Switching platforms? | Thinking of leaving?...comment here!

[Karthik Naik]

Re: My Experience with Windows Phone: I'm Done.

I am done. Windows Phone is seriously the biggest letdown of all my cell phones. Now, before you go ahead and judge me as "idiotic" or as a "troll", please hear out my explanation.
First off, I'm no new person to Windows Phone. I wanted a Windows Phone for about 3 years and have had one for 2. I was drawn to the Windows Phone OS by the pretty interface. Now on WP 8.1 Update 1, it looks better than ever. Still, LOTS of work to be done. LOTS. I'll be honest, the only things I still enjoy about Windows Phone are the start screen and Cortana, which are the best aspects of the OS in my opinion. But, as I was saying, I've been with Windows Phone for a considerable amount of time. I bought the Lumia 920 at launch, and in my mind: it was perfect. The moment I finally got one that belonged to me, I fell in love. After a few weeks though, a hint of regret surfaced. I realized how horrific the app store really was. Back when the 920 came out, the store was so much worse than it is today. SO, so bad. But, I loved the OS so much I didn't worry too much about it. As I said before, the OS is very pretty. This was how it was with me for the longest time: I was a WP ******. Fast forward a year later, and things have changed. I still loved the phone, but it was showing its age. The biggest complaint I had with it is one I still have today: the app store. There were other things that bugged me too (like the bugs), but the app store was still... bad. Luckily, Rudy Huyn, which in my and many others' opinion is the BEST app developer for WP, released 6tag and I think 6sec as well. I at least had that. But, I would try out my friend's phones version of the app and it was so much better on iPhone and Android. It started to irk me more and more. Fast forward to today, and my Windows Phone is a piece of crap. I love using Kik, but DEAR LORD. IT KILLS THE BATTERY WITHIN MINUTES. ON A FULL CHARGE. It sucks because I use it frequently and no one I know uses anything else. And still, the app store just makes me sad. Even if it's better than ever. It's a sad app store. Instagram has yet to update its beta, Twitter doesn't support GIFs yet, and don't even get me started with XBox Music. That's what bugs me most about the app store: If there's an official app, it's not better than the ones on other OS's. It goes for all official apps on Windows Phone. And that really disappoints me. Continuing, the OS's looks have worn off on me. Now, I see it and all it's flaws- and there's a lot of them. Like, for example, XBox Music eck. The design of the music app is so poor. In fact, when scrolling music, only less than half the screen shows your list of music. WHY, MICROSOFT? Is that really what you want the app to look like?! As a frequent music listener, it really angers me how terrible this app is (which is why it has a 2 star rating on the Marketplace). It's really the tiny details and as well as a few major ones in Windows Phone that kill the OS for me. Other problems I have with my phone are that the phone constantly restarts on me, heats up to the point where it's too warm to handle, and the colors sometimes go haywire when I unlock the phone (of course, this isn't entirely Microsoft's fault *ahem* Nokia *ahem*. It's been a terrible experience for me.
To sum it up, the OS does not hold up. If you get phones on a two year contract, you won't be satisfied with Windows Phone. If otherwise, you probably still won't be satisfied with Windows Phone. Of course, this is my opinion. I'm allowed to have an opinion on the internet, right? :grin: :grincry:
Well, this means goodbye WP Central. I've been an avid reader for years now, and honestly, I'm sad to leave. But, Windows Phone doesn't cut it for me. Yet. Just because I say goodbye, this doesn't mean I'm never coming back. If Microsoft fixes their **** with this OS, I'd be eager to jump back on board. Windows Phone will always have a special place in my geek heart. But, until the OS is not crappy anymore, this means goodbye WP Central, and hello Android Central!

Thanks for reading! How has your experience with Windows Phone been? Especially those who have used it for at least a year or so? I'd love to read your thoughts. Hopefully it's been better than mine :grin:

you sir are one of the few people who accepts windows phone,android etc without bias and your post cannot be considered a rant or a ****** remark!! your concerns regarding wp are very geniune and very true!!

