Moving from BB10 to WP8

[remmo]

Hello everyone.
After living 5 years in the Blackberry realm, I'm thinking on moving to another platform.
I don't like iOS because is too close, and don't like Android neither because is too open.
So I think WP8 is a more "balanced" mobile OS.
That said, there's some stuff I want to know before making the move:

1)- Does WP8 has any option (first party or third party) for Desktop sync? Legacy BB devices have BB Desktop, wich is good, but BB10 has BB Link wich is a piece of garbage.

2)- Is it possible to transfer my PIM data from my BB Z10 to WP8 without using any cloud service (sorry, I don't like the idea of storing my PIM data anywhere in the cloud)

3)- I know that WP8 does not have a proper notification system, is there any third party app for doing that? Also, is there any plan from MS to implement a native notification system in future OS versions?

4)- There's no "universal search" in WP8, every item must be searched individually inside their correspondent app, is there any third party app for doing that? Also, is there any plan from MS to implement a universal search function in future OS versions?

Points (1) and (2) are high priority for me, (3) and (4) are optionals and I can actually live without them (for a while).

Thanks in advace for your help.

 

[gsquared]

Well, I'll take a shot at this without answering each question individually.

Since questions 1 and 2 are priority for you I'll address those. I do not think you will be very happy to know that WP is a very "cloud" based OS. I am not really sure if there is a way to store contacts locally. There is a desktop sync app but I don't use due to the statement above.

 

[paras chugh]

for #3 there's the 'unification' app which is improving gradually

 

[ninjaap]

Nokia has an app called, Transfer my Data, which can transfer contacts via Bluetooth.

http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=dc08943b-7b3d-4ee5-aa3c-30f1a826af02

 

[a5cent]

Hi, and welcome to WPC

Does WP8 has any option (first party or third party) for Desktop sync? Legacy BB devices have BB Desktop, wich is good, but BB10 has BB Link wich is a piece of garbage.

Yes, there are ways, but they come highly unrecommended. I once shared your opinion, but changed my mind after using WP. For your own sake, give WP cloud sync a chance...

1)
I have a tablet, two PC's and two WP devices. Without the cloud, keeping them all up to date would be a nightmare. All my e-mail accounts are aggregated on outlook.com. For contacts and documents I use outlook.com exclusively. Having all that data on outlook.com keeps all my devices updated at all times. I haven't plugged any phone into a USB port for over a year now and I'm all the happier for it. It is simply much more convenient.

2)
Storing my data in the cloud protects against data loss should any of my devices be stolen or damaged. Consider it an automatic backup solution. Ultimately, that is a lot more secure than storing such information on your home PC.

3)
The only situation in which you shouldn't use the cloud is when you're dealing with confidential information. Such restrictions are always business related, in which case a secure Exchange Server is very likely to be part of the picture. In that case you are just entrusting your data to the person/company running the Exchange Server instead of Microsoft.

All your PIM information exchanged between your device and Microsoft's servers travel over a secure SSL connection. If you trust Microsoft to keep your data confidential (their ToS are quite clear on that issue), then you don't need to worry.

I know that WP8 does not have a proper notification system, is there any third party app for doing that? Also, is there any plan from MS to implement a native notification system in future OS versions?.

The basic idea is that the start screen acts as the notification centre. I personally have no use for a notification centre, but some people have valid reasons for wanting one:

• After a few seconds, toast notifications disappear never to be seen again. Nothing that is of importance beyond the immediate moment should be communicated via a toast notification, but not all apps conform to that rule. As I don't have any such apps, I'm unaffected, but some do and are.
• Those who use a lot of apps that support tile notifications may not want to pin all of those apps to the start screen. However, without a live tile, you won't see the tile notification. I only use nine apps that support tile notifications and all of them are pinned to my start screen so I'm unaffected, but some are.

I've provided this information so you can more easily decide if the lack of a notification centre even affects you.

