I keep coming back to Windows Phone

[chuckdaly]

Microsoft would have to relive the WP7 days; build a mobile OS from scratch based on user aesthetics and ergonomics. It would also need to be resource efficient. This is how Windows Phone 7 came about, and it was brilliant. All you newcomers owe it to yourselves to play with a WP7 device for a few minutes. The different hubs and ease of use are still there. Anyone remember the "Smoked by Windows Phone" commercials. How do you think W10M would fare against iOS and Android today? Probably not so well. They would have to go that route again to get me onboard any new mobile plans. Everything else is half-baked.

 

[aggiefather]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

The ability to have Cortana read me text messages is the main reason I stick with windows mobile devices. As a working dad with a working wife and several kids to transport from practice to school to workouts, etc. that singular feature is critical. Like a taxi driver getting orders from the dispatcher, Cortana allows me to respond hands-free and almost instantly when there have been changes in plans. I am also still delighted by the ever-changing Live Tile UI and the excellence of the photos I am able to take. My Band 2 still works great, too.

 

[ak_r7]

Thank you all for sharing your views and opinions
I am sure we are just getting started with discussions

 

[dorelse]

The best part of my day today was reading the linked article on iMore. Their recommendation on 'How to stop Facebook making your iPhone run like crap' is to literally uninstall it and use the mobile FB website instead. Seriously...so...using something like SlimSocial puts us ahead of the curve. #1percent

How to stop Facebook from making your iPhone run like crap | iMore

I have both the Idol 4S and iphone 7 Plus. Both are good devices. I thought I'd hate the iPhone...I don't, but I don't love it either. Apple Pay is sweet, especially if you forget your wallet at home. Lots to like...the 'locked down' mentality is a bit overblown...I've been able to tweak and change everything I've wanted/needed to, with the exception being the home screen layout. You get use to that pretty quickly. Everything just works for the most part.

I'm always drawn to WM, so I'll continue to bounce between them when I need a break from one. I would got back to my HTC 8XT in a sec if I could.

 

[MirthRock]

I LOOOOVE W10M but I recently jumped ship to an iPhone 7 Plus. The phone is a wonderful piece of hardware and the OS is extremely smooth, but (and I never thought I'd say this about Apple), it lacks innovation!! With W10M, I can see the potential and the vision (and its super frustrating that it has never been fully realized). I will 100% be back to W10M once the 'app gap' is fixed or something else takes the place of apps (bots maybe?) and puts W10M back on the right track. W10M truly is the best vision for a mobile OS that I've seen.

 

[hoovermac]

I have had a few Windows phones over the years (Lumia 610, 920, 830, 1520) and my wife has had a Lumia 800, 830, and now a 950. I have also used BlackBerry phones and Android devices (I have been using a newer Android device for over a year). W10 mobile on my wife's 950 is a lot smoother than Android is on my current device (battery issue on her 950, notwithstanding). The app selection on Android vs. W10M is a massive plus, as is the ability to use tap to pay in Canada through my local banks. But Android hangs at the most annoying times (e.g. trying to answer a phone call). My son has a newer Android phone and it hangs during texting and Snaps. Personally, I am seriously considering an Elite X3 or maybe the next HP phone when it comes out and I think I would be on the 'Surface Phone' in a heartbeat. Some have moved on and found the grass is indeed greener and some have found straw. Again, it is whatever works best for you, but with the extended experiment on the Android side, I will be back soon.

 

[ak_r7]

I hope Nadella is listening. Give us a phone which is dependable in terms of software stability, support, apps and a mind blowing camera and watch windows phone take the top spot.

 

[anon(50597)]

I hope Nadella is listening. Give us a phone which is dependable in terms of software stability, support, apps and a mind blowing camera and watch windows phone take the top spot.

I do believe we're heading in that direction, just have to be patient.
Better days are ahead.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[Vivien R]

Having troubles... Like a bit more than a month ago, one of the updates bricked my Lumia 930, and because I had thoughts about leaving WM, brought an S7 Edge. Well, as hardware its amazing, as in bare software, sadly to say, but Android M and N are much more stable than W10M. Many apps are better on Android than in WM. Not mentioning apps are available. Banking, Ebay, PayPal... Surely, I didn't like the UI. Sadly MS apps are worst than in WM/WP. Outlook is an unusable junk. Using Android with Outlook is pain in the ...
Well, would come back happily if I would have the apps I need, but its seems not possible in the near future.

 

[phlamethrowre]

Others must just be wasting time with unimportant apps.

SERIOUSLY????? So if you don't use or need an app it must be unimportant and a waste of time?? Delusional much??

 

[FXi2]

I find fewer apps to sift through is often a benefit, but yes sometimes there is a bit of a gap. However, I don't find myself needing to do that many things on a "phone" where I can't reach for another handy device. I have an iPad mini which I had set up fully to replicate my phone life plus the IOS apps. After months of going everywhere with it, I was not really using it. I'd like to see a few devices released on the 835 chipset, sort of either a Surface mobile device or at minimum some kind of 950/950XL refresh. I'd like it if they brought these devices to CDMA as well as GSM carriers. But for now, I think it pretty funny that my several year old Icon has wireless charging that Apple still hasn't introduced, OLED which Apple still doesn't have, and a camera that does 4k video and does stills that are quite capable of keeping up with the latest Apple gear. So there is a want for a newer device and the features it would bring, but I keep noticing that the device I have has been doing things, 802.11ac for example, for years that Apple is still way behind in doing. Android is severely not my cup of tea, so for me these two are the option. Windows phone is still an extremely good device (though we need more hardware well built) and we get updates and responses/fixes to things on a far faster basis than Apple. Apple still has Bluetooth issues, car apps that are long in the tooth and battery issues on older devices that despite spending almost $1K on the phone, Apple will dismiss until they are forced to react.