 

[Karthik Naik]

Re: Bye Bye WP8.1 and Lumia 520, hello again iPhone

Come on - really? Comparing a 520 to an iPhone reminds me at many people comparing an iPad to the cheapest windows tablet they found at the next corner store.

a better example is when they compare it to a $100 android tablet

 

[D M C]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

ive seen a moto g 2013 lag,dont see why a 2014 cant
as for "epic fail" i dont remember seeing a moto g running wp8.1 instead of resource hungry android or sporting a pureview camera

Wtf....
You only talk.
But you have no proof .

Their are thousands of reviews of Moto g & none of them said it lag.

Actually nothing lag more than WP official apps.

 

[cckgz4]

Things lag over time

I switched last Wednesday from a lumia 620 to a blackberry Z3. Was very happy with the 620 apart for the facts that WP8.1 slowed it down a bit and the small screen. The lack of certain apps did not really bother me either. The main reason that I bought the Z3 was to try a new OS and I loved the shape and look of it. After a week of heavy use, I can say that the battery lasts about 1.5 days, the fluidity is on par with WP and the fact that android apk files are supported is a big bonus. Oh and it even supports and plays flash content out of the box. The major plus of BB is the Hub.......God bless the Hub.

How often do you run across a problem where you can't install some apks? I'm curious cause I was eyeing a q10 awhile back and hesitated cause of the price and heard that a lot of Android APKs weren't always compatible and inconsistent

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

WP 7.5/7.8 were slower, wp 8 was faster, wp 8.1 is even faster

I would beg to differ.

I've used a few applications made for Windows Phone 7, 8 and 8.1 and in my experience the performance had degraded as time has passed.

Kik is an instant messenger that was never updated after Windows Phone 7, it continues to work on Windows Phone 8 devices and no matter how many messages you have the app scrolls very very fast.

The thing that should be taken into account is the fact that Kik was never even made to use the power of more than one core, and yet it was so fast!

People also say that the Zune player or whatever it was called was faster in Windows Phone 7, I can't confirm this as I've never used it.

Moving on, Windows Phone 8 didn't degrade performance much, it was still pretty slick.

However with the arrival of Windows Phone 8.1 performance has taken a step back in many aspects. First of all Windows Phone 8.1 has allowed background services to all applications which is a good thing, but may degrade performance.

Moving on many of the stock apps also seem to have become slower, the Xbox Music and Calendar apps are an example. Cortana opens way slower than Bing search did, the notification center is slower to load than other OSes, camera app seems a tad slower to switch between modes, etc.

Plus scrolling performance has also taken a big hit. Previously the Windows Phone 8 version of the Whatsapp app scrollled pretty smoothly, but if you use the Whatsapp for Windows Phone 8.1 and scroll too fast your messages will dissapear for a few seconds.

Windows Phone 7 and 8 we're definitely faster than 8.1, but I would gladly take the new features in 8.1 over the faster performance in 7/8.0

 

[psoham777]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

I would beg to differ.

I've used a few applications made for Windows Phone 7, 8 and 8.1 and in my experience the performance had degraded as time has passed.

Kik is an instant messenger that was never updated after Windows Phone 7, it continues to work on Windows Phone 8 devices and no matter how many messages you have the app scrolls very very fast.

The thing that should be taken into account is the fact that Kik was never even made to use the power of more than one core, and yet it was so fast!

People also say that the Zune player or whatever it was called was faster in Windows Phone 7, I can't confirm this as I've never used it.

Moving on, Windows Phone 8 didn't degrade performance much, it was still pretty slick.

However with the arrival of Windows Phone 8.1 performance has taken a step back in many aspects. First of all Windows Phone 8.1 has allowed background services to all applications which is a good thing, but may degrade performance.

Moving on many of the stock apps also seem to have become slower, the Xbox Music and Calendar apps are an example. Cortana opens way slower than Bing search did, the notification center is slower to load than other OSes, camera app seems a tad slower to switch between modes, etc.

Plus scrolling performance has also taken a big hit. Previously the Windows Phone 8 version of the Whatsapp app scrollled pretty smoothly, but if you use the Whatsapp for Windows Phone 8.1 and scroll too fast your messages will dissapear for a few seconds.

