HTC One M8 rant and general public confusion

[thesachd]

Honestly speaking I'm all for Windows Phone growth. One of my cousins who has been an iPhone fan for as long as I can remember is thinking of trying an entry level Windows Phone, and if he likes it, he'll buy a higher end one.

When I mentioned the pros and cons, I never left out the fact that Windows Phone has a significant app gap, and the quality of existing apps wasn't so great either. This is something that is crucial to tell someone thinking of moving to Windows Phone, especially if you work *RETAIL.*

I can see why Windows Phone appeals to people, it's beautiful.

But no matter how big of a supporter I am of Windows Phone, I would still have shown the customer the Android version and told him the benefits.

To put this simply, HTC is trying their best to make the best possible Android device, but not the best Windows Phone.

The Android variant has tons of features, that you should've told the customer about, that the Windows Phone version doesn't. To name a few it has a camera shortcut(using the volume key), extra screen gestures, an LED notification light, Blinkfeed a swipe away, and the upcoming M8 Eye update to enhance things further. There is also Zoe support, HTC RE support, and split capture. There's tons more.

Plus if the customer did like a phone that was colourful, he would have been dissapointed with Windows Phone anyways. The Metro UI apps that come bundled with the M8 for Windows version are either black or white whereas the Android HTC Sense apps have a lot more color.

Honestly the only reason I would've gone the extra mile to promote the Windows Phone variant would be because it *currently* has better battery or if the customer was a die hard Windows Phone fan. I can barely find any other reasons.

While the customer may be to blame, you are somewhat guilty as well.

No offence but this is my assessment of the situation.

 

[Adrynalyne]

Honestly speaking I'm all for Windows Phone growth. One of my cousins who has been an iPhone fan for as long as I can remember is thinking of trying an entry level Windows Phone, and if he likes it, he'll buy a higher end one.

When I mentioned the pros and cons, I never left out the fact that Windows Phone has a significant app gap, and the quality of existing apps wasn't so great either. This is something that is crucial to tell someone thinking of moving to Windows Phone, especially if you work *RETAIL.*

I can see why Windows Phone appeals to people, it's beautiful.

But no matter how big of a supporter I am of Windows Phone, I would still have shown the customer the Android version and told him the benefits.

To put this simply, HTC is trying their best to make the best possible Android device, but not the best Windows Phone.

The Android variant has tons of features, that you should've told the customer about, that the Windows Phone version doesn't. To name a few it has a camera shortcut(using the volume key), extra screen gestures, an LED notification light, Blinkfeed a swipe away, and the upcoming M8 Eye update to enhance things further. There is also Zoe support, HTC RE support, and split capture. There's tons more.

Plus if the customer did like a phone that was colourful, he would have been dissapointed with Windows Phone anyways. The Metro UI apps that come bundled with the M8 for Windows version are either black or white whereas the Android HTC Sense apps have a lot more color.

Honestly the only reason I would've gone the extra mile to promote the Windows Phone variant would be because it *currently* has better battery or if the customer was a die hard Windows Phone fan. I can barely find any other reasons.

While the customer may be to blame, you are somewhat guilty as well.

No offence but this is my assessment of the situation.

The Android version allows for some of those differences. Windows Phone is extremely restrictive when it comes to development.

 

[ritojr]

The Android version allows for some of those differences. Windows Phone is extremely restrictive when it comes to development.

Mostly my own fault as I got the phone on a whim the other day when my wife and I switched over to Verizon, buts its pretty dissapointing now that I have looked into it all the things the android version does that the WP version does not. After having the device 3 days and coming from a Lumia 925, I am pretty dissapointed. I'll be returning for a Icon I believe (only other real option at Verizon) but to you point, its a shame that the WP is so restrictive as the phone has the ability for these features but chooses not to use it. The ability to not quick launch the camera and lack of gesture controls (or glance for that matter) really bothers me

 

[Ebuka Allison]

Mostly my own fault as I got the phone on a whim the other day when my wife and I switched over to Verizon, buts its pretty dissapointing now that I have looked into it all the things the android version does that the WP version does not. After having the device 3 days and coming from a Lumia 925, I am pretty dissapointed. I'll be returning for a Icon I believe (only other real option at Verizon) but to you point, its a shame that the WP is so restrictive as the phone has the ability for these features but chooses not to use it. The ability to not quick launch the camera and lack of gesture controls (or glance for that matter) really bothers me

Glance is pretty much dead at this point. Only ONE phone has it

 

[JamesDax]

Glance is pretty much dead at this point. Only ONE phone has it

Wrong.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Glance is pretty much dead at this point. Only ONE phone has it

Yeah you really should stop spreading false bs lol most lumias have glance

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Mostly my own fault as I got the phone on a whim the other day when my wife and I switched over to Verizon, buts its pretty dissapointing now that I have looked into it all the things the android version does that the WP version does not. After having the device 3 days and coming from a Lumia 925, I am pretty dissapointed. I'll be returning for a Icon I believe (only other real option at Verizon) but to you point, its a shame that the WP is so restrictive as the phone has the ability for these features but chooses not to use it. The ability to not quick launch the camera and lack of gesture controls (or glance for that matter) really bothers me

As far as quick launch goes
That's why I love having a dedicated camera button and I would be upset if they ever lost it on Lumia.

