Thinking of switching to WP8?

[frooglepoopillion]

Hello everyone! First time, long time.

I am an Android user looking to potentially switch mobile platforms (I have been with Android since the Froyo days). My reasoning is not earth-shattering: I am simply growing weary of the "Android experience". Don't get me wrong, I think Google has a ton of great services but I am slowly beginning to find myself drifting toward WP8 and iOS7 (when it comes out) over my Nexus 4 and 7 pure Android devices. My main gripes with Android are a) the OS fragmentation, b) the resource management, and c) it is a bit of a burden to get some things to "just work". For instance, from my experiences SkyDrive and GroupMe are superior in every way to Drive and Hangouts (though I still prefer Hangouts for one-on-one IM and video chat over Skype).

I guess what I am asking is if anyone has completely jumped ship from then Android and Google ecosystem to the WP8 and MS ecosystem recently and what real world advantages/disadvantages one would expect to encounter.

I would be moving from a stock N4 on T-mobile to most likely the 920 on ATT (not a huge Verizon fan).

 

[stmav]

Here's a post by a recent android to wp8 user. May not answer all you questions but could give you an idea. He's also done a video review in another thread. He'd probably answer any questions you had. http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...g-switch-wp8-undecided-lumia.html#post2008313

 

[Connie Litrenta]

I have gone completely form Google's ecosystem to Microsoft and am very happy with it. I run both a Windows 8 desktop and Windows Phone 8 and love the way they interact with each other. It makes it so much easier to get things done. The only Google service I still use is Google Voice (to the extent that I can). I love that my desktop is now an extention of my phone. Probably the same satisfaction you would get using both an iPhone and a MAC only considerably cheaper and far less boring. My main reason for leaving Android was, like you, I just grew wearing of fighting with it (can you say "force close"?). Windows Phone 8 has the simplicity of iPhone but the personalization of Android without all the glitches. It also has Live Tiles which is another reason I went with it. I just wanted a whole new look and WP with it'stiles is fresh, innovative and NOT boring.

 

[chezm]

I sold my GS3 for a Lumia 920 and have never looked back...best decision i made.

I still have my Nexus 7 sitting at the coffee table to browse the web...but to be honest, i really wish it was a Surface RT instead.

 

[frooglepoopillion]

I have gone completely form Google's ecosystem to Microsoft and am very happy with it. I run both a Windows 8 desktop and Windows Phone 8 and love the way they interact with each other. It makes it so much easier to get things done. The only Google service I still use is Google Voice (to the extent that I can). I love that my desktop is now an extention of my phone. Probably the same satisfaction you would get using both an iPhone and a MAC only considerably cheaper and far less boring. My main reason for leaving Android was, like you, I just grew wearing of fighting with it (can you say "force close"?). Windows Phone 8 has the simplicity of iPhone but the personalization of Android without all the glitches. It also has Live Tiles which is another reason I went with it. I just wanted a whole new look and WP with it'stiles is fresh, innovative and NOT boring.

That's good to hear! I am very much hoping that WP8/9 can grow into the middle ground between iOS and Android as you say. Honestly, I am not sure how much I care for the home PC integration at this point (which I realize is a huge selling point of WP) as I am in the middle of a computing philosophy change. What I am actually most excited about is future integration possibilities (specifically with the XBOX One) and just learning a new OS in general.

If I'm honest with myself, I really could care less about the "customization" that Android provides. Very few of their widgets are actually useful (they just end up opening the full app anyway) and I am not really into custom ROMS or launchers (though some of them are pretty cool). These days I am far more interested in photo quality, music streaming, and just simplicity.

 

[frooglepoopillion]

I sold my GS3 for a Lumia 920 and have never looked back...best decision i made.

I still have my Nexus 7 sitting at the coffee table to browse the web...but to be honest, i really wish it was a Surface RT instead.

May I ask why you went from the G3 to the 920? The G3 is a pretty solid phone itself.

Edit:
I have a N7 as well and while it is a great product for $200 I have found that it really can't handle much more than basic interneting but I am not sold on any of the RT devices yet.

 

[z33dev33l]

May I ask why you went from the G3 to the 920? The G3 is a pretty solid phone itself.

I did too because the UI was decades ahead of touchwoz which belongs on 2.1 and I was tired of having to hack it to make it run almost smoothly.

 

[chezm]

May I ask why you went from the G3 to the 920? The G3 is a pretty solid phone itself.

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honestly, I had previous experience with windows phone 7 (focus) and after getting gs3 for 8 months it didn't cut it. Its not a bad device, but the cons regarding touchwiz and androids OS overall didn't keep me interested. I prefer simplicity and I personally find WP8 offers exactly what I want.

 

[OzRob]

I tried to move to WP8 (with a Lumia 720) but have now moved back to Android with my old Xperia S. There was too much that WP8 didn't/couldn't do that I really missed.

