GsmArena's review of WP 8.1: We didn't do our homework properly

[Karthik Naik]

i guess people are forgetting that windows phones main thing is simplicity and sense(yeah i know its phillips tagline ) but its true
file manager , battery percentage etc

 

[bsayegh]

Battery Percentage != Complexity

Having to tap 1 or more times to view Battery Percentage = Complexity

Getting people used to an OS is fine, but WP has had several years to do that. Its not a new OS anymore. They have had plenty of time. I don't demand a file manager, but some people do. It could only help WP to include it.

 

[angusdegraosta]

Yes. Lisa Gade from MobileTechReview is also very good.

Lisa Gade is awesome! She approaches everything with sharp insight, tact, and integrity.

The GSM review is pretty good too overall. The naysayers are having less and less bad to say.

 

[mary beth hale]

There complaining that its voiced in a OS review. The store have nothing to do with the OS. If there is a app gap or not is irrelevant. I also would like to call BS on making a full review of 8.1 because its not a finished product yet. It's a Developer Preview.

the store absolutely has something to do with the OS. an OS does not run in a vacuum. it runs on phones that are used by people who want apps to utilize their phones to the fullest potential the OS can provide. I love using my windows phone(now and for the past 3 years) but to say the "app gap" is not important to the OS is not logical. the review was actually pretty positive, on the whole. windows phone is improving but having a reviewer point out where it can still improve does not a poor review make.

 

[xoxoGeorges]

GSM is a good site for reviews, they cover every aspect and do not use the US as the center of the universe (they're European right?). This particular review felt slightly grating for the CONSTANT comparison with iOS and Android: sure the Smartphone market market is ultra-competitive but I request reviewers to focus on the reviewed OS.

 

[xoxoGeorges]

Ars usually has the most thought out, and intelligent reviews and it was nice that they liked 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 review: A magnificent smartphone platform | Ars Technica

Ars is the best. As intelligent and comprehensive as The Verge while completely unbiased.

 

[acewing905]

I feel that a file manager is necessary & I can't force my opinion on you. So you should think in the same way. Including a file manager does not harm you, but not including one does harm me. Got it? Besides, why should I need a PC at all to manage files on my phone? It should be capable enough to do all this on its own. I don't care even a single bit that someone doesn't want a file manager, because it DOES NOT HARM THEM in any way, however, if I don't get a file manager, then I'm surely being limited in some or the other way.

This is the thing that most people don't seem to understand.
Just because you don't need a certain feature, doesn't mean that lacking that feature is a good thing for the OS. Some people will use that feature, even if you don't. Personally, I store a lot of long videos and lots of images on my phone. And if I want to delete one of those large videos, especially a format that's unsupported natively that won't get listed in the native videos app, I have to plug this in to a PC to delete it.
And then consider setting a ringtone. If you have an MP3 file on your phone that you want to use as a ringtone, WP forces you to plug it into a PC and then copy it into the ringtones folder. What is this nonsense? Even my old S40 Nokia could set any MP3 file that's on the phone as a ringtone or an alarm tone. If there was a file manager capability, this copying could be done without a PC.
Now you may not need these feature, but saying that they're unnecessary just because you don't need them is the absolute height of ignorance.

Oh, and I saw someone talking about OneDrive again. For OneDrive, it would be fine and dandy if WP devices were sold only in developed countries with internet access freely available anywhere. But this is not the case. These devices are sold in a variety of countries around the world. And in a significant number of these countries, most people don't have WiFi access outside their own homes, and mobile data is really expensive. OneDrive is almost unusable for those people, who're a significant portion of the WP customer base, besides using for small files like documents or presentations. Now don't get me wrong. OneDrive is implemented really well, and when it can be used, it's great. But just because you're content with that, don't assume everyone else can be. Some people need to actually carry around their files with them on their devices.

All in all, 8.1 is a great OS, and I've been personally loving it despite a few problems, but it still has room to grow. I don't understand why, as fans of WP, you wouldn't want it to improve and beat the likes of iOS and Android.

