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

[Nabiscuit]

I have to say... Leaving Windows Phone when I did was a great decision. Moved to T-Mobile and hopped on the Samsung train with the Galaxy S7 and pre-ordered the Note7. I am very, very happy with Android and I cannot tell y'all how much faster this phone is compared to my Lumia 950. It's night and day. Best part of making the switch? I didn't even have to sacrifice my live tiles!

Outlook for Android > Outlook for Windows Mobile.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[garak0410]

Re: What Is The Breaking Point? When Is Enough Enough?

I love my Lumia 950. There, now that I have that out there, there are a series of things that are lighting a fire under my *** that make me want to jump ship...

Here is why I feel the way I feel...

1) Yes, Microsoft owes us nothing - a majority of us helped them build Windows 10 / Windows 10 Mobile to what it is today, and the world got it completely free for a year. I completely and 100% agree with this statement. However, being locked into a carrier and not getting firmware for almost 1 1/2 months, not getting the Anniversary update on time - ok, can't complain, free, but still slightly irritating.

2) Developers Retiring Apps With No Sign Of Coming Back - The past month it's been like watching rats escaping a sinking ship.

3) UWP Not Bringing In Devs Like Microsoft Hoped - There are some seriously sweet mobile gaming titles that devs simply won't allow to go to the Windows 10 Mobile Platform / UWP. For example, Epic Games, Niantic, Square Enix, and hundreds of other devs that have made top-notch games for iPhone and Android that have nothing to lose except a short amount of work it requires to convert their titles to UWP - but they simply won't do it - I mean all they stand to do is make money, and Microsoft has made it so easy, they STILL won't take advantage of it!

Windows 10 Mobile is unique, UWP is unique, the tools are there, but no one will touch them. I fear that Microsoft's past with mobile has left a stigma that devs won't touch with a 10 meter cattle-prod.

I use my mobile device for everything, including mobile gaming, not just productivity and everyday communication. And to be honest...the gaming aspect is making me want to get up and go. When all my buddies are playing games that I have no access to, I am left out of the fun...

So, might be selfish reasons, but I am teetering on flopping over to an Android Phone...just trying to hang on a little longer...

I hear ya...I had the same flip-flopping when I left my ICON for the Note 5. And considering Verizon is not getting ANY new Windows Phone (Acer or HP), I'm moving on to the Note 7 in a few days. I so would give the 950xl, Acer or HP a try if I could.

 

[garak0410]

Re: What Is The Breaking Point? When Is Enough Enough?

When it comes to everyday communication and productivity, it is phenomenal - a feel that Android and iPhone simply do not have.

This!!! Totally agree with this statement. I would actually use the Lumia 735 if it had the same camera as an ICON or recent Galaxy S/Note phones.

 

[jdballard]

Re: What Is The Breaking Point? When Is Enough Enough?

...that have nothing to lose except a short amount of work it requires to convert their titles to UWP...

I think it's hard to say with certainty that it's a short amount of work. It probably varies quite a bit from app to app. Even if it's a short amount of work is it worth the investment given the low usage?

 

[libra89]

I hate to say it, but I'm kind of missing my iPhone SE. The size of it and only bringing a charging cable if I want to (because I have no battery anxiety/paranoia) is like hard to say no to for a long time. Really it's the size though, never have to think about how well it will fit my pants and jeans with or without real pockets.

Most of my reasons for changing have been so petty, but hey, I'm the one with the phone, right? :grin: I am liking the 950 quite a bit though, and I could see myself giving my 640 to my mom because if I'm going to use Windows 10 Mobile, it can't be with a phone that has a lagging keyboard.

Edit: Jinxed it. Just had my first random restart on my 950 o_o

 

[Tasha Jaiswal]

Best part of making the switch? I didn't even have to sacrifice my live tiles!

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

What app/launcher are you using for these live tiles? I would also like to give it a try

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[jdballard]

What app/launcher are you using for these live tiles? I would also like to give it a try

I'll second this. Hoping it's not some sort of cruel mock-up using photoshop...

 

[dgr_874]

It looks like "Square Home 2" in the app store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2

 

[jdballard]

Looks like "Launcher 8 WP style" is at least one app that can do it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lx.launcher8

The thing I miss is the deep integration Cortana has with apps. I used to use commands like "Pandora Play playlist blah blah blah" or "OK Realarm set alarm for 6:30 a.m." all the time. As far as I know, OK Google doesn't have that sort of integration with apps. If I understand it correctly, basically any app dev can add integration with their app by registering their app name or keyword. If OK Google can do that, I'm not aware. Just one of the reasons that the demise of Windows phone, or, more accurately, the dearth of apps makes me so sad. Some truly useful innovation there.

 

[Guytronic]

Looks like "Launcher 8 WP style" is at least one app that can do it.

That's the one I used on my Z1s.
It actually helped to speed up the phone a bit.
Really enjoyed Launcher 8 quite a bit and it's very full featured.

