Questions for Duo Owners

[JOHNGAETANO]

Is this device ready for busy business professionals. Not just because of the 365 apps, which is great, but in the sense that someone who gets 30-50 phone calls, 50 texts, and 100's of emails could actually use this device and bbe productive vs someone who uses a Galaxy Note or iPhone device?

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

While I am a fan of what MS is doing with the Duo, in it's current form, it looks like most people would do better just sticking with using a normal smartphone and a laptop or regular Surface device. Looks like the Duo is a hot mess at the moment, and I'm really surprised that they released in its current state.

 

[jnjroach]

Is this device ready for busy business professionals. Not just because of the 365 apps, which is great, but in the sense that someone who gets 30-50 phone calls, 50 texts, and 100's of emails could actually use this device and bbe productive vs someone who uses a Galaxy Note or iPhone device?

If you want to use it mostly like a smart phone than no unless you have wireless headphones or pods and maybe a smart watch.

Now is you are looking for using it differently than yes, here is my first 12 hours....

I've set up groups that bundle some of my apps that I tend to bounce between. Last night instead of my Pro X I used the DUO on the couch to keep up with reviewing and approving Estimations in Excel and SOWs in Word, made a couple of comments in PowerPoint and took notes in OneNote while on a Teams Call.

I never really was able to get into using OneNote on my Note 10+ it was too narrow to take effective notes but spanning OneNote across both screens on the Duo for my Day Planner template worked well.

Later in the evening I read from the Kindle App in book mode and it was enjoyable.

I have loaded the Samsung Wear and Health Apps to use my Smart Watches for NFC (Samsung Pay) and notifications, I've also paired my Surface Buds (listening to Spotify as I type this).

I have a Tablet that acts as a 2 and 1, but it is 13", I want something that is smallish like a phone but is more.

Today I plan for this to be my digital moleskin and the device I take downstairs when I break for lunch and the device I use in the evenings.

 

[SnakePlisskin]

I will say it depends on the user. I honestly got this because its a microsoft product and I love their surface devices. I thought I wouldnt care about dual screen but I find myself replying to texts and having my email up on one screen while I am downloading apps / setting up my phone on the other screen.

Its kind of addicting and very fun. I can easily see someone reading a book or some articles or watching video on one screen and chatting / emailing on the other.

Its very rewarding ti multitask with this device.

Only thing with it is its buggy right now. Biggest issues I have are when flipping the device around it doesn't seem to catch that I rotated it and I have to shake it a bit to get it to go.

 

[lonestar1135]

Is this device ready for busy business professionals. Not just because of the 365 apps, which is great, but in the sense that someone who gets 30-50 phone calls, 50 texts, and 100's of emails could actually use this device and bbe productive vs someone who uses a Galaxy Note or iPhone device?

For me, no. I know phones take some getting used to, I went for blackberry for 10+ years to a Note 10+. I understood the learning curve immediately. With the duo, I don't see how I can be as productive on this. For work I need to get in and out of emails, docs, messages quickly on the go. It's faster for me to swipe between apps than having 2 screens.

If you're in an office setting and wear buds all day it'll probably be ok. I was looking for a device to make my life easier on the go and unfortunately the duo isn't it. It's a shame too, because I love this thing.

 

[brau0303]

Everyone's usage needs are different, It has allot of possibilities and for me so runs fairly well.
Gestures can take some getting used to and if you are used to them can cause confusions (example would be an older app that is coded for using the three screen buttons and you have to use gestures to do the equivalent to a back press, if you don't know the correct gesture you will be kind of stuck).
You can change the setting and have the function of the three buttons but you loose gestures.
I am working on finishing my transition and getting used to doing things in the native interface on the Duo (things were different in a Samsung OEM tweaked ui, the Duo is much closer to a Pure Android exp I think)

Cheers,
BR

 

[Mark Kaplan]

I agree with most of the responses here. It really depends on what your needs are. For what the original poster stated, I would say the Duo. There is a learning curve to using this device. If you try to use it like you did your previous smartphone you will be disappointed. If you think of it as a mini-pc that also makes phone calls, then you will adapt better. So far, I like it. It takes a bit getting used to doing normal phone tasks differently, however I have already seen the benefit of dual screens and I like it.

 

[NelsonF]

I agree that it is a fun device. However, I do think they should have waited on launching this. I'm having a love/hate relationship with this device. So much potential. I'm going to give it a week to see if these bugs can be worked out. It's so expensive and would hate to end up an expensive paper weight should Microsoft abandon this device. Remember the Microsoft band?

 

[alodar101]

i don't understand the term...'Hot Mess'. Its not broken. It works well, but it is a v1 device. As mark says...it takes a bit to get used to. if you think of it as a phone you will probably hate it. Just like i hate answering calls on my ipad or surface. But in just 24 hours, I've seen the advantage of dual screens in resolving issues and conversations. I think thats a good start. I've had to adjust my thinking in the last 24 hours...

 

[brau0303]

Give it some time, remember this is not your last mobile device, it's something different and there will be an adjustment curve, Give it a week or two and then decide if it's what you want. I am loving my Duo but I was all in on the form factor before it even had it in my hands. I am currently figuring out what I need to do differently either in app's I use or the way I do some things. Something I did discover is that the Duo will not charge powered off (it always seems to turn on when connected to power)

Cheers,
BR

 

[techiedude007]

"Hot mess" is an oversimplification of a very complex and nuanced device. The hardware is beautiful; a masterful design. Do some people miss NFC, Qi or a better camera? Sure; no doubt. But gen 1 is not meant to be a swiss army knife for the populace. Get it in the hands of die-hards, people who will use it, abuse it, put it through its proverbial paces. There are certainly issues with it on release day; some of which are being addressed by a Day One patch -and there will certainly be more patches to come. A lot of the issues I'm running into center around Android - not a big surprise. And Microsoft will need to listen, adjust and address them accordingly - especially if they don't want a "hot mess" of flame wars to continue to disparage their product. I can agree with a majority of the reviews out there right now, exa "It's great, but". Would I recommend this phone to everyone? No. What someone gets out of this phone is going to depend on their willingness to retrain their brain. It's not a marketing tagline or slogan to say that this device is a paradigm shift in mobile computing. To quote Yoda, "You must unlearn what you have learned". And for some, that will be the biggest challenge.

