WP8 Review: From a first-time smartphone user

[StevesBalls]

When I compare the OS to my SGS3, I feel that my SGS3 lack in areas the 920 wins hands down with, and then my SGS3 has things the 920 doesnt.

Would you mind to list some examples? I'm really interested in what you like/don't like or is missing.

 

[StevesBalls]

Android is just a mess. Widgets are silly and ugly. When I mess with a regular person's Android phone, it's sort of laughable. They only use one or two screen yet all those performance hindering, battery training stock widgets are everywhere. They don't know how to make their phone their's because Android is unintuitive. WP is seamless. Everything is integrated without any effort from your part. Google and iOS have been slowly taking all of MS' ideas, but they will never do it as good as it is on WP. I know that keyboard on your Nexus is garbage and you feel the need to download another one, while WP's keyboard is darn near perfect.

WP can be a mess too, you only need to look at my mom's phone to realize that. It's all up to the user.

As for the keyboard - the WP keyboard is pretty good but what if it does not support your language or you want to use Swype? On Android you can find one that suits your needs. On WP you are out of luck. Can you guess which option is better?

And android is JUST NOW becoming a smooth OS with Jelly Bean. 4 versions later. It's just ridiculous. And it's still not as smooth as the infant OS Windows Phone.

Android first build up the feature set and is now working on the smoothness. WP first took care of the smoothness and is now building up the feature set. They both approach the same goal, but from different ends.

If you put the Razr MAXX's battery in a Windows Phone, do you have any idea how long the battery would last? Days.

This is a myth, the WP battery efficiency is no greater than Android (and lower than iOS).

Thing is, Android has a bunch of stuff few care about while WP has fewer "things" but it has 99% of everyone's needs covered and it does it seamlessly. Great battery life. Great cameras. Unbeatable social integration. 46 of the top 50 apps. Never a freeze up or hang up (while you have to restart yours once a day), top notch security, great keyboard, customization to make your phone yours without being clunky or ugly, app consistency (in that each and every app behave very similar to each other thanks to the universal design language [Metro]), glanceable information, and buttery smooth performance and animations.

46 of the top 50 apps is BS, for hang ups, camera and battery problems you can look up these forums. Please stop drinking the kool-aid.

 

[thekonger]

WP can be a mess too, you only need to look at my mom's phone to realize that. It's all up to the user.

As for the keyboard - the WP keyboard is pretty good but what if it does not support your language or you want to use Swype? On Android you can find one that suits your needs. On WP you are out of luck. Can you guess which option is better?



Android first build up the feature set and is now working on the smoothness. WP first took care of the smoothness and is now building up the feature set. They both approach the same goal, but from different ends.



This is a myth, the WP battery efficiency is no greater than Android (and lower than iOS).



46 of the top 50 apps is BS, for hang ups, camera and battery problems you can look up these forums. Please stop drinking the kool-aid.

Steve and Byzantium, you're still here whining? Just trade your WP8 phones in for something that works better for you two. To many of us, despite what you guys say about missing features or problems, we find WP8 superior and more functional for our needs over Android or iOS. If you don't, just go to a new OS.

I don't understand why people accept something they don't like yet do nothing but whine and complain about every little issue. It must be miserable to walk in your shoes.

 

[StevesBalls]

Steve and Byzantium, you're still here whining? Just trade your WP8 phones in for something that works better for you two. To many of us, despite what you guys say about missing features or problems, we find WP8 superior and more functional for our needs over Android or iOS. If you don't, just go to a new OS.

I don't understand why people accept something they don't like yet do nothing but whine and complain about every little issue. It must be miserable to walk in your shoes.

I am sorry if I annoyed you, I just wanted to comment on some of the misleading things that you said. No offense meant.

 

[Slai]

Would you mind to list some examples? I'm really interested in what you like/don't like or is missing.

