From WP to My 1st Android Phone...Why I left...and Why I'll Be Back!

[peacefulberry]

I normally don't post these sort of things, but here's what's been happening in my tech world recently... (Sorry for the long post!)

I have to say, that I didn't see the day coming that I would actually be writing this (because I kind of swore off Android some time ago, LOL) So...here we are, and I up and bought a Note II as my first Android device (never even owned an Android tablet either...yeah I'm an Android virgin!) Anyway, I've always read the horror stories of viruses, and the intrusion of privacy, adware, malware, etc. from the "scary" opensource platform offered by the largest tech company in the world-Google. I vowed some time ago, that it will NEVER be me and my phone, cuz I was sticking with Blackberry or WP...period!

Well, to make a long story shorter (can't promise you that it won't be a tiny bit long) my WP has been having sim card issues for some time. These issues make the phone unusable as a phone...no texting, calling, etc. This is a known issue with my model. Also, the "Other Storage" issue was bugging the hell out of me too! I was left with 1GB of storage and no SD card! So...I had no choice but to jump off the sinking ship and find something quick. I decided that I wanted a large size phone with multi tasking, SD card, and removable battery. The Note II seemed perfect, (cuz the 1520 was still having swipe/tap issues and there is no multitasking on the 1320 either)...so I bought it!

It was scary and exciting at the same time! I loved the new UI, the screen size...everything about the phone for the first 2 days. I even made a mosaic photo wallpaper/lock screen that flipped and turned just like my live tiles! On the 3rd day...something was different. The phone was a little slower. 1GB of memory went somewhere (I installed no games, just <20mb of regular apps.) Apps took longer to launch..."this is the infamous LAG that ppl warn about on WPC all day" I thought. I tried so hard, cleared caches, stopped apps I wouldn't use, removed animations in Dev Options...anything I could think of, but the lag was still there....after only 2 days of use!

On the contrary, the thing I thought I would hate, I actually loved the most...TRANSPARENCY. In WP, you can uninstall carrier bloatware with the press of a button and in Android, obviously a root is required, so I was unable to get rid of the bloatware, but I was able to download Permission Manager, turn off carrier apps, opt out of personal ads, personalization of keyboard (done by 3rd parties), and everything else that I wanted to do for my own peace of mind. I was happy that Google at least formed some level of transparency, and said, Hey we use cookies and an advert. ID, but you can opt out of the tracking as much as possible. You can deny permissions, you can do whatever you want...its YOUR phone! For this reason alone, I will be back to Android! Not the apps, games, Googlesphere, etc. but the simple fact that I was given the option to be as public or private, as simple, or as custom...

To conclude, everyone (at least I did) says that Google is a privacy monster...and that may be true, but I now realize that to have a completely personal smartphone experience, you have to share your interests, activities, family, LIFE, etc...even Cortana will require to "learn" more about WP users if they want to have an optimal experience...so give me a lag-free or nearly lag-free experience and I'll be back!

Peace

(I posted this in the AC forums as well just to get different opinions.)

P.S. If there is better multitasking and a touch Office installed...oh and no swipe/tap bug...I'll def check out the next 5.5-6" WP!

 

[oditius]

I have temporarily left WP also, leaving my Lumia 1520 in it's box in my dresser drawer. I already owned the Note II before so I knew I did not want that phone. I had deemed it too big. My 1520 seemed big, not not that big. But alas, the app gap (and yes Virginia there is one) is why I am using the HTC One M8. Only one app in particular, and that is my checkbook. I got tired of paying monthly for the service so I can carry my checkbook where ever I go. So I looked and downloaded, I bought paid apps, checked out the free ones. Not one of them does anything like Quicken does. I have an app for my HTC, I have an app for my Android tab, I have Quicken 2014 installed on my 17" Laptop and my Dell Venue Pro II. And they all sync with a touch of a little circle. My bank has an android app too. It isn't a huge bank, but I can snap a picture of a check and it's deposited. Something else I couldn't do on my WP. The bank app isn't too important to me, as not many times I ever get a check. LoL But the Quicken app is essential. If Quicken ever makes a WP app, then my One will take it's rightful place in my dresser drawer and my 1520 will be back at my side. Touchy screen and all. Did I mention that it took some doing to get use to the 5" screen on the One? It seemed small to me, and still does. Well, good luck, hopefully you as well as I will return one day.

P.S. Now if MS hadn't given up on Money, maybe I would have still be using my WP....

