Buying a phone with WP7?

[EgoAleSum]

Hello,

I've been using, in the last 2 years, 3 BlackBerry phones, and I definitely loved them... I bought, at the end of september, the Bold 9900.
Then the issues arrived. First the famous BIS outage, so for 3 days our smartphones were not smart at all. Then, a week ago, my 9900, the 650€ flagship phone, bricked. It simply died during the night (so the alarm didn't ring, so I also missed my first class... and thankfully I only had lessons that day, and not exams or important work appointments!) and didn't turn on anymore. Apparently that affected many users, so it's a general defect.
These last 2 experiences were so bad that I'm not thinking about something else.

I'm now considering 2 phones: the iPhone 4 (I used to have an iPhone 3g, in 2008) and the new, amazing, Nokia Lumia 800.

The Nokia Lumia 800 looks really promising, and I must admit I've always admired Windows Phone 7, its UI, its simplicity etc.

I would like to ask you some questions about it, though, before buying it.

1. How is the email like? I *need* to set up 2 GMail accounts (one is @gmail.com, the other one is a custom domain hosted by Google) and I need them to receive emails in push. Is it possible? Is GMail supported in push? Is it reliable as it was in my BB?
Can I also sync Google Calendar? (I don't need to sync the address book, only the calendar)

2. How is the battery life of WP7 phones? I mean, in the real life?
Suppose I have push email always on (with 2 email addresses, if it makes any difference).
How long does it last?
I use the phone quite a lot, for email, texts, Whatsapp and web. Will it last the whole day without many hassles?
Battery life is really important for me, and it was the main reason for me to sell my iPhone 3g and buy a BlackBerry 9700, 2 years ago.

3. Can I sync it with my MacBook? In particular, is it possible to sync music from iTunes and the address book?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

 

[greenjbhsd]

I can speak a little towards that iPhone 4. I dropped the use of that phone when I updated it to iOS5. There really was nothing "new" in features unless you consider cutting your battery life a feature. I was not able to figure out what was killing it, but I had location services on and considered myself a moderate user, mail set to fetch every 30 minutes. Pre iOS5 I started the day at 7am with 100% and at about 5:30 was about 65% remaining, sometimes a little lower. Once I did the upgrade, not changing my habits, the battery was sub 20% by the end of the work day. I did attempt to get the battery situation under control by doing new installs, shutting stuff off, etc., but in the end I gave up and dropped the platform.

Sorry I cannot offer more information.

 

[EgoAleSum]

Thanks Greenjbhsd, I know very well the iPhone world
I used an iPhone "2g" in 2007 (I bought it in the US and unlocked by myself), and a 3g in 2008.

I have an iPad - and I love it, honestly - and an iPod Touch I use for development. Because yes, I make money developing for the App Store (I've got a couple of apps I sell by myself, plus some more created for customers).

The fact I know very well the platform is the reason why I'm not so excited about buying an iPhone
My brother and my mother have one, while me and my dad used to have BlackBerries (there's like a "feud" in our family ).
Especially, I know battery life of the iPhone is not so good...

I think WP7 is really good, but there are some things I'd like to know before adopting it...

PS: No, I never considered Android and I absolutely do not want it!!

 

[dtboos]

1. How is the email like? I *need* to set up 2 GMail accounts (one is @gmail.com, the other one is a custom domain hosted by Google) and I need them to receive emails in push. Is it possible? Is GMail supported in push? Is it reliable as it was in my BB?
Can I also sync Google Calendar? (I don't need to sync the address book, only the calendar)

It does support Gmail push, and multiple accounts. I have that setup myself.

2. How is the battery life of WP7 phones? I mean, in the real life?
Suppose I have push email always on (with 2 email addresses, if it makes any difference).
How long does it last?
I use the phone quite a lot, for email, texts, Whatsapp and web. Will it last the whole day without many hassles?
Battery life is really important for me, and it was the main reason for me to sell my iPhone 3g and buy a BlackBerry 9700, 2 years ago.

Battery life is pretty decent on most devices. Some better than others. The Lumia 800 is apparently rated at 13 hours of talk time (on 2G) and 9-10 hours on 3G which is very good. The upcoming Focus S from Samsung is also listed at 6.5 hours on 3G, 9 hours on 2G. Most current smart phones including iPhone 4 & 4S are rated 6-8hrs (iPhone 4 is rated at 7, 4S at 8 hours -- although iOS5 seems to be killing this for most people due to the new services and iCloud).

My first gen Focus lasts me all day typically and only need to charge a bit in the evening after heavy usage. Just depends on how much you use them.

3. Can I sync it with my MacBook? In particular, is it possible to sync music from iTunes and the address book?

Yes you can You can sync your iTunes library all you want. The Address Book will take a work around, but its simple. Import your address book to windows live (you'll need an account for phone anyways) and this will sync directly to your phone.

