IOS switcher

bobo616

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Hi,

I currently have a iphone 4 and was considering buying an iphone 5 but as I am considering a phone with a bigger screen I started to consider other phones as well. I wont go to android as I believe the app policy leaves them open to malware etc so I am looking at Windows phones. Could you clear up some concerns I have as I have listed what is important to me in priority order and its just whether or not the windows OS has the features I need.

Must have (Order of priority)

Vetted app store
Quality photo\video recording
Secure\Private browser
Find phone\remote wipe
Privacy control apps
Larger screen
Burst photos
Customizable ringtone\text alerts
Contacts grouping
Intuative interface
Good call quality
Good build quality
Task manager\performance monitor
Easy seachablity for apps
Customizable wallpapers
Software upgrades
Calendar reminders
Good support
Wifi connection
Bluetooth connection
Auto updating apps
Text reply when phone busy
Calculator
Compass

Does the windows Os have all these features? My other concern as is many people is the apps, a list of my most important apps are below are there equivilents on windows?

Most used apps (Not in priority order)

442 stats zone app
BBC iplayer app
Childrens reward app
ITV player app
Movie fx app
Old video style app
Pre recorder app
Shopping list app
Sky + app
Sky go app
Slow mo app
Slow shutter app
Spreadsheet app
TV catchup app
Video compression app
Video editing app
3g speedtest app
Battery charging app
Cinema times app
Photo Collage app
Espn goals app
First aid app
Flashlight app
Flixster app
Imdb app
Map app\streetview
Notes app
Photo editing app
Radio or streaming app
Reliable weather app
Secure password app
Secure photo app
Shazam app
Sky sports score centre
Toy camera app
traintimes app
Tube map app
Twitter app
Youtube app
redlaser
ebay

The 4 phones I am considering are :

nokia lumia 920
nokia lumia 820
Samsung ativ
HTC 8X

Obviously none of these are out yet but do you think they would address enough of my requirements to make the switch?
http://cdn-forums.wpcentral.com/images/smilies/wacko.png

Many thanks in advance. I only found this website yesterday so apologies if similar posts have already been replied to.
 

palandri

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First off, Welcome to WPCentral!

No offence, but I really think your post is too lengthy to get an accurate response to all your questions. Maybe you should look through the Windows Phone Marketplace. Here's the link to the U.S. Marketplace, but I think you're probably from the U.K. since you were look for the BBC Player:

Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)


Good luck to you!
 

GoodThings2Life

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Hi,

I currently have a iphone 4 and was considering buying an iphone 5 but as I am considering a phone with a bigger screen I started to consider other phones as well. I wont go to android as I believe the app policy leaves them open to malware etc so I am looking at Windows phones. Could you clear up some concerns I have as I have listed what is important to me in priority order and its just whether or not the windows OS has the features I need.

Must have (Order of priority)

Vetted app store
Quality photo\video recording
Secure\Private browser
Find phone\remote wipe
Privacy control apps
Larger screen
Burst photos
Customizable ringtone\text alerts
Contacts grouping
Intuative interface
Good call quality
Good build quality
Task manager\performance monitor
Easy seachablity for apps
Customizable wallpapers
Software upgrades
Calendar reminders
Good support
Wifi connection
Bluetooth connection
Auto updating apps
Text reply when phone busy
Calculator
Compass

I'm not gonna go through all the apps, but in terms of features... bold exists as of WP8 (confirmed), italics is rumored...


Must have (Order of priority)

Vetted app store
Quality photo\video recording
Secure\Private browser
Find phone\remote wipe
Privacy control apps
Larger screen
Burst photos
Customizable ringtone\text alerts
Contacts grouping
Intuative interface
Good call quality
Good build quality

Task manager\performance monitor
Easy seachablity for apps
Customizable wallpapers --- Depends what you mean... lockscreen yes, homescreen no
Software upgrades
Calendar reminders
Good support
Wifi connection
Bluetooth connection
Auto updating apps
Calculator
Compass

Text reply when phone busy


As you can see, there's only two on your list that are missing... and one that depends. It's actually funny that you list things out this way... because these are all such obvious features that I can see why it would be stupid for them not to exist, although admittedly a few of them just came with Mango last year, and a few more come with WP8 (custom alerts).

The task manager ... I wouldn't really call it a monitor, but task switching exists. I really don't feel there's a need to monitor them. Windows Phone handles that just fine on its own.


