iOS vs Android when using Microsoft Services

[wolf_clan]

Which operating system is better when using Microsoft services extensively? I have no point of reference as I have never owned an Apple or Android product (and not that anxious too either) but I'm leaning towards one of them for my next phone. I'm just tired of feeling like I'm making due with what windows10 mobile offers me. I've only been a windows phone user for about a year now (Palm and BlackBerry before that) but have been relatively "all in" on Microsoft services for quite sometime.
So, when you're "all in" with things like OneDrive, Office365 subscription, Outlook2016 desktop client, and even an Outlook.com email account.... which OS (ios or android) works best?

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Which operating system is better when using Microsoft services extensively? I have no point of reference as I have never owned an Apple or Android product (and not that anxious too either) but I'm leaning towards one of them for my next phone. I'm just tired of feeling like I'm making due with what windows10 mobile offers me. I've only been a windows phone user for about a year now (Palm and BlackBerry before that) but have been relatively "all in" on Microsoft services for quite sometime.
So, when you're "all in" with things like OneDrive, Office365 subscription, Outlook2016 desktop client, and even an Outlook.com email account.... which OS (ios or android) works best?

Android will likely work better as Android allows developers greater control over system functions and such. Cortana and other apps are more powerful on Android because Microsoft has more control.

 

[xandros9]

For core things, both are excellent for the most part.

Android has more freedom so if you want to use Cortana as your main virtual assistant, it can replace Google Assistant but other than that (and more reliable background OneDrive photo uploads) I don't know if you really care. Although you can probably use the same cables depending on the Android you get. (

Just know that there's a lot of variability with Android and software updates are very hit-and-miss. (Google has security and OS updates down, Blackberry has security down, Samsung is doing alright with it's higher end devices, that $10 GoPhone Android though isn't going to go far probably though.)

 

[wolf_clan]

Android will likely work better as Android allows developers greater control over system functions and such. Cortana and other apps are more powerful on Android because Microsoft has more control.

I have heard that Cortana on Android is more robust due to the OS allowing deeper integration.
How are the outlook mail and calendar apps of android compared to ios?

 

[xandros9]

I have heard that Cortana on Android is more robust due to the OS allowing deeper integration.
How are the outlook mail and calendar apps of android compared to ios?

They're largely the same, although I would rather use the built-in iOS apps or BlackBerry's Hub suite for email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes.

 

[wolf_clan]

Thank you for all the replies so far. Im aware of the variability of Android and will need to look into certain models more closely. Being a blackberry fan, their android offerings are intriguing but im not your traditional Crackberry guy and prefer a virtual keyboard. I actually really liked the virtual keyboard on bb10 along with their hub and how bb handled outlook tasks and todos. I still miss it.
I probably will hold on to my windows phone for another year (I'm frugal that way) and wait to see how windows10 mobile progresses.

 

[xandros9]

Thank you for all the replies so far. Im aware of the variability of Android and will need to look into certain models more closely. Being a blackberry fan, their android offerings are intriguing but im not your traditional Crackberry guy and prefer a virtual keyboard. I actually really liked the virtual keyboard on bb10 along with their hub and how bb handled outlook tasks and todos. I still miss it.
I probably will hold on to my windows phone for another year (I'm frugal that way) and wait to see how windows10 mobile progresses.

Well, you can get the same virtual keyboard on BlackBerry's Android offerings! The DTEK50 and DTEK60 are two such touchscreen-only BlackBerry phones. I'm not really a traditional CB guy either, having entered the mobile scene via Palm back in the day and only dabbled in BB10. (and foregone older BB's almost entirely)

(and the Priv doesn't need to be slid open to type, my current ratio of virtual/physical keyboard typing over the life of the phone is something like 70/30)

But of course, W10M's core functionality is going to remain intact for a while to come.

 

[wolf_clan]

Perhaps I'll need to take a closer look at bb again in the near future but im still hopeful for Windows yet. Curious about redstone 3 & 4, Cshell and Arm. Will see what the next year holds.

