Iphone switchers, please give me your 2 cents

[rossdawg]

I have been with Verizon for years. I switched after I got sick of my blackberry and Sprint. I have an ailing Iphone 4 and after reading about all the Iphone 5s horror stories (Messed up sensors, crashing, etc), I have considered Androids and Windows phones. I tried out a biggish Android and I believe there is too much to customize in some of the UI and frankly it was not pocketable or worked with my girly-man hands. I have used the same Iphone 4 for years and I take a bunch of pictures and video, email, text and read academic articles online a lot (I used wifi at home for data and have a decent LTE network in my area). I have google email and some other related services as well as a couple of Microsoft business and school accounts as well as a hotmail account as my garbage acct. I have heard that there is not a really decent way to handle Google related services on a windows phone. I also heard that you cannot sent pics via email like an Iphone could, I am not sure if this is a Windows thing, a Lumia thing or a Verizon Windows thing.
I realize something like a Lumia 928 is pretty well tied down and I would not have a ton of customizing to do, I am cool with this. I also like the size and weight and build of it and I have heard from people that the camera is tremendous compared to many android models. I could not really test it out that well in the Verizon store because of the big security cable glued to the back.
Other than that, I don't have a ton of mp3s in Itunes. What should I consider? Any major differences between a Lumia and an iphone?
I have heard about a 929 coming out in a few weeks and mat consider that as well. I am not in a big hurry.

Anybody who made the switch who does or doesn't like their device, give me your 2 cents.

Thanks

 

[anon(5326758)]

You can send pictures via email on Windows Phone. Not sure where you heard that.
I've transitioned away from Google services so can't comment on that - HERE navigation is really good, and I never miss gmail.
Biggest difference is the number of current apps is lower. If you are used to getting an app for any random thing, you might miss it. That said all the basic apps are there, either official or 3rd party.

 

[mikeofthegarden]

I came to a 928 from my ailing iPhone 4 as well. And let me tell you, I'm NEVER going back to Apple (unless Microsoft really screws up WPs in the future... Then I'd go back).

I've always been a fan of iOS, but it became really stale after awhile. Live Tiles put some excitement back into my phone experience. My favorite is having a medium tile of my significant others contact right at the top of my home screen, so I see her everytime I unlock my phone, and its quick access to text/call her. Also, your home screen can be easily customized with different tiles and sizes.

The People Hub is also amazing. Its your contacts + twitter and Facebook all in one.

While I made the switch before iOS 7 came out, they are actually similar in a lot of ways, so it won't be a huge change. If you rely on a notification center, you may have to wait till the beginning of next year when 8.1 comes out.

All in all, WP is not perfect, but its a hell of a lot better that iOS IMHO. Make the switch.

 

[Blkacesvf41]

I'd get it and give it that 14 day test drive, or is Verizon not doing that anymore? I came over from a BlackBerry, but I'm familiar with iOS. As far as Google, my understanding is that you won't be able to sync your calendar but I could be wrong. The main complaint you'll hear from people coming over to the platform is not finding the apps they were used to. That situation is slowly getting better. Myself can't wait for Sirius XM to land on WP8.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[SlimAndShady]

Just buy it. You won't buy other smartphone without Windows after that.

 

[maevinj]

I'm about to make the switch from a 4s to the 928 on Tuesday. I bought a used one on EBay just in case I don't like it, I wouldn't burn my upgrade, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[zultar]

I would wait for the 22nd before grabbing a new WP

 

[maevinj]

I would wait for the 22nd before grabbing a new WP

They are just announcing new devices, not releasing them.

 

[rossdawg]

Thank you for all of the great responses. I am not on Twitter or Facebook but have found some of the apps I use on the WP store in the demo unit at the store. I may very well give the 928 or 929 a chance. I have enjoyed the responses so far, keep em coming.

 

[Lurchorama]

I had iOS devices for years. Tried Droid phones on and off for a while but always ended up back on iOS.
It wasn't until the HTC One came out that there was finally a phone that matched an iPhone on build, reliability, and usefulness.
So I made the switch...

