Questions about WP8 (thinking about coming from Android)

[Nategreat]

I've had an Android for over two years and just made the switch to WP8 a few weeks ago. I was interested in the OS but my main motivations were the phone and price so I would say I switched in spite of the phone having WP8.

For the first couple of days I had alarm bells going off in my head and was regretting my decision. It almost felt like I had just gotten married and suddenly realized I didn't like the person at all.

BUT, after a few days with the phone I will say without a doubt that it is the best OS on a phone. I am fully into the Google ecosystem and was able to integrate fully and easily so I don't understand that argument. There may be some apps I will find out I miss but so far I am a very happy and converted camper.

WP8 seems to take the best of both worlds. It has a clean standardized OS that makes it faster and less bloated but still gives you a more open platform with some customization.

Music is lacking for sure. Xbox music is horrid and spotify isn't available, nor is Google music or Amazon mp3. It's honestly ridiculous that Xbox music is the only option but there it is.

That is the only real drawback I've experienced. I say make the plunge!

 

[a5cent]

You can dream!

I like to think I'm doing a bit more than just dreaming :smile:

You can't judge an OS and predict it's long term success based solely on what you see bubbling up to the UI. Not because that is unimportant, but because that can change within six months.

What is important lies beneath the surface, for example:

• The cost of developing an Android device vs. a WP device (the time required and the cost of adapting Symbian to each of Nokia's devices is what destroyed it... Android is similar)
• How well an OS is optimized to run on low-end/low-price hardware (you can't tell if all you've ever owned were mid- to high-end Android devices)
• How low-end devices are sold by each manufacturer into developing markets, and what role carriers and governments play.

These things (and a great many others) are what make or break an OS long term, because they can't change quickly. Compared to Android, WP holds a better position in most of these area's. Unfortunately, in the user experience department, WP is still only half baked, but as I said, that can change comparatively quickly.

Of course that point where I expect WP to make its market share grab is still quite a ways off, and much can change in that time. Now, where did I leave my crystal ball?

Note that this has nothing to do with Android failing or going away. Faltering is the term people are using. Those are not the same things. I'm also not necessarily rooting for Android to fail *. My interest in predictions stems only from being invested in the stock market.

* Edit: Ok, I take that back. I don't like Android. From my developers point of view the concepts around which Android is organized makes it look like a Chevy Chevette with a Ferrari motor, whereas WP looks like a Fisker Karma.

 

[halimaw96]

Its good that your buyers remorse has disappeared! WP8 has a lot of potential, it just needs those bugs fixed. I personally wish I could've gone with android instead, but what's done is done, and I'm in love with Nokia's design aesthetic.

On the whole android faltering thing, until the open-source war coming this year gives birth to another dominant open sourced OS, its definitely not going away.

 

[eric12341]

I've had an Android for over two years and just made the switch to WP8 a few weeks ago. I was interested in the OS but my main motivations were the phone and price so I would say I switched in spite of the phone having WP8.

For the first couple of days I had alarm bells going off in my head and was regretting my decision. It almost felt like I had just gotten married and suddenly realized I didn't like the person at all.

BUT, after a few days with the phone I will say without a doubt that it is the best OS on a phone. I am fully into the Google ecosystem and was able to integrate fully and easily so I don't understand that argument. There may be some apps I will find out I miss but so far I am a very happy and converted camper.

WP8 seems to take the best of both worlds. It has a clean standardized OS that makes it faster and less bloated but still gives you a more open platform with some customization.

Music is lacking for sure. Xbox music is horrid and spotify isn't available, nor is Google music or Amazon mp3. It's honestly ridiculous that Xbox music is the only option but there it is.

That is the only real drawback I've experienced. I say make the plunge!

How is Xbox music horrid? Besides the syncing experience (tho I've had no problems). I love being able to pull down just about any song I want and listen to it without opening an app or without buying it.

 

[TechAbstract]

I've had an Android for over two years and just made the switch to WP8 a few weeks ago. I was interested in the OS but my main motivations were the phone and price so I would say I switched in spite of the phone having WP8.

For the first couple of days I had alarm bells going off in my head and was regretting my decision. It almost felt like I had just gotten married and suddenly realized I didn't like the person at all.

BUT, after a few days with the phone I will say without a doubt that it is the best OS on a phone. I am fully into the Google ecosystem and was able to integrate fully and easily so I don't understand that argument. There may be some apps I will find out I miss but so far I am a very happy and converted camper.

WP8 seems to take the best of both worlds. It has a clean standardized OS that makes it faster and less bloated but still gives you a more open platform with some customization.

Music is lacking for sure. Xbox music is horrid and spotify isn't available, nor is Google music or Amazon mp3. It's honestly ridiculous that Xbox music is the only option but there it is.

That is the only real drawback I've experienced. I say make the plunge!

