Considering a switch from iOS to WP8

[ptb127]

I am strongly considering a switch from iOS (i5) to WP8. I am trying to decide which phone I want though. I am verizon customer so my choices are the 8x and the Lumia 822. I am a person who uses Gmail and sets it up as Exchange on the iOS and updates my contacts and calendar through google as well. I love HTC's weather widget but the lack of expandable memory is an issue. Plus I have seen several videos of Nokia apps and I am really interested in them.. they seem like the real deal.

I need to get notifications for text and e-mails I received as well as being able to send mass texts (I send out weather alerts and texts to people) and need to receive responses quickly so I can act on the new questions and info. Apps are important but if I counted the apps I use on a daily basis on my i5 (or even was in on android) the most impt ones are available on WP8

The prices - the Lumia is 49.99 at verizon while the HTC is 199.99.

What opinions can you guys give to help me out?

 

[ontapbjt]

I can't help you with anything gmail related since I have never used it.

As far as mass texts go, grouping contacts in WP8 is very easy. You create a group and add contacts to it. I have my family set up as a group and have the group tile pinned to my home screen. I tap the tile and right there is an option to text or email everyone in the group. This should work well for you. Literally in seconds you can have messages sent out to everyone in the group without ever typing a name, phone number, or email address.

I have a Lumia 822 and love it. I had an HTC Trophy before and Nokia's exclusive and proprietary apps are far and away better than anything HTC can offer at this time.

 

[dogfish54]

You've likely seen the reviews on both devices on VZW website. I am actually about to start another thread on the (lack of) popularity of the HTC devices, as it's a little confusing ... but what I am about to say may explain it.

Here is my take on both devices:

The Lumia:

* At first (pictures on internet) glance, I thought it was junk, but:
* Long battery life / removable battery
* Expandable storage via SD
* Low(ish) price, but I feel like VZW could have done better here
* Lower-res screen - reportedly not much of an issue as the screen size is smaller.
* Nokia apps and exclusives- these are surprisingly more value add than you would expect ... and there are just more coming all the time (photobeamer is the latest). Just an aside on the Nokia apps ... I am starting to understand why HTC and Samsung owners are getting frustrated here. There are so many good apps for Nokia only, it would be nice if Microsoft or the other OEM's just paid Nokia for every download on other platforms, that or just make them paid apps.
* Nokia support & apps - you know Nokia are going to update this device, they have to .. it's their world

The HTC Windows Phone 8X:

* Beautiful design - durability is up in the air right now, but overall I'd be comfortable buying one as my primary device (I am a Nokia fan, so take this for what it is)
* HD Screen - albeit with an odd resolution - I say odd because unfortunately it's different to the Nokia, and Nokia is going to be 70+% of Windows phones out there ... at least.
* Price is fair, although as stated on the 822, I think VZW priced both these devices high. I saw $99 for the 822, $49 is a much better price in my opinion.
* Support - HTC don't have a good track record here, but it really seems they are putting a lot of resources into the 8X, I think you are safe here.

Both devices are available at Walmart for a discount.

As a Nokia fan thinking objectively, this is a really tough decision. If money is not a factor, and you like high-end things, the edge goes to the 8X. If you want all the apps and are fine with the screen on the 822, that's a clear choice.

I own a 920 ... and that was is easy decision on AT&T

 

[Kebero]

For the most part, I think that you'll like Windows Phone 8. However, you may miss having a notification centre - that is one thing on which many who've switched systems seem to comment. Judicious use of live tiles can probably mitigate this, and the ability to customize which notifications display on the lock screen is quite useful and a change from Windows Phone 7.

On the device front, I think you've already answered your question. In terms of hardware, the internals are pretty much identical across US devices. The 810/20/22 have a lower resolution screen and the camera lacks the BSI and have a different aperture, but compensate with Nokia's support, exclusive apps and expandable storage. The 822 has the same default storage as the 8X, but with the ability to use up to a 64gb card for media storage, you technically have more room for apps.

