WP8 questions from an Android user

[N_LaRUE]

This is one of my biggest issues with WP and why it's hard to use as a work device. Yes, in some companies, people edit documents on the cloud and you don't need to email documents back and forth. Yes, I know that this is the view that Microsoft has taken. However, many people still email documents to each other and it's ridiculous that you can't easily do this on WP. As far as I know, you can't attach more than one document to an email and you have to create a new email to do so. That's a big limitation.

Yes this is my biggest issue, especially in my work as a contractor. That an zip files but for now I'll wait and see. For the most part I can deal with it but I hope to see some changes here.

 

[anony_mouse]

Hey,
I don't trust the benchmarks for browsers - as I say, IE on the Lumia 520 was clearly slower loading pages than similar price Android handsets a few meters away. Might be because of the network or whatever but it still felt slow. Safari on the ipad tends to score well too, but actually loads pages frustratingly slowly.
Remember that Sunspider only tests JavaScript performance - not other browser functions which are also important.
I've been involved in setting up performance testing as part of my job and in my experience benchmarks have only a tentative relationship with what the user actually experiences.

Regarding the email attachment issue - seems like a typical case of a company putting their interests before the user's...

 

[ag1986]

Getting MTP (which afaik is what all WP devices use for file transfer over USB cable) to work on Linux is a GIANT pain. I've literally spent hours trying to get this to work consistently, with my Nexus 4 as well as Lumia 920. If USB to a Linux box is at all important, please make sure it works before you're committed (i.e. test it our first thing, while you can still return it). In fact the only platform where MTP works well is Windows - it sucks on OSX as well.

 

[Kevin N Smith]

7. That's useful to be able to browse the WP8 app store. It looks like most of the apps I use regularly are available. I see some quite bad comments about Spotify unfortunately - the inability to store offline playlists on the SD Card is pity. And Kindle isn't available, as far as I can see. :-( But probably no absolute showstoppers.

Kindle for WP is available:
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=48195fb4-ee0e-e011-9264-00237de2db9e

 

[anony_mouse]

Thanks!
USB to a Linux box is something I do from time to time (when I want to copy a large file from the Linux box to the phone or vice versa). I see mixed reports of how well it works on Linux forums. Anyway seems like it will be a problem with modern Android devices too so not a decisive point.

Thanks for the link to the Kindle app. No idea why I didn't find it myself!

 

[LastBattle]

7. That's useful to be able to browse the WP8 app store. It looks like most of the apps I use regularly are available. I see some quite bad comments about Spotify unfortunately - the inability to store offline playlists on the SD Card is pity. And Kindle isn't available, as far as I can see. :-( But probably no absolute showstoppers.

Kindle for WP is available:
Amazon Kindle | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

Try Nokia Music You can download them offline without a monthly subscription fee, of course you can 'upgrade' at 5 euro / month.

 

[anony_mouse]

I had another look at the 520 today, mainly at the browser. Main impressions:
- I think I could live without text reflow. Indeed it seems to be possible to read full size websites without it.
- The browser still felt slow, and was considerably slower at page loading and rendering than the even cheaper LG Android handset 20cm away. Moving the handset didn't seem to help. This could be a wifi issue - is the 520 known for dodgy wifi?
- General impression of WP8 is quite good, certainly smoother than a cheap Android handset. However, I'm not convinced it's actually faster, I suspect the animations simply distract you from the loading times. But still, quite an effective distraction.

Btw, I read that WP8 doesn't have an orientation lock yet. Can this really be true? That's a major disadvantage!

 

[trickym81]

Btw, I read that WP8 doesn't have an orientation lock yet. Can this really be true? That's a major disadvantage!

Sadly, it is true. There's an app for it available, but I believe your phone needs to be dev unlocked in order to use it. Apparently it's a feature that is "coming soon" in GRD3: Microsoft currently testing GDR3 with orientation lock and text syncing to PCs | WinSource

 

[Fade_z]

Wp8 is great, but you have to accept its limitations...
The good news is that because MS and Nokia are fighting to gain market share they tend to offer more support.