MS has stated that they are working on a notification centre for WP, but when or if that will ever arrive isn't clear. Nothing has been promised.

There's no "universal search" in WP8, every item must be searched individually inside their correspondent app, is there any third party app for doing that? Also, is there any plan from MS to implement a universal search function in future OS versions?

Officially nobody knows. I'm certain this will come with Windows Phone Blue.

 

[remmo]

Thank you for the great answer. And, as you recommended (and my wife too) is not a bad idea moving to a cloud-based environment.
I was checking outlook.com and I did not see an option for synchronize notes/memos (the option exists in the regular Outlook desktop application). So what can I use in that case? Because I have a LOT of very important memos, and I would like to keep them save in the cloud.

 

[a5cent]

Thank you for the great answer. And, as you recommended (and my wife too) is not a bad idea moving to a cloud-based environment.
I was checking outlook.com and I did not see an option for synchronize notes/memos (the option exists in the regular Outlook desktop application). So what can I use in that case? Because I have a LOT of very important memos, and I would like to keep them save in the cloud.

Microsoft is slowly replacing the Outlook sticky notes with a dedicated application called OneNote. Particularly the sharing and collaboration features are much more powerful. OneNote is what you want to use.

Microsoft offers a few ways to work with OneNote notebooks:

• The "flagship" version of OneNote ships with MS Office (even with the cheapest edition). Windows RT tablets ship with Office 2013 and OneNote pre-installed.
• SkyDrive (accessible through outlook.com) is how you create, edit, share and sync OneNote documents. First log into outlook.com and then switch over to SkyDrive. There you can drop down the "Create" menu where you'll find the "OneNote notebook" menu entry. Beyond acting as a sync hub, SkyDrive also enables you to access your notes from anywhere in the world, with nothing more than an internet browser.
• Finally, Windows Phone also ships with a OneNote client built in (in the Office Hub).

At the time I switched I transferred all my Outlook sticky notes manually (copy&paste), but some people have come up with automated ways to do it, although I haven't tested this myself.

If you find my answers useful, just use the "thank" or "like" button underneath the posts! ;-)

 

[oosagi]

I made the jump from blackberry to windows phone and I have been really happy. I thought I was going to miss the notification style of blackberry, but the poster above hit the nail on the head. With the live tiles I have not had an issue at all with getting notifications... I am a convert for sure!

 

[usnberry]

WP won't work the way BBRY does, but if you're open to a different way of doing things it should be fine.

Live tiles are getting more developer attention and MSFT is working on a notification center.

I would suggest Android for your needs, but security might be a concern.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[sinlessearth]

I have used a BB in the past for about 3 years, then made the switch to WP (7.8). I have used it for the last 2 1/2 years. I will be switching to the Z10 in the next few days. All I can say is if you dug down into your BB and truly used it you will miss it once the "new toy" feeling is gone. I am a fairly tech savy person and enjoy messing with settings and such, this is not possible with WP.

 

[fatclue_98]

I don't particularly like the way BB OS7 looks, fact is, I hate it. It is the blandest, most boring UI ever created. But it works. RIM hardware quality is beyond reproach and I can't deal with virtual keyboards. Since PalmOS is dead and buried, BB is the next best thing. I like the way my 9900 Bold Touch handles its business, especially with my PlayBook, but I want so bad to come back to WP. Unfortunately, there are no hardware keyboard Windows Phones on the horizon and the bluetooth stack is a joke. Then again, I miss the Office Hub like nobody's business. The People Hub and the Office Hub are the defining attributes of WP and nobody comes close. There is no native SkyDrive app for BB but you could use SugarSync (works well enough).

 

[o4liberty]

I tried the Z10 but too many issues and even the basic apps are lacking. I also feel that blackberry and google are getting too close and may end up being a google company. I didn't like side loading apps from the google play store for one plus Verizon's Z10 had issues with contacts and rebooting. Don't get me wrong the new berry is nice but WP8 and especially the 928 there is no comparison at all the 928 is the clear winner!
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