 

[desmonium]

I can speak a little towards that iPhone 4. I dropped the use of that phone when I updated it to iOS5. Once I did the upgrade, not changing my habits, the battery was sub 20% by the end of the work day. I did attempt to get the battery situation under control by doing new installs, shutting stuff off, etc., but in the end I gave up and dropped the platform.

I am getting my gf an iphone 4s next week while I just preordered Lumia 800. Dude you need to shut off tons of **** like location tracking or whatever...

It does support Gmail push, and multiple accounts. I have that setup myself.

Hmmm. like the real push of Blackberry-type or like the refresh every 30 minutes or so? Though I don't really need real-push, it is kinda handy when HR gives out free tickets... =D

Battery life is pretty decent on most devices. Some better than others. The Lumia 800 is apparently rated at 13 hours of talk time (on 2G) and 9-10 hours on 3G which is very good. The upcoming Focus S from Samsung is also listed at 9+ hours. Most current smart phones including iPhone 4 are rated 6-8hrs.

You got it wrong... Unfortunately Samsung Galaxy S2 got rated 8 talk hours, but Focus S? Check Samsung's official website, it is 6.5 talk hours. Barely enough compared to 13 hours talk time of Lumia 800.

 

[dtboos]

Hmmm. like the real push of Blackberry-type or like the refresh every 30 minutes or so? Though I don't really need real-push, it is kinda handy when HR gives out free tickets... =D

Real push. Gmail supports push on their end and from what I can tell its instant just like Hotmail is on Windows Phone.

You got it wrong... Unfortunately Samsung Galaxy S2 got rated 8 talk hours, but Focus S? Check Samsung's official website, it is 6.5 talk hours. Barely enough compared to 13 hours talk time of Lumia 800.

You are right about the Focus S. But the Lumia is 9.5 hrs (which is still amazing). 13 is for 2G talk time, which is probably what the 9hrs was for Focus S. I will edit original comment.

Either way, the Lumia is going to be excellent battery life wise.

 

[desmonium]

Real push. Gmail supports push on their end and from what I can tell its instant just like Hotmail is on Windows Phone.



You are right about the Focus S. But the Lumia is 9hrs. 13 is for 2G talk time, which is probably what the 9hrs was for Focus S. I will edit original comment.

Either way, the Lumia is going to be excellent battery life wise.

Seriously don't know why Galaxy S2 got 8 hours but Focus S got only 6.5???

Isn't WP7.5 supposed to be more efficient than Android?

Words on the street is that Focus S sports a 1500mah battery while Galaxy S2 got the 1650 one, though, you can buy another 1650mah battery from Samsung that is compatible with Focus S. But what's wrong with Samsung's thinking, with this $200+2yr-contract premium phone???

BTW, Nokia uses this polycarbonate shell to optimize L800's cellular reception. It might also be the reason why Lumia 800 is so energy-wise efficient.

 

[Matchoo]

I currently have the iPhone 4S and have had every iPhone since the 3G. I'll be honest, when WP7 was first launched I was laughing at it thinking the tiles were ridiculous, but the more I read about it and watch videos the more it starts making sense to me.

I used to think that if I got sick of the iPhone world I'd switch to Android, but right now I'm leaning more towards WP7. Question though, can you change the search button from Bing to Google? I don't use/like Bing.

Thanks

 

[dtboos]

Seriously don't know why Galaxy S2 got 8 hours but Focus S got only 6.5???

Isn't WP7.5 supposed to be more efficient than Android?

Words on the street is that Focus S sports a 1500mah battery while Galaxy S2 got the 1650 one, though, you can buy another 1650mah battery from Samsung that is compatible with Focus S. But what's wrong with Samsung's thinking, with this $200+2yr-contract premium phone???

BTW, Nokia uses this polycarbonate shell to optimize L800's cellular reception. It might also be the reason why Lumia 800 is so energy-wise efficient.

Not sure why Samsung decided on the smaller battery. They better step it up once Nokia comes to the states. All I gotta say.

Nokia's always been known for good battery life. One of [the many] reasons I will be buying one when they release a similar model in the States.

 

[dtboos]

I currently have the iPhone 4S and have had every iPhone since the 3G. I'll be honest, when WP7 was first launched I was laughing at it thinking the tiles were ridiculous, but the more I read about it and watch videos the more it starts making sense to me.

I used to think that if I got sick of the iPhone world I'd switch to Android, but right now I'm leaning more towards WP7. Question though, can you change the search button from Bing to Google? I don't use/like Bing.

Thanks

Some carriers have Google as the search provider. And there is always the google search apps, or mobile site pinned to home screen also.

 

[desmonium]

I currently have the iPhone 4S and have had every iPhone since the 3G. I'll be honest, when WP7 was first launched I was laughing at it thinking the tiles were ridiculous, but the more I read about it and watch videos the more it starts making sense to me.

I used to think that if I got sick of the iPhone world I'd switch to Android, but right now I'm leaning more towards WP7. Question though, can you change the search button from Bing to Google? I don't use/like Bing.

Thanks

Not in a million years?

With some carriers yes. And there is always the google search apps, or mobile site pinned to home screen also.