 

[Karthik Naik]

This is the thing that most people don't seem to understand.
Just because you don't need a certain feature, doesn't mean that lacking that feature is a good thing for the OS. Some people will use that feature, even if you don't. Personally, I store a lot of long videos and lots of images on my phone. And if I want to delete one of those large videos, especially a format that's unsupported natively that won't get listed in the native videos app, I have to plug this in to a PC to delete it.
And then consider setting a ringtone. If you have an MP3 file on your phone that you want to use as a ringtone, WP forces you to plug it into a PC and then copy it into the ringtones folder. What is this nonsense? Even my old S40 Nokia could set any MP3 file that's on the phone as a ringtone or an alarm tone. If there was a file manager capability, this copying could be done without a PC.
Now you may not need these feature, but saying that they're unnecessary just because you don't need them is the absolute height of ignorance.

Oh, and I saw someone talking about OneDrive again. For OneDrive, it would be fine and dandy if WP devices were sold only in developed countries with internet access freely available anywhere. But this is not the case. These devices are sold in a variety of countries around the world. And in a significant number of these countries, most people don't have WiFi access outside their own homes, and mobile data is really expensive. OneDrive is almost unusable for those people, who're a significant portion of the WP customer base, besides using for small files like documents or presentations. Now don't get me wrong. OneDrive is implemented really well, and when it can be used, it's great. But just because you're content with that, don't assume everyone else can be. Some people need to actually carry around their files with them on their devices.

All in all, 8.1 is a great OS, and I've been personally loving it despite a few problems, but it still has room to grow. I don't understand why, as fans of WP, you wouldn't want it to improve and beat the likes of iOS and Android.

the ringtone thing was of the past
ive been using this - Ringtone Maker | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States) since i got my first 720 (R.I.P 23-05-2014 ( )

 

[acewing905]

the ringtone thing was of the past
ive been using this - Ringtone Maker | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States) since i got my first 720 (R.I.P 23-05-2014 ( )

Ringtone was just a quick example of something that WP is lacking natively. Besides, this app is a Nokia Lumia exclusive, and Nokia Lumias are not the only phones that have WP. There might be other apps that can do that, but regardless, other phones don't need additional apps to be downloaded in order to simply use an MP3 file as a ringtone.
And that aside, from what I said, that was the only thing you could pick out? Shows that you really have no argument here. It's simply a fact that WP, while pretty good now with the 8.1 update, has great room to improve. And it should improve. Fanboys defending its shortcomings saying " BUH BUH THAT FEATURE IS NOT NEEDED!" is the last thing it needs.

 

[anon(5408816)]

GSMArena did a very thorough review IMO. I don't necessarily agree with everything but on the whole, it was fair. Even more so, they did another piece on before and after benchmarks across a number of devices and demonstrated that 8.1 includes notable performance improvements over 8.0. I did the same thing with my Icon and found the same results before their article was published. Not only is performance improved, it puts both the 1520 and the Icon in the top 3 on Basemark OS II and X with less powerful silicon than their competitors. I sent a, "tip" to WPCentral but for some reason, no one seemed to care. I also posted my results in this forum and again, no one cared. So say all you want about this review, at least GSMArena cared enough to conduct their own testing and then publish an article about it. Windows Phone 8 was already optimized to perform better than competitors on the same hardware. Now, they have raised that bar higher and GSMArena has made that public. Features are one thing but improved performance across the board is a phenomenal achievement.

 

[ronty]

Battery Percentage != Complexity

Having to tap 1 or more times to view Battery Percentage = Complexity

Getting people used to an OS is fine, but WP has had several years to do that. Its not a new OS anymore. They have had plenty of time. I don't demand a file manager, but some people do. It could only help WP to include it.

