Thoughts on multiple eco systems

[eggdrop]

So I am a Lumia 900 user and love WP7. I am almost 100% I will be getting the 920 on release and the almost is cause the 8x does look interesting. Now, the thing that I have been a little on the fence with is what I'm "missing".

So this is not about apps for me. I am perfectly fine with what is available in our marketplace and know it will only grow with WP8. But the things that I consider myself missing are small conveniences that I see my wife has on iOS. Mainly, I have started to see some use in Siri. I like that she can say "remind me to check my ebay auction in 15 minutes" without typing anything. I also like that you can do calendar things without typing. I use my calendar very loosely because I don't want to go through all the steps for a one time appointment. I know it sounds lazy but isn't that why we chose smartphones?

So my comprise is starting to look like this. I think I will purchase an iPad Mini and use a WP8 on release. This makes me feel like I will have everything I love about WP and not feel like I am not getting the iOS things. I was a little disappointed with the Surface pricing but also I was not in the market for a 10" tablet. That size just doesn't fit in my lifestyle but the Nexus 7 just felt too small for me. I think the Mini is just the right size to carry and get a much bigger experience than a phone but not feel so encumbered by a bigger tablet.

Does anyone here use the 2 eco systems? What are your experiences with them in tandem? I am using a PC that uses Win8 Preview and will be getting the retail once it is available. Will the iPad give me all the features it would have on the Mac? e.g. iCloud and stuff. (Sorry, haven't used iOS since the 3G)

Thanks for any input.

 

[Panathas]

I don't think that mixing iOS and W8 is a good idea. Android and W8 would be a much better choise, because you can easily use all your google stuff within your WP8 phone. Apple with it's iCloud does not want to share things with other eco systems. Furthermore, you have to use different cables for charging, you have to use iTunes AND zune,....
If you don't like the surface, just get an Android tablet or one of the many W8 tablets. Btw. Android has also something like Siri, so no big deal here.
And last but not least, Apple is soooo 2008 :lol:

 

[cgk]

Android tablets are terrible, the user interface is a mess and most apps aren't in the same league as the IOS version - we have both an iPad and an N7 in the house - the 7" form factor is useful when I am out and about but it is no iPad (and the iPad in the house isn't mine).

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

 

[doublebullout]

I don't think that mixing iOS and W8 is a good idea. Android and W8 would be a much better choise, because you can easily use all your google stuff within your WP8 phone. Apple with it's iCloud does not want to share things with other eco systems.

I use iOS (2 Mac Minis, iPhone 4, iPad 3) and WP7 (LG Quantum) with no issues whatsoever. iCloud is just a proprietary storage service, like Skydrive. But neither iCloud nor Skydrive have prevented me from being able to share media or calendars or mail between my iOS and WP7 devices. Moreover, if I was a heavy Google user I could use Google services on both iOS and WP7 too.

you have to use iTunes AND zune

I use iTunes and Windows Connector for Mac. Works beautifully.

Mixing iOS and WP is not a big deal at all. In fact, my intent is to upgrade to the 920 and continue mixing ecosystems. My iPad 3 is all the tablet I need at this time.

 

[aubreyq]

To the OP: I agree with cgk1; Android tablets are horrible. I think you have the right idea with the iPad mini and WP8. I plan to do exactly the same thing eventually, unless a solid competitor to the iPad mini running Windows RT is available.

FYI, I have an original iPad, an HP Touchpad dual-booting Android, Windows 8 (Consumer Preview) on one of my desktops and a WP7 (Focus).

 

[Heron_Kusanagi]

I am personally using a Chinese OEM Android tablet (Yuandao N70DC) and the L900 together. No big issues here.

I am looking forward to the Surface Pro or the Asus Zenbook. I just feel Windows a bit more.

