It hurts to see S-Duo running Android!

[Renoktation]

Although I have never used a device with 2 screens, I have seen some in the last few months and none of them comes even close to Surface Duo if we go by looks; it finally offers something new & fresh. So congratulation Microsoft!

But what breaks my heart is that it runs Android. I have been using L950 for the last 2 years and I understand the pain of not having apps.

Still I think it would have been awesome if it ran WCOS along with Live tiles & an Android emulator.

 

[John Stewien]

But what breaks my heart is that it runs Android. I have been using L950 for the last 2 years and I understand the pain of not having apps.

So the main downsides with Android are the lag, the slow launch of apps, and the lack of coherency across the phone, everything is bolted on, even contacts are stored in different places depending on which app uses them, SMS can be handled by different apps but the messages end up in different places if you switch apps, downloaded files go to different areas depending on what app downloaded them. No overarching personal assistant that monitors everything.

Emulation of Android isn't going to fix this, although maybe you could integrate Cortana across everything. If you don't emulate Android then you have no apps. The world picked cheap and loose over quality, something that has happened many times in the past. This is the world we live in. Spare a thought for the poor deserted Amiga fans, many of whom have never gotten over their pain.

 

[justjun555]

it's sad but there is no other option to counter app gap. android is not that bad now if you customize it by your on liking. let's hope Microsoft at least bring some modern touch with their android skin running surface duo.

 

[Renoktation]

So the main downsides with Android are the lag, the slow launch of apps

While I agree to most of your points, but I don't think Android lags anymore. In fact, I have been tempted many times in the last few years to switch because of the apps. My life will become so much easier. From NFC payments to banks, trading, communication, booking movie tickets, ordering food, booking cabs & hotels, reading books and watching Netflix or Amazon Prime. I miss all that.

But I just cannot tolerate the horrible and confusing UI of Android, lack of security and privacy, and lack of updates.

We may complain that W10M got it's last major software update in 2017 but so are many flagship Android phones!

Just give me a W10 themed launcher and I will leave this cursed OS known as W10M.

 

[DavidBS1989]

I think it's a bad error to launch this amazing device with Android. It would be a dream have Surface Duo running a Windows OS, able to use the desktop apps (which are better than Android's).

So now, I just hope that the interface change and be a Windows interface and have Cortana instead Google Assistant.

 

[justjun555]

It runs android because nither next Windows for phones is ready nor the desktop apps are touch friendly on small screens of smartphones.
Then there is an issue of app gap for which Microsoft needs to find a solid solution.

Pocket pc dreams will surely come true some day in future but not today.

Android is the need of an hour so that Microsoft's desired form factor can penetrate the market & create new category of devices.

 

[Sedp23]

It looks great it had to run Android windows 10 mobile was a failure.

I think they really screwed up announcing it for next year and not this year. Microsoft CONTINUES to drop the ball

 

[ochhanz]

Using Android now makes sense. They can always use Windows 10X for the next iterations as soon as it has enough apps (/if the Surface Neo is a success). Perhaps you can even already install Windows 10X on it(?) to dual boot between that and Android.

It will be interesting to see what variations OEMs will bring on the market of Surface Neo.

 

[Dush Ku]

Definite oddness. Is this really a desktop, laptop or tablet?
Should this forum be in the android device section instead?

 

[BajanSaint69]

Guys,

Windows Phone is dead, yes it was a superior operating system but it's dead. MS couldn't get the developers to get the apps and not enough people used it. I myself still use my 950xl as my daily driver but I concede that it's just until year end.

You can sit there and mourn the death of windows mobile or you can get on with life. I'm looking at an Android phone as my next daily driver and I'm kind of looking forward to not having to use work arounds. Yes Windows Phone "could have" been great, but the market has moved on.

 

[Sedp23]

Definite oddness. Is this really a desktop, laptop or tablet?
Should this forum be in the android device section instead?

