From wp to android

[Diego Ceccacci]

To every users that had/have both android and winphone: what do you think about android? Im probably going from win10 lumia 1520 to a zenfone2, what did you miss more about Windows? Share your experience

 

[Eurx]

I never used but seeing around. So at least I can talk about camera, not good as Lumia's.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Hi there, I've moved your thread to the Android forum, where it will be noticed more by Android users.

 

[Diego Ceccacci]

I never used but seeing around. So at least I can talk about camera, not good as Lumia's.

I knew that, but I dont really care. I use a proper camera when needed. What about the interface?

 

[Eurx]

İnterface has many alternatives in store, not good many of them but you can find somethings beautiful for yourself. Original interface is not useful for me actually compared to WP but android users like it and they thinking WP is really hard to use. It's about accustomedness I guess. Have a featured action center also. And apps have good designs but draining battery.

 

[EricJennings]

I've just gone the other way. Nexus6/Wileyfox Storm to Lumia 950xl. Negatives - my banking app isn't on windows, navigation with google maps is better than windows maps (I just use voice and find google is more accurate and more prompt in terms of turn by turn directions), edge browser is slower than chrome. Positives - I prefer windows UI, groove over google play music, better camera.

 

[Diego Ceccacci]

Talking about UI, what you think is minimal and good? Will zenUI be good? Are there any black and minimal UI that is not cartoonish?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Talking about UI, what you think is minimal and good? Will zenUI be good? Are there any black and minimal UI that is not cartoonish?

If you dislike ZenUI, you can easily use a launcher such as Nova instead. There are also many different icon sets available, or you can even use Zooper to make your own fonts and icons.

 

[xandros9]

I have a gigantic writeup about this and iOS in the pipeline.

 

[Guytronic]

To every users that had/have both android and winphone: what do you think about android? Im probably going from win10 lumia 1520 to a zenfone2, what did you miss more about Windows? Share your experience

I use both.
My 1020 is on 8.1 because I don't trust WM10 completely yet.


I was drawn to Windows by the simplicity.
Found the OS to be quite amazing initially when it was left alone.
As usual the casual user was offered test OS "improvements" that sent me down an unhappy path.
I guess Microsoft wanting to improve encouraged by the crowd has turned it into a "Frankenstein"

I stay as minimal as possible with my 1020 to try and keep battery time at maximum.
As a WP user I have learned to not expect much from apps so my WP is pretty much just a camera today.
I use the camera quite often also.
I do enjoy the tiled homescreen on the Windows platform with it's extended scrolling.
Telling the truth there isn't much I miss about Windows as it stands.
Many apps just aren't there and this is the main reason I carry an Android phone also.

Being into media and home automation Android was must for me.

I use the Zenfone2 and find it a good phone for most needs (my main phone is the Xperia Z1s)
The camera may not be that great, yet I find it acceptable for quick shots outside.
The cameras on these Android phones have way too many confusing presets in my opinion.

Android does have a large pile of useless apps which the user may have to wade thru.

I've learned to not keep a clogged interface on my Android screens.
With Android I think a lot of new users think it's helpful to have the maximum amount of screens, widgets and app folders displayed.
To me my ZF2 is very fast it has never crashed on me I've factory reset once.
It's had about 10 or 11 bugs caused by errant apps and does see FC's occasionally (mostly backgrounding apps)

When WM10 officially shows in all it's glory I'll update the 1020 my 925 and the wife's 640 and hope for the best.

 

[Laura Knotek]

A lot of people claim that Android has lag. That may have been true in the past, but it is not the case today. I had a 2013 Moto X (since retired for a 2015 Moto X Pure Edition), and I still use a 2013 Nexus 7. None of my devices lag.

This is an excellent article. RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care http://www.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

Task killers are completely useless and actually slow down Android devices. Android is a fork of Linux. Linux handles RAM different than Windows. I've used Linux for over 10 years, so I understood how Android works.

 

[Diego Ceccacci]

Wcentral has a android app anyway?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Wcentral has a android app anyway?

