Is there a real "app gap"?

[andrei_1998]

Yes. There is a real big gap.
And I don't know when all this gap will be refilled. The Direct3d just destroys Windows Phone OS instead OpenGL on Android or iOS. But that's Microsoft...

 

[undulose]

Yes. There is a real big gap.
And I don't know when all this gap will be refilled. The Direct3d just destroys Windows Phone OS instead OpenGL on Android or iOS. But that's Microsoft...

Your comment about Direct3D, I disagree about it. It is the reason why the Nokia Lumia 1520 beats Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5S in Basemark OS 2 benchmark test (look at their website).

And it is really great considering that Samsung Galaxy S5 has Snapdragon 801 and iPhone 5S has 64-bit processor.



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 1520 (RM-937 Malaysia) using Tapatalk

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

EC...you can make that arguement for any ecosystem in retrospect however MS understands it is trailing in the mobile race, only because it started late in the race. As for your statements, again the validity is up to the interpretation of the user. I'll try to break down each comparisson to provide a little more insight.

News Aggregators- It depends on what exaclty you're looking for in News. I've always liked Weave Reader, but it's not the only one I use. Flux is good, but I would recommend you taking a look at Fuse. It's a quality aggregator that has a nice UI. There are some others but you're going to have to look.

Calendars- I'm assuming you haven't played with WP8.1, which if it is the case, you're premature in your assumptions, and you're cheating yourself out of an amazing experience. I will give you that the WP8 native calendar was anemic to say the least, but even then you had a plethora of apps from Chrono, to Appointile, Simple Calendar, Cal and then the really intuitive ones like Week view and super calendar. I'm sure you'd find at least a few of these more than adequate to appease what you're trying to do.
Book Readers- Again it's up to the reader. Zinio (magazines) Social reads, and Novel just to add a few.

Alternate Keyboards - Again, if you haven't played with WP 8.1 you wouldn't know. I can convert my keyboard from US(eng) to UK(eng) which the keys are in different locations as well as the currency change. I have the option of other keyboards but just haven't downloaded those languages.

Dictionaries- Advanced english dictionary is all you need. Has the pronounciation and audio playback in the language of your choice. There are a gambit of other apps, but why bother when this one does everything you need it to.

Maps- when apple decided to deviate from using Googles maps in favor of their own map creation, mass hesteria insued. Google set the standard in maps, MS is right there. Not only do you have the MS native Maps app which if you're using a Nokia phone, you probably aren't aware of, but you have the host of Nokia navigation apps from Here Maps to Here drive to Here + to Bing Maps. All of them work well, and it's up to UI and your personal needs. Nokia is putting their Navigation systems in cars, so they must be doing something right. You put Cortana in the middle of them all to intergrate them together and you have a navigational experience that only Siri + Google Now could give you.

In closing most of your points are mute. Like I said, WP didn't start into the mobile industry when there weren't any other competition. They dived head first with Apple and Andriod locking it down, and yet their market share continues to grow...at the expense of Apple and Andriod. You don't hear too many stories of people switching from WP to Apple or Andriod, but you are hearing more and more Apple and Andriod users switching over to WP. Hmmmm...wonder why that is. Tell you what, I'll give you directions to a location from Here +, and generate a powerpoint presentation with in on my WP(can't do that on Andriod). Send it via Office 365 to my tablet (Surface) that will save it via One Drive so my friends can view it at work on thier desktops, and you can Skype me while I'm playing my Xbox One....That's the vision that will rule them all. Integration on a level that no other ecosystem can touch.

Boom

 

[worldspy99]

Then where is the flipboard.

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Busy flipping burgers with the iPhone. I think your needs are better served on the I more forums than here as you are clearly a ******

 

[worldspy99]

If android is buggy or laggy I wonder why people stick on with it.:-o:what:

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Cheap phone and free apps, oh and people who don't like iOS

 

[worldspy99]

Now it's confirmed if you want latest nd greatest app go only for ios by spending 1000$ with which in.India you could buy even a bike.SO apps mean ios I got the point.Thank you.android without your existence smartphone revolution in country like India would not be possible.But guys if u want greatest nd superb app go for iPhone's.make sure u save a lot to buy a phone especially in India.wp is for fluidity nd smoothness not for best apps.

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Let us know when instead of getting a motorcycle you decided to get a shiny new iPhone Oh and better save up to buy a nice Case and screen protector otherwise the resale value will be crap!

 

[andrei_1998]

You are right. But there is one problem: All the games made by Gameloft or EA or any great Games Creator are made in OpenGL. Coding from OpenGL to Direct3D is very hard. Look at the release dates for Android, iOS then for WP.
Let's take the TASM2 from Gameloft.
Normally that Gameloft won't release the game same time because logically they cannot just make a Android game in months, then port it in 2 days to WP.
It'a onlu because of that Direct3D.
Look at what one of Mojang Leaders said when asked to port the Pocket Edition to WP: Coding Minecraft for Windows Phone is really hard work, it could take months to arrive, no plans yet.
It's just frustrating how such a DirectX/3D Microsoft ambition slows down so much the platform.