Windows Phone 7 and 8 we're definitely faster than 8.1, but I would gladly take the new features in 8.1 over the faster performance in 7/8.0

I've used my Lumia 710 for more than 2 years. I've been using wp7.5 for a long time, wp 7.8 for a long time, wp8&8.1 too for a long time. My older phone doesn't lag, but still wp 8.1 is the fastest. I don't remember saying anything about wp7

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

I've used my Lumia 710 for more than 2 years. I've been using wp7.5 for a long time, wp 7.8 for a long time, wp8&8.1 too for a long time. My older phone doesn't lag, but still wp 8.1 is the fastest. I don't remember saying anything about wp7

I just thought it was worth mentioning WP7. But with newer operating systems scrolling is becoming an increasing issue on Windows Phone.

For example go to MetroTube and search up a video, scroll down really fast and your content will dissapear. Or go to WPCentral app and open am article and start scrolling really fast. The content dissapears.


Plus I would also have a "resuming" dialogue quite a bit when resuming to the home screen from a heavy app in Windows Phone 8.1, so in my experience it wasn't faster.

 

[psoham777]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

I just thought it was worth mentioning WP7. But with newer operating systems scrolling is becoming an increasing issue on Windows Phone.

For example go to MetroTube and search up a video, scroll down really fast and your content will dissapear. Or go to WPCentral app and open am article and start scrolling really fast. The content dissapears.


Plus I would also have a "resuming" dialogue quite a bit when resuming to the home screen from a heavy app in Windows Phone 8.1, so in my experience it wasn't faster.

That might be the case but still wp8.1 is the fastest. I can't say about developers preview, but cyan is definitely the fastest. The problems you mentioned are app problems, not OS being slow. Ya in my older phone, there is no 'resuming' problem, everything opens instantly, but overall my 1320 is a lot faster than 710. You also have this problem on iPhone, it just doesn't say loading or resuming

 

[Karthik Naik]

How often do you run across a problem where you can't install some apks? I'm curious cause I was eyeing a q10 awhile back and hesitated cause of the price and heard that a lot of Android APKs weren't always compatible and inconsistent

i have a z10 as my secondary device,it runs everything except for apps which need play services etc
still makes for a great work phone

I just thought it was worth mentioning WP7. But with newer operating systems scrolling is becoming an increasing issue on Windows Phone.

For example go to MetroTube and search up a video, scroll down really fast and your content will dissapear. Or go to WPCentral app and open am article and start scrolling really fast. The content dissapears.


Plus I would also have a "resuming" dialogue quite a bit when resuming to the home screen from a heavy app in Windows Phone 8.1, so in my experience it wasn't faster.

^^not true,my 720 doesnt have such issues except for heavy games running off my sandisk class 4 32gb

 

[jens Van Keer]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

Got a htc 8s, 8.1 DfP, but gonna buy a htc one m8, with android, end of this month/next mont

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

^^not true,my 720 doesnt have such issues except for heavy games running off my sandisk class 4 32gb

If you game a lot and have your apps/games on the SD card, you should get a Class 10. Would be a much better experience.

 

[Karthik Naik]

Re: This is why I'm leaving Windows Phone

If you game a lot and have your apps/games on the SD card, you should get a Class 10. Would be a much better experience.

not really only faster load times,i have a class 10 sandisk 16gb for my dslr and ive tested both
you dont need to comment on all my posts in every thread trying to prove me wrong its really annoying and rather flattering but no thanks

 

[pjs37]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

So here is my story:
When I first saw Windows Phone I was impressed at the time. The interface and promises were great. I was on an iPhone at the time but I liked the idea of being able to actually like change my home screen. My sister ended up getting a LG Keyboard Windows 7 Phone first and after that I jumped ship when I was eligible to a Nokia Lumia 900. I wasn't in tune with the community as I am now so I was caught unaware of the fact that the 900 was basically EOL'ed soon after. But it was fine I got a 920 at launch with another uprgrade someone on our plan had and I have been using it ever since. I been wanting a new phone for a while now the 920 is great but it has gotten slow at opening apps and even just wanting to search for something I end up with the "Resuming Screen" naturally I decided since I was on AT&T the 1520 is the logical next step. I wanted a larger screen device. But I just couldn't get around the fact that the 1520 is too big for my purposes.