Anyway, I recommend the Lumia 920 and probably the HTC 8X as an alternative.
 

bobo616

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Thank you both,this really helps. I had a go on a lumia 800 today and was very impressed and it's really encouraging the other features I am interested in exist. The apps is an issue as I went through the list earlier and i think 60% have an equivalent but that's not too bad. Hopefully at the end of October I can make an informed choice once the reviews are out, until then I will be reading this forum. ;)
 

Nataku4ca

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im at work and bored, hehe, hopefully i don't get any thing wrong (the other two pretty much answered all your qs though)

Yes - Vetted app store
Yes - Quality photo\video recording (L920 for the best quality in both, 8x will shine in photo imo)
Yes(i think...) - Secure\Private browser
Yes - Find phone\remote wipe
Yes - Privacy control apps (u mean things like wallet and photo locker right? else please clarify)
Yes - Larger screen
Yes - Burst photos
Sort of - Customizable ringtone\text alerts (30sec ringtone yes, text alerts... we will have to see when Build happens)
Yes - Contacts grouping
Yes - Intuitive interface
Yes - Good call quality (this actually hardware depended, but no problem on my L800)
Yes - Good build quality (again.. depends on the company, Lumias are tanks though)
No - Task manager\performance monitor (OS manages this pretty well, u don't want to fall into the android route)
Yes - Easy seachablity for apps (my opinion)
Yes - Customizable wallpapers (wall paper for lock screen, for home screen u have 3 size tile and can move them around to your liking)
Yes - Software upgrades
Yes - Calendar reminders
Yes - Good support (us? lol, well Nokia has been fantastic, MS has been listening and doing better and better over the years)
Yes - Wifi connection
Yes - Bluetooth connection
Yes - Auto updating apps
Not sure... - Text reply when phone busy
Yes - Calculator
Yes - Compass

Apps
too many im unsure of so ill just list the ones i know we either have or a replacement for, someone else will have to fill in the blanks

Shopping list app
Store search results | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

Spreadsheet app
we have excel (MS Office :) )

Cinema times app
i assume u mean an app that give u theater time? Local Scout can do it and i know there were a few apps too

Photo Collage app
lots of photo apps

Espn goals app
i know we have espn... just not sure if its the same one ur looking for

First aid app
Store search results | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

Flashlight app
lots, i use flash light 7, too many to choose didn't bother trying them all lol

Flixster app
Yes

Imdb app
Yes

Map app\streetview
Nokia Drive FTW!!! erm... ya lots of those as well

Notes app
like everynote and stuff? yes, and we also have MS Onenote built in

Photo editing app
too many to count

Radio or streaming app
yes, i haven't try any of them though... (except for slacker, which is good)

Reliable weather app
errr.... i don't trust any weather station, but we do have alot of good one (and being Canadian i just got The Weather Network app)

Secure password app
wp8 have something for this built in i think, there also seems to be quiet a few apps available for it)

Secure photo app
yap, there are a few, i use photo lock

Shazam app
yes

traintimes app
Nokia transit? i know there are others, just not sure which one fits ur needs

Twitter app
yes

Youtube app
yes, just keep in mind Google is screwing with us so our apps will need to be updated occasionally (like 4~5 month) if Google decides to change their api and kick our devs out

redlaser
yes, if i read u correctly, and if bing vision is available in your area, bing vision takes care of all those needs

ebay
yes, i haven't used it before though

so uh, anyone else able to add or edit my list?
 
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bobo616

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im at work and bored, hehe, hopefully i don't get any thing wrong (the other two pretty much answered all your qs though)

Yes - Vetted app store
Yes - Quality photo\video recording (L920 for the best quality in both, 8x will shine in photo imo)
Yes(i think...) - Secure\Private browser
Yes - Find phone\remote wipe
Yes - Privacy control apps (u mean things like wallet and photo locker right? else please clarify)
Yes - Larger screen
Yes - Burst photos
Sort of - Customizable ringtone\text alerts (30sec ringtone yes, text alerts... we will have to see when Build happens)
Yes - Contacts grouping
Yes - Intuitive interface
Yes - Good call quality (this actually hardware depended, but no problem on my L800)
Yes - Good build quality (again.. depends on the company, Lumias are tanks though)
No - Task manager\performance monitor (OS manages this pretty well, u don't want to fall into the android route)
Yes - Easy seachablity for apps (my opinion)
Yes - Customizable wallpapers (wall paper for lock screen, for home screen u have 3 size tile and can move them around to your liking)
Yes - Software upgrades
Yes - Calendar reminders
Yes - Good support (us? lol, well Nokia has been fantastic, MS has been listening and doing better and better over the years)
Yes - Wifi connection
Yes - Bluetooth connection
Yes - Auto updating apps
Not sure... - Text reply when phone busy
Yes - Calculator
Yes - Compass

