Users who switched to WP8 f rom WP7/7.5

[msalmank]

Hi All,

I currently own a HTC Mozart and it is unfortunately in an extremely bad condition and thus i'm on the lookout to switch.

I just wanted to see how many of you out there have used WP7.5 and moved to WP8 and how was your experience with the switch? From what I gather, although there are new features and enhancements with WP8, in some areas there may be a step-back? Like the animation and artwork in Zune, and other items that I've read about in the forums as well as posted across WPCentral.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this.

Regards.

 

[Chregu]

I don't know why I didn't get that Zune won't be usable for WP8, I read a lot about this stuff, but I was really shocked. The Software Microsoft provided was just incredibly terrible, the Windows 8 Metro app not usable, and the beta Desktop software buggy and just as bad.

I had to work over my entire music library with Mp3tag to make it usable again, and now I use Songbird for syncing. I still have no real solution for pictures, I just copy them over from time to time.

Also, some Bing features (Music search) that were available in my region on WP7 just are gone on WP8, without any real reason. (But anyway, Bing was always a disaster in Switzerland.)

For everything else: It's like WP7, everything, except the home screen. So I think everything is like WP7.8.

Also: The screen of my 8X is so much better than the one of the Omnia W I used before (after I crashed my Lumia 800) and everything loads faster. But this is because of the new hardware, not a new OS. The only real improvement I feel on a daily basis: The app Find My Music is now possible, and I enjoy the possibility to let an app change my lock screen picture.

I still really like Windows Phone, but the OS is no step up for me. The hardware really is worth the switch.

 

[phatboy66]

Well I think you'll get alot of replies because I'm sure most people on WPCentral where Windows phone 7.5 users haha.

Anyway, in my case I used to have the original Samsung Focus, then moved to the Lumia 900 and now I have the Nokia Lumia 920.

I can tell you that the performance of the Lumia 920 is completely on another planet compared to the WP 7.5 devices! WP8 is amazing and Nokia Apps really help enhance the experience. The only thing that may be frustrating at first is Xbox music and how you sync your media but I use Windows Media Player and it works fine now.

 

[msalmank]

Thanks guys!! yeah, i'm really hoping that Microsoft releases a proper software with synchronization capabilities ASAP. If i'm correct, there is already one in the works (or already available) for Windows 8.

And one thing that i really miss on WP is a proper notification center... 'coz let's face it, i wouldn't be pinning most apps on my home screen unless I want to make it extremely confusing to follow

 

[pmhgeneral]

Well I think you'll get alot of replies because I'm sure most people on WPCentral where Windows phone 7.5 users haha.

Anyway, in my case I used to have the original Samsung Focus, then moved to the Lumia 900 and now I have the Nokia Lumia 920.

I can tell you that the performance of the Lumia 920 is completely on another planet compared to the WP 7.5 devices! WP8 is amazing and Nokia Apps really help enhance the experience. The only thing that may be frustrating at first is Xbox music and how you sync your media but I use Windows Media Player and it works fine now.

were can I get info on Windows media player, directions I been trying to get my music off Zune and onto my 822. My PC runs window's xp and haven't had any success.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Aleem Aslam]

Hi.. I was using HTC Radar with WP78 till Last week. Switched to Nokia Lumia 920 this weekend. Using it for the last 3 days & I cant keep my hands off it. First of all, the HD screen makes the tiles attractive. The Live tiles on wide mode works great. The Room features is great too if you have family & friends using the WP8 devices too. It wrk great, specially the note & photo sharing options. The Lock screen feature on WP8 makes the Windows Phone experience much better. The detail notification on the lock screen is a nice addition. I kept messaging as detail notification which highlights the new message on the lock screen. The Fast resuming of the apps like whatsapp & Skype is a pleasure. Features like Bluetooth transfer was really missed on WP7., not it works great with WP8. Backup feature which store app list & settings & text messages is a nice addition. The keyboard has vastly improved. I loved my HTC Radar keyboard but WP8's makes it better. Lots of emoji & special characters which is quite helpful & missed. If you thinking to get Lumia 920, The Nokia Music, Drive & the awesome will be a great addition. Nokia is really working hard to make consumer's experience better.

The disadvantage is the Battery Life... On the first day, the battery drained in 6 hrs but its improving now. Yesterday, I got 9 hrs which is not bad as everyone in my office were fiddling & playing with it. The Wireless Charger is good addition. I brought one today morning one for office & one for home. The battery level is quite good now as I keep it on the charging pad when its not in use.

Hope its helpful to you. Hope the experience improves as more Windows Phone 8 updates arrives from Microsoft's end. :excited:

 

[gsquared]

The real question Namish. Are you willing to stick with the platform? Many people here agree that WP 7.xx was a test-run. WP8 is the real deal going forward. The transtition itself from 7.xx to 8.xx is a non-issue. It has peaks and valley's just like everything else in life. Thing is, you know MSFT will be fixing the things that didn't turn out so well (ie: XBox Music). They have too much riding on it to ignore it.

Also, IOS and Android have taken their platforms near the point of diminishing returns. Look for those platforms to start slowing down on innovation. You already see that with IOS as Apple is using it as a cash-cow. BB is unfortunately in the same position from the get-go as its really just a glorified Android clone.

 

[msalmank]

The real question Namish. Are you willing to stick with the platform? Many people here agree that WP 7.xx was a test-run. WP8 is the real deal going forward. The transtition itself from 7.xx to 8.xx is a non-issue. It has peaks and valley's just like everything else in life. Thing is, you know MSFT will be fixing the things that didn't turn out so well (ie: XBox Music). They have too much riding on it to ignore it.

Also, IOS and Android have taken their platforms near the point of diminishing returns. Look for those platforms to start slowing down on innovation. You already see that with IOS as Apple is using it as a cash-cow. BB is unfortunately in the same position from the get-go as its really just a glorified Android clone.

I actually pretty much agree with most of what you said. I have an iPhone 5 right now, and though it has its strengths, there isn't much innovation there. There are rumors that Apple is cooking major changes with iOS 7 but that's probably gonna be a while till it surfaces.

I love Windows Phone as the platform. And I plan to move to WP sooner than later - given that I have started studying app development with keen interest for the platform, and additionally, WP apps are somewhere in the very near future at my job too... so best to have that phone too or as the only one.

Although i Love the iPhone 5 and loved the iPhone 2 when i used to own that originally... but WP (HTC Mozart) has been my personal fave device of all that I've used (including Galaxy S3). I honestly won't be purchasing a windows phone 8 device any time real soon, but probably within the next month or so. The reason I posted here was to get feedback from current users based off of concerns and comments that i've been reading on WPCentral as well as other sites.

Thanks all! Hopin' to join the WP8 crowd in the near future...