Sure (doing this slightly rushed, so might forget some things, keep that in mind):

What my SGS3 lacks that my 920 has:

The gallery sync with skydrive/facebook
The way groups/contacts work with twitter/facebook on the live tiles as well as in the contactsmenu
The UI of the phone in general feels a lot more coherent, as well as the homescreen being easier to operate with a heavier workload
Wireless charging out of the box
The Me-tile
PhotoBeamer


What my 920 lacks that my SGS3 has:

Easy access to wifi/mobiledata/BT/NFC/etc toggles
Ability to select any MP3 as a ringtone directly on your phone
Ability to set custom sounds for notifications/alarms
Ability to lock screen during video playback to avoid the hazard of accidentally hitting the touchscreen/touchbuttons


Thats all I got, really, but theres obviously more in both coloumns that I havent thought of that might come to mind later on .

Was that something like what you wanted?

 

[thekonger]

I am sorry if I annoyed you, I just wanted to comment on some of the misleading things that you said. No offense meant.

Not certain which misleading comments you think I made, as I hadn't posted anything in this thread other than my comment that I was surprised you were still here complaining.

 

[StevesBalls]

Not certain which misleading comments you think I made, as I hadn't posted anything in this thread other than my comment that I was surprised you were still here complaining.

Sorry, those were in fact J4rrod's comments.

Was that something like what you wanted?

Yes, thanks Slai, was interesting to read.

 

[UnfixedPyle]

Lastly: Phone functions

What's a phone without the phone? This is one of my biggest complaints. Basic functions like the phone+contacts take a lot of time to use. Where's the speed dial? The smart dial? My feature phone had these! Yes there's apps for that, but I shouldn't need them for something so basic.

Instead of speed dial, make a group of your favorite people and pin it to your start screen. You then have quick access to everything about your favorite people, not just their phone number. As for smart dial, there is a search icon in both the dialer and people hub, why use T9 when you have qwerty? Or the best is to just push and hold the home button, and use voice commands to call someone. The concept of the people hub/groups is really powerful once you get the hang of it.

 

[12Danny123]

I don't like Android. because it just too other the place sometimes and making it faster using hacking or rooting is not up to my taste. I just want something that JUST works. making Android just work is just taking a lot of my time if I knew how to root or hack. also. I LOVE SIMPLICITY! and Wp is Simple and minimalistic

 

[halimaw96]

Instead of speed dial, make a group of your favorite people and pin it to your start screen. You then have quick access to everything about your favorite people, not just their phone number. As for smart dial, there is a search icon in both the dialer and people hub, why use T9 when you have qwerty? Or the best is to just push and hold the home button, and use voice commands to call someone. The concept of the people hub/groups is really powerful once you get the hang of it.

I did create some groups on my start screen, but I'd still like a speed dial. As for the qwerty vs t9, I find that its just easier. Also, voice commands have been horrible for me, it seems to mid interpret everything I say.
Again i feel the need to say that I'm not bashing what's otherwise a great OS, just listing some kinks that need to be fixed in the coming updates. Also, I think these options would be very helpful for new smartphone owners like myself.

 

[rmacl]

For speed dial, you might check Rapdialer app. To me its easy to get there is to create a group of favorite people and pin it.

 

[thekonger]

Sorry, those were in fact J4rrod's comments.



Yes, thanks Slai, was interesting to read.

Sorry, but just want to validate; you admit you made errors in your comprehension of this thread? It's a pretty basics thread, but you are admitting you did not fully follow or understand the content?

In essence, are you saying you misunderstood what was being said? Is it possible you made other comprehension errors?

I just want to validate as I think you may want to be reserved in your opinions. I think it is very important to understand the premise of a thread before giving your opinion and you have admitted you are having difficulty understanding that aspect.

Overall Steve, I think this is a good step. Just spend more time trying to understand the issues before passing what you yourself admit is an incorrect judgement and you will do fine.

 

[J4rrod]

WP can be a mess too, you only need to look at my mom's phone to realize that. It's all up to the user.

As for the keyboard - the WP keyboard is pretty good but what if it does not support your language or you want to use Swype? On Android you can find one that suits your needs. On WP you are out of luck. Can you guess which option is better?



Android first build up the feature set and is now working on the smoothness. WP first took care of the smoothness and is now building up the feature set. They both approach the same goal, but from different ends.



This is a myth, the WP battery efficiency is no greater than Android (and lower than iOS).



46 of the top 50 apps is BS, for hang ups, camera and battery problems you can look up these forums. Please stop drinking the kool-aid.