For me pro's and con's:

Pro's

Simple, beautiful UI
Equality across the platform
Long update support
Nokia extra's
MS extra's
An certified store (no malware apps like on Droid)
Better overal build quality
Not as open as droid (con and pro)
Cons:

As of now still lacking some basic features
Not as open as droid (con and pro)
No alot of google support (but better MS services at similar things)
On low end devices less features.



In a way its more like iOS but more open minded and a fresher look.

I have chosen wp8 as an experiment, because I got sick of iOS and I never really liked android (used it alot still).
Also I use more of the MS services anyway, hotmail SkyDrive etc.

 

[Fade_z]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc_P-h4cMr8&desktop_uri=/watch?v=Sc_P-h4cMr8


Here is an nice Dutch review

 

[anony_mouse]

Having thought about it and played with the Lumias some more, I've decided WP8 is not for me. I will find a bit more cash and get a decent Android phone. Final reasons for my decision:

- I find the UI very ugly - just my personal opinion, I know others disagree.
- IE seems slow and poor.
- Limited access to third party services such as Google and Dropbox. I understand Microsoft offers decent replacements, but if I move this will also affect all my other devices.
- Poor range and low quality of apps.
- Missing basic features such as orientation lock and text reflow.
- Hard to find Nokia phones in sensible colours. My local shop has the Lumia 520 in yellow and light blue only.
- WP8 users I spoke to were pretty negative about the platform.

It's a real shame, for 150 euro Nokia has the best hardware (although their phones are quite ugly). I can't help thinking that they would sell a lot more if they also offered an Android version.

Anyway, many thanks for your help. This forum is a lot better than any Android forum I found! I wish WP8 luck. Some competition will benefit users of all platforms.

 

[Fade_z]

Well if its not for you, its not for you.

I mean if you didn't like the UI te begin with...

 

[Fade_z]

Having thought about it and played with the Lumias some more, I've decided WP8 is not for me. I will find a bit more cash and get a decent Android phone. Final reasons for my decision:

- I find the UI very ugly - just my personal opinion, I know others disagree.
- IE seems slow and poor.
- Limited access to third party services such as Google and Dropbox. I understand Microsoft offers decent replacements, but if I move this will also affect all my other devices.
- Poor range and low quality of apps.
- Missing basic features such as orientation lock and text reflow.
- Hard to find Nokia phones in sensible colours. My local shop has the Lumia 520 in yellow and light blue only.
- WP8 users I spoke to were pretty negative about the platform.

It's a real shame, for 150 euro Nokia has the best hardware (although their phones are quite ugly). I can't help thinking that they would sell a lot more if they also offered an Android version.

Anyway, many thanks for your help. This forum is a lot better than any Android forum I found! I wish WP8 luck. Some competition will benefit users of all platforms.

WP users aren't negative, just critical to fire MS up

 

[andynew89]

In past couple of years I had a chance to be an owner of iPhone 4, Samsung galaxy S2 and S3 now I'm a very happy owner of Nokia Lumia 925. You say WP8 UI is ugly... Really? So what's so beautiful about Android UI? I find WP8 UI waaaay better then android one simply because Android one is quite boring... They have the widgets but most of them don't work properly or they just ugly. Poor quality apps!? Are you joking me? On android 8/10 apps are completely unusable! The biggest problems with android is they crash so often and reset themselves (android users must really love it.....) that's why I got fed up with android. The other thing I'm loving the IE. I definitely won't get android phone ever again. I won't say nothing about iPhone because I would have to use inappropriate language....

 

[trickym81]

I don't think it's right to attack someone over a personal opinion. The original poster took a look at Windows Phone and seriously thought about buying one. As fans of Windows Phone, that's all we can ask for. If more people seriously thought about buying a WP over an Android, maybe WP would have a higher marketshare. The OP's decision to choose an Android after looking at the alternatives means that WP didn't offer what he/she personally wanted and it didn't fit his/her lifestyle. That's fine. At least he/she looked into other options and considered WP before deciding. So, thanks for that! =) I hope you enjoy your phone.

 

[eric12341]

Thread is closed since OP questions were answered.