Phone / tablet

 

[mdram]

I was sad to see it running Android as well but I completely understand. This was my last hope for a new Windows mobile device to replace the Lumia 950XL I'm currently using. I can't use Android for work (at least not now) and really didn't want to get an iPhone.

 

[Drael646464]

Although I have never used a device with 2 screens, I have seen some in the last few months and none of them comes even close to Surface Duo if we go by looks; it finally offers something new & fresh. So congratulation Microsoft!

But what breaks my heart is that it runs Android. I have been using L950 for the last 2 years and I understand the pain of not having apps.

Still I think it would have been awesome if it ran WCOS along with Live tiles & an Android emulator.

Emulation of android doesn't really solve anything any more, as a good percentage of android apps require google mobile services.

It would be more viable to run a win32 emulation, or UWP software within android

 

[Ryujingt3]

I see Android as a positive - it's less likely to fail and more people will buy it. MS doesn't want the software responsibility anymore for a mobile device. So it makes sense to partner with Google and Android and let them shoulder that burden. We've all been burned by Windows Phone, why must we subject ourselves to the same thing repeatedly?

 

[Skippy07]

I'm sad to see Android too, but from a business perspective I understand why they're doing it. It really comes down to the apps. If they went with Windows 10x they would still be in the same boat as Win10 mobile....no apps.

The major issue for me personally is that I still want to have nothing to do with Android as I want to limit my exposure to Google as much as possible. I don't trust them with my data and jumping into an Android device would pretty much give them everything.

If it turns out that Microsoft has somehow ripped out all, or at least most, of the Google data collection, then I will consider it. But as it stands, I would probably have to go to iPhone (I hate even saying that) when I finally give up on my L950XL.

-Skippy

 

[Drael646464]

I'm sad to see Android too, but from a business perspective I understand why they're doing it. It really comes down to the apps. If they went with Windows 10x they would still be in the same boat as Win10 mobile....no apps.

The major issue for me personally is that I still want to have nothing to do with Android as I want to limit my exposure to Google as much as possible. I don't trust them with my data and jumping into an Android device would pretty much give them everything.

If it turns out that Microsoft has somehow ripped out all, or at least most, of the Google data collection, then I will consider it. But as it stands, I would probably have to go to iPhone (I hate even saying that) when I finally give up on my L950XL.

-Skippy

Google mobile sevices, which are what enable google play compatibility are what do the majority of the data collection. I don't think you could get licensed without it.

There is a way to strip all of that out, by using a custom rom with microG. Only works with some phones obviously, ones that have lineage roms/are rootable.

https://lineage.microg.org/

You'll need to look up on the official lineage site to figure out which models can work, and which rom to use though.

https://download.lineageos.org/

or you can go the lazy route I did - which is to install as many apps from the amazon store as possible (or f-droid), which don't use GMS, and install 1.1.1.1 to hide which web addresses you visit. Whatsapp is also encrypted and fairly popular, so that's worth using.

 

[Ryujingt3]

Microsoft tried going solo on the software route, and we all know it failed repeatedly. So now they focus on what they are good at, hardware, and let the software be handled by those who know what they are doing (i.e. Google).

 

[Dush Ku]

Microsoft tried going solo on the software route, and we all know it failed repeatedly. So now they focus on what they are good at, hardware, and let the software be handled by those who know what they are doing (i.e. Google).

Kind of ironic a company named Microsoft that is a software company isn't good at the software

 

[Ryujingt3]

Kind of ironic a company named Microsoft that is a software company isn't good at the software

Definitely! They are good at (micro)computer (soft)ware, just not phone software!

 

[Renoktation]

Definitely! They are good at (micro)computer (soft)ware, just not phone software!

Microsoft made it very clear that they are moving out of phone business because of the dearth of apps and not because the OS was not good. In fact if some agency decides to hand over an award for the best mobile OS in terms of UI, ease of use, security & performance, it will very well go to WP8.1!!