 

[captaincalamity]

I've come from android, it's far from buggy and laggy, the nexus 5 was totally fluid throughout, the note range have always been incredibly slick and I would say any android phone with the snapdragon processors are very fast and lag free, yes I can remember the early android lag, fragmentation and unstable crashing, but that is a thing of the past now, the play store is getting better and better but still not a polished or full of as useful apps as the iOS AppStore, then why did I come to windows phone. Because it's different , apps in my mind are all ok but if you can find a good website that does the job, I would always prefer to use that, with WP you can quickly pin anything, from webpages, contacts, maps, locations, events to your start screen, far more useful than some app that often is a stripped down version of their respective webpages. Generally speaking the way I use my WP is like a post it note I find or think of something and I pin it, once that's done or I'm doing something else, it's so quick to unpin. To be honest I only use my iPad for games, like zynga online Facebook type games, scramble, matching, chess, to name a very few, you can't replace these games with alternatives unless your friends and relatives use a WP and they are a great way to keep in touch and play turn based games, so if I couldn't have my iPad for this, this would be a pretty big deal, but I do so I feel I have the very best of smartphone and tablet combo.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[AngrySprintUser]

There are those that the app gap is an issue, and there are those, like myself, that don't really care about the app gap and chose WP for the OS.

I tell people, if you're all about the apps then iOS is your best option. WP has all the main apps I need to be honest. There are a few local apps I wouldn't mind seeing, but it's not worth it for me to go back to an iPhone. It had all the apps, but just drove me nuts having this phone which was just an app launcher. As I've said numerous times here, everybody has their own preferences so I can't blame someone for not wanting a WP due to lack of apps, but a lot of people really don't care about that.

WP biggest problem, in my opinion, is this stupid exclusivity that they have with the phones they release which is probably just hurting them in sales thus developers wont be in such a hurry to develop apps for them.

Android lucked out when they entered the market. Since iPhone was only available on ATT, pretty much your only option was to get an Android. Which, at the time didn't have many apps, but that's what you had to choose from as far as smart phones.

 

[taymur]

If you are an average user (who uses his phone for connectivity - either calling texting emailing, or sharing media in all its formats), you might not feel this "app gap", you might even be surprised sometimes of the quality of this feature in WP, ex. a 41mp device that shares the world around you.

But, if you are a south pole explorer, or an astronaut, who needs an app that helps him avoid space debris, most probably someone made an app for you on IOs or Android, but you will need to wait a little bit until you can find it in the WP store.

 

[prasath1234]

But i definitely people who prefer low end phones should go for lumia 520 because it is fluid nd lagless.

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[prasath1234]

I say this because u cannot enjoy android in low end.they are use nd throw phones maybe max 6 months they last.mid end is also.hit or miss in android.

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[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Busy flipping burgers with the iPhone. I think your needs are better served on the I more forums than here as you are clearly a ******

Actually he makes a very good point. For some people, Flipboard is very important. Wanting Flipboard does NOT make him an iPhone ******. Not sure how you got that conclusion...

You are right. But there is one problem: All the games made by Gameloft or EA or any great Games Creator are made in OpenGL. Coding from OpenGL to Direct3D is very hard. Look at the release dates for Android, iOS then for WP.
Let's take the TASM2 from Gameloft.
Normally that Gameloft won't release the game same time because logically they cannot just make a Android game in months, then port it in 2 days to WP.
It'a onlu because of that Direct3D.
Look at what one of Mojang Leaders said when asked to port the Pocket Edition to WP: Coding Minecraft for Windows Phone is really hard work, it could take months to arrive, no plans yet.
It's just frustrating how such a DirectX/3D Microsoft ambition slows down so much the platform.

Yeah, it may slow it down but DirectX is Microsoft's baby and I think it's designed more to port their PC games to phone... Not the most logical but I guess it in theory does open up more options.

 

[prasath1234]

Actually he makes a very good point. For some people, Flipboard is very important. Wanting Flipboard does NOT make him an iPhone ******. Not sure how you got that conclusion...



Yeah, it may slow it down but DirectX is Microsoft's baby and I think it's designed more to port their PC games to phone... Not the most logical but I guess it in theory does open up more options.

Iam not any ecosystem fan boy.just i said that that many love flipboard.heck it is also there in windows 8.1 not windows phone.

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[Markham Ranja]

If you are an average user (who uses his phone for connectivity - either calling texting emailing, or sharing media in all its formats), you might not feel this "app gap", you might even be surprised sometimes of the quality of this feature in WP, ex. a 41mp device that shares the world around you.

But, if you are a south pole explorer, or an astronaut, who needs an app that helps him avoid space debris, most probably someone made an app for you on IOs or Android, but you will need to wait a little bit until you can find it in the WP store.

Or if you want to call an Uber in over 100 cities. Or if you have a Nest thermostat. Or if you need a Citibank app. Or if you want to accept payments via Square.