 

[bear_lx]

i was thinking the same thing... i feel like i am betraying my MS ecosystem by straying away from one of their products, but the fact of the matter is, buy what you like. buy what fits your needs. by buying only one brand, kind of makes us fanboys in a way. i love windows phone, but it is not the best for everyone. i love my windows PC, but some would prefer a mac. i love my xbox but some prefer a ps3. i love zune ( now xbox music) but some still prefer itunes. i think going forward though, i will buy what suites me , not what completes my eco system. as technology progresses , it becomes easier and easier to use what peice of technology we like, and yet still have it work fluenlty with other products. for example, smartglass will also be available on android and ios, skydrive is available on android and ios, most applications going forward will be on all platforms. the only downfall with apple, is they do make it difficult to use their products with anything other than their software. doesnt mean it cant be done... actually you dont even need itunes to sync an iphone or ipad anymore. you can buy all your music from google play or amazon, and sync it with media monkey, which is what i do with my wifes iphone. i buy music from amazon, and sync my galaxy nexus and her iphone from the same place. point being, if you want an ipad mini because you think the size best suites you, buy it. and enjoy all the wonderful products there are to offer now. competiton is a wonderful thing!

hope that helps, and thanks for the topic!

 

[bear_lx]

Android tablets are terrible, the user interface is a mess and most apps aren't in the same league as the IOS version - we have both an iPad and an N7 in the house - the 7" form factor is useful when I am out and about but it is no iPad (and the iPad in the house isn't mine).

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

not really... the nexus 7 is an amazing tablet, especially considering it is only $199. nothing on the market compares consdiering price point.user interface is fully customizable, so not sure i understand that? android is functional and flexible. is it an ipad? no but it costs a fraction of it, so you cant fairly compare the 2. thats like comparing a honda civic and a lexus ls350? they are both nice, but not the same. moving on...

 

[eggdrop]

This definitely helps my decision. I normally dislike Apple products but feel that the Mini, eve with its issues e.g. Price and slightly lower specs, will suit me. I just didn't want too many conflicts with using the different OS'. I already rely on Google for email, contacts and calendar ad as long as they both sync with that then I'm all good.

Question for you guys with iOS, if I record video on my phone, would I be able to get it on the iPad? Like if I upload it to SkyDrive, can I pull it down on iOS? Especially important since I want a 920 and want to take advantage of the camera.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[bear_lx]

This definitely helps my decision. I normally dislike Apple products but feel that the Mini, eve with its issues e.g. Price and slightly lower specs, will suit me. I just didn't want too many conflicts with using the different OS'. I already rely on Google for email, contacts and calendar ad as long as they both sync with that then I'm all good.

Question for you guys with iOS, if I record video on my phone, would I be able to get it on the iPad? Like if I upload it to SkyDrive, can I pull it down on iOS? Especially important since I want a 920 and want to take advantage of the camera.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

there is a skydrive app on ios, but it doesnt support video yet, as fas as i know. this is something that will be addressed in windows 8, same thing for music playback however there are work arounds for that, like downloading it from cloud to your device and then playing it...

 

[cgk]

not really... the nexus 7 is an amazing tablet, especially considering it is only $199. nothing on the market compares consdiering price point.user interface is fully customizable, so not sure i understand that? android is functional and flexible. is it an ipad? no but it costs a fraction of it, so you cant fairly compare the 2. thats like comparing a honda civic and a lexus ls350? they are both nice, but not the same. moving on...

Forget the relative cost of the tablet and just think about the OS - if you want to tinker and customise then that is great - but normal people don't want that, they want something that works out of the box and is easy to understand with fantastic apps - the nexus 7 does not do that.

Here is a really simple example - spotify doesn't even have a landscape mode on android - that is a joke! compare the ebay app on iOS to Android and so on.

And that is before you get onto issues like peripherals - how many docks are available that take advantage of the pogo pins? (hint: the answer is less than one), **** how many docks exist?

the added value of the ipad (rather than the the actual cost) is must higher.

I bought the nexus 7 because I am cheap - and I got what I paid for.

