Let the grand WebOS migration of 2011 commence!

[Useraid]

As many of you will have heard, HP effectively rang the death knell for the WebOS platform today by announcing a discontinuation of the hardware.

Personally I resolved to switch in July, after witnessing the sub-par Touchpad 'launch' which was a good litmus indicator for the future it seems. It was not until a few days ago i cancelled my pre 3 pre-order though, when it began shipping out in the UK so feel relieved I am not stuck with a DOA brick like my pre-,+, and 2 before it.

It is likely that many will abandon the sinking ship now, if they had not done so already, no doubt most will flock to Android and iOS but quite a few at Precentral also mention WP7. I am certainly hoping that more will join this forum and up the activity level a bit, as it seems quite bereft of posts here especially compared to the frenetic levels seen at P|C.

I'm just waiting for the new wave to come out before making a purchase, can't come soon enough as having to use half busted WM 6.5 handset at the moment that drops calls.

 

[Quills#WP]

migratory member here...why should I choose wp? Not doing iOS, but considering droid (feels so clunky compared to webOS though). What wp devices should I demo?

 

[justop26]

When I read the news after my Radiology class I felt two things:

1. Sad, because I really wanted webOS to succeed. It looked amazing and from what I had seen, it was probably one of the best OSes out there, next to WP7.

2. Relieved, because just a couple months ago I was deciding between a Pre 2 and a Focus. Android and iPhone were (and still are) too expensive. I'm glad I made the right choice. Bonus: I almost jumped on the 32 GB TouchPad last week, so I'm 2x relieved.

I really hope webOS users come to WP7, because I feel they will like it. I also really hope some of the Medical Apps developers (of which I know there are many, since I used to read the PreCentral forums) come to develop for WP7. We need all the developers we can get!

--------------

@Quills

I recommend my Focus, hands down. It's inexpensive now, light and has a great screen. I haven't tried others, but for the screen alone I chose mine (it's also really thin and light and the camera is superb).

Others will most probably recommend getting one of the new wave of phones. I got mine as a stop-gap between my N8 and my next great phone, but ended loving it. For real.

 

[HeyCori]

migratory member here...why should I choose wp? Not doing iOS, but considering droid (feels so clunky compared to webOS though). What wp devices should I demo?

Demo the

Samsung Focus
Dell Venue Pro
HTC HD7s

Then buy one of the newer WP7 phones that are coming out in a few months.

 

[Felipe#WP]

Then buy one of the newer WP7 phones that are coming out in a few months.

soon to be an ex-webOS user (sniff sniff), and I was wondering should I wait for mango?

I was ready to jump from sprint for a pre3, but not am likely to stay. what do ppl think of the arrive and will it be able to run mango? will it even get it?

wow: love my retro avatar and sig.

 

[thed]

MS has promised that all of the current phones will get Mango. In fact, there are people here running the Mango beta on the Arrive. But if you can hold out I would wait, since a new wave of handsets will be coming with Mango.

 

[Useraid]

I've used Android before (had it before webOS in 2008) so know it isn't for me. Also tried a recent flavour on sensation a few days ago and it still feels unintuitive and cluttered. WP7 looks like the right balance between user information and UI next to webOS, and hopefully notifications will get better too.

One thing I'll miss is the blinking led notification on the pres, pity most windows phones don't seem to have anything to tell you you need to wake up the phone from afar.

 

[foosball]

. what do ppl think of the arrive and will it be able to run mango? will it even get it?
.

Switched from a Pre Plus and I couldn't be happier. The Arrive is a solid phone with a great keyboard which I would think most webOS fans would understand. That being said I wouldn't get it on contract at this point. Pick one up on Craigslist and wait for some new phones to come to market. Enjoy the ride!

Sent from my HTC Arrive using Board Express

 

[foosball]

One thing I'll miss is the blinking led notification on the pres, pity most windows phones don't seem to have anything to tell you you need to wake up the phone from afar.

I just pulled my Pre out today to get some info from it and that blinking notification light was staring at me. I do miss it but for most cases the vibrate function has been a stop gap measure.

Sent from my HTC Arrive using Board Express

 

[Bballbenb]

Welcome all the WebOS users! Hope you choose WP as your phone. You wont be sad. The current phones are all great but TRUST me, new phones will be released with mango. I am not certain on what brands, but they will be and you wont want to miss out..