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

I decided to visit Android for a brief time too, but under different circumstances. My 1520 hit the skids, so I sent it in for repair. It was returned to me damaged, so I had to send it back...turned into a long process of calls and emails and arguing, etc, etc, etc. Anyway, over the course of those 5 weeks or so, I went crazy and bought a Huawei Honor X1 7 inch phablet. I've never used Android, so I had no idea what to expect. The phone is gorgeous. It is very thin and easy to hold in one hand...using it with one hand is a different story, however. I would love to have WP8.1 running on this beast. Anyway... I used the Honor X1 for about two weeks. I got a replacement 1520 last Thursday, and I happily and immediately jumped back into Windows Phone.
Using the Huawei phone made me aware of only two things:
1. The app gap, although improving, is very much still there.
2. The level of customization using live wallpapers, etc, is pretty cool.
I'm sticking with WP because I've been here since the Focus was released, but I definitely understand why people like the Android ecosystem. Good luck with your decision. Hope you make your way back.

 

[FAHMI BASSEM]

First I want to say that this is the longest post I have ever read, and second having a issues worth a model doesn't mean that all Windows phone devices are bad.
And I want to ask what do you mean about multitasking?
Finally I'm sure that Windows phone 8.1 is the most personal, and the most secure OS in the world, I'm sure that soon you will get back to Windows phone because it give you what other OS don't, the growing, every day there's something new.

 

[peacefulberry]

Oditius and ScienceGuy: Yeah I hear you...gotta have what you need (smartphones are a pretty penny!) You know there were other reasons I liked Android like the notification light (great for when the phone is on silent and across the room, I can just look for the blinking light), the ability to deny app permissions, being able to see all of my apps in the Store (WP 8.1 might have this, but my phone doesn't), swiping away notifications and apps, the mosaic/scrolling/flipping or live wallpaper, the multiple home screens (which I thought I'd initially hate), ability to change icons/widgets, and complete control of files, and overall ability to use it as I wanted to. The Facebook widget sucked and a few other things...but the lag is what bothered me the most...I guess I was just spoiled by the fast UI of WP...does your Note II lag a lot?

 

[peacefulberry]

First I want to say that this is the longest post I have ever read, and second having a issues worth a model doesn't mean that all Windows phone devices are bad.
And I want to ask what do you mean about multitasking?
Finally I'm sure that Windows phone 8.1 is the most personal, and the most secure OS in the world, I'm sure that soon you will get back to Windows phone because it give you what other OS don't, the growing, every day there's something new.

Greetings Fahmi: Yes, the post is long which is why I apologized in the very first sentence! Second, I never said that all Windows Phones are bad (not even the one I had to give up). Third, I agree that WP 8.1 will probably be very personal, which is what I sort of said about Cortana. Lastly, I have different needs, actually my mobile needs are not confined to one OS...I can use all of them rolled up into one (if a Blackwindroid OS existed)

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

ScienceGuy: Yeah I here you...gotta have what you need (smartphones are a pretty penny!) You know there were other reasons I liked Android like the notification light (great for when the phone is on silent and across the room, I can just look for the blinking light), the ability to deny app permissions, being able to see all of my apps in the Store (WP 8.1 might have this, but my phone doesn't), swiping away notifications and apps, the mosaic/scrolling/flipping or live wallpaper, the multiple home screens (which I thought I'd initially hate), ability to change icons/widgets, and complete control of files, and overall ability to use it as I wanted to. The Facebook widget sucked and a few other things...but the lag is what bothered me the most...I guess I was just spoiled by the fast UI of WP...does your Note II lag a lot?

Definitely liked the notification light! Forgot about that. I'm loving my 1520, but my Android experience, though brief, opened my eyes a bit. I'm glad I tried it out. Plus, my Huawei is just big enough to make a sweet little tablet for movies, games, etc. So, in the end, I have my 1520 back and a good media device.

 

[BobLobIaw]

I think they have a thread for leaving WP posts. Best of luck!

http://forums.windowscentral.com/ot...evice-including-windows-phones-post-here.html

 

[peacefulberry]

I think they have a thread for leaving WP posts. Best of luck!

http://forums.windowscentral.com/ot...evice-including-windows-phones-post-here.html

Well...technically I'm still here, because my Note is sitting in it's shiny new box right now. LOL, but I knew my post would be long, and I didn't want to threadjack, so I made a new thread.

 

[oditius]

I think they have a thread for leaving WP posts. Best of luck!

http://forums.windowscentral.com/ot...evice-including-windows-phones-post-here.html

And technically no one said they was leaving permanently, I keep bothering Quicken to come out with a WP app, Ans once they do I will have a Like New HTC One M8 for sale. I like my 1520 better, now that it is on 8.1 D/E. I like both OS's, but WP is smoother. And the camera is 100% better.....