 

[TechmeIN64]

In my experience, many Apple users do not even know what Android is, let alone Windows Phone.
One person even tried to convince me that Office was made by Apple. I think she thought it was because she has Office on her Macbook Pro. Then again she also thought that maybe Yik Yak wasn't on my (Windows) phone because Apple made it.
In the US, Apple has all the mindshare. Google has some, but Microsoft (sadly) has very little.

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

Today is my 2nd to last day with this company and I sold an HTC M8 windows.

This is only the 4th M8 to be sold(they've sold a decent amount of 830s). This time however, I think the customer was looking at me like I was crazy because I kept asking(I asked 3 times)...ARE YOU SURE you want the windows one? LOL

He explained that he is a Lumia Fan(WHOO!) but he recently broke his Lumia 920 and he wasn't really keen on the 1020 being basically the same hardware with a better camera and we didn't have 1520 in stock so he got the M8 windows. It's been 5 hours...he hasn't come back to complain that i gave him the wrong phone and he was really nice. He left his number with us(We're getting new shipments in) and he said if we get any 1520 to call him and hold one for him as he didn't want to settle for less if he could get his model but he seemed content with it.

Poor guy.

 

[Karthik Naik]

Glance is pretty much dead at this point. Only ONE phone has it

thanks for your misinformation
fyi only 930 and 630,730 dont have it anymore

 

[Karthik Naik]

Honestly speaking I'm all for Windows Phone growth. One of my cousins who has been an iPhone fan for as long as I can remember is thinking of trying an entry level Windows Phone, and if he likes it, he'll buy a higher end one.

When I mentioned the pros and cons, I never left out the fact that Windows Phone has a significant app gap, and the quality of existing apps wasn't so great either. This is something that is crucial to tell someone thinking of moving to Windows Phone, especially if you work *RETAIL.*

I can see why Windows Phone appeals to people, it's beautiful.

But no matter how big of a supporter I am of Windows Phone, I would still have shown the customer the Android version and told him the benefits.

To put this simply, HTC is trying their best to make the best possible Android device, but not the best Windows Phone.

The Android variant has tons of features, that you should've told the customer about, that the Windows Phone version doesn't. To name a few it has a camera shortcut(using the volume key), extra screen gestures, an LED notification light, Blinkfeed a swipe away, and the upcoming M8 Eye update to enhance things further. There is also Zoe support, HTC RE support, and split capture. There's tons more.

Plus if the customer did like a phone that was colourful, he would have been dissapointed with Windows Phone anyways. The Metro UI apps that come bundled with the M8 for Windows version are either black or white whereas the Android HTC Sense apps have a lot more color.

Honestly the only reason I would've gone the extra mile to promote the Windows Phone variant would be because it *currently* has better battery or if the customer was a die hard Windows Phone fan. I can barely find any other reasons.

While the customer may be to blame, you are somewhat guilty as well.

No offence but this is my assessment of the situation.

i would never label you as a windows supporter at all going by your previous posts...

 

[HoosierDaddy]

In the US, Apple has all the mindshare.

This is not a good sign for the quality of minds in the US.

 

[thesachd]

i would never label you as a windows supporter at all going by your previous posts...

I may not be as die hard of a supporter as some of you are, but there are things that Windows Phone excels at and I'm willing to admit them.

It's a nice OS that should grow, but anyone who buys one should be told what he's getting into.

 

[Karthik Naik]

I may not be as die hard of a supporter as some of you are, but there are things that Windows Phone excels at and I'm willing to admit them.

It's a nice OS that should grow, but anyone who buys one should be told what he's getting into.

i havent seen you say anything nice about windows phone yet...
im willing to admit both the pros and cons of each os

 

[thesachd]

i havent seen you say anything nice about windows phone yet...
im willing to admit both the pros and cons of each os

That's not entirely relevant here.

I just gave my own opinion on the guy's situation, and unless you have any logical objections with what I've said, I see no reason why me liking Windows Phone or not plays any role here.

It was just a simple suggestion, the person who came into the shop liked "colours" and I'm damn sure that if he hadn't used Google services, he would have been tired by many of Windows Phone's black or white apps anyways.

I have a friend that owns an HTC One M8 and every other day he tells me about a new feature that he discovered, or he brags about the gestures.

The most recent update he got has had him jumping, the M8 Eye experience which Windows Phone will not receive soon(if ever).

Honestly, even if I did like Windows Phone, I would've recommended the customers to get a Lumia instead or if really really like a colorful OS and he liked the way the M8 looked, he should've gone with Android.

