Considering the Switch

[JRDroid]

Hello all! I am considering coming over to WP7 from Android. I currently have a My Touch 4G and am under contract at T-Mobile. There just seem to be too many little bugs in Android that amount to one huge headache. After dealing with these for over a year (had a motorola Droid before this phone) I think it's time for me to try something else. I am considering a Venue Pro or a HD7, since they are the two options for T-Mobile.

I was wanting to hear experiences from people who switched from Android to WP7 (please include which android phone you had and which WP7 you are using now) and how they like WP7 compared to Android (pluses and minuses).

Also I was wondering if there are any rumored HSPA+ devices coming to T-Mo in the next month or two. I really like the internet speed on my My Touch and don't really want to give it up (probably the only reason I didn't get a HD7 instead of this phone in the first place). Are any devices expected to be announced at MWC or just general OS news (Microsoft's WP7 "announcements" at CES were pretty lame IMO).

Finally I was hoping to hear some opinions on HD7 vs. Dell Venue Pro.

Sorry for the lengthy first post, thank you for reading it and thank you in advance for helping me with my questions.

JRDroid

 

[firedancer1189]

I can't say I came over from a Android OS (Blackberry here) but I will tell you that because it's such a fledgling OS that it is buggy. Obviously there are bugs in any OS but a new one like WP7 has a few more.

The other thing is there isn't nearly the amount of apps for WP7 is there are for Android. More are coming out every day though and the quality of most WP7 apps are far superior to ones developed for Android though when it comes to overall quality control.

If you have some patience I think you will enjoy the WP7 experience!

 

[JRDroid]

Buggy I can deal with. I remember my battery pull blackberry days back on os 4. And android is fairly buggy its self. At least wp7 haas the excuse if being new. Quality of apps is a big reason for my switch. I keep being told (and believe) the reason my phone runs slow and buggy is a third party app and that I should uninstall all of them and add then back two at a time to figure out the problem. Ya, I have time and patients to do that every few months, ya right. I want that quality control. Plus I did Little searching and like 7 of my top ten apps that I use regularly are already on windows phone 7. Tunein radio is the one I will miss the most hut I won't need it till football started in september.

 

[spitothec]

No one here is going to be able to tell you hands down which OS is the right OS for you, as it's almost entirely personal preference. What I can tell you is that if you decide to switch phones, you'll have 14 days to make up your mind and return it to T-Mobile.. so I'd recommend going that route. The cool part about GSM networks is that you can swap back and forth between them daily for those two weeks to get a great feel for which one works best for you. There's really no reason not to pick one up and just try it out for yourself.

 

[Luisraul924]

Wow your in luck I own an HD7 coming from the original Moto Droid and while it was a great phone and all and I even used to swear up and down by Android but I had the exact same problem... For some reason Android is buggy (small bugs but bugs nonetheless) and then coupled with the realization that Android will forever be fragmented (I have ny own opinion on that but that's a different story if you wanna hear it let be know) so on a whim I switched to WP7 simply on the reason that the OS looked beautiful and that Microsoft is more assertive in controlling their environment so that would result in better apps less bugs quicker updates if there are bugs, and just an overall a better experience. Yeah it will take a couple updates to truly be mirror sheen finished, I still like it and I haven't dealt much with an HSPA+ device but I'm more than happy with HSPA that the HD7 has. Well... Long rant but I hope it helped put things into a bit of perspective for you

 

[rangerdogy]

I came from Android (Fascinate) to WP7 (Focus).

The reasonds for leaving Android were largely specific to the phone. The Galaxy S phones all have lousy GPS systems (took minutes to lock on, if at all). The Focus locks on immediately. It was supposed to be fixed with an interim fix and then with the next version of Android (2.2 - Fascinate is on a 2-version old OS). That leads to another problem with Android - the release updates are not reliable unless you root your device.

The mail would not update reliably and the voice quality was really bad. I can't blame Android for those.

OS specific, there are many apps for Android, but many of those are not all that great.

 

[Greasemonkeyjoe]

I cam from a G1 but went to a BB9700 first. I used to have a Windows phone prior to the G1 a few years back and like it. Initially I found Android interesting but at the time there were just issues that I didnt like. I kept missing my BB. When I switched back to the BB the only thing I missed about the Droid was the internet.

Now with the WP7 I have a nice big screen and awesome internet with the only thing lacking being Google maps and streetview but those are coming from what I hear.

There are a few odds and ends that I have to get used too but its more lack of how it works I believe than an OS issue. A few of the programs I had on android and BB are missing but ts early in the game and things will get up to speed Im sure of it.

 

[JRDroid]

I came from Android (Fascinate) to WP7 (Focus).

The reasonds for leaving Android were largely specific to the phone. The Galaxy S phones all have lousy GPS systems (took minutes to lock on, if at all). The Focus locks on immediately. It was supposed to be fixed with an interim fix and then with the next version of Android (2.2 - Fascinate is on a 2-version old OS). That leads to another problem with Android - the release updates are not reliable unless you root your device.

The mail would not update reliably and the voice quality was really bad. I can't blame Android for those.

OS specific, there are many apps for Android, but many of those are not all that great.

The only one of those that seems to be specific to the Fascinate (or galaxy S line i suppose) is the GPS issue. Me and my wife both have the same email issue you describe. The update system is hugely flawed with android (those of you complaining about not receiving an update in the 4 months windows phone has been out ought to spend a year on android, that will teach you patients). I hate android's update system. I agree about the apps thing. Most of the GOOD apps that I use are already on WP7. The ones I have that aren't are mostly ones I don't use often. And the ones I do use often that aren't on WP7 have similar, highly rated WP7 apps available.

Now I think I just need to sit it out through MWC to see if anything worth while is announced or if I need to decide between the Venue Pro and the HD7.

 

[rick9814911#WP]

I came from a samsung captivate to a focus. Ive had a lot of android phones in the past year (droid 1, g1, htc hero, mytouch and the captivate) and overall i wasnt that happy with any of them. At first i was really excited about android and all the things it could do. After a while i started to realize that even though it had a lot of cool features it didnt do any of them very well. Its horribly fragmented and that causes u to never know what your gonna get. Performance is a big issue as well, despite most of the newer android hardware having great specs the performance was quite terrible. The browser is really laggy, sometimes the battery would last a day with 30% left and the next it would die before i got home from work. After getting frustrated with my captivate for a number of reasons i decided to get a wp7 phone. Im pretty happy with it and i really dont miss android at all. When an update comes i know ill get it, thank god samsung doesnt have a say in it!

 

[WayCool]

This is good discussion here.. killing me.. DANG it MS/VZW ! I want WP7 !!!!!

 

[JRDroid]

At first i was really excited about android and all the things it could do. After a while i started to realize that even though it had a lot of cool features it didnt do any of them very well. ... Performance is a big issue

The main reasons I want to change summed up.

 

[kevynpm]

Do it. I was an early adopter on Android (T-Mobile G1) and used it until Dec 2010. I loved Android but have been wanting a Windows Phone 7 since they were announced last March. It's fresh, new, exciting, and definitely, I think, more futuristic. Or maybe I just like being different. It seems like when I had an Android, everyone was like "ew, that's dumb, you should get an iPhone" and then Android suddenly became cool. Now that I have something different again, and am showing it off to people, i'm getting a different reaction that I did with Android... more like "Wow, that's so neat! I love the look! It's so snappy!"

Join us.

 

[JRDroid]

I have decided I am definitely switching. I am just waiting to see what (if anything) comes out at MWC because I'd really like HSPA+ on my device.