 

[os2baba]

The Note2 is pretty old now, but even so, there is simply no way it should be lagging on the second day. I had a Galaxy S3 and it never lagged. Is this a new phone or something that you got with existing apps? I do suggest an alternative Launcher. Check out Nova Launcher. That is considerably faster, gets rid of the excesses of Touchwiz and gives you a taste of the Google experience Launcher. If that too doesn't fix it, I suggest doing a Factory reset (wipes all the apps and data, but most of it should be backed up on the cloud). There is certainly something wrong if it's lagging. You will have a much better experience until you get your wp phone back.

 

[MDMcAtee]

The Note2 is pretty old now, but even so, there is simply no way it should be lagging on the second day. I had a Galaxy S3 and it never lagged. Is this a new phone or something that you got with existing apps? I do suggest an alternative Launcher. Check out Nova Launcher. That is considerably faster, gets rid of the excesses of Touchwiz and gives you a taste of the Google experience Launcher. If that too doesn't fix it, I suggest doing a Factory reset (wipes all the apps and data, but most of it should be backed up on the cloud). There is certainly something wrong if it's lagging. You will have a much better experience until you get your wp phone back.

The Note II lagged out of the box and the majority of people who own them know this,so I am not surprised at all.

If the NoteII and Android is acceptable to you,then head over to XDA developers to it's forum and find a custom rom to your liking,root it and flash the rom. It is the only way you will lose the lag in it,and open up the phone to be it's best.

Launcher Pro is the best launcher you can use,it uses the least amount of systems resources,and is rock solid.

Be careful of the 4.4 roms and don't try to mix and match the various themes from 4.1,4.2,4.3,4.4 because you will find out how quickly you can have issues.

The main difference you will see right away is the resolution between a 1080p screen and that of the Note 2's 720p.....it's night and day compared to my 1520...and so is the camera.

 

[peacefulberry]

The Note2 is pretty old now, but even so, there is simply no way it should be lagging on the second day. I had a Galaxy S3 and it never lagged. Is this a new phone or something that you got with existing apps? I do suggest an alternative Launcher. Check out Nova Launcher. That is considerably faster, gets rid of the excesses of Touchwiz and gives you a taste of the Google experience Launcher. If that too doesn't fix it, I suggest doing a Factory reset (wipes all the apps and data, but most of it should be backed up on the cloud). There is certainly something wrong if it's lagging. You will have a much better experience until you get your wp phone back.

This was a brand spanking new Note II, everything was sealed...box, phone, etc. I did a factory reset...also I asked this in AC, but didn't get a response yet, maybe you can help... f I use Nova Launcher, will I be able to set my phone exactly as it was before? Like the mosaic wallpaper, etc.?

 

[peacefulberry]

The Note II lagged out of the box and the majority of people who own them know this,so I am not surprised at all.

If the NoteII and Android is acceptable to you,then head over to XDA developers to it's forum and find a custom rom to your liking,root it and flash the rom. It is the only way you will lose the lag in it,and open up the phone to be it's best.

Launcher Pro is the best launcher you can use,it uses the least amount of systems resources,and is rock solid.

Be careful of the 4.4 roms and don't try to mix and match the various themes from 4.1,4.2,4.3,4.4 because you will find out how quickly you can have issues.

The main difference you will see right away is the resolution between a 1080p screen and that of the Note 2's 720p.....it's night and day compared to my 1520...and so is the camera.

I agree with you that the 1520 is a superb piece of hardware! I just didn't want to take the chance of the swipe/tap bug, and I would have to shell out over $600 for it to work with T-Mobile LTE (RM-938/1520.3 variant)...so the Note II was almost half that, so I tried it.

Also, I don't plan on rooting my phone, so I will have to go with a new launcher. As for Launcher Pro...I got more suggestions on Nova Launcher, which one is the best in your opinion (or are they about the same)?

 

[Harpunit Singh Sagar]

My reasons were bit different to adopt android as a primary phone. Yes I also use my lumia 720. On windows phone 8 , it was buttery smooth but on wp8.1, there is considerable lag specifically when going back to homescreen. Off course its dev preview. But as many features were missing on wp8, I updated it to 8.1. It has improved a lot no doubt. Still there are problems like lag, xbm is not upto the mark, lack of customisations, some apps are missing..
And I am using s4 from past 2 months. I was annoyed with the bloatwares as they always used to run in the background. I rooted it and removed the bloatwares.. and I rarely face any lag on my s4. I have also installed some optimisation apps like clean master which keeps a check on junk files and caches.
Still wp8 was smoother compared to s4.
I am waiting for an official update with cyan firmware..

