Windows Phone noob with some questions!

dizmo

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Hello all! I figured this would probably be the best place to post this, as to not anger anyone with something that might have been covered many times before.

I currently own an Android device that I've had for a year, and before that I was a diehard Blackberry user. A year ago I was in the market for a new device, but the Nokia 920 was too heavy for me to consider. I've caught the new phone itch, and as I've seen rumours of massive improvements to Windows Phone I've become more interested in it. Quadcore support (even if the OS doesn't NEED such a processor, they do offer much, much more than simply 2 more cores and a higher clock), 1080p displays; the future looks bright.

My main concern is the eBay app. I can't seem to find any reviews, and there's only a few video reviews on Youtube for the Mango version.
How is the functionality of this one? Does it have live countdowns for auctions?
Is it easy to move around the app? Any lag?
Will it push notifications to the phone, vibrate or make a sound when auctions are about to end, etc?
I use it several times a day, and this feature saves me from having to refresh a page over and over again.

Some other little things are;

Battery life indicator. I've heard there's no way to have the % shown? When an OS misses things like this it makes me worry.

How are the maps? If someone in rural Canada is around, that'd be most helpful...right now I have Google Maps (of course) and it's excellent.

Is there a way to set a password or lock gesture? Simple, I know, but of all the reviews I've read/watched not one has covered this.

How has the app store been progressing? I always made fun of apps, until I actually got a phone that supported them (Blackberry's don't count. Their app selection when I had my 9810 was abysmal) and now I find them incredibly useful. The main ones I use are alarm clocks, currency and measurement conversion, first aid, food truck tracking, and my bank app. My bank doesn't support WP, saying there aren't enough users.

Since there aren't too many handsets out right now with WP8, I'd probably be looking at the Nokia 925. The 1020 is nice, but a big investment for something I'm not 100% sure of.
I won't go anywhere near the 1520. 6" is too big for a phone.
My other alternative is the Note 3. Being able to open 2 eBay apps on the same screen being the huge draw towards that device. It's big, the absolute largest I'd go for a phone, but probably a lot smaller than what Nokia will cram a 6" screen into. If I got the Note I'd probably also buy a smaller phone to carry around if I was being more active.

Are there any advances coming down the pipeline I may have missed?
I may have to wait another year if the marketplace is still too far in its youth.

I'm hoping that Microsoft styles their line of Lumia devices after the Surface. It would be a LOT like the design concept of the Ubuntu Edge, minus the killer spec.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!
 

montsa007

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I used the ebay app for a while, you can pin an item you are watching so next time you just tap that pinned item and you're there!
Some other little things are;

Battery life indicator. I've heard there's no way to have the % shown? When an OS misses things like this it makes me worry.
You have apps that can be pinned as a tile to show battery % on home screen, and an app to show battery % on lockscreen
How are the maps? If someone in rural Canada is around, that'd be most helpful...right now I have Google Maps (of course) and it's excellent.
Not sure about canada, but they are 100% offline, meaning, download maps, remove sim and roam the city :), no need of any wifi/internet connection.
If you buy me a 2 way ticket I'd be happy to report about the canada map thing :p

Is there a way to set a password or lock gesture? Simple, I know, but of all the reviews I've read/watched not one has covered this.
Password - 4 Digit password, also look on Youtube for Kids Corner WP8
How has the app store been progressing? I always made fun of apps, until I actually got a phone that supported them (Blackberry's don't count. Their app selection when I had my 9810 was abysmal) and now I find them incredibly useful. The main ones I use are alarm clocks, currency and measurement conversion, first aid, food truck tracking, and my bank app. My bank doesn't support WP, saying there aren't enough users.
I find daily apps easily on the WP8 platform, I don't play any games so can't comment on that but I don't miss anything coming from Android on WP8

Since there aren't too many handsets out right now with WP8, I'd probably be looking at the Nokia 925. The 1020 is nice, but a big investment for something I'm not 100% sure of.
I won't go anywhere near the 1520. 6" is too big for a phone.
My other alternative is the Note 3. Being able to open 2 eBay apps on the same screen being the huge draw towards that device. It's big, the absolute largest I'd go for a phone, but probably a lot smaller than what Nokia will cram a 6" screen into. If I got the Note I'd probably also buy a smaller phone to carry around if I was being more active.
925, if you are Okay with 12/13GB usable memory, something I won't advise.
Check Lumia 720, alternatively you may wait for things to cool down and grab a 1020. But remember Canada and Nokia never make a happy couple when it comes to warranty, I don't know why.


Are there any advances coming down the pipeline I may have missed?
I may have to wait another year if the marketplace is still too far in its youth.

I'm hoping that Microsoft styles their line of Lumia devices after the Surface. It would be a LOT like the design concept of the Ubuntu Edge, minus the killer spec.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

My answers in bold, the marketplace is good, it may have less apps compared to Android but they make sense. I've seen some crazy siht apps in Google Playstore, full of ads, popups and worms. Worst part is Google is not bothered to check every app before releasing it, just pay them 25 bucks one time to offload all your worms. Something that Apple and Windows don't do.
 

Chris Sandiford

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If you do jump, note the eBay app that comes pre-installed doesn't seem to be an official one.
I don't know why but there are two in the Marketplace, the latest one has the revamped eBay logo on it - this allows you to sell items and the other doesn't.
 

davidD93

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Apps - 170,000+, and growing daily. As mentioned, just look on Microsoft WP website for certain apps.
Maps - I have found the HERE suite of navigation (maps, drive+, transit, city lens) frankly excellent.
Battery Life Indicator - This might be coming to 8.1, see Windows Phone 8.1
 

dizmo

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How do the OS updates work on these devices?
Is it carrier based, or direct from the Microsoft website?
I remember last year reading that they'd be pushed right from Microsoft, but I'm unsure if that's still the same.
Do all devices get it, or only a select few?

I'm currently looking at a Nokia 820, or HTC 8S
 

montsa007

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How do the OS updates work on these devices?
Is it carrier based, or direct from the Microsoft website?
I remember last year reading that they'd be pushed right from Microsoft, but I'm unsure if that's still the same.
Do all devices get it, or only a select few?

I'm currently looking at a Nokia 820, or HTC 8S

8S - Bad decision because it has 4 Gigs onboard memory, 2GB usable (OS uses around 2 Gigs) which'll fill up at 390 mph if you start doing things

820 - Bad battery to hardware ratio, meaning the battery may suffer loose motions

OS Updates come OTA, if you buy a sim free/unlocked/no contract phone it will come from MS, if you buy a contract/carrier locked phone it'll come after your carrier bloats it.

1 Good thing is that MS is supporting WP8 phones much longer than Android manufacturers do.
Ex - The max official update I've seen is 1.5 years for almost any android phones, and the updates many a times makes things worse! and now, the gem, microsoft has revealed it'll support current wp8 lineup till 2016.
 

rdubmu

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Welcome to the forums! I believe that montsa007 covered most of your questions.

I believe that Nokia Maps should have all of Canada covered. When I recently went to Vancouver BC, the maps worked perfectly and the best part, offline because I download the maps before my trip :)

You can set a lock screen password, it is just numbers and you can be more than four digits if you wish.

For the battery life, you can download a third party app that will show the battery level as a live tile.
 

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