For example, with Android I used an app called Llama extensively to automate my phone settings based on location (at work - quieter more office friendly ringtone, at home - wifi on, etc.). I also loved the way I could put the phone on silent for a set period of time during a meeting so that I didn't miss calls because I'd forgotten to put the phone on ring again once the meeting finished. As far as I can make out, the WP8 api doesn't allow app developers to do this sort of thing, so system automation is severely limited in WP8.

I was also used to automatically having the volume of media (music) different and independently set from my ringtone volume. WP8 has only a single system volume for everything, so I was constantly putting the headphones on and getting blasted with full volume 'cause I hadn't turned it down before hand, and then missing calls afterward 'cause I'd forgotten to turn it up again so the ringtone would be loud enough.

While I'm not a big app user, the lack of a few apps (or equivalents) the were crucial to me also soured the experience. For example, there was no good public transport app for Sydney, Australia that gave realtime bus data, and I couldn't find a really good music or calendar app that suited me. Of course this will change over time as the app market picks up, but at the moment it is a limitation.

I really loved the WP8 interface and the smoothness of the OS, but in the end I kept coming up against a whole bunch of minor stuff that added up to making life a little more difficult than with Android. WP8 just isn't smart enough in the areas that I rely on. So for me, Android is better at the moment. I'm keeping my 720 until the next major WP8 updated, though, and I'll try it again at that point. I'm hoping MS will make enough inroads into the current limitations to make it viable for me.

So I'd say to the OP, WP8 has a lot going for it, but do a good bit of research on the areas that are crucial to you before you jump over to make sure WP8 will work for you. Don't just take it for granted that you'll be able to do basic things like search through SMS messages, set a custom tone for notifications or tether via USB, because you might be disappointed.

 

[Connie Litrenta]

That's good to hear! I am very much hoping that WP8/9 can grow into the middle ground between iOS and Android as you say. Honestly, I am not sure how much I care for the home PC integration at this point (which I realize is a huge selling point of WP) as I am in the middle of a computing philosophy change. What I am actually most excited about is future integration possibilities (specifically with the XBOX One) and just learning a new OS in general.

If I'm honest with myself, I really could care less about the "customization" that Android provides. Very few of their widgets are actually useful (they just end up opening the full app anyway) and I am not really into custom ROMS or launchers (though some of them are pretty cool). These days I am far more interested in photo quality, music streaming, and just simplicity.

I'm the same way and I also came from a Galaxy S3 although in part it was because I could NOT get data service in my office (different carrier than I have now). I changed to AT&T and got the Lumia and everything works perfectly in my office. It's also the first phone I've bought (of many) that I literally could not put down for a long time. Just loved it. I like it for all the reasons you do plus the Office Suite (love OneNote). The only complaint I have abut it is the occasional app I can't get and the fact that Excel can't do certain things it most certainly SHOULD be able to do (add and delete rows). Hopefully that will get better but everything else is just great.

 

[Joel S79]

I recently switched from Android to WP8 (Lumia 928). First things first, Android allows for a lot more control over different aspects of the phone than WP8 does. For example, you can download Lightflow and control every notification in the system, various NFC/location based programs can set toggles and perform actions (turn on/off wifi, silence phone), audio controls are more granular (you can set media volume, ringer volume and notification volume separately), third party tethering exists to get around carrier charging on Verizon, etc. Not to mention Google's services are pretty great and the Play store has a solid selection. On WP8, NFC can trigger launching of settings and apps, but it won't toggle them (to my knowledge at least), and volume is apparently one slider for all. OzRob makes very good points, outside of the apps you HAVE to have, think about the little things that you rely on daily.

That said, I've always thought MS was onto something with the Metro/Modern UI, it's very pretty in a minimalist way (I love the way the text flies around), so I'd been contemplating a WP8 device as my next phone for a while. Eventually the issues with my Android phone (a Verizon Galaxy Nexus) got me to switch: wifi/4g switching was horrible, I frequently would have to go into airplane mode and back, or restart before I got decent data (EXTREMELY frustrating when I'm trying to listen to music and it keeps stopping and buffering). Memory management is ok at best, they trumpet Android having great memory control, but it's shaky, I frequently ran right up against max memory use and the phone would slow to a crawl, even after I deleted craploads of apps, and it would sometimes close my music app while I was listening to it. The fragmentation isn't as big a deal as Android haters make it out to be, but the OS upgrade path is super annoying, tons of phones are running versions with known vulnerabilities because the carriers and OEMs suck at authorizing updates. Plus, I was tired of the sea of icons look... it reminds me of an unorganized Windows desktop, which drive me nuts.