Posted via Windows Phone Central App

 

[Visa Declined]

Do not compare the performance of the Galaxy Note II to all other modern Android phones. I recently gave my Note II to my mother, but I have a lot of experience with that device. The Exynos CPU is god-awful, and lags behind all modern quad cores on the market. Also, Samsung's TouchWiz is extremely heavy on that device, and it will lag right out of the box. The Note II was released in 2012, so I'm not sure why you would even buy one "brand new" to begin with.

 

[a5cent]

ITo conclude, everyone (at least I did) says that Google is a privacy monster...and that may be true, but I now realize that to have a completely personal smartphone experience, you have to share your interests, activities, family, LIFE, etc...even Cortana will require to "learn" more about WP users if they want to have an optimal experience...so give me a lag-free or nearly lag-free experience and I'll be back!

IMHO this completely misses the point.

Obviously you must share information for a personal assistant to be of much use. But that is not really relevant. What is important is how that information is used, how much control you have over it, how it is monetized, and whether you are legally still the owner of that information or not. That is where the differences lie.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I agree with you that the 1520 is a superb piece of hardware! I just didn't want to take the chance of the swipe/tap bug, and I would have to shell out over $600 for it to work with T-Mobile LTE (RM-938/1520.3 variant)...so the Note II was almost half that, so I tried it.

Also, I don't plan on rooting my phone, so I will have to go with a new launcher. As for Launcher Pro...I got more suggestions on Nova Launcher, which one is the best in your opinion (or are they about the same)?

Launcher Pro is much better than Nova...I had both paid versions of them.

Launcher Pro has more options and skins available for it too,plus you can customize it yourself very easily.

Don't be afraid to root it,it's really easy to do,and allows you to remove all the bloat plus gain the features you won't never get from a carrier. Plus you can have several backups on your SD card and switch whenever you want to....that is a great feature of doing it.

Your noteII only really lacks in it's 720p screen,and with the capability of switching your radio inside you can always have the best connectivity offered too..

If I ever own another Android it will be rooted as soon as I get it home. There are so many features your missing out on by not rooting. In the beginning I was scared too..but after reading how to and asking questions it was easy....just follow the instructions on how to and it works.

Too me,it's a necessary condition of owning a Android and the same thing holds true for a iPhone....too bad we can't do this with a WP as easy..

 

[MDMcAtee]

Do not compare the performance of the Galaxy Note II to all other modern Android phones. I recently gave my Note II to my mother, but I have a lot of experience with that device. The Exynos CPU is god-awful, and lags behind all modern quad cores on the market. Also, Samsung's TouchWiz is extremely heavy on that device, and it will lag right out of the box. The Note II was released in 2012, so I'm not sure why you would even buy one "brand new" to begin with.

Well.....for a couple of reasons,but....your right in this if you don't plan on rooting it..flashing a good kernel that allows you to clock it were it should have been to begin with.

The hidden potential in that quad core chipset is what it can be made to do in the right hands...and I can assure you that mine would outperform most 2014 phones.

It is one if not the best one for tweaking all aspects of it,from getting true color space renderings for movie play back to the absolute best sound quality of the Wolfson's DAC's it came equipped with.

Most folks don't really know how good a Note II really is in the right hands,and how much was downgraded when the NoteIII came out....

If yours had any lag after rooting and over clocking,it was not the phones fault,but your setup, and fwiw..real world testing on video throughput not synthetic benchmarks will show you just how well the phone stacks up for processing speed....

 

[peacefulberry]

IMHO this completely misses the point.

Obviously you must share information for a personal assistant to be of much use. But that is not really relevant. What is important is how that information is used, how much control you have over it, how it is monetized, and whether you are legally still the owner of that information or not. That is where the differences lie.

Right...which is why I said that I most likely will try Android again, because I have never seen Microsoft give users the ability to have control of their personal tracking (opting out of personalized ads and gaining a new ad ID) Let's be honest with ourselves....ALL major tech companies use advertising and tracking...period. Even the Bing search rewards are being given for an exchange of tracking what you search for on the internet. What I like about Android (so far) is that I feel that there are more transparent options. I can even opt out of some app permissions that I necessarily don't want the app to use (and won't hurt the app's performance.) The options I like, don't really have to do with apps or rooting, but more so on the lines of transparency.