 

[libra89]

I have heard that Cortana on Android is more robust due to the OS allowing deeper integration.
How are the outlook mail and calendar apps of android compared to ios?

Xandros9 nailed it but I also wanted to throw in my 2 cents based on my personal experience with Outlook on Android and iOS.

Outlook contacts and calendar feed very well into the built-in apps on iOS. On iOS, it makes your Outlook account an Exchange account so if you make a new contact in the Contacts app, it will be automatically synced back to Outlook. Calendar events shown in Outlook show almost instantly on the built in app. I haven't tried creating an event using the calendar and then seeing if it syncs back but it should be just fine. If your contacts have birthdays in Outlook, it will populate in the calendar as well. Please note that if you click an email link from a text or a web page, it will open the Mail app and not Outlook automatically.

As for Android, you can set Outlook to be your default mail client for most phones. However, it only sync contacts and not your calendar. Either way, you have to add your accounts as Exchange accounts in order for your contacts to populate into the Contacts app, and the same goes with your calendar. Double calendar events are a thing sometimes. In my experience, it hasn't always shown birthdays of my contacts in Outlook on the calendar too.

Each has their pros and cons really. I use both and generally I prefer iOS for Outlook.

 

[Drael646464]

Not that I'll be buying an android phone, but there are some compatibilities (outside of Samsung and its special drivers), within Android that make it a more attractive pairing. Not talking about the services here.

Android can stream in typical Microsoft protocols. Its network compatible. Android devices (other than Samsung with its special drivers and media weirdness) can typically attach as a USB drive.

Apple ios has 3rd party workarounds, but it lacks these direct compatibilities.

You can also do things with android that windows users might appreciate, like change partitioning, flash a custom rom, or tweak the UI or settings.

For the services see the other replies, I suppose.

 

[Drael646464]

Xandros9 nailed it but I also wanted to throw in my 2 cents based on my personal experience with Outlook on Android and iOS.

Outlook contacts and calendar feed very well into the built-in apps on iOS. On iOS, it makes your Outlook account an Exchange account so if you make a new contact in the Contacts app, it will be automatically synced back to Outlook. Calendar events shown in Outlook show almost instantly on the built in app. I haven't tried creating an event using the calendar and then seeing if it syncs back but it should be just fine. If your contacts have birthdays in Outlook, it will populate in the calendar as well. Please note that if you click an email link from a text or a web page, it will open the Mail app and not Outlook automatically.

As for Android, you can set Outlook to be your default mail client for most phones. However, it only sync contacts and not your calendar. Either way, you have to add your accounts as Exchange accounts in order for your contacts to populate into the Contacts app, and the same goes with your calendar. Double calendar events are a thing sometimes. In my experience, it hasn't always shown birthdays of my contacts in Outlook on the calendar too.

Each has their pros and cons really. I use both and generally I prefer iOS for Outlook.

Well that kinda sucks on android side. My bb10 device intergrates perfectly with outlook contacts, calender and email. I'll set up an apt on my phone, and my desktop reminds me.

 

[libra89]

Well that kinda sucks on android side. My bb10 device intergrates perfectly with outlook contacts, calender and email. I'll set up an apt on my phone, and my desktop reminds me.

Yeah it does suck, especially if you use calendar. I have heard that BB is really good at this, and that goes for their Android phones too. There's a paid app called Nine that is perfect though, and that is what I use. I no longer have double calendar events and everything is hosted in Nine for me. It works out very well.

 

[tgp]

There's a paid app called Nine that is perfect though, and that is what I use. I no longer have double calendar events and everything is hosted in Nine for me. It works out very well.

I wonder why Microsoft doesn't finish (what was) Sunrise and make it sync. Nine proves that perfect synchronization is possible. I would think that if a 3rd party developer can do it, Microsoft could do it.

 

[wolf_clan]

Thank you for the insight regarding possible calendar sync issues with certain android phones. Interesting to hear that blackberry's android offerings have solved this - I'll be looking even closer into their phones now. I'll also check out Nine for good measure.

