Thinkin' of making the switch

[Tryptykon]

Hey to all those users of wp8.

As of this time I'm using a Motorola Droid 3 (rooted) with AOKP (Jellybean ROM) and as of late seeing how the Android OS has evolved (for better or worse), it seems to be more of a "playground" with all the rooting, ROM flashing, and whatnot going on. Recently I had opportunity to play with a 920 for a few minutes and fell in love with it, and was thoroughly impressed with the Windows Phone 8 OS in terms of how it looks and feels "professional" as a mobile OS. I know that the app catalog is not as rich as Android or iOS and that's ok. I use very few apps as is, but a few questions popped into my head regarding those apps that I do use on a regular basis and this is why I'm here. The apps I do use are

Amazon (Shopping)
Kindle
Amazon MP3
Dropbox
Edomondo
Facebook
Flipboard (News App)
Lookout (Antivirus app)
Netflix
Skype
ESPN
Spotify
Soundcloud
Ultimate Guitar Tabs (Guitar App)
Guitar Scales

My first question is which of these apps are available and/or are there reputable alternatives available if the actual apps themselves are not?

My second question is I'm a musician / teacher (I teach guitar) and tailoring wp8 to my needs as a musician I would like to know if there is a cloud music service / storage available ( I currently use Google Music.)

My third question question is if any of ya'll who have owned an android phone and made the switch over to wp8, what are the differences that you have noticed among the different OSes. (Sorry if the last question seems to too broad or doesn't make sense. It's late and I'm tired.)

 

[poots1101]

all amazon apps you listed are there, i think.
no dropbox. alternate - use skydrive (7gb free).
edomondo - yes
facebook - yes baked into OS
lookout - no (not sure about antivirus in general)
netflix - yes (just updated today)
skype - yes
espn - scorecenter is available
spotify - no
soundcloud - no
ultimate guitar tabs - yes (pay - 2.99)
guitar scales - not sure

i came from android too....been on my 8x with verizon for about 11 days now. you won't be sad to switch. every device/ecosystem is about compromise at this point.....i really haven't found an issue with the 'lack of apps' with wp8, but then again, YMMV. the update coming out 1Q '13 should be a nice bug fixer too.

and....as you try to find 'alternate' apps to replace apps not found....it's just like android. be careful some apps i'm sure are just crazy stupid and will rip you off. but there are a lot of quality apps out there - just read reviews and be smart....you'll be fine.

***edit***
forgot to mention - the people hub on it's own is amazing. if you are into social media with FB/Twitter, this phone will be amazing. and it's not overly intrusive - if you don't FB or tweet, it's not like the phone is forcing you to join those networks.

 

[Wyn6]

A couple of confirmations and amendments to what poots has said.

WP has no need for anti-virus software, thus you will find none on the Store.

ESPN - you have ScoreCenter, ESPN Radio, and if on a Nokia Device you have their specific ESPN app (I like ScoreCenter better) and ESPN Fantasy Football.

Spotify - is on WP7 so should make its way to 8 at some point.

Music - as far as cloud storage/music service... Xbox music should fill that need. There's a free 30 day trial you can give a go to see if you like the service. And, if you purchase a Nokia device, you should also get Nokia Music which is completely free and pretty darn stellar.

And, I did switch from Android. Although, my time with my MyTouch was brief. This was nearly two years back so any differences would be outdated at this point. So, I'm no help on that front. As far as the rest, hope this helps and good luck.

 

[casab1anca]

Amazon MP3 isn't on WP yet, but just as the iOS version took a while to come out, I'm sure the WP version will follow soon. Amazon Shopping, Kindle and Audible are all available though.

As for cloud music, SkyDrive provides free storage and there are a number of third-party apps that can stream music from SkyDrive.

 

[Tryptykon]

Thank you ll that have posted so far, all of these replies have been very helpful so far.

 

[juanitoriv]

Tryp, my dude. I am in lust with Soundcloud, and wish I Could hump it. Audiocloud, Soundrivin and Soundclouder are the apps I use, depending on how I feel, and want to do that day. Check me out. Papa Juan.

FYI, Cloud City Music is the google music client for WP. I've absolutely no experience with it tho. Go to windowsphone.com, and then the App+Games menu. Browse, search.

People say WP doesn't have apps, but do they look? I like that we don't have a lot if fluff. Make the move, I don't think you'll regret it.

I have an HTC 8X, its gorgeous, and Beats audio really is all that. Just picked up some Skull Candy buds from my cuz at the head shop, and its like with it!!

Good luck and Happy Holidays!!

 

[david90531]

I love my android tablet but as far as phone goes I will still go with WP any day, seriously the most intuitive, simple, and modern UI out there.
I had TOO MUCH APPS with my WP7, like over 400. The only reason you'll feel the apps are insufficient would be you just switched from iOS or Android. Most missing apps have alternatives too