 

[Karthik Naik]

^^i dont quite agree
you said he'd get bored with windows phone's "white and black" apps
i think he'd get even more bored with stock androids lacklustre UI which is also all black,before you say he can use another launcher,he had no clue the M8 windows wasnt android i highly doubt he would know much about phones except that he prefered google services
also it has been proven that the M8 windows experience as a phone is better than the android one in the camera,battery life,optimisation and exclusive apps department which is ironic given the exact same hardware and "superior" android
also critisizing windows phone app UI colours isnt exactly a win for android,given that android L and iOS 7+ have adopted the very design elements now which wp7+ brought forth

 

[thesachd]

^^i dont quite agree
you said he'd get bored with windows phone's "white and black" apps
i think he'd get even more bored with stock androids lacklustre UI which is also all black,before you say he can use another launcher,he had no clue the M8 windows wasnt android i highly doubt he would know much about phones except that he prefered google services
also it has been proven that the M8 windows experience as a phone is better than the android one in the camera,battery life,optimisation and exclusive apps department which is ironic given the exact same hardware and "superior" android
also critisizing windows phone app UI colours isnt exactly a win for android,given that android L and iOS 7+ have adopted the very design elements now which wp7+ brought forth

How much do you know about the M8 good Sir?

The M8 doesn't run Stock Android, it runs HTC Sense. And this is the kind of black and white apps I'm talking about:

Android Lollipop borrows more from HTC Sense then it does from Windows Phone or iOS, get over it.

And you clearly seem to be reading the wrong sources, while battery life may have been better on the Windows Phone department, camera features, optimisarion and exclusive apps are indeed more in number on Android.

To name a few things, optimisation is definitely guaranteed on the Android version more as HTC has tweaked and tailor made everything suited for the M8 for Windows by HTC Sense, Blinkfeed is a swipe away. There are tons of gestures for when the phone is off. The camera can be opened from volume key(you can't do this on WP).

Exclusive apps and services are for sure better on Android.

The M8 for Android camera supports Zoes, split capture, then comes the Eye experience update.

The HTC Zoe app also isn't available on Windows Phone, nor is the HTC RE app.

What exclusive HTC apps are you talking about that are only on Windows Phone?

 

[Karthik Naik]

^again untrue
you dont seem to understand that HTC Sense is a modded stock Android UI and is often called "the other nexus" or "nexus experience"
Android L wasnt copied off HTC Sense as you like to think
ohh and the remote on the windows phone M8 seems more defined than the all white android one
oh and with windows phone,the camera key doesnt NEED to be opened with the volume key because most WPs have a dedicated camera button
also whats "superior" android with not enough juice on the move ?
Android L is more of a launcher change than structural
proof-android has reached what i like to call the "symbian-point" aka a standstill
Windows Phone and ios are still implementing newer features such as OTG etc and still have better battery life etc
http://bgr.com/2014/08/25/android-vs-windows-phone-htc-one-m8/

 

[thesachd]

^again untrue
you dont seem to understand that HTC Sense is a modded stock Android UI and is often called "the other nexus" or "nexus experience"
Android L wasnt copied off HTC Sense as you like to think
ohh and the remote on the windows phone M8 seems more defined than the all white android one
oh and with windows phone,the camera key doesnt NEED to be opened with the volume key because most WPs have a dedicated camera button
also whats "superior" android with not enough juice on the move ?
Android L is more of a launcher change than structural
proof-android has reached what i like to call the "symbian-point" aka a standstill
Windows Phone and ios are still implementing newer features such as OTG etc and still have better battery life etc
http://bgr.com/2014/08/25/android-vs-windows-phone-htc-one-m8/

Copying, and taking inspiration are two different things. There are elements of HTC Sense that Material Design borrowed from, but that's another discussion. Not relevant here.

HTC Sense is a modded, maybe not as heavily modded as TouchWiz, but nonetheless modded version of Android. HTC actually optimised it instead of just slapping the Windows Phone everyone else has on their M8 for Windows version.

Again you have a constant habit of deviating from the topic at hand. I'm not talking about other Windows Phones, I'm talking about the M8 specifically which does *NOT* have a shutter button and opening the app on Android is quick and easy with a volume button tap, nothing like this can be found on the M8 for Windows version.

Again I did admit that battery life was possibly the only place where the M8 for Windows may be better, but tests on Gsmarena found that the M8 for Windows could be in a way cheating the battery tests because it has lower brightness than the Android variant.

You have also failed to show me even one exclusive app by HTC on the Windows variant that the Android version does not have despite your big claims.

Lastly OTG is totally irrelevant, Android has had it for years. But that's not relevant at all the topic.

 

[ritojr]

Although i dont want to get into the back and forth of what you guys are arguing, you point out that WP generally dont need the volume shortcut to open the camera since they normally have a dedicated button which is true, the original poster was referencing the m8 specifically which sadly for WP does not have this button, hence their being no 'quick' launch for the camera even though the android m8 can use the volume shortcut. Personally I find it annoying that one version can do it and another cant, along with a lot of the gestures, etc. I know some of this is built into the OS, but its frustrating regardless when you feel like you are missing features on what in theory are 'identical' phones