...then I bricked it trying to install Cyanogenmod - LOL

My first thought was to go get another, but I just couldnt go past the Camera on the 1020.

But back to the issue at hand. One of the other reasons I switched from iOS was I was just flat-out bored of it. From a usage point of view, its just never changed. Even iOS7 is the same but just a bit shinier.
iOS = *Yawn* for me.
I also found that unless you are 100% in the Apple eco-system, the iOS platform really started to show its limitations.

But WP8 is not perfect. I know a lot of us are patiently waiting for the 8.1 update for various things. And the release of a few 'must have' apps (eg: Flipboard).
But while iOS has pretty much stalled on on it's innovation and Droid spends more time patching bugs than doing anything new; WP is the fastest growing and changing platform right now. I find it the perfect balance between Apples very 'closed' environment and Googles very open but fragmented platform.

 

[scgf]

Google calendar and contacts syncing works fine on Windows Phone 8 with the latest Amber update. CalDAV is now available so you can sync multiple Google calendars with your 928. Even before that it worked fine with a third-party service from NuevaSync - Smartphone Cloud Services.

I moved to a Lumia 920 from the iPhone 5 and now when I use iOS I find it amazingly clunky and can't believe how basic the interface is - just app icons, that's all. I love the way you can dig down into an app and pin a thing to the start screen, like a contact, or a podcast, a loyalty card, a particular note fom OneNote, even a destination from Here Drive. It completely changes the way you use your phone.

 

[PCUser271]

Me too came from iphone 4, many android devices before. After months of using my windows phone (HTC 8X), I will stick to it no matter how. Of course, the apps are lacking but when I recall back, during my iphone usage, I always installed an app then I deleted it. I'm not kind of games guy. Maybe there are several apps that I miss, but windows phone 8 apps are already enough for me. Other than that, I also use windows 8. So, to have a windows phone is like having iphone and mac os. The experience is seamless.

 

[DaveGx]

Anyone ever use an iPhone in ATT? Is there an app similar to Data Sense that they let you use? Just curious to see if they only strip something like that from Windows Phones and not ATT

 

[WanderingTraveler]

As someone who has both, I can tell you that depending on what you want, Windows Phone may be the better choice for you.

Remember, a lot of problems associated with Windows Phone will be fixed with GDR3 and 8.1.

 

[rossdawg]

Thank you all so much. The battery life and camera seem to be big selling points, does anybody have any good cam examples around here?

Any suggestions for a WP app to replace Google News? Also I hear the Windows app that tells you about restaurants and others places in the neighborhood can be "overzealous" (the word my friend who uses it says). Is there a 3rd party mapping or local app which can give you restaurants, etc?

 

[txkimmers]

Bing news is pretty good, really like Weave reader and also Phonly, although Phonly is basically a 3rd party Feedly app so you need Feedly for it. I haven't used Poynt on Wp8, but it was pretty reliable on Android as I recall.

 

[MobileVortex]

Thank you all so much. The battery life and camera seem to be big selling points, does anybody have any good cam examples around here?

Any suggestions for a WP app to replace Google News? Also I hear the Windows app that tells you about restaurants and others places in the neighborhood can be "overzealous" (the word my friend who uses it says). Is there a 3rd party mapping or local app which can give you restaurants, etc?

Check out this thread for some good examples of what the 928 can do.

 

[evilrob]

I just switched from an iPhone 5 to a Lumia 920 - I love it. I've detailed my findings so far here:
http://forums.windowscentral.com/introductions/241188-3.htm#post2161379

 

[boovish]

I want the Lumia 928, but was announced a week after I got my 822.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

I want the Lumia 928, but was announced a week after I got my 822.

IMO, the 822 is the better device.

It's not only cheaper, it has a slightly better screen (when it comes to colors), a competent battery, the fact that it has 16GB of storage PLUS microSD card support (this is a VERY big plus), and the fact that it's more ergonomic.
Sure, it and its camera are fugly, but those are some trade-offs for a great device.