Amazing Music and Graffiti Radio are awesome music apps. You should try them. Amazing Music lets you search any song you want to play and you could cache them to play offline. Graffiti Radio is as close as a paid version of Pandora as you can get. It has unlimited song skipping, full lyrics, and no commercial.

 

[Ben Lehtovaara]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are long time Android users...well I am (I actually used to own an HTC Surround for a while)

First off, why am I thinking about switching? Well, I have been kind of bored with Android, I think Verizon is most to blame, I could get the Droid DNA (I like the design and hardware) but it's full of bloat, and sense is dated. I have been ROMing since the OG Droid and frankly, I'm tired of it. My girlfriend wants to come to WP8 because she likes the simplified experience - though she might be a bit more oblivious to what she might miss out on which is why I am here.

I am on Verizon (so naturally the 8x is my choice) and she is on AT&T (I want her to go Lumia 920 but I think she is leaning to the 8x)

I already know that the core app experience (mail, calendar, texting, browsing, performance) is great - That, I have no problems with.

I guess you can call this an "App" thread - but I need to ask these questions to make sure I am making the right choices.

Let's assume I get the HTC 8x (which seems to be lacking some of the important features the Lumia has)

What do I do for turn by turn navigation? (App choices)

How has your experience been with WP8? Did you switch from Android?

How is the battery life in general?

How is the Microsoft Wallet experience?

Do you experience reboots/crashes/freezes?

Is there anything you miss from Android that there is no equivalent for?

Thanks for your help,
This is more for my Girlfriend than myself - I think I'd be happy with Windows phone 8 considering that I own a Surface, W8 desktop, and Xbox 360 - converting wont be too difficult, but my girlfriend is a bit different, she is still looking for her ecosystem - and I rather have her stay with Google than go back to Apple.

I'll start by saying that there is a Lumia 920 variant coming to Verizon soon so you do have options. I LOVE the Lumia 920's industrial design, specs, and features. The camera especially still blows my mind. but...

I think I would recommend the 8X for you both simply because it has far superior build quality. Pop over to the Lumia 920 forum and you will see all the threads about constant warranty replacements due to silly issues: Proximity sensor failing, reboots, mysterious battery drain, creaking/clicking body, dust in the camera lens. Personally, between my wife and I, we will soon be on our 5th and 6th lumia 920's after all the warranty replacements. Nokia has some serious manufacturing issues to resolve.

For turn by turn navigation Nokia Drive+ and Nokia maps is exceptional. Drive+ will now be available on an 8X as well. I haven't found any issues compared to google maps from my iPhone 4.

I switched from an iPhone 4 and am in love with the operating system. It feels so much more mature. Operation is fast and fluid, menus are all very intuitive, multi-tasking (while still not perfectly intuitive) is light years ahead of Android/iPhone, and you already know how amazing the core app experience is (skydrive etc.) I felt like my iPhone was like a toy with all the bubbly icons and the layered menus were just terrible. I haven't used Android but it is just so very derivative from iOS that I never felt the need to try. If google didn't give android away for free, they would be buried in patent litigation from Apple for all the stuff that is just carbon copied over. Widgets and just a confusing addition that tries to mask it.

I can't comment directly on battery life with the 8X but I will say you have to be a bit careful in WP8 with your background apps. Remember that you push back while in an app to close it and the windows button to switch and keep it running. If you just push the windows key all the time you will have all your apps running which can occasionally lead to unexpected battery drain.

I haven't used the wallet on my Lumia 920 very much at all because I don't really see what it is for. I suppose I can say the same for Google wallet. It keeps my payment information (credit card/paypal) under a PIN lock and I think I can manually add barcodes for loyalty card but i think that is it. We all know that there is still no infrastructure for NFC payment which is supposed to be the point of the whole "mobile phone wallet" app. In Canada at least, banks just released debit/credit cards with NFC-type chips but they NEVER work. Every cashier is astonished when you ask to use it and it never works.... I don't even foresee a time when using my phones NFC will actually work based on this preliminary evidence. What does google wallet do thats different?

I have experienced one freeze which I had to perform a hard reboot to shake off. Nothing since. Pretty sure Portico fixed all those issues.

Can't really comment on anything else related to Android.

Overall, I would highly recommend WP8. Its an amazing OS experience. Just the mere ability to customize the start screen any way you want it SO much fun. Good-bye kiddy app icons, I can now pin ANYTHING to my start screen: photos, people, social networks, recipes, albums, songs, and the list goes on. My brother who is an avid android user sometimes makes comments about being able to confuse your phone with someone elses and it now makes me laugh... my start screen is so personalized it makes me smile every time I turn my phone on.

As for the overall app experience I think its coming along quite well. I've never been an avid app user to be honest, coming from my iPhone I could never really find many apps that were useful. On WP8 I have found quite a bit more. I think its probably driven by how much better the store experience is. Much easier to find popular/new apps and everything is presented in such a cleaner way.