Considering a switch to WP8 - have some questions

[CoolBeit]

Hello everyone!

I am currently and Android user (and an iPhone user before that). In a few months, I'll be eligible for an upgrade and I'm strongly considering giving WP8 a try. I'm not necessarily unhappy with Android, but some features of WP really appeal to me and I like to give everything a try before I decide what I like best. That said, I have some concerns about switching to WP and I was hoping to get some input from experienced WP users. I posted here in the WP8 general forum because some of my questions pertain to WP8 specifically, but some of them can probably be answered in the context of WP in general (WP7.8 might already address my concerns).

All of my questions are related to integration with google services. This is very important to me as I am a heavy user of picasa, youtube, and google calendar, and I have no interest in replacing them with microsoft's equivalents. Here are my questions:

-How seamlessly do current WP phones sync with google contacts? If they do not sync seamlessly, where do you sync your contacts? As long as my contacts are synced somewhere to the cloud, I'm not particularly concerned about this one. But I am curious.
-How easy is it to upload videos to youtube in current windows phones? Can you share videos directly to youtube? If not, is this going to improve in WP8? I have heard that you have to use the email hack to share to youtube currently and this would not be acceptable to me.
-Same question for pictures and picasa. If it isn't seamless in WP7, is this going to improve in WP8?
-What about google calendar? Can calendar "widgets" (or, I guess, live tiles in WP8 world) sync seamlessly with google calendar?

That's it! Those are my biggest concerns. If you guys can help me address those concerns, WP will be gaining another user at the release of the Lumia 920. Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

[scottcraft]

Google contacts sync very well. I came to WP from android and I had no problem at all syncing my contacts. I think google calenders will work as well, but I'm not 100% sure on that. The rest of your questions I can't help you with.

 

[cp2_4eva]

Google calendar works great on WP. I use it daily. Although on the windows phone you are a bit limited to the view of the calendar. But that's not a big deal. It has a calendar and when you set stuff up on your computer, it updates to your windows phone within minutes/seconds.

Sent from my PI86100 using Board Express

 

[ncxcstud]

Hello everyone!

I am currently and Android user (and an iPhone user before that). In a few months, I'll be eligible for an upgrade and I'm strongly considering giving WP8 a try. I'm not necessarily unhappy with Android, but some features of WP really appeal to me and I like to give everything a try before I decide what I like best. That said, I have some concerns about switching to WP and I was hoping to get some input from experienced WP users. I posted here in the WP8 general forum because some of my questions pertain to WP8 specifically, but some of them can probably be answered in the context of WP in general (WP7.8 might already address my concerns).

All of my questions are related to integration with google services. This is very important to me as I am a heavy user of picasa, youtube, and google calendar, and I have no interest in replacing them with microsoft's equivalents. Here are my questions:

-How seamlessly do current WP phones sync with google contacts? If they do not sync seamlessly, where do you sync your contacts? As long as my contacts are synced somewhere to the cloud, I'm not particularly concerned about this one. But I am curious.
-How easy is it to upload videos to youtube in current windows phones? Can you share videos directly to youtube? If not, is this going to improve in WP8? I have heard that you have to use the email hack to share to youtube currently and this would not be acceptable to me.
-Same question for pictures and picasa. If it isn't seamless in WP7, is this going to improve in WP8?
-What about google calendar? Can calendar "widgets" (or, I guess, live tiles in WP8 world) sync seamlessly with google calendar?

That's it! Those are my biggest concerns. If you guys can help me address those concerns, WP will be gaining another user at the release of the Lumia 920. Thanks in advance for all the help!

-How seamlessly do current WP phones sync with google contacts? If they do not sync seamlessly, where do you sync your contacts? As long as my contacts are synced somewhere to the cloud, I'm not particularly concerned about this one. But I am curious.

My contacts are saved to my Windows Live account at the moment. Makes it incredibly easy to reset my phone or upgrade to a new phone and not have to worry about losing/asking for folks for their numbers. WP has always had the ability to pull numbers/email addresses/twitter handles/any info from a users facebook account. But, if you link your facebook account with your WP you can set it so it doesn't show all of your friends (you know that kid who sat at the back of the class in algebra, that you didn't talk to that much, but couldn't say no to their facebook friend request? You don't have to ahve them in your contact list).

As someone who went from a 'dumb phone' straight to WP - I'm not sure about how/if it'll pull from Google Contacts, but my guess would be that it can and I'm going to say its a bit easier than how android does it. My wife and I had a **** of a time trying to pare down the multiple contacts for the same person because it didn't 'combine' the different phone numbers for the same person.

