I've joined the WP ranks

[CHIP72]

I had a pleasant surprise when I got home from work today - FedEx delivered the HTC Trophy I ordered on Tuesday night from Verizon. (I couldn't pass up the $30 on 2 year contract deal they currently have on Verizon's website.) I expected I'd receive the Trophy on Friday (did that on purpose so I'd have a weekend to play with it) and for that matter so did Verizon, because when I tried to activate the line the guy from Verizon said they had an expected activation date of 12/9. Anyway, I played around with it a little bit using WiFi and already found I really liked the Metro interface even more than I thought. I had played around with it at various stores, but you don't really get a feel for how it works until you start loading your own stuff on it on your own phone. The biggest negative is the lack of free apps, compared to Android. I'll play around with it more this weekend and maybe do some head-to-head comparisons between the Trophy and the Droid 2. (I added a line, rather than replacing the Droid 2.)

One quick question - what are some of the best screen protectors? Even though the Trophy is pretty light, I think I'm going to keep it "naked" except for the screen protector (which is what I've done with my Droid 2).

 

[baseballbert]

Look on eBay for Naked Skins. Look on eBay for Naked Skins

Mangos taste better than apples!

 

[Duvi]

Welcome to the family. Less apps, but they're coming, slowly, but surely. We're just behind RIM and their marketplace, yet they've been out a lot longer.

 

[scottcraft]

Welcome aboard! I came from the original droid to the trophy in July. I absolutely love it. Not every app is available, but there are enough alternates you should be ok.

Sent from my Windows 7 Phone using Board Express

 

[MannLou]

Welcome to the Windows family. As said before the apps will come and you may be surprised at what you considered vital in terms of apps as you use this OS. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sent from my PI39100 using Board Express

 

[patmondor]

One quick question - what are some of the best screen protectors? Even though the Trophy is pretty light, I think I'm going to keep it "naked" except for the screen protector (which is what I've done with my Droid 2).

Regarding screen protectors...I only use ZAGG... Invisibleshield. Go to ZAGG | invisibleSHIELD | iPhone, iPod Cases, Screen Protectors, Covers, Shields, Skins. They feel nice to the touch and are really nice! Oh..welcome! New WP7 user myself...loving it!

 

[joemd60]

I am on going on 3 months with my Trophy. Great phone, I love it, enjoy and welcome to WP.
I don't have a screen protector on my phone, But in the past I have used Clarivue.
Quality Screen Protectors for Any Display by Clarivue

 

[CHIP72]

FWIW, one of my most heavily-used apps, particularly in the September to March time frame, is ESPN ScoreCenter. (I follow multiple NCAA college football and college basketball teams, and also follow a single team in the NFL, NBA, and NHL.) I think the ScoreCenter app on WP is much nicer looking and has better functionality than the same app on Android. On WP it defaults the initial view to include the next games to be played, and you scroll up to see the most recent past result for teams you follow. On Android (and also webOS - I bought an HP TouchPad as part of Best Buy's HP computer/tablet bundle deal in early November), the most recent results are shown first and you need to scroll down to see today's/the next games to be played.

On the negative side, I don't like the lack of a Pandora app, an NFL Mobile app, or a free MLB At-Bat app on WP (though I don't use Pandora too often on my Droid 2 and with MLB being in the off-season, I don't use MLB At-Bat much right now either). Even webOS has a Pandora app (though that app was designed for smartphones and not tablets).

The other thing I found I liked immediately on the Trophy is the tight integration for Hotmail accounts. My Hotmail account has been my primary e-mail account since 1999, and on Android the integration is less than ideal. (With the "upgrade" to the semi-limited in functionality Android Gingerbread 2.3.3*, I couldn't receive e-mails on my Hotmail account through the regular e-mail setup, though Microsoft did release a Hotmail app that is pretty good. However, even the Android Hotmail app doesn't provide perfect integration between checking e-mails on a Windows XP or 7 OS device and an Android OS device.) With WP, Hotmail is perfectly integrated between Windows 7 OS and Windows Phone 7.5 OS.

