Help an iPhone user convert

[Tyler C1]

I am currently running a company on an iPhone 5s. I'm happy with the phone, but am very bored with the OS. Some of the features I use the most in my iPhone I can't seem to figure out if it works that way on WP8. Can anyone clear up some of my must haves. I'm looking for actual answers from people with experience, not just the Apple haters.

1. I live and breath Siri. I use it more than any feature. Sending and receiving texts and emails. Making phone calls. Mapping. Booking appointments. Setting alarms and timers. I use Siri at least 100 times in a day. And that's a slow day. Is there a WP8 comparable feature, better or worse.

2. Calendars. I have 10 different calendars on my iPhone. I schedule all my employees, all my sub-contractors, my personal reminders and shared calendars all on the same app. Is WP calendar that in depth? Better/worse.

3. Does WP have visual voice mail?

4. Can I tether my Surface Pro?

5. App store. The biggest complaint people post about WP is the comparison to Apples App Store. I use it on my Surface, but most WP apps won't work on the Surface(which is a completely different rant on stupidity) The reviewers complain that the number just aren't there. Do you even notice?

6. Is there an office suite that I don't have to pay monthly for?

If you've got some advice on one of these or all of these please let me know. I haven't really decided on a handset yet, but will probably aim for the Lumia Icon or something comparable. I don't want anything much bigger than that.

 

[jojoe42]

I am currently running a company on an iPhone 5s. I'm happy with the phone, but am very bored with the OS. Some of the features I use the most in my iPhone I can't seem to figure out if it works that way on WP8. Can anyone clear up some of my must haves. I'm looking for actual answers from people with experience, not just the Apple haters.

1. I live and breath Siri. I use it more than any feature. Sending and receiving texts and emails. Making phone calls. Mapping. Booking appointments. Setting alarms and timers. I use Siri at least 100 times in a day. And that's a slow day. Is there a WP8 comparable feature, better or worse.

2. Calendars. I have 10 different calendars on my iPhone. I schedule all my employees, all my sub-contractors, my personal reminders and shared calendars all on the same app. Is WP calendar that in depth? Better/worse.

3. Does WP have visual voice mail?

4. Can I tether my Surface Pro?

5. App store. The biggest complaint people post about WP is the comparison to Apples App Store. I use it on my Surface, but most WP apps won't work on the Surface(which is a completely different rant on stupidity) The reviewers complain that the number just aren't there. Do you even notice?

6. Is there an office suite that I don't have to pay monthly for?

If you've got some advice on one of these or all of these please let me know. I haven't really decided on a handset yet, but will probably aim for the Lumia Icon or something comparable. I don't want anything much bigger than that.

1. Currently you have Microsoft TellMe, the current voice assistant which you can launch by holding down the start button. The functionality is quite limited, but for WP8.1 (which will be announced next week) we are expecting a new voice assistant nicknamed "Cortana". Expect it to achieve somewhat feature parity with the likes of Google Now and Siri.

2. In the Calendar app I too have several Hotmail calendars, my exchange and two gmail calendars linked in - all up 14 different calendars all up. I have to say, the calendar app is the single best stock calendar I have used on any mobile OS - it has a to-do section which is well-featured and integrates all my calendars perfectly - my only complaint is that coming from iOS, there is only one option for notifications (for example, you can only set one reminder one hour away instead of one one hour reminder and one half-hour reminder also) and you can't click on an address to have it pop up in the default maps app - I imagine this will be included in the 8.1 update.

3. According to this link, it does: Check my voicemail | Windows Phone How-to (New Zealand)

4. Depending on your carrier you can/cannot (my carrier is nice enough to let me without extra costs) - I think some carriers in the US make you charge extra for it, but it's a similar situation with the iPhone

5. Nope. I don't need 50,000 fart apps and 400,000 torch apps (sorry for the fanboyism, but personally I don't notice). Although it is missing a little variance (for example, I would like a few more chinese dictionary apps than just the two), I'd probably check the Windows Phone Store online (Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)) against the apps you use on a regular basis currently. Personally I found that 80% of the apps I use everyday on my iPhone had an equivalent in the Store (Weave News Reader for Flipboard, Metrotube for YouTube, official Facebook for official Facebook Beta). When I switched from iOS to WP I found lots of suitable "replacement" apps, but lots of first-party apps are there already, it's just that most third-party apps are better-featured and more regularly updated. Never underestimate third-party apps on WP like 6Tag and Tweet It!

6. Windows Phone 8 includes the whole office suite for free. It syncs over OneDrive, and can open email attachments natively. You can also edit Word and Excel files (but only view PowerPoint slides)

The Lumia Icon is a nice phone - I'd wait until the Nokia event next week before you make a decision as it is rumoured they will be releasing the new flagship phone then (the 930) - also you'll see a bit on the new features in WP8.1 which might fill in a few areas to achieve feature parity with iOS and Android (for example, we are expecting a notifications centre along with the Action Centre (quick settings/control centre equivalent). I switched from iOS to WP last year when my iPhone 4 rolled over and died with iOS 7, bought a 1020 and have to say it's like a fresh breeze of air. I like how Microsoft imposes a 5 second limit on how long apps can take to load - everything is quick, fluid and very different (as a result it will take you a few weeks to get used to). But if you use a Surface Pro you'll be somewhat familiar with WP8 - there are LOTS of little hints and hidden features throughout the OS and you know, I enjoy using my phone because of that (whereas iOS was more straightforward). The iPhone 5S is by no means a ****ty phone - it is what I call solid; it does most things, and it does those things in the most user-friendly straightforward way - the camera isn't too shabby, the design is nice and it's simple enough to get around everyday. However I too got bored and thus I switched. Feel free to ask any more questions in the thread!!!

 

[Tyler C1]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to wait until I hear about 8.1 and the new Lumia phone from the Microsoft event next week.

 

[IlkkaV]

What comes to tethering, it's actually better than the iPhone version when it's a Windows 8.1 device you're tethering. If you've paired the devices with Bluetooth and have Bluetooth active on both, you don't even need to touch the phone when you need to tether. Windows 8.1 can tell the Windows Phone to activate its hotspot and connect to it. After the connection is no longer in use, the phone shuts off the hotspot again. I have a little more details about this in my blog post: Ilkka.Blog v 2.0: Transformer Book T100 and Why I Bought a Tablet Without 3G/LTE

 

[Allen Whitehead]

How do you turn on the hot spot on your phone with Bluetooth?

 

[IlkkaV]

How do you turn on the hot spot on your phone with Bluetooth?

If you've paired your Windows 8.1 machine with the phone and both have Bluetooth on, there's an entry for your phone at the computer's wireless network selection. Selecting that makes Windows Phone activate its hotspot and a connection to it is established.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Help an iPhone user convert

Recent studies indicate people are born an iPhone user. Its not a choice.