Yes, it is here.

 

[PlaymoBg]

To every users that had/have both android and winphone: what do you think about android? Im probably going from win10 lumia 1520 to a zenfone2, what did you miss more about Windows? Share your experience

I went from Lumia 640XL to Asus ZenFone Selfie. No regrets so far, Android is amazing, no lags, no crashes. Apps are better, camera is better than 640 xl. I shoot on auto mode 90% of the time, autofocus is faster, no 1-4 seconds waiting for pictures to show up in gallery.
The so called Lagdroid is in the past, latest versions of the OS are stable and light, oh and never buy 100$ Samsung droids, these are utter crap.

The only two things I miss from Windows are the slightly better battery life and the upcoming calendar events in lock screen. The latter is easilly fixed after 5 minutes of search for an app in the market.
I like Zen Ui and some of the apps that come with the phone, like the one allowing me to restrict which apps to stay loaded. There is a small app that sticks a note to the screen, allowing you to finger draw fast notes.

 

[N_LaRUE]

My personal experience may be a little different than others but I'll tell it anyway.

I bought a L920 about two months after it came out. It wasn't the best phone in the world and unfortunately even though I sent it in for repair it simply never functioned all that well. So my personal experience with the hardware wasn't that great though the L920 did take some nice pictures when the camera decided to work right.

From a OS point of view I can't say I've missed much. Android has come a long way and so long as you stick to Google Play for apps you're less likely to run into issues with apps. With 6.0 you have better control over apps and the SD card memory has now been incorporated into the overall storage. Personally, even though I like the tiles on WP, they never were a selling point to me and they never felt 'live'.

From an app point of view I find the apps on Android great. I hear lots of people saying they're crap but I've yet to experience this myself. I can probably name more poor experiences on WP than I can on Android. When it comes to apps it's really about what's important to you. App gap means different things to different people. For me it's always been about having choice.

As MS continues to release software for Android I am finding less and less reason to return to WP. Though Continuum is a neat idea it is not something I would really use and unless there's a broader adoption in companies and hotels I don't see it being overly useful for those who travel a lot.

I find the overall Android ecosystem and functionality within Google to be great, for me. Others can argue this or that but it's really what works for you and Android does just that for me.

What I've gained from using Android is an appreciation for what I missed being in WP. I also got a great phone Sony Z3, great battery life (which I didn't have on WP) and a great camera comparable if not better than what I had before. The options for modifying the interface are endless and that's either something you like or something that will drive you nuts. Personally I like it.

 

[GrandGerminator]

I moved from Lumia 930 to Moto X 2014. First, I was really glad, no app gap anymore, update everydays... But in fact I'm a Windows user. Android lack of every small finishes that Windows Phone has since Windows phone 7.0.

You can customize Android exactly as you want, I mean ,you can change keyboards and use launchers... But if you really uses the tiles from WP, theres no solutions.

Today I'm looking forward to grab another Windows phone. I'm angry everyday to my Moto X. Because when you'll use Android, you'll discover tons of bugs. Every app has enormous bugs, some are just ridiculous ! And at the moment all the Android using Google now launcher have a bug that drives me crazy : it erase the search you do at the top bar if you're fast.

So think wisely. You loose nothing to try Android, but if you love WP, you'll come back later !

 

[Jazmac]

A lot of people claim that Android has lag. That may have been true in the past, but it is not the case today. I had a 2013 Moto X (since retired for a 2015 Moto X Pure Edition), and I still use a 2013 Nexus 7. None of my devices lag.

This is an excellent article. RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

Task killers are completely useless and actually slow down Android devices. Android is a fork of Linux. Linux handles RAM different than Windows. I've used Linux for over 10 years, so I understood how Android works.

Begging your pardon but I'm not sure that's accurate. I own the HTC One M8 running android and weather its yesterday or today, that puppy lags. Now if you're talking about a new android with nothing on it but the OS, can't buy a lag. Load it up with your favorite apps and launchers and you got pure lag minestrone like always.