Well that kinda sucks on android side. My bb10 device integrates perfectly with outlook contacts, calender and email. I'll set up an apt on my phone, and my desktop reminds me.

BB10 had/has nice syncing features. I really appreciated it's capability to even sync tasks from Outlook - something that my current windows phone can't do. I'd still have my bb10 if it wasn't for falling out of the boat with me last summer :eck:
As I stated in my OP for starting this thread, I'm pretty much all in on Microsoft services and I just want a phone that will keep me efficient (with no hassles) in those areas, as well as access to some apps I'm missing.

 

[libra89]

Thank you for the insight regarding possible calendar sync issues with certain android phones. Interesting to hear that blackberry's android offerings have solved this - I'll be looking even closer into their phones now. I'll also check out Nine for good measure.

Nine has a 2 week free trial so you can really try it out and see how it goes for you.

 

[xandros9]

Nine has a 2 week free trial so you can really try it out and see how it goes for you.

And the BlackBerry Hub suite has 30 days as well. (then its either ads in the Hub I think or $1 monthly unless you're on a BB device)

 

[Drael646464]

And the BlackBerry Hub suite has 30 days as well. (then its either ads in the Hub I think or $1 monthly unless you're on a BB device)

If you go to the crackberry site, there's actually a hack that let's you install most of the same suite of apps as the priv on any android.
Although that is a bit cheaty, considering its a buck a month

Incidentally I can't speak for the hub on android, but the hub on BB is kind of the best thing about it. All your emails, texts organised in one place.

 

[PerfectReign]

I actually really liked the virtual keyboard on bb10 along with their hub and how bb handled outlook tasks and todos. I still miss it. .

Ugh, the Z10. I had a Q10 for about a year. Hardly ever used it because I always had a spare Android or Windows device. BB10 was such a disappointment from earlier versions.

If you must leave Windows, go with Android. At least you will be more open.

Sent from mTalk

 

[wolf_clan]

Ugh, the Z10. I had a Q10 for about a year. Hardly ever used it because I always had a spare Android or Windows device. BB10 was such a disappointment from earlier versions.

If you must leave Windows, go with Android. At least you will be more open.

Sent from mTalk

I loved my z10 & that virtual keyboard. It was starting to show its age though so I thought I would get in on the ground floor with Microsoft and their Windows10 offering and go all in. After a year....I'm still all in with pc/tablet and services (have always been really) but my Lumia 650 has lost it's lustre. Coming from Blackberry, I didn't think the app gap would effect me as much. In some ways the app situation is better on Windows but in some things Blackberry was better. One of my biggest disappointments was I assumed that a Windows phone would be superior to blackberry in handling windows services (email, calendar, tasks etc) but I haven't found that to be the case.
Windows10 mobile shows such amazing promise but alas....the sarcastic "coming soon" moniker is well deserved.

 

[Drael646464]

I loved my z10 & that virtual keyboard. It was starting to show its age though so I thought I would get in on the ground floor with Microsoft and their Windows10 offering and go all in. After a year....I'm still all in with pc/tablet and services (have always been really) but my Lumia 650 has lost it's lustre. Coming from Blackberry, I didn't think the app gap would effect me as much. In some ways the app situation is better on Windows but in some things Blackberry was better. One of my biggest disappointments was I assumed that a Windows phone would be superior to blackberry in handling windows services (email, calendar, tasks etc) but I haven't found that to be the case.
Windows10 mobile shows such amazing promise but alas....the sarcastic "coming soon" moniker is well deserved.

Why not get a dtek60 then?

BlackBerry DTEK60 - Full phone specifications

I'm with you on the hub intergration with MS services. Adding in android MS apps, and that's a pretty complete solution. Not sure if it runs Cortana, but you could ask around on crackberry. Plus you get to get back your virtual keyboard. It's also more powerful than the incoming keyone - roughly the same hardware as the idol 4s everyone around here often uses.

You could run this same question on crackberry. Could be pretty close to a best of both worlds situation.