-How easy is it to upload videos to youtube in current windows phones? Can you share videos directly to youtube? If not, is this going to improve in WP8? I have heard that you have to use the email hack to share to youtube currently and this would not be acceptable to me.
-Same question for pictures and picasa. If it isn't seamless in WP7, is this going to improve in WP8?

Again, I've never uploaded videos strictly to youtube, but it is pretty seamless to upload straight to facebook or skydrive - take video - share - facebook. Boom. Done. Same goes for pictures. I'm not sure if WP right now has the ability to share with picasa, but WP8 is (i think) supposed to be even more integrated socially with different networks (Google+ and such)

-What about google calendar? Can calendar "widgets" (or, I guess, live tiles in WP8 world) sync seamlessly with google calendar?

The main calendar in WP8 can link to your google calendar page (and facebook and windows live). I have mine setup to show different things (and it shows in different colors)

My Google calendar are important church year (I'm a pastor) stuff - lectionary readings for the coming sunday, celebration of saints in the Lutheran Church, important days that Augsburg Fortress wants me to know (since I get the calendar from them). Facebook tells me friends/family birthdays. Windows Live calendar is the stuff I put in - Worship on Sundays, Council meeting, a visit planned, etc...

The beauty of WP, IMO, is that you don't have to go searching for new/different apps to do things in the OS because it already does them quite well from the beginning.

Hope this helps! Remember, WP8 features haven't fully been announced yet (possibly before October 29, but no later), so I'm just saying how its done NOW. WP does all those things you want, just not necessarily to the exact destinations you want them to, but it doesn't mean that WP8 won't add those destinations in.

 

[CoolBeit]

Thanks for all the useful responses!

I think I'm probably convinced. Calendar is the most important to me, and I guess I only care about youtube to a certain extent - I'm only concerned with being able to upload videos and pictures SOMEWHERE so that I can send links. I'm not upgrade eligible until about 3 months after the lumia's (rumored) release date, and by then WP8 should be nice and patched and ready to go I think I'll be making the switch at that point.

 

[rocketboy]

I've got hotmail and google contacts and calendars going on WP7.5. Really easy to integrate. If you know your google user name and password you're all set. Not sure about Picassa. YouTube? I know there's 3rd party support but blame Google for arbitrarily holding out on allowing better WP integration.

 

[sinime]

There are a couple of ways to upload to YouTube, but I must admit that I have not tried them...

Free version: you can set up an email address for YouTube and any videos you email to it will get posted to YouTube... Instructions here: http://www.dailymobilebuzz.com/2011...videos-to-youtube-from-windows-phone-7-mango/ <- Probably the best method.

Other then that, there are a couple of apps, "EasyTube" * ($0.99, decent reviews) & "Social Cam" (free but has some bad reviews)

* Just downloaded the trial for EasyTube. (says no restrictions and the trial has ads) Anyhow, after logging in to my YouTube account, it would let me record a new video to post, but hitting the upload button didn't seem to do anything. Not sure if it's a trial thing or a bug in the app?

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[jimski]

You can upload videos to YouTube and/or Vimeo, using their respective apps, but as data is sandboxed on WP, you can only upload a video you recorded with that app. So it has to be something you planned (open app, record video, upload), rather than, "hmm, think I will upload this to YouTube". With new APIs in WP8 this restriction might change. I believe SuperTube allows uploading, as do a couple other YouTube apps.

Photos are the only media on WP currently that can be accessed by any app, so no pre-planning required. But I don't believe there is anything that talks to Picassa currently.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

Yeah Google Contacts/Calendars sync seamlessly. I use over three Google Accounts in emails and calendars on my Windows Phone, and it has the best integration I have ever personally seen on a mobile device (my humble, but biased opinion). The only difference is interface which is different but is still quite customizable.

YouTube uploading not so much, or it's possible but I wouldn't deem it convenient more so because a lack of willingness on Google's part to make it simplified on Windows Phone. But as many others have mentioned photo/video uploading is extremely simple and convenient with Windows Phone. It is easily attached to various cloud or social services such as SkyDrive, Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, and more. (Not sure about any Picasa integration as I have never really needed it)

 

[Big Supes]

Each platform work best within their own eco-system. Especially Android and iPhone. If you want to stick to the Google bubble, I'd suggest sticking with Android. Of course there are workarounds, but the user-experience won't be as seamless until Google share Youtube API's, etc...

... it's just my advice though. Others who have moved over from Android may beg to differ.

Good luck either way.