I never saw that on either Windows phone OS's or IOS for that matter and I own them all.

 

[Alfa Kapa]

I'm 100% happy with the motoG3.
No regrets in the slightest. Everything work like clockwork.

One of the best thing I enjoy on this device is battery life, 6.30-7.30 hours of screen on time is right where my limits are as a human being of being able to stare at a screen!

Firefox (also uc browser and others) have addons, adblocks, etc..

Apex launcher is a top notch customization launcher heavily resembling the google (stock) launcher which with 1 hour of fiddling around you make it exaclty how works best for you, widgets are top notch and also Microsoft apps have amazing widgets such as onenote (a button-pop up widget), onedrive a very convinient widget with sortcuts, etc..

Basically Lollipop and Marshmallow has non of the quirks Kitkat and older android had.
There isn't "lagdroid" in any sense. The improvements overtime have really worked out great.

My advice to you (and this thing I can't stretch it enough) is to get a device with stock android!
I know that the Zenphone is a hell of a great value, but the UI is trying too hard to become something that can't, an iPhone. (in my opinion always)
Also the updates will be 103% there if you go for a nexus or a new motorola device, and the stock android experience is running great even on the motoG3 with the SD410 and 1gb of ram (in other words it will fly on devices like the Nexus 5X).

I never though that Android would come to the point that lag is a non-issue and is actually a joy to use, but it is here and works great!

Also I have to point out that the flow of which you get your tasks on is very fast and doesn't feel disjoint in the slightest
(like Kitkat and W10m feel disjoint/ cripple your work-flow)

To answer your question, I missed the keyboard but only till I find SwiftKey, I miss Mytube till now, maybe the best app for youtube in any platform.
Also readit until I find reddit is fun.
Nothing else, I just regret staying for so long in WP and missing out on lollipop where google did a massive 180 degree spin towards the right direction.

 

[jlzimmerman]

A lot of people claim that Android has lag. That may have been true in the past, but it is not the case today. I had a 2013 Moto X (since retired for a 2015 Moto X Pure Edition), and I still use a 2013 Nexus 7. None of my devices lag.

This is an excellent article. RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care RAM: What it is, how it's used, and why you shouldn't care | Android Central

Task killers are completely useless and actually slow down Android devices. Android is a fork of Linux. Linux handles RAM different than Windows. I've used Linux for over 10 years, so I understood how Android works.

Linux is one thing, the fork that is Android is another. I had Androids from Froyo up through Jelly Bean and each were garbage after about 10 months of use; force closing, bad shuttering when scrolling, random errors, etc.... If this is no longer the case, then it's about time. I may pick up a mid-tier Android and play with it if my iPhone ever dies.

 

[David Ginsburg]

I moved to Android In October 2014 when my 925 stopped working. At first, I really missed my windows phone. I couldn't get my Android to be a Windows phone and hated it. After a couple of months, I really started to appreciate what my Android could do. I still have a simple setup but it works well. I use the Nokia Z-Laucher. I also bought an app called Calendar Notify which puts next 4 appointments (it's changable in how many you can have) on the lock screen and in my notification shade. That replaced Simple Calendar on my windows phone. I tried using Outlook for my mail, but bought Nine instead which is what Outlook should be.

Other pluses for me are Wunderlist has a feature to quickly add something you can turn on the notification shade quick add. Just open your notifications, click the quick add and add your task/reminder. Waze which I use twice a day works very well. My nest app is fine. When I travel I just download the apps I need for airline, hotel and/or car and then delete them when I am done. I don't travel regularly so they aren't an issue. I have Cortana but Google Now works better for me. I use Excel and Word. I also upgraded to Quicken 2016 and my wife and I use to app to check balances and add transactions. All very smooth.

I picked up a 640 in September to see what I was missing and haven't played with it that much. I do miss some of the simplicity and the consistent look of Windows Mobile. Right now the advantages of Android outweigh the workaround efforts on Windows for me.

David