^^This! I just can't understand why do people have to come up with such a stupid argument like "This will increase the complexity". Seriously, if people want simplicity over features, then they should just go back to a Nokia 3310 & stop using a smartphone. When someone cannot even understand something as simple as an "optional feature", I wonder what they would do with smartphones(no offence meant). This is being selfish at its best(or worst). What do people present here think? Everyone should praise WP as it is if they can? That's not possible.
With this attitude, WP will never gain much market share, & it'll be ultimately bad for all of us WP users.

 

[anon(5408816)]

Do you guys remember the tag line, "There is an app for that"? Originally, iOS was able to fill the gaps in their platform through third party developers. Somehow, the dynamic has shifted from third party platform enhancement to being a requirement from the platform developer. Many would argue that integrated features from the developer of the platform is preferred over that of a third party developer and they are probably right. But it does lead me to wonder about where this is going to end up. On one hand, consumers expect a rich app ecosystem with a myriad of optional services and functions. On the other hand, consumers expect everything to be built-in. I've seen comments from those of the Android persuasion who say that they want the option to use a third party keyboard because they use the swipe keyboard. Telling them that 8.1 now includes both options in the same keyboard doesn't seem to matter. We all know that there are numerous, "file managers" available for WP but we still expect it to be built-in. Siri started as a third party solution that Apple purchased and integrated. It seems like I see a new mail manager for iOS every other day and each one is supposedly better than the last. Most people seem to like the built-in mail app for WP but I still read reviews where people want a Gmail app for some reason. So I would ask a simple question: Are platforms a walled garden where every imaginable feature should be integrated or are they an extensible framework that allows developers to innovate and iterate? It must be maddening to platform development teams. If they build features into the platform, they can minimize developer interest. If they don't, consumers ***** and moan. It's a crazy cycle when you think about it.

 

[Karthik Naik]

Ringtone was just a quick example of something that WP is lacking natively. Besides, this app is a Nokia Lumia exclusive, and Nokia Lumias are not the only phones that have WP. There might be other apps that can do that, but regardless, other phones don't need additional apps to be downloaded in order to simply use an MP3 file as a ringtone.
And that aside, from what I said, that was the only thing you could pick out? Shows that you really have no argument here. It's simply a fact that WP, while pretty good now with the 8.1 update, has great room to improve. And it should improve. Fanboys defending its shortcomings saying " BUH BUH THAT FEATURE IS NOT NEEDED!" is the last thing it needs.

actually 95% of smartphone users have never even heard what a file manager is or dont need one
incase u take android as an example, ill remind u that nexus 5 and 7 dont have a file manager unless u download a third party one from the store
as long as vlc has a file manager like system for wp8 , everything will be fine, for everything else its not needed
ios proved this before and id rather not worry about deleting important files which could crash my phone(android)

 

[ronty]

actually 95% of smartphone users have never even heard what a file manager is or dont need one
incase u take android as an example, ill remind u that nexus 5 and 7 dont have a file manager unless u download a third party one from the store
as long as vlc has a file manager like system for wp8 , everything will be fine, for everything else its not needed
ios proved this before and id rather not worry about deleting important files which could crash my phone(android)

I have a totally opposite opinion about this situation. All of my friends with smartphones DO know what is a file manager & use it regularly even if they don't know what it's actually called. One of them wants to switch to Lumia, but is not able to because of the lack of a proper file manager. Another one who has a Lumia has stopped using it & is now happy with his Galaxy Grand.
Finally, if you are sensible enough, then you will be knowing which files you can safely delete.

 

[DavidinCT]

I have a totally opposite opinion about this situation. All of my friends with smartphones DO know what is a file manager & use it regularly even if they don't know what it's actually called. One of them wants to switch to Lumia, but is not able to because of the lack of a proper file manager. Another one who has a Lumia has stopped using it & is now happy with his Galaxy Grand. Finally, if you are sensible enough, then you will be knowing which files you can safely delete.

It's also about the balance of a NEED and a WANT. If the main things you do are, photos, documents and music/video, there are places in the OS to access this information as well as present your media/documents where you need it, why do you need a file manager ? What I mean is, If you go in Acrobat, are all your PDFs viewable ? If you go into Office, are all your Word documents viewable or at least have quick access to them ? How about Music ? Video ? Podcasts ? If you could not access your content from your applications as you need to, YES, I could see a "NEED" for a file manager.