 

[Dave Blake]

Bring them on! All are welcome here I think you will like WP as a matter of fact I'm betting on it.

 

[dvigilante1]

Sprint Pre user here. I've already decided to make the switch to WP once I saw a couple of Mango vids with the HTC HD7s a couple of weeks back. Microsoft is actually making a nice push with their OS. I plan to pickup Asus transformer 2 (windows) with a mango phone this Fall. Hopefully sprint will get off their android butts and pickup 4" WP phone. Right now there's only the Arrive. Don't like that design and not willing to shed $200 for that phone.

 

[GekkoAce]

Move to WP7 and you won't overpay and be locked into Mac and you won't have to worry about your phone secretly passing all your info to who knows who (google/malware).

Sent from my Samsung Focus using WP7!

 

[sweet greggo]

Sprint Pre user here, and a diehard fan of webOS. I too was ready to jump ship to ATT to get a Pre3 but it looks like it's not coming to the US. :/

So if webOS phones and tablets are dead then WP is the place I want to be. I liked WP when I first saw it, but I was already smitten with webOS. Well I'm a PC user and have an Xbox, WP seems like it would be a perfect fit. Plus I really like what I've seen of Mango.

I'll probably switch in a month or so depending on what HP ultimately does with webOS. I know nothing of hardware news on WP. I see Sprint has the Arrive which looks nice but I'm wary of first gen hardware. What's the rumor on the new stuff? Anything coming for Sprint? Is there a "killer" handset people are chomping at the bit for?

 

[red grenadine]

Sprint Pre user here, and a diehard fan of webOS. I too was ready to jump ship to ATT to get a Pre3 but it looks like it's not coming to the US. :/

So if webOS phones and tablets are dead then WP is the place I want to be. I liked WP when I first saw it, but I was already smitten with webOS. Well I'm a PC user and have an Xbox, WP seems like it would be a perfect fit. Plus I really like what I've seen of Mango.

I'll probably switch in a month or so depending on what HP ultimately does with webOS. I know nothing of hardware news on WP. I see Sprint has the Arrive which looks nice but I'm wary of first gen hardware. What's the rumor on the new stuff? Anything coming for Sprint? Is there a "killer" handset people are chomping at the bit for?

Nokia Sea-Ray is probably the "killer" handset, but that will probably be for GSM bands. The Samsung Galaxy II variant for WP7 a tie or close second.

Not quite sure on the CDMA pipeline.

We'll know for sure what the lineup for all carriers looks like this fall

 

[MrMobile]

First post.

webOS was the only platform I was ever truly excited about. I still remember the moment I realized I was a Palm ****** back in 2009, and how great it felt to be part of that excellent community of tight-knit underdogs. I've owned the Pre, Pre2, Veer, and TouchPad. I was looking forward to a new dawn of webOS.

So, needless to say, today was a hard day. Shocked, angry, and saddened, I got myself down to the AT&T store and snapped up a Samsung Focus, and I've been learning it.

So far: it's not webOS, but I like it for what it is. WP7 has some really good ideas.

 

[Pronk]

Ok, here's my 2p's worth. I used to own an iPhone 4. Loved it, happy with iOS (once jailbroken) but two things bugged me:

1. after having an iPhone of some sort for the best part of 4 years I have to admit I fancied a change (and having an iPad I knew I wouldn't lose any of my app investment).
2. I'm self employed, and that iPhone 4 was worth a lot of money when I knew there were devices that could do the same job for a lot less.

So after trying my wife's Palm Pixi and being very impressed with WebOS, I bought a Pre 2. I was happy with WebOS but disappointed with the lack of apps and bugged by the hardware - the screen was just too low res for me, and turns out I didn't like slide-out keyboards. So I decided the Pre 2 wasn't for me.

At this point I wasn't sure what to do next. I knew already I didn't want an Android phone as I find them too counterintuitive, and going back to an iPhone would basically get me back to square 1, so I thought I'd at least give WP7 a try. That was 3 months ago, and I'm an absolute convert. It's a lovely OS, elegant and simple to use and quick and responsive with it. Coming from the WebOS app store there are a TON more apps available (and there'll be a lot more post-mango launch), and the selection of hardware should keep most people happy.

