[anon(9015415)]

Hi everyone,

I am about to buy a new phone, nothing too expensive. Since I am a die hard windows fan, up until recently I would 'vomit' by the mention of Android or iOS, but now...not so much. The app gap is really an issue for me and it doesn't seem like the android port is going too well. Developers don't seem interested. So my question is, should I go for something like a Lumia 1520 and hope Microsoft gets it's ish together or should I go with a budget android phone like the desire eye?

[Skamath]

Go for a cheap droid or wp until the windows 10 is sorted out. Then spend on the windows 10 with a better processor

[charlatan1978]

Go for the Lumia 640, it's a bargain at the moment.

[ven07]

Windows mobile is still alive. I think you're trying to ask, for how long that will still be the case, right? Well it depends. If you read the many tech blogs out there they'll say w10m is on it's last leg and if you follow pro MS blogs, they'll tell you that MS is dedicated to the platform, otherwise they wouldn't be pumping money into it.

So at the end of the day it's down to you. MS declared not so long ago that they would take a step back from manufacturing Windows Mobile or Windows Phones, so that their partners could manufacture the phones. However this doesn't mean that they've given everything up, they'll still be releasing phones, but not quite as frequently as Nokia used to do.

If all of your apps are still available in the store, it really shouldn't be a problem for you to stick around. The 1520 is still a great phone and is mostly handling the w10 insider updates pretty well

[Guytronic]

Is Windows dying?

No not today anyway.
It would take quite a while for MM to slide off the face of the earth.

[anon(9015415)]

I'm afraid our nightmares are coming true, and no...none of the apps I wanna use are available in the store, or at least not up to date. I think I'll go for an Android and wait from a safe corner to see if thing get better with WM.

[ven07]

I'm afraid our nightmares are coming true, and no...none of the apps I wanna use are available in the store, or at least not up to date. I think I'll go for an Android and wait from a safe corner to see if thing get better with WM.

The 640 is currently going for $30.. So buying one to simply to toy/ stay up to date with the platform, but using a different device as your main, could work?

[pankaj981]

I'm afraid our nightmares are coming true, and no...none of the apps I wanna use are available in the store, or at least not up to date. I think I'll go for an Android and wait from a safe corner to see if thing get better with WM.

Not to sound harsh but your mileage may vary a lot than others. WM is not dying, not soon. May be in the US but definitely not in other parts of the world. Microsoft's CEO has said this several times, they want the OS just to complete the experience. They're not going for market share but for the customer experience. If you look at the trend these days you'll see quite a lot of new apps launch as WM10 universal apps only. Meaning? Developers are seeing potential in W10 (the platform) and the universal apps. Or may be because of the fact that they are interested to compliment the desktop experience (W10) by releasing the mobile version (WM10) of the app by not much effort (I would call it smart coding, a developer should relate to this) all these because...why not? Developers are targeting the platform as a whole and they know Microsoft is not backing out of the Windows Store app development anytime soon.



To answer your question, I would agree with ven07, partially. Either stick with a nice but cheap WM compatible device (640 is a great option, or a higher end device like the ATT 1520 if you get it cheap) or go for a solid device from a competitor platform (I would suggest a Nexus device for the experience) if you could afford it. Why live with an under privileged experience waiting on something, when you can move on temporarily and come back later.

[MSFTisMIA]

I agree with the other posters.

I've got a HTC M8 (recently added) and a Moto Maxx as both my phones. I went back to Android simply because for my liking, the hardware options that were being offered by MSFT were bland. I owned a 1520 but the OS did a ****ty job taking advantage of the screen real estate and there was not suitable wearable tech option. I owned a 930 but bad battery life didn't help. Plus, not being on AT&T or Verizon leaves one with slim pickings, chasing unlocked phones with ****ty data speeds (T-Mobile).

Windows phone is dead. Buried. Burned at the stake of consumers rejecting it in favor of iOS and Android. Windows mobile is still TBD. Developers are slowly catching on to Universal apps and OEMs are looking to crank out newer hardware models.

MSFT needs to ensure the older 8.1 phones run Windows 10 well enough, or it'll feel like jumping from WP7.8 to WP8.0. If they can do this successfully and add more devices running Windows 10 from launch, they'll be around.

I don't think they'll ever overtake Android of iOS. But as long as they're a viable 3 option, the platform will continue.

Posted approved via Moto Maxx

[monigal2]

I recently bought the 950xl and I love it. I think diehard wp fans should get one if they don't already have it.

[ven07]

I think diehard wp fans should get one if they don't already have it

Some have other priorities

[Josh Harman]

I think we have enough of these "What should I do (I've already made up my mind, but I'm posting this anyway)" threads.

[ven07]

To speak ones mind is a constitutional right no?

