From iPhone to Lumia 950: One man's quest for something new (review)

DavidinCT

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When my wife's iPhone 4 starting to die, I had her get a 928 and told her to go through the 14 day window and try it. After about 5 days, she liked the OS better than the iPhone but, the biggest problem was as normal for iPhone users, is the apps.

1/2 the Apps she used were not available (just basic apps, local weather, news, big web sites) and about 1/2 of those missing apps there was a 3rd party one, all of them were so feature stripped that she could not use them. The native apps, were so behind from the iPhone version, just day to day tasks could not be done.

She compared 25 apps with me, one by one, showing me each apps limits....I love Windows Phone but, I even told her to return the phone and get another iPhone... You just cant compete with it.

If you really want to try Windows Phone...No question, most people with a open mind like WP better than iOS or Android but, most people will agree with the app problem.

Get a phone, make sure the apps that are available FIT YOUR NEEDS and plan for a while. If you can find everything you need and like then go for it, you will be happy but, if your a app junkie, Windows Phone WILL NOT FIT YOUR NEEDS.
 

libra89

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When my wife's iPhone 4 starting to die, I had her get a 928 and told her to go through the 14 day window and try it. After about 5 days, she liked the OS better than the iPhone but, the biggest problem was as normal for iPhone users, is the apps.

1/2 the Apps she used were not available (just basic apps, local weather, news, big web sites) and about 1/2 of those missing apps there was a 3rd party one, all of them were so feature stripped that she could not use them. The native apps, were so behind from the iPhone version, just day to day tasks could not be done.

She compared 25 apps with me, one by one, showing me each apps limits....I love Windows Phone but, I even told her to return the phone and get another iPhone... You just cant compete with it.

If you really want to try Windows Phone...No question, most people with a open mind like WP better than iOS or Android but, most people will agree with the app problem.

Get a phone, make sure the apps that are available FIT YOUR NEEDS and plan for a while. If you can find everything you need and like then go for it, you will be happy but, if your a app junkie, Windows Phone WILL NOT FIT YOUR NEEDS.

Well said, but the only thing I will add is that this applies especially if you live in the United States. The situation seems like it isn't equal in a number of countries.
 

plandyman

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To the OP...
what apps are you missing? there is always the "app gap" argument. and this is very personal. but coming from an iPhone to WP are there any apps that
you are missing? that may be a major setback?


It's not a major problem for me but here is what I would like:

Snapchat
Yahoo fantasy football
Chase banking
Everything else I use windows has, or a suitable alternative.

I have even pinned the mobile sites to chase and yahoo so that will work for now
 

Artem Veselovsky

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It's not a major problem for me but here is what I would like:

Snapchat
Yahoo fantasy football
Chase banking

Everything else I use windows has, or a suitable alternative.

I have even pinned the mobile sites to chase and yahoo so that will work for now

For fantasy football check StatGnome in the store. looks like a decent app for that
 

Steve WWW

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I also recently switched from an iPhone to Windows Phone. My Lumia 950 should be arriving from the Microsoft Store this week. I've been using Macs since 1999 and iPhone since 2008, but personally found both platforms have became increasingly stale, cumbersome, counter-intuitive, and crufty over the last few years. Windows Phone is a very exciting place to be.

Two years ago, I bought a used Lumia 620 (?) to play with because I was curious about Windows Phone 7. Loved the UI, and bought a Blu Win HD LTE after my iPhone 6 got wet and stopped working. Now that I've used Windows Phone 8.1 as my primary phone for the last few months, I am thrilled to be getting a Lumia 950 soon. To have a good camera and great screen on Windows 10 Mobile will be a joy.

Sure, there are a few apps that I miss on iOS (Overcast podcasting app, Kuna, Drivebot, and full-featured LastPass) but I'd much rather have Windows Phone with its beautiful UI, fresh design ideas, innovative features, and a very real feeling of excitement and potential for the future.
 

btrach144

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Snapchat and Yahoo Fantasy sport apps will never arrive and you'll grow tired of being disappointed and switch back to your iPhone. I had an iPhone for 6 years, switched to WP 8, 8.1, and 10 and while I saw progress it wasn't enough. I switched back to an iPhone 6s after two years on WP and I couldn't be happier. I hope MS works it out and WP becomes high quality but I'm not going to be onboard during the transformation stage. It's painful.
 

RoninHard

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I only wish I could drag my finger in the text to insert the cursor rather than tapping and hoping for the best.

If you place your finger and hold it on the text you want to edit, the insert character mode will activate and you can then drag it to where you want it.
 

John M Beauchemin

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Apple iphones or iDevices are primarily targeted for noobs and even for geeks. So, taking noobs into consideration, they want a device that just works at the end of the day w/o a hitch. Even a kid can use an iDevice because of its ease of use. Windows on the other hand, is a little unfriendly with noobs, but after spending a little time with windows ecosystem, they prefer windows 75% of the time.

I might have to disagree with this, at least from a generalized standpoint. In theory, I agree with you... but in practical application my 76 yr old Mother who is a complete computer dunce was able to pick up my L950 and txt message herself some picture attachments immediately, with only minimal coaching from me. It blew me away. She has an iPhone, and she barely knows how to do anything with it. I can't even get her to learn how to click and drag an object on her iMac, or drag a box to multi-select things. She just does not get it.

Even she remarked how easy it was to use. Not only is she a noob, but she's an electronic dunce, so I am doubly impressed with Windows ease of use.
 

plandyman

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Thanks for the tips everyone! The more I use the phone and learn the tricks, the more I like it.

Also, I will not go back to iPhone over a single app like snapchat. I like it but I can live without it.
 

John M Beauchemin

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Thanks for the tips everyone! The more I use the phone and learn the tricks, the more I like it.

