[L630] New WP user regretting my purchase :(

[Chris Montesinos]

Not sure what you're trying to do in regards to "switch audio sources". So you want to be connected to bluetooth or to a headset and be able to switch the audio output back and forth across external speaker, BT and headset? Interesting. I didn't know you could do that on iOS.

In regards to discoverability, no phone is perfect. Lots of people had no idea how to find Spotlight search when they went to iOS 7. How would you ever know to swipe down? Or how about triple-clicking the Home button in earlier versions of iOS to access Orientation Lock? Or double-clicking to bring up multi-tasking window? Or swiping up in multi-task to kill processes? Or really anything in any OS that requires a quick double-tap or a long-press? None of these things are obvious and apparent.

Yes, with apple since ios 6 you could switch sources while in-call or listening to music. Its a single button shown. And when it connects to bluetooth, there is an added blue icon. You tap on it and it gives you options: Headphones, speaker, iphone or bluetooth. Same for music or anything that has sound.

 

[mj0]

What you should be able to do is switch output between Bluetooth an external speaker / headphones while in-call. There's a Bluetooth toggle available and it actually works for me. What I haven't found yet is how to switch between speaker and headphones. Seems like audio output is always headphones in case they're connected. There doesn't seem to be a toggle for that.

 

[TechFreak1]

What you should be able to do is switch output between Bluetooth an external speaker / headphones while in-call. There's a Bluetooth toggle available and it actually works for me. What I haven't found yet is how to switch between speaker and headphones. Seems like audio output is always headphones in case they're connected. There doesn't seem to be a toggle for that.

Use the "speaker" (for loud speaker) button?

Audio will be routed via headphones if plugged in and if not it would be phones speaker (at the top) however if you have headphones plugged in and use the loud speaker then audio will be directed to the loud speaker (bottom or rear). If it doesn't work like this then you have a defective device.

Also you can pretty effortless switch from bluetooth to phone speaker or headphones - just use the quick toggle to turn off bluetooth or on, audio routes to bluetooth if it is turned on and reverts to phone speakers or headphones if turned off (although I do admit having a button with-in the app would be helpful and a seperate volume slider for bluetooth would be helpful.).

The quick toggle for Wi Fi works like this:
1) One tap to turn on
2) Tap to turn off takes you to setting page because when you tap the off button you get an option whether the Wi Fi should turn automatically after a set period or if you want to turn on manually. (The last used setting is always saved)

 

[aximtreo]

Interesting post. The OP is trying to compare a mid to high end Apple phone to a low end WP phone and doesn't understand that might not be fair to either phone. Secondly, when you switch from one phone to another, one always has to become familiar with the differences. Now throw in the OP is not only switching phones but complete OS switch. A couple of days does not a competent user make.

There has been two things evident in the forum responses to the OP's original posting. It's obvious that the phone may be defective and should be returned for replacement. Secondly, the OP reads the suggested way of doing things with this new phone but always ends his discussion with a subtle BUT.

If these things bug you so much, I would suggest you move back to Apple or give a higher WP phone a try. I think in the long run, this is the only way to give WP a fair chance to succeed.

Congrats on the new baby. You need a good camera phone to start taking lots of pictures. Many good Nokia phones have been suggested and I would encourage you to give a different one a try and start snapping pictures.

 

[neo158]

For new users, it shouldnt be that hard to do basic yet overlooked things and get on the internet to try and do it. Something that doesnt happen with apple. Im a designer/architect and i know to design functional and never overlook even the most simplistic thing.
Thats design 101. All it takes is getting rid of the 3 dots and add a forward arrow instead. Swipe up to get the other setting and that'll make IE more bearable.

Hardware issues aside, you need to stop looking at WP from an iPhone perspective. WP is very different to both the iOS and Android, it seems to me that you're comparing WP to iOS and asking "my iPhone did it this way so why doesn't WP?". You might find the Help+Tips app on the Store quite useful.

I'm sorry to be harsh but just because you're an architect it doesn't mean that you know about software design, designing a functional building and designing functional software are two different things. As for IE you obviously didn't read that swiping does the same functions as back and forward buttons, the three dots are required for extras like settings.

 

[luxnws]

It must be something with either the 630 phones, or you guys are trying to use Apple ear buds on your Windows Phones, which has known issues.
I've had the Lumia 920 and 1020, and even a 520 Go Phone, and not had the issues you guys report, even using cheap $5 ear buds.
I have an Oontz Bluetooth portable speaker, a Blaupunkt Toronto Bluetooth car stereo receiver in my Jeep, and an Amphony Bluetooth receiver/amplifier that power my Polk speakers on the back patio. All my Windows Phone play nice with these devices without issue. I can listen to music on all. I can send or receive calls and message alerts in the car or on the Oontz portable speaker.

I work in IT professionally. I have an office full of Windows Phone users, and they are by far the best phones we've used. Our company trucks also have Ford Sync, and the phones play nice with those as well.

One other thing with Bluetooth... If you are having trouble with connection to a specific device, select the checkbox under Bluetooth "advanced" options that says "Use an alternate Bluetooth audio connection for Speech.

And like Aaron said, you'd be better off buying a used Lumia 920 than a new 630. The 830 will be an upper mid-level phone. The specs are actually quite nice, and it is important to remember that the Windows Phone OS does not need the same level of hardware horsepower as iOS and Android do. My 2 year old Lumia 920 still bests the iPhone 5s in most tasks when it comes to speed and fluidity.

No surprise that WP works fine in your business. That's the market MS seems to have been targeting.