As I partaly agree with the "want" of a file manager but, not 100% the "need" of a file manger. I think the OS does a great job with the content on the system, about the only reason I could see a file manager needed was if you wanted to take a document and move it from a SD card to local storage but, even that do you really "need" to do that ?

If you talk to 10 different people about this subject, you will hear 2 sides from every other person. I moved to Windows Phone from Windows Mobile, Yep, file manger and it was needed, it was hard when I came over to Windows Phone but, after a while, I found out that I really dont "need" one, I just wanted one because of used to use for for things...and liked it at the time..

Think about it.... do you really "NEED" a file manager ?

 

[A895]

It's also about the balance of a NEED and a WANT. If the main things you do are, photos, documents and music/video, there are places in the OS to access this information as well as present your media/documents where you need it, why do you need a file manager ? What I mean is, If you go in Acrobat, are all your PDFs viewable ? If you go into Office, are all your Word documents viewable or at least have quick access to them ? How about Music ? Video ? Podcasts ? If you could not access your content from your applications as you need to, YES, I could see a "NEED" for a file manager.

As I partaly agree with the "want" of a file manager but, not 100% the "need" of a file manger. I think the OS does a great job with the content on the system, about the only reason I could see a file manager needed was if you wanted to take a document and move it from a SD card to local storage but, even that do you really "need" to do that ?

If you talk to 10 different people about this subject, you will hear 2 sides from every other person. I moved to Windows Phone from Windows Mobile, Yep, file manger and it was needed, it was hard when I came over to Windows Phone but, after a while, I found out that I really dont "need" one, I just wanted one because of used to use for for things...and liked it at the time..

Think about it.... do you really "NEED" a file manager ?

NO you think about it. Are seriously arguing adding more features to WP? Any feature that can possibly bring in more users is plus for everyone. More users, more developers , and more apps. I can not fathom why someone would argue AGAINST adding more features to a fledgling platform. YOU may not need one, but others do. Case closed.

 

[DavidinCT]

NO you think about it. Are seriously arguing adding more features to WP? Any feature that can possibly bring in more users is plus for everyone. More users, more developers , and more apps. I can not fathom why someone would argue AGAINST adding more features to a fledgling platform. YOU may not need one, but others do. Case closed.

LOL....The way the OS is build, you dont NEED one, you WANT one....There is a difference. Am I against one coming? no, not at all, Any new feature that is needed, I welcome but, also it will shut up the people who keep thinking they NEED one. These are people coming from an OS that NEEDED one...

Give me 5 examples of WHY you NEED a file manager that you CAN NOT do in the OS someplace. Then your argument would be valid here but otherwise, it's not...

and the case will be closed IF you can prove why you NEED one.....because I dont see a NEED for one... like I said, it's a WANT

 

[A895]

LOL....The way the OS is build, you dont NEED one, you WANT one....There is a difference. Am I against one coming? no, not at all, Any new feature that is needed, I welcome but, also it will shut up the people who keep thinking they NEED one. These are people coming from an OS that NEEDED one...

Give me 5 examples of WHY you NEED a file manager that you CAN NOT do in the OS someplace. Then your argument would be valid here but otherwise, it's not...

and the case will be closed IF you can prove why you NEED one.....because I dont see a NEED for one... like I said, it's a WANT

I just said it. YOU don`t see a reason for it. BUT, others do. You are arguing against ADDING more features which does not make sense at all.

 

[ajayden]

I just said it. YOU don`t see a reason for it. BUT, others do. You are arguing against ADDING more features which does not make sense at all.

We already have Pocket File Manager. Have you tried that??


Posted from Lumia 1020 using Tapatalk

 

[Kram Sacul]

Caring about what GSMArena says about WP is like caring about what Molly Wood has to say. It's just not worth thinking about.