Also, I will not go back to iPhone over a single app like snapchat. I like it but I can live without it.

So far the only functionality my iPhone gave me that I miss in my L950 is the BoA app... but it's definitely not a reason to stick with an OS that annoys me.

I am not a heavy app user, though, and despite the fact that I'm a game developer I don't really play many mobile games. I do wish Fallout Shelter was on WP, but I'll live, somehow :p I do a lot of book and comic reading/listening and in this regard WP seems to have very robust options. I also use Plex and emby, and WP has both of these apps and they run great. My time tracking app Hours is not on WP, but I have already found a decent alternative. Naturally, Notes is also on WP, and Dropbox/OneDrive. For Gmail and Google Drive I've been doing fine just using the Edge browser to access them. It's not ideal, but it's actualy a lot more viable than I thought.

I do really like the fact that I can receive calls and send txts from my PC, that is REALLY cool, and extremely useful. Especially when I get a link on my PC I want to send to someone. In the past, I'd email myself the link, then get the email on my phone, copy the link, and send it in a txt. Pain in the neck!
 

Whodaboss

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This was a very good little review. A lot of long time users forget to mention the good part of the ecosystem and you saw the value of it in just a little while.
Love the ecosystem. Just don't care for the new OS. But that guy was spot on with the cons. To say the speakers are underwhelming is almost a compliment. At least the phone I used it was horrible. H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E! And I thought it was just me, but the keyboard wasn't as accurate. I was going to buy the 950 to use on Tmobile. But after playing with it for about an hour or so, I"m going to buy an 830. And hopefully it will last me for years to come. Lack of pivots and more hamburger menus in the "MAIN" Microsoft apps is really killing it for me. I am finally getting over the shock on how they have ruin Windows Phone.
 

Skyway

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Love the ecosystem. Just don't care for the new OS. But that guy was spot on with the cons. To say the speakers are underwhelming is almost a compliment. At least the phone I used it was horrible. H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E! And I thought it was just me, but the keyboard wasn't as accurate. I was going to buy the 950 to use on Tmobile. But after playing with it for about an hour or so, I"m going to buy an 830. And hopefully it will last me for years to come. Lack of pivots and more hamburger menus in the "MAIN" Microsoft apps is really killing it for me. I am finally getting over the shock on how they have ruin Windows Phone.

There is most definitely a break in period, I'm guessing that it takes time for the phone to learn how you use it, but after that it works much much better. I can guarantee you that MS will address most, if not all, of these issues with updates as per their 'os as a service' plan. An hour in a store messing with it is not enough time to judge the device, trust me.

The other thing to think about is how long will that 830 be supported/relevant? That 720p screen and 1gb of ram are going to start showing their age really quickly. The 950 will stand the test of time significantly longer due to the newer hardware. Do you want to buy an already old phone now and just have it get older, or do you want to buy a brand new phone with an unpolished os that will more than likely be fixed relatively soon? The choice is yours, choose wisely my friend.
 

TLRtheory

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So the speaker thing does kind of worry me.

Has anyone here that has the 950 also had the Lumia 635 or 640? Is the speaker at least as good as those?
 

Skyway

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So the speaker thing does kind of worry me.

Has anyone here that has the 950 also had the Lumia 635 or 640? Is the speaker at least as good as those?

My brother has a 635 and while I haven't heard the speaker on it, I can almost confidently say the speaker on my 950 is better. The 635 is a complete budget phone and it's clear they made compromises to keep the price down. The 950 is a flagship, everything is going to be significantly better.

I came from an HTC one m8 with sublime front facing stereo speakers and the 950's single rear speaker isn't near as good, however I personally don't think it's deal breaker. It gets the job done and will work fine for me. I think the other features of this phone more than make up for a poor speaker.
 

Roland Stoll

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ive been trying to do this for a few days....how can I?
- PC and Mobile Phone must be on 10586 minimum
- both have to be activated through Cortana ("missed calls")
- both have to use the same MS account

you can send txts from the PC though:
- Cortana, just enter "text" and choose the text app... rest should be clear ;)
- when notified to a missed call, you can directly "answer" this call via txts

you can't:
- "receive" a call or txts on you PC
 

nasellok

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Its so freaking annoying that Yahoo Fantasy Football doesn't have an app on W10M..........you have (2) options - pin the yahoo fantasy site to your start screen - it works with no issues, doesn't scale the way it should - poor coding on Yahoo's part. Other option is the StatGnome app - the UI is pretty horrible, but it will manage all your teams, you can add / drop, change your lineup, etc.

Chase works on Edge, so does HSBC, and BofA............I was never an IPhone user, but my wife has had one for 4 years (5, and now 6S).......the UI is so horrible on IOS. Why do all the apps have to be next to each other, why do they all have to show on the home screens, why do you have to go through iTunes to transfer large files, why is there no proper file manager.......the list goes on and on. Going from W10 Mobile back to IOS feels like your going back a generation in Tech......like going from an XBOX One to a Original Playstation.....not exactly bad, just dated - and I feel the same way about Android - but at least you can customize android to your liking.
 

nukesheart1520

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If you place your finger and hold it on the text you want to edit, the insert character mode will activate and you can then drag it to where you want it.

wut, I never knew how this FEATURE exists until now! And I have used Windows Phone since Lumia800 Haha :D
Was this present on 8.1? Or just added in Win10? I thought I could only drag the cursor when it's below my fingers, touching the little circle at the buttom.
 

Bay 13

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Even when I suggested lumia to my friend. He went into store to buy one & the ignorant sales rep. tried as much as he can to downplay the phone & persuade him from buying a lumia..,!!! But he stayed determined & eventually bought one. General lack of awareness is the biggest problem microsoft has to address to.

Man...I stay away from ATT stores and will buy directly MS store....
 

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