Considering switching from Lumia 930 to Galaxy S7, anyone else ?

[Kevin Rush]

You know that you can have widgets that show that, right? They exist, and since switching to Android, I have seen them for calendars, weather, and other things I can't remember at the moment.

Posted via the Windows Central App

I have heard that widgets exist on android but that there is no consistent experience in how to set them up and in their operation? Certainly each app developer would have to support the functionality in order to make them useful, just as the developers do with Windows Phone Live Tiles. Right?
.
Are they only available for certain skins? I think I've heard that they have different functionality when used with different skins. Is this true?

May I ask, why you have only seen them but can't remember?

Best wishes.
Posted via the Windows Central App using "Windows Phone".

 

[libra89]

I have heard that widgets exist on android but that there is no consistent experience in how to set them up and in their operation? Certainly each app developer would have to support the functionality in order to make them useful, just as the developers do with Windows Phone Live Tiles. Right?
.
Are they only available for certain skins? I think I've heard that they have different functionality when used with different skins. Is this true?

May I ask, why you have only seen them but can't remember?

Best wishes.

Posted via the Windows Central App using "Windows Phone".

That's right, but when you go to the widgets option, you can see how that appears before putting it on your screen.

I'm not too familiar with skins since I am new to Android. However, I have seen this with my friend's Androids (Samsung something), my mom's (Alatcel OneTouch something), and my own (Nexus 5x). They all have different skins but yet the widget is still possible.

The reason why I can't remember is because I have been looking through "post your home screen" kind of threads and I have seen screenshots of people who have home screens with different kind of widgets. I found myself amazed with the different kind of things that widgets can show. Right now, I have a transparent widget that shows me the current temperature, location, battery percentage, calendar day, time, weather (as in if it's overcast, partly cloudly, snow, etc), next holiday and what time (and day) my next alarm will go off. I don't really need the next holiday thing but aside from that, I love it.

 

[spazzmeister]

If you're a medical student then it's ano brainer. Apps like Medscape, Oxford Handbooks, LabValues are necessities that have no equals on windows. Get the SG7.

 

[Kevin Rush]

Widgets are by far more informative than Live Tiles. Also the widgets are 'live' and animated. I also find that I don't have to wait for information... like a Live Tile to scroll..

May I ask, a few questions?

What is the additional information that widgets provide that you say Live Tiles do not provide?

Do you happen to know how many Widgets are allowed to be active at the same time and how often they are updated?

When you say widgets are animated, do you mean they cycle/repeat or that they have a live video feed?

One last question, when you say "don't have to wait for information... like a Live Tile to scroll", do you really mean flip?

Thank you in advance for any answers you provide.

Best wishes

Posted using Windows Central app for Windows Phone.

 

[N_LaRUE]

I have heard that widgets exist on android but that there is no consistent experience in how to set them up and in their operation? Certainly each app developer would have to support the functionality in order to make them useful, just as the developers do with Windows Phone Live Tiles. Right?
.
Are they only available for certain skins? I think I've heard that they have different functionality when used with different skins. Is this true?

May I ask, why you have only seen them but can't remember?

Best wishes.

Posted via the Windows Central App using "Windows Phone".

Widgets are available from the apps you have installed. Typically if you do a long press on the scree you get the option to add an app icon or an app widget. Not all apps have widgets as some wouldn't require them. In general the widgets conform to a certain sizes and some are scalable but sometimes I even wonder what the thinking of the developer was when using a certain size.

If you're a fan of uniformity then Android might not be your thing right now. I do hope in time that there is more of a lock down on how widgets look with regards to size and shape on the screen. Though I do like the widgets I do have.

I have personally found them more useful than a Live Tile. But that's me.

 

[Mad Cabbie]

WP is good for casual users those who just do texts ,calls and emails ....like myself....
I am currently using Lumia 1320, Lumia 625, iPhone 5s and galaxy s4
Lumia is better for normal using
But apps and games selection is much more better on ios and Android

Those who want to get wp experience despite knowing app gap they should try lower and mid range Lumia..
But for Lumia flagship.....big NO

Android flagships are much better than Microsoft Lumia.....