It's when the phones get into the hands of Richard and Jane consumers (the forum software doesn't like the nickname for Richard lol), that's when the comparisons with Android and iOS start coming fast and furious. WP is behind the curve. If/when Android or iOS get the equivalent of Live Tile functionality in their start screens, WP will have lost probably the only real advantage it had as far as consumer appeal goes.

With companies doing BYOD, more often than not it's the companies who are the ones adapting to Android and iOS devices, rather than forcing their workers to use a particular vendor. That's how Blackberry got marginalized in the space of a few years.

 

[techiez]

For new users, it shouldnt be that hard to do basic yet overlooked things and get on the internet to try and do it. Something that doesnt happen with apple. Im a designer/architect and i know to design functional and never overlook even the most simplistic thing.
Thats design 101. All it takes is getting rid of the 3 dots and add a forward arrow instead. Swipe up to get the other setting and that'll make IE more bearable.

try opera or UC browse, all other issues with headphones or BT seems to be device specific issu, u need to get it replaced, I have a L720 which is not high end and these things work for me

 

[EC Translating Services]

I have a question no one seems to be asking. Why would you switch from a hi-end phone to a low end phone and expect positive results.

In a sense you're right but bear in mind that he's not discussing hardware quality. He's discussing OS functionality. The OS is the same on a 630 and on a 1520 or on an M8. As a matter of fact, WP is an unfinished OS. This means that it attracts you for its beauty and simplicity and then you realize that instead of being just simple it's missing a lot of things. He's not alone. I have compiled a whole list of things WP is missing in other sections.

The real mistake for me is not going from a high end device to a low end one; rather, going from an accomplished, finished, polished, functional OS to one that has never been carefully redesigned and implemented. Sometimes i suspect that since Microsoft makes more money from patents on Android than it makes on WP (And without costs since they just have to pay for the right to use their patents), WP is somewhat a showcase and nothing else. I am sure that as soon as they deem it necessary the OS will suddenly become "complete and functional".

 

[jailman]

I just hope windows 10 will be the remedy to disaster wp is ... But the best thing i love about wp is .. Cortana and the keyboard

 

[T Moore]

Stay away from any headsets or ear buds that are made for any Apple product.

 

[Karthik Naik]

are you kidding? IE is much better than safari
on my ipads,safari crashes more than IE on my 720

 

[mj0]

Even when not using Apple EarBuds but a Nokia headset (BH-121) there are a few minor glitches. I've used it in the train yesterday as long as its battery lasted (about 5 hours total I'd say) and found out that when listening to music you have to answer an incoming phone call from the headset in order for bluetooth to remain active during the call.

Let's say I'm listening to music and browsing the web at the same time on my device. With a call coming in I could answer it from the phone but in that case the software is using the built-in speaker & mic instead of my headset. If I answer the call from the headset itself (by pressing the Play-button) the call gets directed to my bluetooth headset instead of the internal mic/speaker. I know that this makes perfect sense when you think about it but it's a bit weird at first.

Other than that I can say that using a bluetooth headset is a very painless experience. The phone connects about a second after I turn the headset on and stays connected without any glitches. There's a noticeable lag between me pressing a button and the phone reacting to it but it's no big deal. The only problem I'm having is that I'd still prefer a normal headset with volume control but other than the overpriced Nokia WH-920 I can't seem to find one that works with Nokia phones.

@macgyverated: do you use some sort of MDM software for your Windows phones? I also work in IT and we're currently using Apple's iPhones due to their excellent management capabilities and support for configuration profiles. Rolling out a new iPhone is a painless process that at this point requires minimal work but we're not happy with Apple's current offerings and are considering trying a different OS but it has to be manageable by some sort of MDM or profiling software for security reasons.

 

[Psichokillah]

There are many PROs and CON's regarding WP and Lumia. I myself have a L630 and it's working wonderful. I switched from Galaxy S3 and it was a maaaaaaaaajor change to functionality, portability, UI, Settings, etc. I managed to keep the love for the phone and now with Developer Preview and most of the settings configured nice, the phone is simply awesome. It's not extremely powerful, but it does the minimum-medium job a smartphone does.

OP, try to get around things and get to know the phone better. You will love it with each day it passes. I am a minimalist guy and I love simplicity. I don't know how do you have problems. I think 90 % of the people on this board had issues when they switched to WP. Know your phone better and learn to understand its ways of working.

Of course there are a ton of things that need improving. Please keep in mind that at the time of release for iOS & Android, everything was a disaster. Windows Phone will get better in time as well as the phones released with this OS.

Peace.

 

[salmanahmad]

Apart from your other concerns. I found IE okay, the only thing I found terrible about it was the tab switching, it took way to long to load the tabs and resume them.

And after Windows Phone 8.1 there are a number of heavy sites that would crash my IE, but I believe that Cyan improved on that.

 

[udupa1982]

I ahve a lumia 920 running on wp 8.1 update and i haven't experienced any of above mentioned issues. I listen to music over Bluetooth all the time and whenever I get a call phone automatically switches over to earpiece from speaker. As far as your experience goes, I think you have an defective handset. Coming to IE , I do find it glitchy and waiting on a stable update and with next version Microsoft will fix it. But I'm sure abt one thing though, I'm not going back to Android as I left that platform 3 years back and have never looked back . coming to iOS, its a nice OS but for me its boring and I hate the hype surrounding iPhone. So, I love WP and waiting for next version of 1020 to come out....

 

[fatclue_98]

I'd hate to see the OP use a BB OS10 device if he can't figure out back/forward swipes on IE. Maybe I'm too old school, or just plain old, but there used to be these little pamphlets that came with products that were called "Instruction Manuals". They were good reading for those who were new to that particular product.