If you absolutely must have the HD display, better FFC or amplified audio, then get the 8X. If you have no compelling need for any of the unique 8X features, then it seems the Lumia is the better option.

 

[thatotherdude24]

I feel like I can help some....I went through this same thing.

I had the 822 for 1 week before returning it, the reason I took it back is because my bill went up more than I was told, it had nothing to do with the phone.

First, the day WP8 came out on Verizon I went into the store fully intending to get the 8X because the 822 looked so crappy and cheap in the pictures. I walked out of the store with an 822 and here's why. Yes the 8X has a better reolution screen but something about the 822 screen looks better, when I zoomed in on text between the 2 phones the text on the 822 looked much sharper and overall brighter. It feels like a sturdy phone in your hand too, I had the white one and it was glossy, I have heard the black is matte but I'm but sure about the grey. I personally also like the fatness of the 822 better than the tallness of the 8X. I much prefer the colors the 8X has than the 822 but wasn't a deal breaker. Something else to keep in mind is for the 822 you have to buy a different back to make wireless charging work, the stock back cannot support wireless charging. The new backs are I believe $40 on VZWs website. This is just my opinion but Nokia and Microsoft seem to have a better relationship going than MS and HTC so if they were to release a new feature Nokia phones might get it first. I loved Nokia Drive and Music extremely helpful. I had a GSIII and with my Nokia I got signal in places my GSIII couldn't get anything. We have huge sound proof thick wall studios at work and my GSIII wouldn't get signal in them, my 822 did. Something I also liked between the 2 was the 822 the speaker was on the bottom of the phone not the back like the 8X, so when you set the phone down the ring isn't muffled.

I also used Gmail on my 822 but set it up as Gmail not Exchange. It still had push but one thing I hated was when I deleted an email on my phone it would go to my 'all mail' folder on Gmail not Trash.

Somebody else might be able to correct me if I am wrong but I believe Verizon disabled group SMS on Wp8? But in the People hub you could setup a 'room' so when you send out a text everybody you have in that room would get the text and you could all talk back and forth.

WP8 isn't perfect, one of my biggest pet peeves about it was the media and ring volume were the same. So if you turned your music volume down to 1 when you stopped listening to music your ringer would also be set at 1.

One of the biggest features to me and one of the ones that has gotten the least amount of attention I think is TellMe. In a way it's kind of like Siri, you can have it call and text people. I do a lot of traveling and wear a bluetooth a lot. When my bluetooth is connected and I receive a text in my ear it gives me the option to ignore or read the text, if you say read it reads the text and gives you the option to reply through voice then sends the message all without touching the phone.

I am also heavily into weather and a huge useful app on Android and iOS was Radarscope. It is not on WP8 and when I contacted the developers they said there were no plans to bring it to WP8 right now.

Hope this helped....

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Get the 8x. I don't know what people are smoking to make them believe a 800 x 480 screen is somehow better than 1280 x 720

 

[rdubmu]

One big thing to think about, Verizon disabled the group text mms feature on the 8x and lumia.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[dogfish54]

@thatotherdude - I was reading the whole thing hoping to hear why your bill went up more than the GS3 ... I guess that's a story for another time.

@ammarmarlik2011 - I agree that the lower res screen is not better (to me anyway) than the high-res one. but I think there are other things to consider .. and what's important to you. For now, 800x480 is the most popular res (with all Win7.5 devices and the Lumia 810,820, 822), 1280x768 the second most popular (Lumia 920) and the 1280x720 being the least (only on the 8X).

The reality is that it shouldn't matter .... but the least popular screen res is likely going to have the most compromises. Hopefully (although not good for current 8X users) HTC abandon this screen res and just use 1280x768 - ideally Nokia and HTC would have aligned on this from the start ... guess not

 

[nwildcat]

First let me say, I think both are great devices and it really comes down to personal preference which one will work best for you.

I think the main reason to go with a 8X over the 822 is if you are obsessed with specs or fall head over heals in love with the form factor and HD screen and think for the next year or two that will trump your other needs. For me, it won't. Plus, I was expecting the screen of the 8X to blow the 822's out of the water and it really didn't. I have no doubt it is better when watching an HD movie, but besides trailers and short videos, that's something I'll do on my tablet or laptop or my TV, not my phone.

