Hello Everyone

[ISDr]

Hi all,

I have been a silent reader for far too long now. . . (So hello All. . BELOW: warning. . my mixed up RANT. . . had no clue where to voice my frustrations/agony. . )

One of the wishes I have is to get a straightforward smartphone with a moderate amount of latest features and till now for 2 years i haven't found the right one. . . . by this I mean I havent found a single phone that I would even want to try out. . . .

When it comes to OSs Windows Phone is my most preferred, since I am already an addict of staying on the windows 8 metro desktop and what not. . . just that not a single not so expensive (meaning <150?) phone has got my heart to agree to buy. . Despite prefering windows phone OS, its also my least trusted OS. . reasons below

I have always wanted to buy a windows phone device, . . . And since I prefer to stick with a single phone for at least 3-4 years. . I have ended up sticking to my now ultra annoying gingerbread os HTC wildfire phone. . . which I am desperate to replace. . .

I consider my gut instinct SPOT ON. . in that when i was about to buy a Nokia Lumia 710 few years back, I stopped myself since I felt microsoft wud not pass on OS upgrades for long. . and it turned out i was right. . .

With windows 8 phones they have been out far too long. . but since microsoft never upgraded OS of win 7 phones I had given up on the thought of replacing my gingerbread. . .

However recently I have been thinking of getting a phone finally. . .

I was very excited when i saw the Lumia 525 . . but sadly that wasnt released in the UK. . .which is really pathetic outright. . .

Then i convinced myself to wait. . and when nokia 630 and 635 were released .. I was ultra MAD. . considering the lack of flash and a camera button on these phones .. I am not that fussy but at least just flash. . .. .. ..

One major reason for joining this forum is to desperately get assurance that if I get a windows phone 720 or 625. . .whatever fits my budget next month . . will that phone be supported for at least next 2years. . .or will the next windows phone update be made in such a way to ignore all phones ending with 20 or 25, and instead only support those ending with 30 or 35. . .

I am in such a dilemma. . coz I seem to be under a life sentence to stick to a gingerbread device for an eternity. . .

someone please enlighten me. . on microsoft's OS strategy. .. and any upcoming Nokia devices which will have my basic requirement of Flash. . and perhaps a camera button to make me happier. . .

 

[hs k]

I heard that there were kernel changes between wp7 and wp8 as to why 8 was not supported on 7. Btw, I don't remember where but ms has said, approximately up to 36 months (or was it 18?) current phones are supported. So either way, you are pretty much covered, unless wp9 brings a new kernel change

 

[ISDr]

dunno what to really say. . .

18 or 36 months might refer to the lifecycle for a OS till its next update. . .which means if i get a device with8.1 now i shud be in peace for at least 18 months. . soo much uncertainity with microsoft. . . .. just adds to my distrust of them as a OS provider despite loving their OS. . .

 

[gedzum]

Hello ISDr and welcome to the WPCentral forums. I understand your concerns about the OS. I tend to hold out for around 1.5 to 2 years between devices, but ideally aim for longer since I buy SIM free. I personally look for a device that fulfills most of my needs now. Any updates after that are just bonuses. WP8 functions well for my needs since I just use basic apps and the camera.

 

[anon(7900571)]

Hey welcome to WPCentral forums ! :smile:

 

[ISDr]

thanks guys,

i just came across. .
Windows Phone 8.1 lifecycle support starts June 24th | Windows Phone Central

This means that any device i get ASAP that can be upgraded to 8.1 (since i will definitely NOT BUY the 630 or 635 as they dont meet my minimum requirements of basic camera flash . . ) will be supported for at most 36 months. . .well. . .maybe 34 months. . since i am kind of late and will buy in august. .

hmm. . . . my heart still refuses to buy any device ending with 20 or 25 since I dont have any trust in microsoft. . .so I might instead wait for the next 30/ 35 phone that falls in my budget. . coz 930 is far too expensive and i dont think its worth the investment at all. . . waiting for the next 730/735. . . is my only option left. . . .. . . :'( why nokia why . . did they skip adding a basic camera flash on the 630 or 635 i wud have been at peace if they just did that and would have already bought the phones ASAP. . .

 

[worldspy99]

You might want to pick up a used Lumia 920 or 925 which can run WP 8.1 via developer preview and have a camera button with flash. I don't think you will be disappointed with these, considering the fact that you have the HTC Wildfire with you so long. A used HTC 8X is also a very cheap buy USD 100 or so.

 

[hopmedic]

Welcome to WPCentral!

I would echo the suggestions of WorldSpy99. Look at the used market and you'll get more for your money. The 920 and 925 are great phones, and with geeks like me upgrading all the time, you're sure to find one in great shape. Check out the Marketplace forum here for ideas. At this point there is no reason to believe that Microsoft is going to soon leave behind any of the Windows Phone 8 line of phones. They had to get the kernel of the OS switched over, so there was good reason to leave WP7 behind, even if we disagree with how it was done. But WP8 is now running the same kernel as Windows 8, so it should be around for a while.