Icon received today.......

[teebomus]

Dude, You gotta give it more that a day or two. Come on. I have owned all three major OS's and this one is fast( I mean never lags), stable(never crashes; my phone only reboots when there is a major update) and very few apps that people want are absent now. Many 3rd party are superior. (6Tag is better than Instagram on any platform)

Regarding the Live Tiles: you have not used it long enough to realize how many ways you can use them. Its more than just having the weather handy. It really can make life simpler for you. (assuming smartphones really do make our lives simpler
For example: In Here Drive (the free Nokia navigation app), I pin a live tile for each destination I want on the start screen and boom there I go. No having to open the app then choose where I want to go from a favorite list. Same with radio stations in Tune In radio, etc. In short, the cool thing is the ability to pin items from within the apps. I am sure others have better examples.
I had to get past my mindset of static icons sitting on the screen doing nothing but waiting for me to start an app.
The message issue is on Apple and their proprietary ways.
I agree about Ebay app. Especially if you are a seller. I am surprised a 3rd party has not written a better one yet. I just use Ebay mobile website too.
Regarding apps being less functional overall, I think that is true in some cases in and out of all OS's. But in general i would say that on WP8, the apps work differently and tend to be be more integrated in the OS.
When you start taking pics, videos, etc, and get into the Onedrive ecosystem, you will like it.

Give it time, Good Luck

 

[Indistinguishable]

OP - Let us know you've heard our unanimous voice. I'd like to hear how your situation ends.

 

[Badgerbrown]

Let's all take a breath and put down the guns I'm not throwing it to the wayside just yet. I'm giving it time. I understand there's a learning curve with anything.
-The text issue was no fault of WP, that was on Apple. I deregistered my iphone on Monday and I am still not receiving some messages. As soon as apple officially purges my number from their system it should straighten out. And I agree that Apple makes switching platforms very difficult.
-And remember, I didn't say the OS was bad, I said it was cumbersome AT TIMES, and I stand by that statement. And I said it needed a lot of little fixes to be great, and I stand by that as well, and with WP8.1 releasing in the near future, we could see those fixes happen.
-I'm finding different apps that are helping me with the transition. I really like "app folder" for grouping apps together on the home screen.
-And let his be known, I'm not an Apple ****** by any stretch of the imagination. I feel that their phones are good, their OS is solid, but not as fast. Plus, syncing with iTunes and adding music to your phone is a massive PIA. I've had both Android phones and tablets and I will never own another Android device to save my life.

 

[Daylife]

Okay, got my Icon today. Don't have a ton of time to mess with it, have an exam to study for tomorrow. First impressions are mixed
Pros: Beautiful phone
Phone feels solid
Screen size/quality is better than good
You can delete programs that would normally not be deletable on an iphone (bloatware and such)
Customizable tiles are good, not great, but good

Cons: It's a pain in the arse to navigate.
Having to press, hold, and then delete an email/message/etc is really a pain
Having to go into my mailbox and hit refresh to get new messages is no fun at all
Not the phone's fault, but getting it activated took way too long
Still not receiving all my text messages I should be getting....not sure what that's about
While most of the apps I use are available, some are less functional than their apple counterpart


Overall - not feeling this phone so much. It is a gorgeous phone, but my gut instinct is that I'm going to exchange it for something else. I'm going to give it a day or so before I make my final decision.

You must be new to Windows Phone 8. Its ok, give it a week and youll be loving it.

 

[Joel S79]

When I switched, I had to remind my self to stop looking at the device in comparison to the Android devices I was used to, and take the time to learn how it worked. Once I figured out the methodology behind how the OS is setup, everything fell into place quickly.

That's probably the hardest part, you get so used to something that it seems that way is the way it should work. Getting that out of your head goes a long way when it comes to adapting.

I do agree that there are a lot of little things that are missing (individual volume controls!), so 8.1 will go a long way to bring the feature sets in line.

 

[David Fleetwood]

For example: In Here Drive (the free Nokia navigation app), I pin a live tile for each destination I want on the start screen and boom there I go. No having to open the app then choose where I want to go from a favorite list. Same with radio stations in Tune In radio, etc. In short, the cool thing is the ability to pin items from within the apps. I am sure others have better examples.

Going a step further, pinning destinations from the commute function permits the tiles to give you an estimated time to destination, factoring in traffic. Its really helpful for knowing when to leave for work or an arrival time dependent activity (like a movie).