So I waited and then MS announced the 830. That was it for AT&T and no idea when or how much. So that was dissappointing to say the least. It is clear the phone I want is not going to come to the windows side at least this year and probably well into next year. After iPhone 6+ announcement had me thinking that maybe 5.5" would be ok. So I looked at that but decided not to deal with all the launch nightmares that go with iPhone launches. I also considered the Note 4 since the idea of a stylus I thought was interesting. But I had several Palm devices and Stylus's tend to annoy me but at least it is entirely optional on the Note 4. But likely to be $300 on contract for the Note 4 and who knows how much for the Note Edge I was not sure I wanted to make that commitment to android yet.

I do like my Android Nexus 7 tablet so I started looking at the Nexus 5 devices. But I just couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by it. Someone mentioned a OnePlus One to someone else so I thought "Huh how about I give that a shot" so through sheer dumb luck a few hours into my search I won an invite from the main forums and ordered it. The nice thing is I get it off contract for about as much as I wouold spend on a Note 4 and I still have my upgrade. So I won't lose anything if I don't like it I am sure I could sell it for what I paid if it just isn't for me. So there we go I leave my happy world of WP and see what Android is about.

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

So here is my story:
When I first saw Windows Phone I was impressed at the time. The interface and promises were great. I was on an iPhone at the time but I liked the idea of being able to actually like change my home screen. My sister ended up getting a LG Keyboard Windows 7 Phone first and after that I jumped ship when I was eligible to a Nokia Lumia 900. I wasn't in tune with the community as I am now so I was caught unaware of the fact that the 900 was basically EOL'ed soon after. But it was fine I got a 920 at launch with another uprgrade someone on our plan had and I have been using it ever since. I been wanting a new phone for a while now the 920 is great but it has gotten slow at opening apps and even just wanting to search for something I end up with the "Resuming Screen" naturally I decided since I was on AT&T the 1520 is the logical next step. I wanted a larger screen device. But I just couldn't get around the fact that the 1520 is too big for my purposes.

So I waited and then MS announced the 830. That was it for AT&T and no idea when or how much. So that was dissappointing to say the least. It is clear the phone I want is not going to come to the windows side at least this year and probably well into next year. After iPhone 6+ announcement had me thinking that maybe 5.5" would be ok. So I looked at that but decided not to deal with all the launch nightmares that go with iPhone launches. I also considered the Note 4 since the idea of a stylus I thought was interesting. But I had several Palm devices and Stylus's tend to annoy me but at least it is entirely optional on the Note 4. But likely to be $300 on contract for the Note 4 and who knows how much for the Note Edge I was not sure I wanted to make that commitment to android yet.

I do like my Android Nexus 7 tablet so I started looking at the Nexus 5 devices. But I just couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by it. Someone mentioned a OnePlus One to someone else so I thought "Huh how about I give that a shot" so through sheer dumb luck a few hours into my search I won an invite from the main forums and ordered it. The nice thing is I get it off contract for about as much as I wouold spend on a Note 4 and I still have my upgrade. So I won't lose anything if I don't like it I am sure I could sell it for what I paid if it just isn't for me. So there we go I leave my happy world of WP and see what Android is about.

I could've bought a Lumia 920, or possibly 1020. At the time I didn't get a OnePlusOne invite so I got a Nexus 5 instead. Haven't regretted doing so.

I've owned the device for nearly two months now, I still prefer Android over Windows Phone.

Though Windows Phone is pretty nice. Btw how is the OnePlusOne going so far? How is the camera?

 

[pjs37]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

I could've bought a Lumia 920, or possibly 1020. At the time I didn't get a OnePlusOne invite so I got a Nexus 5 instead. Haven't regretted doing so.

I've owned the device for nearly two months now, I still prefer Android over Windows Phone.

Though Windows Phone is pretty nice. Btw how is the OnePlusOne going so far? How is the camera?

Well so far I am still at the "Pending Shipment" phase lol but I will report my findings once it arrives. I am excited I like changing things up every once in a while so Android will be a nice change of pace for me. Of course I will still have my 920 to fall back on if I don't like it but I suspect I will fall in love with the much larger display. I do have a nexus 7 so its not completely unknown to me but I keep my Nexus 7 very basic I just go on IM+ and Chrome and Reddit.