 

[Polychrome]

Put me in the "depends on use" group here. I could definitely see more than a few business use cases. Think of it like the difference between a double monitor and a really big monitor. Something about the double monitor just makes it easier to separate things to do.

 

[alodar101]

"Hot mess" is an oversimplification of a very complex and nuanced device. The hardware is beautiful; a masterful design. Do some people miss NFC, Qi or a better camera? Sure; no doubt. But gen 1 is not meant to be a swiss army knife for the populace. Get it in the hands of die-hards, people who will use it, abuse it, put it through its proverbial paces. There are certainly issues with it on release day; some of which are being addressed by a Day One patch -and there will certainly be more patches to come. A lot of the issues I'm running into center around Android - not a big surprise. And Microsoft will need to listen, adjust and address them accordingly - especially if they don't want a "hot mess" of flame wars to continue to disparage their product. I can agree with a majority of the reviews out there right now, exa "It's great, but". Would I recommend this phone to everyone? No. What someone gets out of this phone is going to depend on their willingness to retrain their brain. It's not a marketing tagline or slogan to say that this device is a paradigm shift in mobile computing. To quote Yoda, "You must unlearn what you have learned". And for some, that will be the biggest challenge.

I've talked to several people who have read ....buggy software or Hot mess, and taken it as a do not buy...Microsoft messed it up again. The longer I use this device, the more I realize that its less buggy than previously though...with most of the issues coming from, me not understanding how to use the device...meaning changing apps, closing apps, swipe left and right...things like that. Hot mess is just to weird of a statement, though I do understand it. People in the know...that use these terms...should thing about the impact their statements make. Especially, as you point out, considering whether the device is something they would use or want. If you have no need for a device like this, just how positive can your review be?

 

[Bkr11]

Disclaimer - almost solely due to iMessage groups I'm going to keep my iPhone and use my hotspot to connect the Duo when away from the home.

That said, in my less than 24 hours with the device I'm completely pleased with it as it relates to the 365 ecosystem since I spend 90% of my day in one of those applications. Since I'm not using it as a phone I can't answer the questions about calls & messages, but it's absolutely a far superior email experience.

Overall the reduction in friction of just getting $hit done with two screens vs. one is hard for me top express. It's not that I'm never productive with a phone, but many times I find myself deferring until I get home to do that slightly more involved task because I loathe toggling between programs/windows. Many of those will now be a breeze with the Duo.

My $.02 is if you want a great camera/speaker and/or need iMessage you won't be happy. If, however, you're in the kind of role where even getting value from it a handful of times can essentially make it worth it by getting that critical task done (while enjoying a day at the beach with your family) then I say jump on it. I don't know how or when it will occur, but I'm certain there will be many times that tasks/opportunities/client needs will be advanced significantly faster because this will be in my pocket.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I was using the term "hot mess" as a way to describe the situation that MS has found itself in, not necessarily the Duo itself. Nobody here can say that this is exactly how MS wanted the launch to go. When they expect people to spend $1500.00 for a device, it better be as bug free as they can possibly get it. And for a company like MS, who's bread and butter is largely software, they should have smoothed out some of the bugs I've seen way before launch, in large part because they also worked directly with Google on it. I just bought an LG V60. I expect it to work as it was advertised, and it does exactly that. I'm not seeing anybody saying their Duo is working exactly as advertised yet. Hopefully, with updates, it will get there though.

 

[dsaelwuero]

I will get mine tomorrow. Excited. I want to know if I will be able to setup without activating it with a carrier? I want to use it on only wifi for a bit. Do I need a sim card to setup? Thanks for any advice.

 

[Polychrome]

Disclaimer - almost solely due to iMessage groups I'm going to keep my iPhone and use my hotspot to connect the Duo when away from the home.

Or you could do it like me and carry an ipod touch if you're gonna carry multiple devices anyway. Add some bluetooth tethering and you have a perpetually connected ipod.

(That's my typical way of keeping a foot in the apple side of things at least.)

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I will get mine tomorrow. Excited. I want to know if I will be able to setup without activating it with a carrier? I want to use it on only wifi for a bit. Do I need a sim card to setup? Thanks for any advice.

You most definitely should be able to do that, no sim card needed. Enjoy that Duo.

 

[fonzman78]

'Later in the evening I read from the Kindle App in book mode and it was enjoyable.' First of all, so far I love my Duo. Really excited to use it for me. I'm an early adopter so I'm used to the bad reviews, knocks, and complaints. I went through it with the Surface Pro 1 and 2. Ok, back to my purpose for replying, how do you enable book mode in Kindle App? I've read about how cool it is but I can't seem to figure out how to enable it.

 

[jnjroach]

'Later in the evening I read from the Kindle App in book mode and it was enjoyable.' First of all, so far I love my Duo. Really excited to use it for me. I'm an early adopter so I'm used to the bad reviews, knocks, and complaints. I went through it with the Surface Pro 1 and 2. Ok, back to my purpose for replying, how do you enable book mode in Kindle App? I've read about how cool it is but I can't seem to figure out how to enable it.

The first I opened the Kindle App it didn't work like in the Demos after I forced the App to stop from the Application Settings and re-opened the Kindle app it worked correctly.