I might be in the minority here as well when I say, although the 8X is a beautiful phone, I don't think its knock out impressive from the front, lay it on its face and its gorgeous. The front design of the 8S was much more impressive to me than the 8X.

A few things to consider when choosing between the 8X and the 822 -

Importance of an HD screen
Importance of expandable storage
Importance of removable battery
Exclusive Nokia apps
Nokia support vs. HTC support
Beats Audio vs. Dolby Digital

For me it came down to the expandable storage and Nokia exclusive apps, along with Nokia support. As I went back and forth, the apps were the main sticking point I kept coming back to. Moving to a new platform, I wanted the widest amount of apps available to me to make things easier on a day to day and that's with Nokia. I didn't want to get an 8X and then be upset when Nokia got yet another exclusive app (like they did with ESPN or Bloomberg and many games) let alone doing without Nokia Transit and Nokia Drive+. In the end, getting an 8X seemed like something that might work for the first few months, but down the line, I'd get frustrated. 822 was the best decision and after seeing it, my preferred device, it just so happens it is also the more practical choice for me as well.


Also, I don't get the "high end" comments about the 8X vs. 822. The 822 hardly feels like some cheap, budget phone. The 820 doesn't feel like that and the 822 is a better phone in most areas. It's not about high end vs. budget when choosing between the 8X vs. 822. I wish people would stop saying that. The same processor, the same camera MP, the same storage. The HTC 8S is a budget phone compared to the HTC 8X, that is not the case here. The 822 is not the budget option to the 8X, it's just lucky that its well priced and Nokia is being obviously being aggressive on pricing. The 920 isn't budget compared to the 8X, but you could think so if only looking at price.

ptb127, the $49.99 price is new as of yesterday on Verizon, keep track of it because it might go back up to $99, just an FYI. Though it's been available free elsewhere (Walmart, Wirefly, Newegg) if you want to try for the best deal price wise.

 

[thatotherdude24]

@thatotherdude - I was reading the whole thing hoping to hear why your bill went up more than the GS3 ... I guess that's a story for another time.

@ammarmarlik2011 - I agree that the lower res screen is not better (to me anyway) than the high-res one. but I think there are other things to consider .. and what's important to you. For now, 800x480 is the most popular res (with all Win7.5 devices and the Lumia 810,820, 822), 1280x768 the second most popular (Lumia 920) and the 1280x720 being the least (only on the 8X).

The reality is that it shouldn't matter .... but the least popular screen res is likely going to have the most compromises. Hopefully (although not good for current 8X users) HTC abandon this screen res and just use 1280x768 - ideally Nokia and HTC would have aligned on this from the start ... guess not

The bill went up because I am on the old unlimited data plan with 450 anytime minutes and so on. I have a 20% work discount that currently is applied to the calling plan and data plan. When I upgraded I kept everything the same, just went from unlimited data to 2GB. I called Verizon to make sure it wouldn't change at all and the manager at my local store said my bill would not change, just go up for the 6.99 insurance. My bill went up, so when I called in they said that when they changed their plans this summer the $30 2GB data plan was no longer eligible for my work discount. Only a data plan of $40 or more is eligible on an individual plan.

 

[TheDrizzle]

I'll contribute some comments, as I am going through something similar. I had a iPhone4 and moved the the 822. The main contributing factor for me was price. As part of a black friday / cyber Monday deal, Wallmart was offering the 822 for free + $100 gift card rebate. So in essence, I got paid $100 for renewing my contract.

The 8x was $150 through the same channels - I just felt it was not worth the added cost for just the higher res screen (both devices have the same CPU and RAM). And, as others have mentioned, the 822 has some other small advantages like expandable sdcard slot, wireless charging and nokia apps.

