and you can fill it with widgets and apps and make it slow. But at least you have the choise.

Maybe you will end up like me, when the first excitement has gone, you will only be irritated about that WP7 misses too many basic functions and options that even 8-10 years old phones had.

Or you will like the simple, smooth interface and can live with the flaws.

 

[G_The_One]

[App] Smart Dialer [Mango/Market] -[R]- 06/Sep/2011 -- 29/Dec/2011 -[V]- 1.10.0.0 - xda-developers

Smart Dialer app - never tried it but the demo video looks ok.

Edit - you CAN get a bluetooth file transfer app - unfortunately its limited to custom roms. If you have a first gen HTC or Samsung device, they're easier to install than they are on Android phones, but I don't know if you want to go that route. Don't think there's any bluetooth file transfer app out there yet without custom roms. The point is - if you TRULY need that function, it CAN be achieved on a Windows Phone - just requires more work.

Thanks @ Bigkevbosky for the tip. I will certainly check it out.

I must commend the WP community for their enthusiasm and prompt responses. It is one of the things I was fearing I would miss from the Android community but this might not be the case.

I can feel myself getting excited and a bit aprehensive about the jump to WP. The wait till the Lumia 900 is available will not be easy.

 

[bigkevbosky]

Thanks @ Bigkevbosky for the tip. I will certainly check it out.

I must commend the WP community for their enthusiasm and prompt responses. It is one of the things I was fearing I would miss from the Android community but this might not be the case.

I can feel myself getting excited and a bit aprehensive about the jump to WP. The wait till the Lumia 900 is available will not be easy.

No problem - glad to help. I was in the same position as you - wanted to try the Windows Phone "experience" - I ended up buying my Focus off contract for under $100.

If you really want to "test drive" the platform, you can easily find a used Focus, HTC Surround, or LG Quantum for $100 or less on Ebay, though it may be harder to find a Focus for that price. You could buy off contract now, try it out for a few months, then decide if its right for you to upgrade when the Lumia 900 comes out.

Two years is a long commitment, yknow? Better to spend $100 now, try it out, then sell the phone back on Ebay and get your money back.

 

[selfcreation]

The App for Bluetooth ( dont need to unlock your phone) is called FLICK + Share but i just relized i think its ONLY for PICTURE+Video! sorry no music

for the keyboard , im not sure if you can find one with the T9 style, yet , but just type in Keyboard in the marketplace allot of different once but not sure if they have T9 ( most people don't like that format 3 letters per key )

but i find it weird any ways , i ALWAYS just use one hand (my thumb ) to type and when my phone is NOT in landscape mode i have no problem , i actually find it easier cause all the letter are set up like a PC.

Also for any *Newbie* Information make sure to check out my thread : WP: The Not so Obvious!! anything from sync , Metro UI , Updates info al the way to *what to do if you break your phone*

 

[dannejanne]

You will have to get used to that you cant customize even basic things. For me it is a break dealer that you can not change how the calendar shows on the start screen. You can not see later events than tomorrow and not your tasks.

You should check out AppoinTile in the market.

 

[Major]

I don't think anyone mentioned this already, so I'll add that Angry Birds on WP7 is a Xbox Live title, which includes achievements. I believe that's the reason it's not free.

As far as the old school phone keyboard, I honestly cannot imagine why anyone would want that. I can one-hand text just fine with a QWERTY keyboard, on a Titan no less. Heck, having a QWERTY keyboard to text with is the main reason I got a smart phone to begin with.