Apps
too many im unsure of so ill just list the ones i know we either have or a replacement for, someone else will have to fill in the blanks

Shopping list app
Store search results | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

Spreadsheet app
we have excel (MS Office :) )

Cinema times app
i assume u mean an app that give u theater time? Local Scout can do it and i know there were a few apps too

Photo Collage app
lots of photo apps

Espn goals app
i know we have espn... just not sure if its the same one ur looking for

First aid app
Store search results | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

Flashlight app
lots, i use flash light 7, too many to choose didn't bother trying them all lol

Flixster app
Yes

Imdb app
Yes

Map app\streetview
Nokia Drive FTW!!! erm... ya lots of those as well

Notes app
like everynote and stuff? yes, and we also have MS Onenote built in

Photo editing app
too many to count

Radio or streaming app
yes, i haven't try any of them though... (except for slacker, which is good)

Reliable weather app
errr.... i don't trust any weather station, but we do have alot of good one (and being Canadian i just got The Weather Network app)

Secure password app
wp8 have something for this built in i think, there also seems to be quiet a few apps available for it)

Secure photo app
yap, there are a few, i use photo lock

Shazam app
yes

traintimes app
Nokia transit? i know there are others, just not sure which one fits ur needs

Twitter app
yes

Youtube app
yes, just keep in mind Google is screwing with us so our apps will need to be updated occasionally (like 4~5 month) if Google decides to change their api and kick our devs out

redlaser
yes, if i read u correctly, and if bing vision is available in your area, bing vision takes care of all those needs

ebay
yes, i haven't used it before though

so uh, anyone else able to add or edit my list?


Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions, it all sounds very positive. The only thing I need to clarify is the privacy apps, what I meant was do apps have to ask to access different areas of your phone such as you calendar or photos? I really want to try the new phones as they may just be what be what I am after now.
 

Nataku4ca

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Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions, it all sounds very positive. The only thing I need to clarify is the privacy apps, what I meant was do apps have to ask to access different areas of your phone such as you calendar or photos? I really want to try the new phones as they may just be what be what I am after now.

oh that, yes lol :)
 

HeyCori

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Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions, it all sounds very positive. The only thing I need to clarify is the privacy apps, what I meant was do apps have to ask to access different areas of your phone such as you calendar or photos? I really want to try the new phones as they may just be what be what I am after now.

The app will give you a warning message if it needs to access other areas of the OS (like GPS for example). Then you can either agree or disagree to the terms.

For the most part, apps run in a sandbox and don't have access to much of the OS. Windows Phone 8 will open up the system a bit more but I don't think anyone knows how far.
 

bobo616

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I'm not gonna go through all the apps, but in terms of features... bold exists as of WP8 (confirmed), italics is rumored...


Must have (Order of priority)

Vetted app store
Quality photo\video recording
Secure\Private browser
Find phone\remote wipe
Privacy control apps
Larger screen
Burst photos
Customizable ringtone\text alerts
Contacts grouping
Intuative interface
Good call quality
Good build quality

Task manager\performance monitor
Easy seachablity for apps
Customizable wallpapers --- Depends what you mean... lockscreen yes, homescreen no
Software upgrades
Calendar reminders
Good support
Wifi connection
Bluetooth connection
Auto updating apps
Calculator
Compass

Text reply when phone busy


As you can see, there's only two on your list that are missing... and one that depends. It's actually funny that you list things out this way... because these are all such obvious features that I can see why it would be stupid for them not to exist, although admittedly a few of them just came with Mango last year, and a few more come with WP8 (custom alerts).

The task manager ... I wouldn't really call it a monitor, but task switching exists. I really don't feel there's a need to monitor them. Windows Phone handles that just fine on its own.


Anyway, I recommend the Lumia 920 and probably the HTC 8X as an alternative.

Hi I am just looking at this again and I can't tell which are rumoured features in italics, can you clarify please? Thanks;)
 

bobo616

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Great news about the things confirmed, are there things that iOS does that you wish wp does but doesn't? I have read that you can't group or organise the apps, is this correct?
 

GoodThings2Life

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Great news about the things confirmed, are there things that iOS does that you wish wp does but doesn't? I have read that you can't group or organise the apps, is this correct?

It seems that in WP8 you will be able to group them in custom "hubs". If that's true, it will be nice for some users, but honestly, I don't personally feel the need for it once I can resize the tiles to my liking.