I'd say as far as core OSes go, stripping out apps and leaving just the core experience (Google's apps aren't technically part of the core Android experience, but they're so ubiquitous with Android, I'm gonna make an exception), WP8 makes a good argument for being the best. The Google experience and the openness of Android are nice, and iOS has it's perks (although I personally hate the UI, and it offers nothing I find appealing outside of the app selection), but MS knows how to write an OS, and it shows. I suspect some of the things I liked with Android (granular audio control, more NFC control, etc) will eventually pop up (there's not enough space to list the things iOS or Android didn't have when they launched), but so far, I'm extremely happy with the switch despite the little niggles.

 

[frooglepoopillion]

The core apps I use are all on WP8 except the Google services (Music and Hangouts; I would just use the mail client for email). I'm just not that into apps and clutter. The other reason I was considering a WP8 phone is because I am likely going to purchase the Xbox One over the PS4 and the integration has a lot of potential. On that note, have any of you tried Xbox Music with the paid subscription or Nokia Music? I very much enjoy Google Music All Access but am by no means married to it. I have heard mixed reviews about Xbox Music (seems to be OK on my Win8 machine) and mostly positive things about Nokia.

One very encouraging sign for the platform is that for the most part there are very few negative reviews about it. Sure there are negatives but just about everything I have read are either app count related or ecosystem related (ie being too embedded in one to leave). But so far people really seem to like the phones and the over all WP8 experience.

 

[chezm]

The core apps I use are all on WP8 except the Google services (Music and Hangouts; I would just use the mail client for email). I'm just not that into apps and clutter. On that note, have any of you tried Xbox Music with the paid subscription or Nokia Music? I very much enjoy Google Music All Access but am by no means married to it. I have heard mixed reviews about Xbox Music (seems to be OK on my Win8 machine) and mostly positive things about Nokia..

If the CORE applications you want are available on WP8, that's definitely a good sign. In addition, "im just not that into apps and clutter" is one of the main factors i switched back from Android. While a lot of the complaints about WP8 platform is lack of apps related (go read any review, thats the #1 complaint), if its got what you want then great right? i'd say thats a win.

I wont speak on behalf of everyone, but for my situation i gladly chose super smooth and fluid OS + integration over Android's massive app selection and OS+PC type customization environment. Live tiles get a lot of the job done, i can look at my start screen and within 5 seconds get all my information without the need of opening an app. We all like goofing around and adjusting our smartphone how it suits our needs, but at the end of the day you really just want it to do what it needs and move on...not stare at the screen for minutes on end...unless you're surfing the net i guess LOL.

In the end, when its WP8 vs Android its all about (in my opinion) customization vs fluidity (and yes, Android fans will defend saying its just as smooth as WP8...but im my experiences i disagree highly). Before coming back to WP, i spent a good 2 months making sure it was the right move. Some people can afford to have multiple HW models to swap around, if i REALLY wanted to i could but Meh...i'll stick with one.

As for Xbox Music, i dont personally have the subscription but my friend does and he LOVES it (someone who went from all Apple, now transitioning to all Windows).He uses it on his 360 and his phone all the time, i was surpsied how well it works. im now considering it myself.

Just my 2 cents...but definitely keep researching to see what suits you best.

 

[frooglepoopillion]

As for Xbox Music, i dont personally have the subscription but my friend does and he LOVES it (someone who went from all Apple, now transitioning to all Windows).He uses it on his 360 and his phone all the time, i was surpsied how well it works. im now considering it myself.

Does he have the subscription? The only complaints I have really heard about it are syncing purchased music (which is kind of a waste if you have the sub IMO). In fact, I wouldn't even bother syncing due to the streaming and offline listening capabilities. It seems pretty similar to All Access in almost every regard.

I still have faith that Google will eventually release official apps for their services (especially if MS keeps supplying apps for them); they will have to get over their MS hatred eventually. It just isn't good business. Either way, I am a big fan of what MS is trying to do and they seem to have a vision of the future. A lot of my friends are starting to get on board with Windows 8 hybrid tablets/laptops and are excited to do so. The future is bright despite what the MS haters would have you believe which is why I am considering the switch. Will they ever topple Android or Apple? Unlikely, but I believe they could grab 15-20% of the market share if they continue to improve and support the platform.

 

[lbaxter]

I too grew weary of Android and went back to Windows Phone when WP8 launched. I picked up the Lumia 820, but I switched back to the iPhone (the 820 was ok, but not the stellar WP8 experience I was expecting, and the 920 & HTC 8X were well above my price range). I am now waiting to afford the Lumia 920 and have been weaning myself away from Google's products. I still use Drive and GMail simply because I haven't switched everything over to my Outlook account (& 90% of folks I deal with use Drive for document sharing).

 

[chezm]

Does he have the subscription? The only complaints I have really heard about it are syncing purchased music (which is kind of a waste if you have the sub IMO). In fact, I wouldn't even bother syncing due to the streaming and offline listening capabilities. It seems pretty similar to All Access in almost every regard.