But If you want to switch android then you should go for Nexus series.

But isn't that what a 'phone' is for?' Like you, I call, text, mail and browse a bit. Games have never been my thing, especially on a small screen, banking on a phone has never been my thing. I'm not a habitual Facebooker or twitter user. I own a small company and every device we issue is a windows device. 1) Because they are pretty reliable, 2) my drivers aren't likely to get hit over the head, like If they had an apple or shiny galaxy on the cabs, 3) they are reasonable priced. ?100 each for my 640's, ?100 for both 550's, ?60 on amazon for my 1320 and the same for a blu win hd LTE. I have basically, when you add my 950 and 950 xl to the party, equipped my firm with capable, reliable devices for just under ?2k. I'd get three iPhone 6's for that.

It's not about OUR opinion, with regards to what you go with, buy what is best for you. I've had all three OS's and this is the one for my business, and personal use. Every device is laid out identically, including some games for the drivers whilst they are out and about. They love them. They like the ease of use, the way that info is at hand. That's just my experience. Everything integrates nicely.

What you choose is erm... Your choice. Best of luck whatever path you take

 

[N_LaRUE]

May I ask, a few questions?

What is the additional information that widgets provide that you say Live Tiles do not provide?

Do you happen to know how many Widgets are allowed to be active at the same time and how often they are updated?

When you say widgets are animated, do you mean they cycle/repeat or that they have a live video feed?

One last question, when you say "don't have to wait for information... like a Live Tile to scroll", do you really mean flip?

Thank you in advance for any answers you provide.

Best wishes

Posted using Windows Central app for Windows Phone.

I'm not saying one is better than the other I'm just saying what I personally prefer. Let's be clear with that because I can tell by your questions it could start the whole 'battle' nonsense. I used a Windows Phone so I'm not some Android ******.

To answer your questions.

Widgets come in different sizes so it's dependant on that. I personally don't use that many just the ones I need/like. You can have more screens with more widgets if you want.

I'm not a fan of the flip or the scroll on a live tile. I've seen some with scrolling. Also some are dead tiles... When I used to use WP sometimes the data wasn't updated frequently. Widgets tend to be consistently up to date.

My weather widget is animated, showing different weather conditions.

My music widget has full functionality on it including a stop button.

Each widget is unique like live tiles.

 

[ScrubbyXD]

When i used to use WP sometimes the data was updated frequently. Widgets tend to be consistently up to date.

And this is actually by design. Live tiles,under windows, have a frequency they can update mandated so they do not drain battery life or consume too much data. With android these things are left for the particular developer to consider, or as is usually the case not consider. The over active widget usually cannot be tracked and falls into the dreaded "Android System" catagory where you get to play guessing games when trying to resolve a fast draining battery issue.

 

[nausky]

And this is actually by design. Live tiles,under windows, have a frequency they can update mandated so they do not drain battery life or consume too much data. With android these things are left for the particular developer to consider, or as is usually the case not consider. The over active widget usually cannot be tracked and falls into the dreaded "Android System" catagory where you get to play guessing games when trying to resolve a fast draining battery issue.

I have personally never had widget that needed to update status information work reliably. Weather widgets to email to Fitbit--all needed a manual refresh half the time and were therefore pointless. I've had several Android phones from Gingerbread to Lollipop and it's just always been that way. 8.1 tiles were pretty unreliable too, but I find the actual w10 apps to have rocksolid tile updates. Never need to open my email or calendar apps. Legacy apps are still broken.