 

[pavvento]

not really... the nexus 7 is an amazing tablet, especially considering it is only $199. nothing on the market compares consdiering price point.user interface is fully customizable, so not sure i understand that? android is functional and flexible. is it an ipad? no but it costs a fraction of it, so you cant fairly compare the 2. thats like comparing a honda civic and a lexus ls350? they are both nice, but not the same. moving on...

As someone who hasn't used the Nexus Tablet the fact that you refer to the price point so many times makes it seem that it is 'a great tablet for the price' as opposed to 'an amazing tablet.'

 

[cgk]

As someone who hasn't used the Nexus Tablet the fact that you refer to the price point so many times makes it seem that it is 'a great tablet for the price' as opposed to 'an amazing tablet.'

It is a great tablet for the money - in the same way that a 99p McD's hamburger is a great hamburger at that price.

 

[pavvento]

It is a great tablet for the money - in the same way that a 99p McD's hamburger is a great hamburger at that price.

I see your point. I've considered selling my iPad because I don't use a tablet as much as I thought I would and have thought of replacing it with a Nexus 7 for those times when I would use a tablet. It appears I'm better off holding onto the iPad.

 

[metalchick719]

I'm a current iPhone user who is looking to switch to WP8. At the same time, I'm not going to get rid of my iPhone 4 when I get my next phone because I'll be using it as an iPod touch at home. I may also get an iPad mini myself at some time. Absolutely nothing wrong with exploring new eco-systems and still using your last one as well.

 

[power5]

Question for you guys with iOS, if I record video on my phone, would I be able to get it on the iPad? Like if I upload it to SkyDrive, can I pull it down on iOS? Especially important since I want a 920 and want to take advantage of the camera.

Not natively. You will need to download an appropriate app that can play .wmv files. iOS can only play .mp4 natively.

 

[eggdrop]

Not natively. You will need to download an appropriate app that can play .wmv files. iOS can only play .mp4 natively.

So our WP7 phones record in .wmv? I thought they did MP4? So this is what I want to be able to do. I want to use my 920 to take my photos and video but be able to edit or manipulate them on the iPad. I would like it if I could send them to the iPad wirelessly so that I do not have to always rely on a desktop for a sync.

 

[AngryNil]

I have to agree that creating appointments is absolutely awful on Windows Phone. You can press enter to go from the first field to the second, but then the date picker is tedious, and choosing a time period is just painful.

I don't feel that Siri is necessary here, Microsoft should just include a better system. That could mean that I can easily input the whole thing just by pressing enter to move through the fields and type the dates and times, or some basic parsing - for example, typing "Coffee at Starbucks from 11am to 12pm today" shouldn't be too hard to decipher.

 

[downhillrider]

I use both iOS and Windows eco systems. I wish I didnt have to. There are too many apps I like to use on iOS that arent in the marketplace. I am not getting a surface because dev's are in a wait and see mode. I am not gonna spend $599 on a tablet with only Netflix and a couple of twitter apps. So my strategy and the OP's is the same. I will probably get a Windows 8 phone, and fill the gap with the iPad until there's a robust marketplace. Its a shame because I wanted to use Windows 8, but the only way to use it will be on a tablet. I switched to a macbook and wont be going back to Windows OS.

 

[ironsoulreaver]

I use both iOS and Windows eco systems. I wish I didnt have to. There are too many apps I like to use on iOS that arent in the marketplace. I am not getting a surface because dev's are in a wait and see mode. I am not gonna spend $599 on a tablet with only Netflix and a couple of twitter apps. So my strategy and the OP's is the same. I will probably get a Windows 8 phone, and fill the gap with the iPad until there's a robust marketplace. Its a shame because I wanted to use Windows 8, but the only way to use it will be on a tablet. I switched to a macbook and wont be going back to Windows OS.

I switched to a macbook about a year and a half ago and I have been wanting to switchback for about 3-4 months now, It's not windows 8 thats causing my want to switch either. I just hate my trackpad.