 

[Shawn Magm]

Currently, I have a Lumia 520 and a Nexus 5 running the latest Android 4.4.2. I had an iPhone 3G, and my wife has a 4, which I play with on occasion, so I'm familiar with the 3 OS's.

If you have a MSN, Hotmail or Outlook email address, I think it should push messages right away without manually having to refresh. I have a hotmail account, and messages are pushed immediately. Also, I have a work exchange account, which also pushes immediately. However, my gmail account does not. It's not a big deal for me, maybe for others.

It is easier on Android to swipe away messages to delete them. As far as deleting email on WP8, rather than long pressing the message, I hit the "list" icon on the bottom of the screen, select (check) the message(s) I want to delete and then tap the trash can icon.

Overall, though, the email clients on either Windows Phone 8 and Android 4.4.2 are comparable in ease of use, in my experience and opinion. Android is prettier to me, but again, the functionality is similar. One advantage I like about Android is I can attach files either stored locally, or from my various cloud accounts (Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc.). Windows Phone 8 email client can attach files from One Drive, or at least send the link.

I do agree that some apps do not measure up to the Android or iOS counterpart. For example, with Skype, I cannot attach a file or pic to my message on WP8, but can on Android. MS, WTF? I hope this is fixed in a future update. Skype is a MS product FFS. It should better on WP8 than other platforms.

 

[1979w72]

I hit the "list" icon on the bottom of the screen, select (check) the message(s) I want to delete and then tap the trash can icon.

You can also just tap to the very left of any message and it will automatically switch to list selection mode.

 

[Zomby Jeezus]

Okay, got my Icon today. Don't have a ton of time to mess with it, have an exam to study for tomorrow. First impressions are mixed
Pros: Beautiful phone
Phone feels solid
Screen size/quality is better than good
You can delete programs that would normally not be deletable on an iphone (bloatware and such)
Customizable tiles are good, not great, but good

Cons: It's a pain in the arse to navigate.
Having to press, hold, and then delete an email/message/etc is really a pain
Having to go into my mailbox and hit refresh to get new messages is no fun at all
Not the phone's fault, but getting it activated took way too long
Still not receiving all my text messages I should be getting....not sure what that's about
While most of the apps I use are available, some are less functional than their apple counterpart


Overall - not feeling this phone so much. It is a gorgeous phone, but my gut instinct is that I'm going to exchange it for something else. I'm going to give it a day or so before I make my final decision.

you should take a tutorial on how to use windows phone as it is fairly clear you are new to the os. You may want to go into settings and customize text messages, emails ECT to fit your needs.

 

[Badgerbrown]

Okay folks, please read beyond the first post on this thread before responding.

 

[Kage Maru]

It is easier on Android to swipe away messages to delete them. As far as deleting email on WP8, rather than long pressing the message, I hit the "list" icon on the bottom of the screen, select (check) the message(s) I want to delete and then tap the trash can icon.

Not sure how many know this, but you can also just tab on the left side of an email and it will automatically check it. There is no real need to hit the list icon.
edit: beaten
Also agree about MS fumbling with Skype on WP. Hopefully with 8.1, there is better integration and features. I know we're supposed to be able to attach items to emails with 8.1.

Okay folks, please read beyond the first post on this thread before responding.

It may be a good idea to edit your original post with your latest one so that people will know where you currently stand.

Happy you're giving the phone more of a shot though. Never thought you were a ******, apple does make quality products. Hopefully you move past the growing pains of having a new phone and learn to love it like some of us here.

 

[Shawn Magm]

You can also just tap to the very left of any message and it will automatically switch to list selection mode.

Thanks for the tip. I never knew that. I learned something new.

 

[teebomus]

Great tip on the commute function. OP, you seem quite objective ,not a ******. I'm sure you'll decide what suits you and your needs.

 

[NDCowpoke]

SIMPLY, Windows 8 is the only OS my spouse with Alzheimer's can deal with

 

[David Fleetwood]

SIMPLY, Windows 8 is the only OS my spouse with Alzheimer's can deal with

I have a similar situation with my aunt. She seems to have taken to Metro on both the Surface and her 8X very well and is able to remember it. The unfortunate thing is that she moved to my place to help me care for my father, who has Alzheimer's. And I'm convinced she is in early stages as well now. I have no idea what to do about it.