As far as comparing iOS to WP, I'm sure there are some well written articles out there really highlight the differences, but here is my take:
Using WP8 is fun - it feels fresh and new, and does feel more responsive then my iphone 4 (though if I had a 4s or 5, I might be singing a different tune). There are some odd omissions I miss (like no physical mute switch, no screen orientation lock), but I enjoy it overall. I honestly can't say the low res screen bothers me, even coming from the "retina" ip4.

The "app gap" is noticeable though; even some of the ones that are there are missing some features ( for example , no offline play in Rhapsody! boo!), but I think with time this will improve. I have two weeks to change my mind and return it, but so far, I'm planning on keeping it.

 

[dogfish54]

@TheDrizzle - The orientation lock confuses me, but a LOT of people ask about it. I have an iPhone5 and I didn't know it existed, how to set it or when I would want to use it.

The last question is really the one I want the answer to ... why is it important? Why would I want to hold the phone landscape and see it in portrait? Is it because the orientation sometimes changes by accident?

 

[TaliZorah]

Just wanted to add that you CAN group message with WP8 but it won't be a group chat that iOS and Android can do. AKA any responses you get get in a mass SMS will only go to you and not get sent to the group.

 

[TheDrizzle]

@TheDrizzle - The orientation lock confuses me, but a LOT of people ask about it. I have an iPhone5 and I didn't know it existed, how to set it or when I would want to use it.

The last question is really the one I want the answer to ... why is it important? Why would I want to hold the phone landscape and see it in portrait? Is it because the orientation sometimes changes by accident?

For me - in certain situations (like laying down sideways using the phone) the orientation would jump all over the place depending on the angle of my wrist, so I'd lock the orientation how I wanted it.

 

[TaliZorah]

For me - in certain situations (like laying down sideways using the phone) the orientation would jump all over the place depending on the angle of my wrist, so I'd lock the orientation how I wanted it.

I do this with my iPad. I set the toggle next to the volume buttons to be orientation lock as opposed to mute. Same reasons really, when laying down and such while using the device, if you tilt it just a bit it will rotate so locking the screen orientation is a good idea.

 

[ptb127]

One big thing to think about, Verizon disabled the group text mms feature on the 8x and lumia.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

I don't want their replies to go to everyone, I just want the ability to send the same text out for 20 diff people like I can on iOS

 

[rdubmu]

Just wanted to add that you CAN group message with WP8 but it won't be a group chat that iOS and Android can do. AKA any responses you get get in a mass SMS will only go to you and not get sent to the group.

If I am not mistaken, Android can not do group messaging where it keeps it in one thread. Only windows phone (if activated by carrier) and iPhone can do this. This is one reason why I am going to stay away from Verizon. I hear that starting in January, any new device that comes out including the iphone will have this disabled. I use this for family and work, it is a much needed feature.

 

[jmshub]

Hello. I have a few points to offer. If you have/had an iPhone 5, and you liked that somewhat tall, narrow screen shape, the 8x is somewhat like that. I looked at one in the at&t store, and it felt a little like the iPhone 5 to me.

Screen resolution isn't the killer in WP that it is in android and ios. More is always better, but after using the relatively low res wp7 devices for almost two years, they never looked bad. The ui isn't in extremely high resolution, so it doesn't look lacking if you chose to go with a lower resolution device. I have a 920 now, and the screen is gorgeous. But the home screen bits don't look dramatically different than my Focus WP7 device.

Just my two cents. Hope this helps.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

 

[fusioncept]

The ONLY thing that makes the 822 inferior is the screen. But with the AMOLED clearblack, it still looks gorgeous in its own right. And in directly sunlight I literally have NO problem looking at it, whereas my friends on their phones have to cup their hands around the screen (I giggle inside each time I see that, im a terrible person).

But with regards to the notification center (or lack thereof), all you need to do is if there is a certain app that you NEED notifications for--FB, email, messaging--and you miss the toast notifications, just make sure you have the necessary app's tile on the start screen.

 

[dogfish54]

I think the notification center thing depends on your use profile. To me it's kinda stupid and I don't miss it at all. I can understand that if that's the way you've done things on other platforms, you are used to it. I also understand that to some people it is really useful. It's coming, just not here yet.