So my unbiased recommendation for any migrating WebOS users looking to switch to a usable, elegant OS would be:

Money & contract time is no object: wait a month or so, then pick a jailbroken iPhone 5 or top-end mango phone (Samsung Galaxy S2 variant, HTC's new model or the Nokia Sea-Ray)

Money is an issue/off contract but want to switch now: A current-gen WP7 phone (from eBay if buying outright) or a jailbroken iPhone 3GS/4 (again from eBay if buying outright, but bear in mind in a month or so the 3GS model while cheaper will be two generations old!)

Contract is up and you have to switch now: A current-gen WP7 phone but try them first to get the best "fit" for you as you'll be tied to it for a while (the spec. of most WP7 phones is similar, but there *is* variation - e.g. best screen is the Samsung AMOLED, best camera is on the 8 MP HTC Mozart etc.) or a jailbroken iPhone 4.

I honestly think that if you're a WebOS user or an iOS user or a WP7 user you can flip between the three without too much of a learning curve because while they all have their quirks, they're all systems designed around the user and designed well. Android is a whole different kettle of fish though because it's so open: there are the issues of market fragmentation meaning you can't be sure what apps will run, you have to find a UI that suits you (and that UI might not be on the hardware you like, or you may have to buy a different launcher/install a custom ROM), the fact it blitzes batteries, poor memory management on lower-end phones, the threat of malware from the marketplace, the need to root to just be able to delete preloaded crud on your phone etc.

 

[wellsmanfu]

I loved WebOS when I had my original Pre back when it first launched. My only complaints were hardware related, the OS was great. But I had to move on and eventually got the Arrive a couple of months ago. It's great and you won't be sorry. Good hardware and the OS is great as well. But i agree that if y'all that are on sprint get a WP7 phone, either get an arrive on craigslist or ebay and wait for mango devices, or just wait for mango phones. The arrive will get mango, I have it on mine now and it runs perfectly, but I want the new hardware when it comes out. Already saving my nickles and dimes for a new phone!

It's a sickness that I'm sure most people here will understand

 

[Shobiz]

After yesterday's news, I put my Pre- to rest. I went to Best Buy and got the HTC Arrive for $50.00.

Here are my initials thoughts after one night:

I miss WebOS. The main thing I miss is the phone search or what webOS2.0 called "Just Type". WP7 needs that now! I know I can press the people or app tab and search, that's just an extra step that I don't want to do. Also, WebOS is still king of notifications, I love the Icons popping up and taking you to the app. Another thing, when text messaging and chatting, I like the contacts picture to show. So far that's it. As far as apps, WP7 has everything covered. I'm just looking for a Twitter App that can hang with Carbon.

 

[smartpatrol]

First post.

webOS was the only platform I was ever truly excited about. I still remember the moment I realized I was a Palm ****** back in 2009, and how great it felt to be part of that excellent community of tight-knit underdogs. I've owned the Pre, Pre2, Veer, and TouchPad. I was looking forward to a new dawn of webOS.

So, needless to say, today was a hard day. Shocked, angry, and saddened, I got myself down to the AT&T store and snapped up a Samsung Focus, and I've been learning it.

So far: it's not webOS, but I like it for what it is. WP7 has some really good ideas.

As a former Pre owner (Pre->Evo->HD7), it's definitely sad to see webOS fail. Its approach to multitasking/task switching just blows away the competition. I liked having the ability to open up whatever apps I want, switch back and forth, and deliberately close them by swiping the card off the top of the screen (not to mention the gesture itself was fun! it's like physically throwing it out when you're done). Thankfully, WP7 Mango is using a very similar system. It's not true multitasking because apps are suspended/resumed rather than running in the background. This approach is actually a lot better for battery life/performance, and it's amazing how quickly apps resume. Check out Real Multitasking on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango DFT 7714 ROM - YouTube and see how quickly a 3D, graphically-intensive game can resume!

I also loved the threaded messaging system that lets you switch between SMS and various messaging networks. This is another feature that Mango borrows from webOS. You can use the Messaging hub to seamlessly chat through SMS, Facebook Chat, and Windows Live Messenger.

Some things that I still miss from webOS:
- touchstone charger! That thing was so freaking cool.
- notifications. WP7's are somewhat similar, but webOS still does them better than anybody IMO
- the little LED notification light on the front

BTW WP7 completely blows away Android in everything I've mentioned.

At any rate, hope you're enjoying WP7, and welcome to the boards!