 

[salmanahmad]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

Well so far I am still at the "Pending Shipment" phase lol but I will report my findings once it arrives. I am excited I like changing things up every once in a while so Android will be a nice change of pace for me. Of course I will still have my 920 to fall back on if I don't like it but I suspect I will fall in love with the much larger display. I do have a nexus 7 so its not completely unknown to me but I keep my Nexus 7 very basic I just go on IM+ and Chrome and Reddit.

OnePlusOne is a stellar device however I would recommend trying out the GPS as soon as you get the device. Because I've seen people on Android Central getting faulty GPS on their OnePlusOne.

Personally stepping up from Windows Phone, and having watched many YouTube videos on these topics, I can say that app opening, multitasking and general touch responsiveness in much better on Android compared to WP.

Plus Android would definitely be the OS closest to Windows on PC like functionality, you have download managers, background encoding, transcoding, etc.

But if you never use your Android to the full potential, as in you aren't a power user or don't plan to become one, Windows Phone would definitely be the place to be.

The only issues I've found on Android are related to lazy developers not fixing some performance issues with their apps. But the OS itself and most apps are quite polished.

Oh and as soon as you get your OnePlusOne and set it up, switch to the ART runtime. You will not regret it, it boosts performance by upto 50%.

 

[dby2011]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

Seriously thinking of a Galaxy 5 only because it seems to be the only phone I can find that has features I use most in my current Lumia 822. It supports wireless Qi charging, has a glance type display if using a flip case and the S voice feature will read texts to me over Bluetooth just like my 822.

 

[pjs37]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

OnePlusOne is a stellar device however I would recommend trying out the GPS as soon as you get the device. Because I've seen people on Android Central getting faulty GPS on their OnePlusOne.

Personally stepping up from Windows Phone, and having watched many YouTube videos on these topics, I can say that app opening, multitasking and general touch responsiveness in much better on Android compared to WP.

Plus Android would definitely be the OS closest to Windows on PC like functionality, you have download managers, background encoding, transcoding, etc.

But if you never use your Android to the full potential, as in you aren't a power user or don't plan to become one, Windows Phone would definitely be the place to be.

The only issues I've found on Android are related to lazy developers not fixing some performance issues with their apps. But the OS itself and most apps are quite polished.

Oh and as soon as you get your OnePlusOne and set it up, switch to the ART runtime. You will not regret it, it boosts performance by upto 50%.

Thanks for the advice. I used tweak the hell out of windows but I have gotten old and lazy now lol. But I still like a lot of the stuff about OnePlus like setting the notification lights or using capacitive buttons.

I hope the gps works after being pending shipment for three days now while seeing people who ordered yesterday get their phones tomorrow is wearing thin lol.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[glenn_brown2172]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

I decided to give windows phone and purchased a Lumia 928 from Verizon after using android phones since the first Droid came out. After a week I was completely sold on the UI and really couldn't imagine ever going back. When the icon was released I acquired the first one sold at my local Verizon store. Occasionally I would want an app that wasn't available but didn't let it bother me because I loved the smooth way the phone worked and the camera was the best digital I had ever had. Basically I had become a very enthusiastic consumer and was constantly watching for the next upgrade, new app, or hardware to be released.

Then it happened. The hype, the advertising, the functionality of 8.1. Surely it was going to be released immediately but that was way off of the reality that was 8.1. so I installed the preview for developers and then my reliable phone got buggy. Lock UPS, a sad face screen that forced a hard reset, battery burning down in 4 hours and more. None of the problems were every day and I brought it on myself, and anyway I continued to view the phone as the best I had ever owned. The icon had an unplanned encounter with a concrete patio that after the insurance company couldn't supply another icon left me with a Samsung ATIV. So here I am at decision time because the ativ isn't anything I want.

The icon still isn't getting the 8.1 update after 6 months of hype and which leaves me dissatisfied with both windows and Verizon. Is Verizon not committed to supporting window phone? Microsoft is releasing 8.1 in India, you can read about it but no word on when for Verizon customers.

What I perceive as a lack of support, unreasonable time to market after much promotion, are the main reasons I'm going back to android. The app selection is a distant third but I'm enjoying get virtually an app for anything I want again after a year and a half.

I have days left to change my mind and take the note 3 back and go back to windows phone but I'm probably keeping the note.

 

[pjs37]

Re: All Those Switching from a Windows Phone to another device (including Windows Phones), Post Here

I don't think Verizon is committed to updating anything to be honest