So yeah, the app gap is real and it is a major issue why many people (or at least, myself) choose not to use WP even though the OS itself presents a better UX.

 

[thatdennis]

Busy flipping burgers with the iPhone. I think your needs are better served on the I more forums than here as you are clearly a ******

Flipboard is an essential app, providing information and news about the topics you like or any topic in general. It also helps to avoid being an ***** who doesn't know what's happening around the world.

Clearly you are the ******, downplaying others who say a valid point against WP. WP is not perfect, open your eyes, it has some faults and likewise other OSes. I understand that you are loyal to WP and maybe had some terrible experience with other OSes, but blindly claiming something without knowledge prior to your claim is showing that you are an ignorant person with a narrow view.

 

[carlos12001]

Or if you want to call an Uber in over 100 cities. Or if you have a Nest thermostat. Or if you need a Citibank app. Or if you want to accept payments via Square.

So yeah, the app gap is real and it is a major issue why many people (or at least, myself) choose not to use WP even though the OS itself presents a better UX.

Those app are definitely cool, but not essential. WP is actively working very hard to improve the experience, those apps will come, new apps come every day.

 

[TLRtheory]

Flipboard? Forgot about that ages ago. Magnify does everything Flipboard did for me with better sorting and even more style... and it's in freaking BETA.

Windows Phone is all about exploring what's there instead of boo-hooing when you don't find the official name by the official creator. It's amazing to even hear people bring this up after seeing people on iOS/Android cuss and complain about their *official* apps for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

EX: When you can't find Google Maps? Freaking look around... you may find that there's better alternatives (Here Maps/Drive) than what you initially came looking for. Even after WP got that massive surge of official apps for certain services, I checked them out and - like MANY others - found that some of the third party alternatives were actually better.

MetroTube, MyTube, OneTube all gave me a YouTube experience far better-looking, more stable than the official apps on iOS and Android... and in some cases even offer in-app downloading capabilities and the ability to play under the lock screen which no official YouTube app has. This is the stuff that makes a difference.

 

[Markham Ranja]

Yeah, it may slow it down but DirectX is Microsoft's baby and I think it's designed more to port their PC games to phone... Not the most logical but I guess it in theory does open up more options.

Aye, but the more I think on this the stupider it gets...

Let's break it down. We have 2 competing graphics engines - DX by MS and OpenGL-ES, used on Android and Apple.

Scenario: App developer creates fancy 3D game for iOS. It does well. He then looks into an Android app and finds that the very core of any 3D game, the rendering engine, is the same and his job is much easier. He may then consider creating a WP game, goes eff this ****, I'll have to re-code everything. Just for example, DX uses 'left-handed' co-ordinates while OpenGL uses 'right-handed'. Think of it as the difference between clockwise and anticlockwise rotation. Can lead to a lot of complex changes when you're doing graphics programming, though it sounds simple enough.

As you said, it may be that MS did this so that PC games would be easier to port. That however comes with it's own set of issues. Most mobile game devs are skilled at OpenGL ES because that's what their primary market (iOS, Android) needs. They may not want to or have the ability to learn a new API. At the same time, those people who do know DX aren't working at mobile game developers. They're working on real games, at Infinity Ward or 343 Studios or wherever, and why would one of them step down to mobile phone gaming.

 

[Markham Ranja]

Flipboard? Forgot about that ages ago. Magnify does everything Flipboard did for me with better sorting and even more style... and it's in freaking BETA.

Windows Phone is all about exploring what's there instead of boo-hooing when you don't find the official name by the official creator. It's amazing to even hear people bring this up after seeing people on iOS/Android cuss and complain about their *official* apps for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

EX: When you can't find Google Maps? Freaking look around... you may find that there's better alternatives (Here Maps/Drive) than what you initially came looking for. Even after WP got that massive surge of official apps for certain services, I checked them out and - like MANY others - found that some of the third party alternatives were actually better.

MetroTube, MyTube, OneTube all gave me a YouTube experience far better-looking, more stable than the official apps on iOS and Android... and in some cases even offer in-app downloading capabilities and the ability to play under the lock screen which no official YouTube app has. This is the stuff that makes a difference.

What is this I don't even...

Who are you to tell people what they should and should not want from their devices? Most people aren't interested in "looking around" - we just want our phones to work. And I'm sorry, but there are enough holes in the WP app roster to prevent many, many people from using it. WhatsApp just crapped out on WP again. No Tinder, half-working Snapchat, no Candy Crush - you possibly don't care about any of these services and neither do I, for that matter, but for many millions of people these are things they've grown to expect from their phones. More importantly, these apps are also social apps, like QuizUp (which I do care about) and getting a WP or 3rd party alternative means you'll always be playing second fiddle to your friends with iOS or Android. Again, perhaps you don't care, but not being able to play QuizUp with my friends is, to me, a very valid reason to keep using my Nexus and let my 920 sit on the shelf.