So I keep finding that the grass isn't greener. It's good to have a walkabout and see what's out there. But day to day, to get phone size things done, to stay connected to the web wherever I am, the Icon is a good device. When it breaks (which may not be long given the long hours I put on this thing) I will have some problems to think about. And that may push an iPhone choice just because of easy availability, easy service, and features. But I do like what I have now.

 

[Kevin Rush]

SERIOUSLY????? So if you don't use or need an app it must be unimportant and a waste of time?? Delusional much??

Re: aka phlamethrowre,
Response to a sentence, an opinion, on the internet, presented out of context.
Best Wishes

 

[chucosgirl]

I just recently got an android phone for the first time. I've always used window phones before, I have to say I much prefer the window phone over the android.

 

[anon(50597)]

I just recently got an android phone for the first time. I've always used window phones before, I have to say I much prefer the window phone over the android.

Its difficult to compare the 2 because they're so different. Android certainly has its advantages, they just don't add up for me.

Sent from mTalk on my SP4

 

[rockstarzzz]

I think the app gap has done the damage. It really isn't about not getting Pokemon Go and things like that. It is about getting rapid updates for new features for something as basic as Facebook or Instagram that has paralysed the platform. No doubt many would jump ship back for the sheer pleasure of how you can use the phone with ease against Android or iOS.

 

[mryan55]

I think the app gap has done the damage. It really isn't about not getting Pokemon Go and things like that. It is about getting rapid updates for new features for something as basic as Facebook or Instagram that has paralysed the platform. No doubt many would jump ship back for the sheer pleasure of how you can use the phone with ease against Android or iOS.

This is one of the most accurate and concise assessments I have seen. I have spent quite a lot of time with every guise of Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS and Android since the smartphone era started.

Some of the things we have all started to take for granted are simply tough sells on Windows Phone. Just looking at one category, banking and finance, only two of the banks and brokerages I use have WM support that is equal to Android. Sure, the mobile website is a good fill in often but not every time. Mobile check deposit is only going to be available in the app and that is becoming more important for many.

In the email realm, Outlook has been sending emails out with the senders name missing from the header since last August. Emails are just sending from email@domain.com... not great if you use your email professionally. I hear it is fixed with Creators but I don't use insider builds. If it takes 8 months to fix this, what else is going on and not getting fixed. Just my thoughts.

 

[beachhoppr]

I had an HTC 8x then a Lumia 521. Since then I have been on a Blackberry z30, a Blackberry Priv, a Samsung Galaxy S7 and now an iphone 7. I just bought a Lumia 950 and after a bunch of years i'm returning to the mothership

 

[John Wolf1]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

The ability to have Cortana read me text messages is the main reason I stick with windows mobile devices. As a working dad with a working wife and several kids to transport from practice to school to workouts, etc. that singular feature is critical. Like a taxi driver getting orders from the dispatcher, Cortana allows me to respond hands-free and almost instantly when there have been changes in plans. I am also still delighted by the ever-changing Live Tile UI and the excellence of the photos I am able to take. My Band 2 still works great, too.

I so miss the reading if my texts. I hope Cortana will read texts on Android soon

 

[garak0410]

Re: I Keep coming back to WP

I left Window Phone over 3 years ago. The HTC 8x was the last time I used a WP. I use to rotate between WP, Android,, and iOS. But I dropped iOS and eventually dropped WP. Now I'm 100% Android. I'd gladly comeback to WP, if they gave me a compelling reason to comeback.

That app gap is real and is a killer. But if they can bring their x86 plans to fruition, that would be a start.

This sums it up for me too. I was a Lumia ICON user and I did get a review copy of a Lumai 950xl but with being on Verizon, never got to use it and that was it for me. I am full on Android for mobile now (Phone, tablet and wearable.)

The "app gap" is real and I used to be "I don't need that app." But what is a platform without "programs and applications"?

 

[sylwiuszp]

Well, after years of separation (except for my wife still using Lumia 925) I've just come back to Windows Mobile. Through this time I was using mainly Android devices and for some time BB OS 10. What can I say? WM is not perfect, not as fluent as WP 8.1 (at least on lowly L 650, but still better than Android - see scrolling here and there for instance) but it seems to be well balanced between usability, customization and features. Yes it doesn't have a number of apps that Android or iOS have. But as I learned most of them are useless for me, coming with "bonuses" in form of boring and time consuming notifications, features and so on. Sorry, I need to spend more time with my friends, family than to look mindlessly at the screen. For my everyday life having great communication (email, chat) possibilities, good maps, calendar, browser and personal info management is essential. And that's what WM 10 fulfills greatly for me.