You are kidding about the battery thing? *Sigh*

You suggested me check a forum for a fair sample of camera and battery problems? Do you even know what a forum is used for.

 

[StevesBalls]

Sorry, but just want to validate; you admit you made errors in your comprehension of this thread? It's a pretty basics thread, but you are admitting you did not fully follow or understand the content?

In essence, are you saying you misunderstood what was being said? Is it possible you made other comprehension errors?

I just want to validate as I think you may want to be reserved in your opinions. I think it is very important to understand the premise of a thread before giving your opinion and you have admitted you are having difficulty understanding that aspect.

Overall Steve, I think this is a good step. Just spend more time trying to understand the issues before passing what you yourself admit is an incorrect judgement and you will do fine.

No, I said I mixed up your names. That's all. Everything I said in this thread is on topic and you are welcome to comment on it if you feel like I got something wrong.

You are kidding about the battery thing? *Sigh*

Of course I am not joking. Check out Anandtech's battery tests if you don't believe me. Or show me some proof for the opposite.

You suggested me check a forum for a fair sample of camera and battery problems? Do you even know what a forum is used for.

I said that the new WP8 phones have camera and battery problems and for proof you just need to look into the forums and see all the threads people have started. What's there to not understand?

 

[thekonger]

No, I said I mixed up your names. That's all.

Yes, and 'mixing up' names or not understanding who said what would be defined as a lack of comprehension.

Regardless, I am just trying to be helpful. As I stated, you appear to be unhappy with your phone and aren't really looking for help so much as you are simply complaining about every minor issue WP8 has. The iPhone, Android, and WP8 all have issues, yet the vast majority of people here feel WP8 is still the best platform. If you want to look for help and advice or share insights, this forum is a great spot. But if all you want to do is whine you are better off just going to a phone you enjoy more; life is too short for you to run around in such a miserable state. :wink:

 

[StevesBalls]

Yes, and 'mixing up' names or not understanding who said what would be defined as a lack of comprehension.

Regardless, I am just trying to be helpful. As I stated, you appear to be unhappy with your phone and aren't really looking for help so much as you are simply complaining about every minor issue WP8 has. The iPhone, Android, and WP8 all have issues, yet the vast majority of people here feel WP8 is still the best platform. If you want to look for help and advice or share insights, this forum is a great spot. But if all you want to do is whine you are better off just going to a phone you enjoy more; life is too short for you to run around in such a miserable state. :wink:

What is your problem? Seriously, what do you want?

I mixed up your names because I replied to another user yet you decided to jump in and offer your opinion. So of course I expected that the person I talked to first replied back. I do not have the names of all the forum users memorized, you know?

I commented on a post that posted some false info, so I corrected it. Do you have a problem with that? Or do you feel I posted something that was not true? If yes then please go ahead and correct me. But if you are just trying to be a dick then I have no time for that.

 

[rockstarzzz]

Seriously, what do you want?

I can't help but imagine this, sorry Balls!

 

[StevesBalls]

 

[robertre]

Where's the speed dial? The smart dial? My feature phone had these! Yes there's apps for that, but I shouldn't need them for something so basic.

Try the app Rapdialer. It is free and I use it as my default dialer. It supports speed dialing, and it gets you to the dialpad with one less click than the default dialer, though it adds one extra click at the end to dial. I prefer it to the stock dialer. With wp8 and the 920, it loads so fast it acts like the default dialer. Give it a try.

 

[fancyabrew]

This is a pretty good statement. For the standard consumer out there, they just want a phone that works. I personally have my GS3 all contained to one screen with folders for the stuff I need, but I'm a power user. The plebes just leave their phone pretty much how it is out of the box.

what he said!

This is one of the arguments that droid fanbois always come out with as the reason to get an android phone and one that totally baffles me. “I can do this that and the other on my droid phone, I can change this I can use a custom ROM to do that, and on an don and on” Who fecking cares, Mr and Mrs average who happen to have an android based phone (and probably doesn’t even know its android) are never EVER going to do any of that stuff, or want to do any of that stuff, or have the ability to do any of that stuff, they just want a phone that is quick and easy to use, and a lot of android implementations aren’t! My OH has a HTC running android that is her corporate work phone, she HATES it totally it’s a bleedy nightmare to use and looks a total mess.