*For those of you who don't currently have an Android OS device, there are multiple versions of Gingerbread - 2.3.3, 2.3.4, and 2.3.5. The 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 versions, from what I've read, usually are loaded onto recently-released Android OS smartphones where Gingerbread is the original OS on the device. By contrast, I think Gingerbread 2.3.3 is usually loaded onto smartphones that have been upgraded to Gingerbread and originally used an earlier Android OS. As an example, my Droid 2 came pre-loaded with Froyo (Android 2.2.1) and was updated to Gingerbread 2.3.3 in September 2011. I've noticed a few shortcomings with Gingerbread 2.3.3 in terms of reduced functionality, though generally Gingerbread 2.3.3 is a little more robust and has a more polished look than Froyo 2.2.1. I certainly hope Microsoft never rolls out multiple iterations of the exact "same" version of the operating system, like Google has done with Android 2.3/Gingerbread.

 

[dunder911]

Same here. I have been coming to this site and researching for a while. I was going to wait for a new verizon wp7 but could not wait anymore. plus the 30 dollar deal on the trophy was hard to beat. so far it has been great. I love the way information flows together, similar to webos in some ways (which I also liked). I have had every type of phone and feel this could be a good match. already the marketplace has surpassed blackberry in terms of variety and big name apps. they also just released metroradio which is a third party pandora app that works pretty well. some apps aren't as good as their ios or android counterparts. however others are better. it is a mixed bag. just enjoying the os right now and the email setup. even the camera itself is pretty decent. If this continues to go well I think I will add a second line and pick up the 2nd gen wp7 if and when it comes to verizon. I am hearing rumors of a possible March release for that. thanks everyone for the great info on this site.

 

[CHIP72]

Same here. I have been coming to this site and researching for a while. I was going to wait for a new verizon wp7 but could not wait anymore. plus the 30 dollar deal on the trophy was hard to beat. so far it has been great. I love the way information flows together, similar to webos in some ways (which I also liked). I have had every type of phone and feel this could be a good match. already the marketplace has surpassed blackberry in terms of variety and big name apps. they also just released metroradio which is a third party pandora app that works pretty well. some apps aren't as good as their ios or android counterparts. however others are better. it is a mixed bag. just enjoying the os right now and the email setup. even the camera itself is pretty decent. If this continues to go well I think I will add a second line and pick up the 2nd gen wp7 if and when it comes to verizon. I am hearing rumors of a possible March release for that. thanks everyone for the great info on this site.

Congratulations to a fellow WP newbie and welcome.

The only thing I'd say about getting a second smartphone is IMO it makes more sense to have two devices that have different operating systems so you can get the strengths of each while reducing the negative annoyances of each at the same time. It also allows you to compare the two OS to one another without committing to either one until you know which one you like best. (You can simply cancel out the second line when/if you make a decision.) To me, if you want to get a different device that has the same OS as your current device, it just makes more sense to pay full price (non-contract cost) for the second device and replace your older device with the newer device on the existing line/contract. (I personally have considered doing that with my Droid 2 by buying a Samsung Stratosphere, but now that I've bought the HTC Trophy I think I'll pass on doing that.) Having said the above, it sounds like you are already well-versed in many of the mobile operating systems dunder911, so maybe having different operating systems on your devices if you are going to have two lines doesn't make sense for you.

 

[timberwolf211]

I agree with the above statements as I am new as well. But in reality how many damn apps could you possible use and want?

 

[CHIP72]

I agree with the above statements as I am new as well. But in reality how many damn apps could you possible use and want?

With my Droid 2, with which I'm celebrating my 1 year anniversary today (woo hoo - smartphones are awesome!), I probably have close to 100 apps downloaded that weren't pre-installed. I'd probably use about 5 apps very often (ESPN ScoreCenter outside of the baseball season, MLB At-Bat during the baseball season, Advanced Task Killer Free, Hotmail, and The Weather Channel - the last of which I "use" in having immediate access to the temperature in the town where I live) and another 15-20 apps moderately often. The key for any mobile OS is to have the key apps people want to use or a viable alternative.

 

[psychotron]

Welcome to the fold! At least your lack of Pandora can now be met with Metro Radio, just in the nick of time it seems. Enjoy getting acquainted with your new phone!

Sent from my Samsung Focus using Board Express

 

[dunder911]

Yeah I don't mind adding the second line for an extra 10 a month, selling my trophy, and putting a basic phone on the new line so i wont pay data. that way i can get the latest and greatest wp7 for verizon. I just couldnt wait any longer. still loving the trophy. really enjoying the camera and quick sharing with facebook. glad to see so many others making the switch. i am telling everyone i can about it and showing them my phone. everyone comments how slick the interface is and how powerful the bing search has become. i have found the transition from google search to bing to be very easy.

thanks again for the welcome everyone