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Yes he has a subscription, he doesn't purchase music through it though...he uses it to find the music he wants and streams it.

As for myself, I purchased 1 album when i had a WP7 via Zune and when i sync to Xbox Collection now on WP8 via Xbox music it's there and works fine. Maybe with a large collection an issue occurs? Im not sure. Also, i cant compare it to any Goggle music service as i never used it when i had Android...i just loaded my collection on the device, much like i do now on my Lumia.

 

[Sekyal]

I recently made the switch from Android as well to WP8. I really am enjoying it overall. Yes it isn't quite as customizable, but it is far more fluid than my Android 2.3 device. I do have a Nexus7 and it is a better version of Android than my phone was, but not crazy about the interface. Widgets aren't all they are cracked up to be. I do enjoy the tablet for e-reading, news and light gaming. Maybe the smaller form factor Window devices that are coming will be worth it, but not sold yet on RT.
Only minor wish was that the Lumia 521 had an equalizer like the other Lumias. It isn't a deal breaker, but would have helped. Doesn't seem to be any solution available either.

 

[Joel S79]

The core apps I use are all on WP8 except the Google services (Music and Hangouts; I would just use the mail client for email).

There is a 3rd party Google Music client, I installed it, but haven't set it up yet. Don't think it'll work with the subscription, but it should pull down your tunes.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/cloudmuzik/5735ed0a-4a0b-455e-95dc-193016da392e

 

[Kaenon11]

Hello everyone! First time, long time.

I am an Android user looking to potentially switch mobile platforms (I have been with Android since the Froyo days). My reasoning is not earth-shattering: I am simply growing weary of the "Android experience". Don't get me wrong, I think Google has a ton of great services but I am slowly beginning to find myself drifting toward WP8 and iOS7 (when it comes out) over my Nexus 4 and 7 pure Android devices. My main gripes with Android are a) the OS fragmentation, b) the resource management, and c) it is a bit of a burden to get some things to "just work". For instance, from my experiences SkyDrive and GroupMe are superior in every way to Drive and Hangouts (though I still prefer Hangouts for one-on-one IM and video chat over Skype).

I guess what I am asking is if anyone has completely jumped ship from then Android and Google ecosystem to the WP8 and MS ecosystem recently and what real world advantages/disadvantages one would expect to encounter.

I would be moving from a stock N4 on T-mobile to most likely the 920 on ATT (not a huge Verizon fan).

What would make you want to leave the Nexus 4 for iOS 7, which isn't doing much unless you're a dev.?

I'm also on a Nexus 4 on T-Mobile btw.
I have an iPhone 4S for work and I bought the Blackberry Q10 the day it came out on T-Mobile, used it for 4-5 days and sold it for a $85 loss =/

The Nexus 4 with photosphere, wireless charging orb, Google Music, Google Maps, App pushing, Mobile NFC payments, etc. is pretty hard to beat right now and I don't care that it doesn't have 4G.

I am also interested in Windows phone btw, just because I am interested in using all platforms.

Bought a Surface, liked it a lot but couldn't use it on my lap =/ and returned it.
Hoping gen. 2 will be shown today and I will buy it to replace my 2011 iMac.

 

[frooglepoopillion]

What would make you want to leave the Nexus 4 for iOS 7, which isn't doing much unless you're a dev.?

I'm also on a Nexus 4 on T-Mobile btw.
I have an iPhone 4S for work and I bought the Blackberry Q10 the day it came out on T-Mobile, used it for 4-5 days and sold it for a $85 loss =/

The Nexus 4 with photosphere, wireless charging orb, Google Music, Google Maps, App pushing, Mobile NFC payments, etc. is pretty hard to beat right now and I don't care that it doesn't have 4G.

I am also interested in Windows phone btw, just because I am interested in using all platforms.

Bought a Surface, liked it a lot but couldn't use it on my lap =/ and returned it.
Hoping gen. 2 will be shown today and I will buy it to replace my 2011 iMac.

I like the N4 well enough but I am moving to an area outside the city that has spotty at best T-mobile coverage (which IMO is the only carrier that is worth it to have that phone with). As much as I would love to support T-mobile, their network is just not up to par in my area. The major cities are fine but the suburbs are hit and miss and there are dead spots within the city itself. Most of the services I use have MS equivalents or there are official apps. I am not sure what I am going to do at this point, but it is becoming clear that T-mobile is not going to work for me. I will consider moving to ATT, but their support for the N4 is notoriously bad and I feel that I would be severely gimping myself on their network.

I like to consider all the alternatives when I purchase something and I will have to see more of iOS7 before I commit one way or the other, but part of the reason it is on my list is because I would not have to completely change my ecosystem since Google develops apps for iOS7 which are arguably better than the Android apps.