 

[mark233]

I hate to say it

But you said it anyway ... smh :winktongue:

 

[libra89]

But you said it anyway ... smh :winktongue:

Lol! Well played. :grin:

I feel kind of weird admitting that since I said yesterday or so that I'll give the 950 another week. Even though I feel that way, we'll see what comes with this Anniversary update. Hopefully improved battery life. lol.

 

[libra89]

Sorry for the double post but the Honor 8 was just announced, and it looks so good. So good. According to Phone Arena, it is slightly thinner and slightly less wider than the Lumia 950. I am so tempted but I need reviews.

 

[digitaldd]

Sorry for the double post but the Honor 8 was just announced, and it looks so good. So good. According to Phone Arena, it is slightly thinner and slightly less wider than the Lumia 950. I am so tempted but I need reviews.

You should see plenty of first looks today and in the next few days from folks who were at the event last night in San Francisco, where I heard everyone got a phone. So the full reviews will come soon. For me its a $400 phone without an app drawer.

 

[libra89]

You should see plenty of first looks today and in the next few days from folks who were at the event last night in San Francisco, where I heard everyone got a phone. So the full reviews will come soon. For me its a $400 phone without an app drawer.

This is true about the app drawer. I'll probably change the launcher out the gate though lol.

Yep, you're right. Trying to read all of the first looks I can. Looking forward to those reviews too. Let me see if I can find some video first looks and hands-on.

 

[kamylasg]

First of all, I love Windows Phone/Mobile. My first smart phone was Lumia 520 (back in 2013) and then I switched to my Lumia 730. It's really beautiful, simple, smooth and unique. I loved the Insider program, testing out new features, giving feedback... I recommended WP to a few of my friends who didn't care about having the newest apps, and they got a few Lumias too.

But since last year or so, local business, the bus service, my uni, etc. started to launch their own apps. They didn't offer support to Windows Mobile and I couldn't access them via Edge or any mobile browser. This started to bug me, because everyone had easy information on their hands and I didn't. And more, the maps/navigation here in my area is horrible. It's completely unreliable. Other things started to annoy me as well. Before releasing Cortana to all Windows Mobile users, they provided Cortana to Android... Finally, when Cortana got here in Brazil it was very disappointing. She is much worse than the first version of US Cortana (yes, even regarding location of services/stores in my own area). She is not able to respond to simple commands like set up an alarm. 98% of the times I'm directed to a web search. I say all of this based on my experience for a long time in stable releases, insider builds, many factory resets, etc. Also, typing on this phone got increasingly worse, the suggestions are pretty bad and I end up wasting a lot of time correcting the auto correct of the phone.

I feel like not only developers don't consider Windows Mobile a viable option, but Microsoft doesn't care much about it either. I don't know how my experience would be outside of Brazil, that, by the way, was one of the biggest markets for WP, but here I feel abandoned by Microsoft. They didn't even release 950/950XL here and I see no effort to include us in future plans. This really dimmed my excitement for the mobile platform.

So I finally decided to try out a Moto G and I really enjoyed it. It's not about apps like Snapchat or Pok?monGo (which I don't even use), but the whole user experience. The phone actually connects to the places I am in! Traffic, navigation, suggestions... It makes my life so much easier, really. The Microsoft apps on Android are great and I will absolutely continue to use them.

Having said that, I missed apps from WM like for Reddit or YouTube, and I miss the whole UI and feel of Windows. I'm still interested in Windows Mobile and I'd come back in a heartbeat if I felt Microsoft cared about solving some of my concerns. I wrote all of this to vent, really. I felt really bad giving up on my L730 and making the switch, but oh well haha

 

[Nabiscuit]

What app/launcher are you using for these live tiles? I would also like to give it a try

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

Sorry for the late reply. I've been over in Android Central lurking in the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 forums...

The launcher is called SquareHome 2. Thank god I found it. All the others were trash. The Live Tile Notifications actually work when properly set up. It's amazing. If the app can throw a notification in your notification center, it will show up on the Live Tile.

 

[Nabiscuit]

It looks like "Square Home 2" in the app store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2

Bingo. Launcher 8 WP style I found to be rubbish.

 

[Nabiscuit]

Looks like "Launcher 8 WP style" is at least one app that can do it. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lx.launcher8

The thing I miss is the deep integration Cortana has with apps.

I agree with this, but seriously... I'd rather have the apps in the first place over Cortana integration for an app wasteland. Cortana is still way better than Google Now - but since Cortana doesn't integrate into Android very well, I've been using Google Now in it's place and it's not all that bad.

But yeah, the integration clearly isn't there... but that doesn't really matter when there are no apps for Windows Phone.

 

[Guytronic]

...the Honor 8 was just announced, and it looks so good. So good. According to Phone Arena, it is slightly thinner and slightly less wider than the Lumia 950. I am so tempted but I need reviews.

Yeah...
That honor 8 in deep blue is looking good.
I really want to see what the dual cameras can do also.