Huh.... what? unless homebrew ROM I suppose.

 

[jdevenberg]

Huh.... what? unless homebrew ROM I suppose.

T-Mobile has the default search set to Google. When you press the search button anywhere except the browser, it still uses Bing, but if you press it in the browser or just type a search in the address bar, T-Mobile Windows Phone 7 devices will use the Google mobile site by default. Thankfully Mango introduced a field to select which provider you prefer so you can switch it to bing.



Before anyone complains about Bing, I highly recommend trying 5 searches at Blind Search (Blind Search). It will show you Bing, Google and a blank column that used to be Yahoo (who now uses Bing) and they will be in a random order. You then pick which column has more relavent results to you and it tells you which search engine was each column. For me, 4 out of 5 Bing won. I use Bing anyway, but more because I am anti-Google, and this made me feel like I am actually getting better results for me.

 

[desmonium]

T-Mobile has the default search set to Google. When you press the search button anywhere except the browser, it still uses Bing, but if you press it in the browser or just type a search in the address bar, T-Mobile Windows Phone 7 devices will use the Google mobile site by default. Thankfully Mango introduced a field to select which provider you prefer so you can switch it to bing.

Before anyone complains about Bing, I highly recommend trying 5 searches at Blind Search (Blind Search). It will show you Bing, Google and a blank column that used to be Yahoo (who now uses Bing) and they will be in a random order. You then pick which column has more relavent results to you and it tells you which search engine was each column. For me, 4 out of 5 Bing won. I use Bing anyway, but more because I am anti-Google, and this made me feel like I am actually getting better results for me.

Why I would stick with Bing for WP is because of Local Scout, Visual and Music search.

tbh, Google is still way better than Bing when you search for technical stuff (e.g. papers, academic stuff).

 

[jdevenberg]

Why I would stick with Bing for WP is because of Local Scout, Visual and Music search.

tbh, Google is still way better than Bing when you search for technical stuff (e.g. papers, academic stuff).

I stick with Bing too. I agree that Google is better for academic/technical stuff. In my blind search the one thing that google won at was an academic type thing. But for most general use, I honestly think that Bing returns more relavent, useful links nearer the top of the results.

 

[Matchoo]

T-Mobile has the default search set to Google. When you press the search button anywhere except the browser, it still uses Bing, but if you press it in the browser or just type a search in the address bar, T-Mobile Windows Phone 7 devices will use the Google mobile site by default. Thankfully Mango introduced a field to select which provider you prefer so you can switch it to bing.



Before anyone complains about Bing, I highly recommend trying 5 searches at Blind Search (Blind Search). It will show you Bing, Google and a blank column that used to be Yahoo (who now uses Bing) and they will be in a random order. You then pick which column has more relavent results to you and it tells you which search engine was each column. For me, 4 out of 5 Bing won. I use Bing anyway, but more because I am anti-Google, and this made me feel like I am actually getting better results for me.

I have already tried the blind search and repeatedly get Google results. Bing doesn't work as well overall. (I'm not bashing the search engine, but just what I've come to notice)

 

[jdevenberg]

I have already tried the blind search and repeatedly get Google results. Bing doesn't work as well overall. (I'm not bashing the search engine, but just what I've come to notice)

Feel free to complain then, as you are informed. I just don't like uninformed complaining lol.

 

[jimski]

For the OP, if you were not happy with the battery life of the 3G, which had incredible battery life (before iOS5), then I am afraid you will be disappointed with WP, or any other phone or that matter. Except for a BB. But if your mind is set on WP, better get one with a big battery.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[desmonium]

For the OP, if you were not happy with the battery life of the 3G, which had incredible battery life (before iOS5), then I am afraid you will be disappointed with WP, or any other phone or that matter. Except for a BB. But if your mind is set on WP, better get one with a big battery.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

tbh, even my BB Torch sucks at battery life. Bold 9000 is slightly better but after half a year of usage, it requires one charge a day.

And that's why I am so excited about Nokia Lumia 800's 9 hour talk time!

 

[EgoAleSum]

Please guys don't start pindaric flights

desmoniun, I had a Bold 9700 which had an excellent battery life (almost 2 days without charging), then a Torch 9800 (which was able, in my personal case, to arrive to the night almost every day... it only happened 2-3 times in a year that it "died" before I went to sleep) and eventually a Bold 9930 (used only in GSM mode; this had the "worst" battery life... though I really often managed, in the 30 days I used it, to return home with some power).

So, given this... Is there a "definitive" word about this?
Anyway, I'm a bit disappointed by the fact I need to upload my whole address book to Windows Live to sync it...
I do have a WL account (I used MSN Messenger when I was younger ), but I'm not using it anymore...

 

[ugadawg239]

I love WP7

Hands down the best and most modern phone OS on the market. I am amazed at how well Microsoft has done with this OS. It looks beautiful, run silky smooth, and has things well integrated into the phone making the device so convenient to use. I used to have an iOS device but it feels so old and outdated. Give WP7 a serious look.