Widgets with concrete functions were nice, like my old IR blaster to replace remotes, flashlight or music controls, but I prefer the way that's baked into the UI on w10. Flashlight in action center, music controls on volume up, RIP IR blasters. ☺

 

[robert peake]

im having exactly the same dilema as the OP. had windows from way back, had a few issues about 4 years ago and went to the s3mini then s4 mini and then back to the 530/735/650 and now the 950. And i want to like it so much. for me i like the look of the 6s, but the closed system and no sd card. I like the s6 and just recently got rid of my Linx 10 and bought a Asus 8 inch tablet and im loving it, its fluid, loads of apps etc and they all work lol. my 950 basically has everything shut down in the background manual sync of mails just to keep the battery good. for me, its battery, camera and sd card.
i still havent made my mind up on what to do, i want the 950 to work, i like it as you dont see many of them, its all samsung and iphones, the camera is great on the 950 and i like the operating system, i think its superb. managed to convert my wife to windows with a 640 and my daughter has the 550. if my eldest has a issue with the 6s then i struggle to work it with itunes etc.

 

[mariusmuntean]

I am wondering, what am I losing if I decide to switch?
Maybe the great Zeiss camera, but besides that, I don't see many things...

Are there some of you who are following the leaks on the Galaxy S7 and are considering switching to the Galaxy S7 when it will be released, or even to another Android phone? If so, what are your reasons? Do you agree or disagree with me on the reasons I have cited?

Sorry for the long message, but I wanted to be thorough on my experience.

You won't lose anything, you will gain a decent OS, decent apps, event Ms's apps and services look and work better, and a phone with much less issues than the 950s.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

You won't lose anything, you will gain a decent OS,

That's subjective.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Widgets with concrete functions were nice, like my old IR blaster to replace remotes, flashlight or music controls, but I prefer the way that's baked into the UI on w10. Flashlight in action center, music controls on volume up, RIP IR blasters. ☺

That's the same in Android. Flashlight, music controls, etc in the notifications area. Also actionable notifications is nice.

 

[N_LaRUE]

And this is actually by design. Live tiles,under windows, have a frequency they can update mandated so they do not drain battery life or consume too much data. With android these things are left for the particular developer to consider, or as is usually the case not consider. The over active widget usually cannot be tracked and falls into the dreaded "Android System" catagory where you get to play guessing games when trying to resolve a fast draining battery issue.

Um, Android 6.0 now has functions to control background process. It's called Doze. This helps extend battery life if you require that.

Going by some recent articles however it would seem some apps (mainly Facebook) is a big culprit for battery drain for both iOS and Android. I'm at the point of uninstalling it as I'd like my 10 - 15% battery life back... not that I have many issues with battery life on my Z3 though.

Lastly, yes I know that the design of the Live Tile was to keep them in active to conserve battery. Saying that, WP was never a great phone with battery life, it's about average. From what I've heard W10 has improved things a lot but apparently it's a hit and miss for some people.

Unlike my L920 which would drain battery with just the thought of turning on GPS, my Z3 has been fantastic. I don't turn off GPS ever and I can go for two day on one charge if I'm not doing anything intensive. I don't stress about battery as much as I did with the L920. I didn't have a good L920 experience I had a bit of a lemon so I'll admit that my personal experience wasn't that great overall.

I am still curious of where W10 is heading and what will come. I'm not a fan enough to just jump back in without having what I have now. So I'll keep an eye on it. But at this stage I cannot return to WP. I'd feel I was missing too much.

 

[ScrubbyXD]

Sounds like you had a lemon battery on your L920. All of my windows phones have been able to go two days minimum. From the mighty 1520 down to the tiny 435 l've averaged two days. Maybe two of my android devices have ever lasted that long.

Doze only helps with apps Andripd identifies. The majority of widgets still show as Android System which you cannot sleep. All doze is is a rip off of apps like greenify that have already been around.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Sounds like you had a lemon battery on your L920. All of my windows phones have been able to go two days minimum. From the mighty 1520 down to the tiny 435 l've averaged two days. Maybe two of my android devices have ever lasted that long.

Doze only helps with apps Andripd identifies. The majority of widgets still show as Android System which you cannot sleep. All doze is is a rip off of apps like greenify that have already been around.