As for other features of iOS that I might want, well, I've never owned or used one extensively to know. I've always been anti-Apple about everything. Objectively speaking, I'd say it's possible that something would wow me, but I haven't seen it yet when helping others. I will say that WP already does 90% of what I want, and WP8 is promising to fill in several of the gaps (custom notifications, for example). In fairness, though, I use my phone as a productivity tool... not as a full-time content gadget. I still want a tablet/laptop device for that stuff.
 

Nataku4ca

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Great news about the things confirmed, are there things that iOS does that you wish wp does but doesn't? I have read that you can't group or organise the apps, is this correct?

my fiance has iphone for awhile now, from the experience when ive had to use it, i think its abit more annoying to find stuff using folders (unless u use search, which is alot faster sometimes) most of the time i end up having to open each group just to figure out where she put things, funny thing is i see her doing that alot too lol

as far as i can tell we won't have grouping, but pressing on the highlighted alphabet to go to the app u need is better for me and if u do it right on the home screen in wp8, it can work very well, (now this is just my preference...)

only thing that i wish we had, (unless im being dumb and not know it exists) is seach within the phone so i can type the app type to find it
 

bobo616

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What performance monitor does iOS have? Did not know about that.

I use an app called sysstats, this lets you monitor the processes running and how much memory you have. It's basic but it's the best I have found.

As far as the apps grouping goes I think I will have to see if there are any changes in wp8 as I will struggle to remember the names of the apps I want to use although it sounds like I can pin my most frequently used to the homescreen.

Thanks for the help and I know these are simple questions but as nobody I know has a windows phone I would be the trail blazer/guinea pig for my group of friends and as all have iPhones and a few androids I want to be ready for the barrage of questions if I swap. Exciting times :D
 

GoodThings2Life

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Just out of curiosity, which phone are you looking to buy and what made you take a look at it over the iPhone?

I admit I'm always looking for convincing reasons for all my Apple-loving friends, because although it's easy to bash/hate on iPhone, doing so makes me look more like a snob, and I prefer to convince people through merit than criticism.
 

freestaterocker

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Thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions, it all sounds very positive. The only thing I need to clarify is the privacy apps, what I meant was do apps have to ask to access different areas of your phone such as you calendar or photos? I really want to try the new phones as they may just be what be what I am after now.

As an extra note, if you choose a Nokia WP8 device it will come bundled with Nokia Music, a free streaming radio app with custom stations by genre that also features the ability to download about 4 hrs of music to local storage for offline use at no extra charge. And you can change your downloaded songs out as often as it suits your fancy.
 

freestaterocker

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I use an app called sysstats, this lets you monitor the processes running and how much memory you have. It's basic but it's the best I have found.

As far as the apps grouping goes I think I will have to see if there are any changes in wp8 as I will struggle to remember the names of the apps I want to use although it sounds like I can pin my most frequently used to the homescreen.

Thanks for the help and I know these are simple questions but as nobody I know has a windows phone I would be the trail blazer/guinea pig for my group of friends and as all have iPhones and a few androids I want to be ready for the barrage of questions if I swap. Exciting times :D

WP limits the amount of resources background tasks have access to, so you never have to worry about system memory. (or excess battery drain) If you have too many apps on standby, the OS will 86 the one(s) you used least recently. Hold down the back button to see what apps are still waiting for you.
 

bobo616

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Great to hear that system resources are managed so well so a process manager isn't needed. The reason I am thinking of leaving my iPhone is that I am a little bored with the os as it hasn't really changed much and although it is very good I am also looking at a bigger screen which would mean the iPhone 5 which would mainly be the same as my ip4 but with 1cm more screen, I am not sure that is worth the ?529 I would have to pay.

It is also obvious that apple will stop supporting the ip4 as far as software upgrades go when the new iPhone next year comes out so I will need to upgrade sometime next year anyway which would mean less resell value as I buy my phones sim free.

I also don't like how the iPhone is seen as a status symbol, I bought it as it was the best os at the time. I don't think this is true anymore as android and wp are just as good now but android has security concerns so it leaves me to only consider wp. I hope this answers the question.

I have one more question now, when you receive a SMS message do you get a audible alert and then another a few minutes later as this very useful on iOS as I often forget otherwise.


Thanks again.
 

GoodThings2Life

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I have one more question now, when you receive a SMS message do you get a audible alert and then another a few minutes later as this very useful on iOS as I often forget otherwise.

Thanks for the explanation... I think those are very good reasons indeed. :)

As for notifications, no... there is one alert sound only. HOWEVER, the advantage of WP with notifications is that as soon as you wake the phone up, the message counts are right there at the bottom of the screen, and when you unlock, they show on your live tiles for the apps as well. So you won't have to worry about missing them when you get a moment to check. :)
 

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