Ok, I did not read this whole thread, but I read a few posts, ,,,, seriously,
for instance.... Lack of Apps and why isn't MS getting on the ball with them?
or
specially since they also had access to the OS of two major competitors in iOS and Android that were already in the marketplace. They didn't have to think all of this up, they could simply go into a store and buy competing products to see what features they should include. Where they should have had the edge was in knowing form their WM experience how to do a feature better than iOS or Android.
Several reasons....
One, MS can't just go grab and Android or iPhone and start fiddling around with it and throw features into WP willy nilly.
There are Patents they have to work around. It's not as simple as you would like to think it is.
MS doesn't write the App's in the store, independent Dev's do. MS can't just go grab apps from Android and iPlay stores, wherever they are
and start making them, they have to come from those Dev's of those apps and be ported over
If you have complaints about that,, you need to talk to THE Dev's of THOSE Apps, not MS.
WP is getting there, and no, no other Smartphone got there over night either.
There have been plenty of crap smartphones of the years.
It's like baking a cake for 50 people, you can not please all of them, otherwise you are going to have nothing but garbage.
I'll take my Icon (just upgraded today from 928) over Android or iPhone any day. Yes, I have played with them both a bit, not impressed.
This phone takes fantastic pictures and video. The speaker could be better for music, but that is not a huge minus with everything else that IS in this phone.
I will agree on Dictation to Word. But again, that ability is not there yet and may come at some future time with Cortana.
Would love for Dragon Naturally Speaking to get a Version for the WP8.1, not sure that is even possible.
But that would be phenomenal. But then, that is what Cortana kinda is. So,,,,,,,,,,
We will have to wait and see what all Cortana will be capable of and what updates they give it over the next couple of cycles.
Already, if what they say is true, Cortana will kick iPhone and Android *** out of the box.
If you want apps, ***** at the Dev's of those apps from the other platforms, not MS. MS can't force them to port to WP.
And they aren't going to do it if there is no demand for it.
So seriously, stop ******** about what isn't there and ***** at those who could provide it and aren't. It's on them, alone, no one else.
As for WM vs WP, someone stated that we have no idea what might have happened internally. But, the fact is, they had to start over, from scratch
I would say, WP has come a long way in a fairly short period of time, under the strain and pressure of not 1 but 2 huge competitors and actually a 3rd,,,, BB at the time.
Say whatever you want,, but that is pretty freaking phenomenal of you ask me.
Oh, and the Icon is a fantastic phone, yes, I highly recommend that if you can take advantage of upgrading, or the Verizon Edge deal, do it, you won't regret it.