[mark233]

I don't think Windows Mobile is dying ... in fact my iPhone recently gave birth to something called Cortana --- still young with a lot of growing to do but it was a pleasant surprise. Also have OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive on there too. Nothings dying on my end. It seems to be growing. I'm liking this growing Windows Mobile phenomena on this here iPhone thingy.

[libra89]

Some have other priorities

Not a flagship person as well, I'm more about the midrange, even my Android is one. Only trying iOS because I'm torn. Basically, my reasons to use or not use one or the other are equal, so I need something to break that up.

[ven07]

Not a flagship person as well, I'm more about the midrange, even my Android is one. Only trying iOS because I'm torn. Basically, my reasons to use or not use one or the other are equal, so I need something to break that up.

Agreed! Tho sometimes I do go for the flagships, but mostly 2 years after they've been released :D

[Guytronic]

Not a flagship person as well, I'm more about the midrange,

...or lower.

As a senior cheapo geekster I have difficulty spending big money for high end phones.
Then again buying low to mid is probably more expensive the just going to the top of mount Everest.

I actually enjoy older (former) high enders along with bargain basement devices and what they can or can't do.
If I was a one device type person I'd go with the maximum and watch it fall from grace the day after I bought it.

Being a pseudo-miser I hang with more for less.
My purchases are always short on something and that's the way I like it.

[Darren James]

I only recently came over to windows phone after having only android. I bought a 1320, the phone works for me and yes the lack of apps does bother me every now and then. I really like my phone, as does my wife who has the same phone. My wife has said she would not go back to android and I would have to agree. WP works for me on many levels
WP have plenty of potential and I am hoping to own a 950xl soon.
I dont think WP are dead,

[Laura Knotek]

The other option you could try is to get an inexpensive Windows Phone and use an Android tablet or an iPad for the apps that are missing on Windows Phone.

[Josh Harman]

To speak ones mind is a constitutional right no?

This is a tech forum, not a public square.

[ven07]

All the more reason.. Example: dozen of tech blogs

And yes a blog is different from a forum, but isn't forum meant for help and voicing an opinion?

[MSFTisMIA]

The other option you could try is to get an inexpensive Windows Phone and use an Android tablet or an iPad for the apps that are missing on Windows Phone.

Laura, ordinarily i would agree with this move, but if i play devil's advocate, why should that be enough? If i don't want to or am not in a position to carry around more than one device...why cannot MSFT offer me the appropriate experience? If this is my OS of choice, why am i only stuck with mostly MSFT hardware at each price point? Not everyone wants a Lumia, believe it or not.

I get that MSFT was on their 4th rewrite of the OS, but that's the problem. iOS is different because it is in control over hardware and software. Android is different because Google just does the base layer of Android (technically, their version of Android anyways) and leaves it up to the OEMs to alter it on a software and hardware level.

The market moves so fast that no one has time for another rewrite as MSFT figures out what it's doing...

Posted approved via Moto Maxx

[anon(9015415)]

For those thinking I already made up my mind and I'm posting for no reason, I most definitely did not. I've had my Lumia 920 for more than 2 years now and I was amazed by its capability. After all the struggle it has gone through with updates and rollbacks I can see it's not handling Windows 10 that well, especially with its old hardware.
I would never switch to another platform, and not really because I hate iOS or Android, but because I love Windows so much. Lag was the one thing I never worried about with this phone, but the app gap is simply not tolerated anymore on my side.

The store has the crucial apps, but why am I receiving missed calls on FB messenger? Because I can't answer them on my device. No video calls on Viber. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram couldn't be more behind those on other platforms. I realized that even the apps we have are outdated. Third-party apps are mostly great, but it just isn't the experience I want. And this is not just the case with social network apps.

[etphoto]

Its kind of simple. Love or hate Windows Phone if apps are that important to you, move on. If not, stick around. I know there are a lot of "Windows Phone is dead" threads lately but HP is releasing a new phone and rumor has it other OEMs are releasing Windows 10 Mobile phones as well (in the near future). My guess is (especially HP) they wouldn't be releasing new hardware on a dead platform. So, Windows Phone (Mobile for those that need to differentiate) is not dead.

Sent from my Surface 3

[Laura Knotek]

Its kind of simple. Love or hate Windows Phone if apps are that important to you, move on. If not, stick around. I know there are a lot of "Windows Phone is dead" threads lately but HP is releasing a new phone and rumor has it other OEMs are releasing Windows 10 Mobile phones as well (in the near future). My guess is (especially HP) they wouldn't be releasing new hardware on a dead platform. So, Windows Phone (Mobile for those that need to differentiate) is not dead.

Sent from my Surface 3

I believe that other OEMs are promising. I wouldn't count on HP. It didn't take them long to kill webOS devices , even though webOS was their product.