My Z3 also has it's own proprietary system for longevity of the battery. I don't use many updating widgets so it's a non issue for me really. Batteries on smartphones are still the one thing that needs to be improved. Also the main drain on any smartphone is the screen so either the battery improves or the screen becomes less power hungry or both.

My L920 is/was a lemon in the real sense. I had nothing but issues with it and unfortunately I wasn't able to replace it. I know some people had wonderful experiences with their phones unfortunately mine was painful after the first few months. Every update required a hard reset. My camera took dodgy pictures. My battery lasted barely 4 hours and I had the whole thing turning into a mini stove top from time to time. It just got too much.

Again I'm not out to compare just saying what works for me. I have no issues with Android or WM. Just Android suits 'me' better for what I want at this point in time. I'd have no issues returning to WM when/if it becomes viable for me.

 

[ScrubbyXD]

Not surprising really. I have alot of respect for Sony's engineering acumen. If anyone could manage a stable battery life with android it's Sony. I wish people on the low end had access to great engineering under android.

 

[captaincalamity]

Best Battery life i ever had on Android was with the Z3 Compact, the thing lasted for ever, much more than my Z3 loaded with the same apps/sync etc..and the Z3 lasted 2 days, I could get 3 days out of the z3c amazing device, same load on the s5 was just over a day, s6 was about 8 hours same as my Lumia 930, Iphone 6, iphone 5s.

 

[Lundon44]

Funny coming across this thread because for the first time in.. 8 yrs I'm actually thinking of seriously switching to another OS other than Windows Mobile. I've been very faithful (and patient when it comes to WM). For the most part I've been a proud owner but since my last handset change from my 1520 to the 950XL I have to admit the upgrade didn't feel that satisfying. Like many others, I've been plagued by bugs and reboots. Having to perform hard resets on every OS update also isn't ideal. While I understand no phone is perfect, I feel that WP is currently the furthest away from that. I've never ever seriously considered another OS until recently. While I have all the important apps I need for my day to day needs I can't deny that most of these apps aren't polished, lack features available on other OS', or just don't work as well as I would expect them to. And as a WP user I'm actually starting to imagine a world where I could actually download the apps I want rather than searching for semi-decent 3rd party alternatives. When someone recommends an app to me I already know there's an 80% chance it won't be available in my app store. Then I end up justifying to myself why I don't need to try the app anyway.

I plan to hold onto my 950XL until the Surface Phone officially releases. My hopes are high for this phone but it will take more than just specs to win me over this time. Having a powerful device means nothing if you don't have the right software to drive it. Meaning it would be nice to see a more polished Windows 10 by then, and possibly even more developers on board and porting apps over. Unlike the OP I may actually consider the next Galaxy Note this time around. The thought of a fully developed app store, a stylus that is more than a gimmick and a vibrant screen are very enticing. I hope batter life is comparable to what I'm used to. Even though my 950XL's battery is really not as good as my 1520's was. I do know there's a likely chance I'll be sacrificing one the best cameras on the market but that shouldn't be the only reason for me to hold onto my 950XL. Which at this point, it probably is one of the only reasons. Anyway, only time will tell. My hopes are that MS' next flagship is worthy enough to keep me loyal customer because 7 yrs of defending Windows Phone is exhausting.

 

[ScrubbyXD]

Lundon44,

In my opinion there really is not a "performance" upgrade out there right now over your 1520 on 8.1 much less your 950XL on W10M. If you go with the Nexus line you will get Marshmallow which is a new OS it's self and also pretty rough and sooer than later that update well will go dry. If you go iOS you will get the apps and a nice experience but with all the trappings of the walled ecosystem.

With both Android and iOS you will need to be prepared for something you have not run into with Windows and that is apps will not be sand boxed and can break your phone. For instance, just this last week Adobe's Creative Cloud Updater started deleting the first file/folder it found in the root directory, so many people had to do resets to get their phones working again. Yes, often apps in these Unix based systems have root access. You have to worry about both malware and simple bad code. It's not all bad or good, it's just another thing.