Phone Reviews.

[TaliZorah]

Does it bug anybody else how phone reviews work?

It seems like the iPhone can never do any wrong no matter how far behind it is in technology or how overpriced it is.

The first iPhone didn't even have 3G but 3G had been out for a while. Nobody cared though. The phone was still perfect. Ever since then the iPhone has only been 3G despite 4G being around since it announced it's past two models.

Same thing with the first iPhone not having a camera that could take video. How long had camera's that could record video been around on phones before the iPhone? Years.

The average person doesn't know how to change the battery or doesn't want to void their warranty. Also there is no expandable memory.

However I read these reviews on Windows Phones and people always knock them for the fact that you can't expand the memory. Or if you can, then it just adds it to the system memory and you have to do a phone reset. I say hey! At least some of them can add it. And even if they can't the precious iPhone can't either so why is this a knock? It's for security and it works with the OS.

For the first gen of Windows Phones and the OS to actually be as sophisticated as it is is great! I don't know of any OS that has multiple different devices (with different hardware / brands) running the same OS that all got the same OS update (eventually). That's a pretty big feat that went largely un-noticed. The WP7 devices have had top of the line or at least very close to top of the line hardware with all the standard features with 3G when 3G has been acceptable. Now 4G already. Cameras are standard and always have been. 1Ghz processor minimum which is very acceptable right now.

I don't know, maybe I am just being whiny and bias but Microsoft isn't making the most simplistic phone ever and SLOWLY adding features and charging the price for a new phone 7 months later. Their phones right off the bat are up to standards and the second gen is seeing 4G and front facing cameras.

/rant.

 

[ilifecomputer]

Nope. Im a wp7 fan coming from using a little webos and ios and I think the iphone praise is warranted. Its a great phone. I agree with you about wp7 being good though. In fact the single core choice makes me happy for batterys sake and the rollouts of updates are indeed impressive.

I am falling in love with live tiles and the low memory imprint of wp7 in general but I still wish I could take the 4s camera and put it into my windows phone. Or some of those apps. To me, the truth is that each different phone might float the boat of different people in varied ways. The iphone is a killer device and i dont think anything hardwarewise on it has ever been outdated at release.

Still im happy to be part of the wp7 community!! Getting a titan this sunday and I cant wait.

 

[TaliZorah]

I am not really saying that the iPhone praise isn't warranted. What I am saying is that reviewers don't really care that it doesn't have expandable memory, removable battery, 4G... etc. However other phones (even android phones) will get knocks from the reviewers if they are missing those features. It's just that if the iPhone is missing those features its OK.

 

[ilifecomputer]

Valid. Maybe its that those devices have set that bar already and they are expected to have them? I know ive seen those criticisms of apple in some older reviews. Maybe just not in their current refresh.

 

[TaliZorah]

Valid. Maybe its that those devices have set that bar already and they are expected to have them? I know ive seen those criticisms of apple in some older reviews. Maybe just not in their current refresh.

It just leaves people who want the latest and greatest or who are researching phones in the dark. I mean I can watch a review of a WP7 and an Android and hear about no removable memory for WP7 or no 4G for this new android phone etc etc. Yet those are some issues that correlate to the iPhone but they either won't be mentioned or they WILL be talked about but they will be talked about like "that's expected so it's all gravy and no big deal."

Again, I feel like just a ranting bias anti-phone reviewer right now but thats how I see it.

 

[Pronk]

On the flipside, there was the absurd mess about antennagate - something all phones do. In fact, I can cut calls off entirely by holding my Mozart the wrong way. Plus Apple do get regularly flamed for things people really don't care about, such as it being a closed system and (bar jailbreaking) uncustomisable - both equally true but I've yet to see a review anywhere complain about those aspects with regard to WP7.

What really bugs me is that the elegance of usability and level of maintenance needed rarely comes up in reviews. WP7 (and to be fair, iOS) would be huge winners on this and it's something of interest to average users - but no, all Android reviews ever go on about is (in best Clarkson voice) POOOOWWEEERRRRRRRRR!