Switching platforms? | Thinking of leaving?...comment here!

[libra89]

Well, after several months of great wailing and gnashing of teeth over my first Note 7 being recalled and then my 2nd Note 7 being recalled I settled in comfortably with the Galaxy S7 Edge. The S7Edge isn't the "carnival" the Note 7 was. The S7Edge is a deluxe daily driver, and I do mean deluxe, but calm and executive like. I love the edge panels and bought 2 more so I don't have to scroll through pages, I can stay in the app I'm in, swipe out the Edge panel 1,2,3,4 and view my apps, pick one, that way while the app I'm in remains on the desktop. The color's brilliant, screen only slightly smaller than the Note 7, and using the browser in horizontal mode NEVER requires that I need the mobile site version. PLUS the browser remembers that I want the full screen. I quite like it.

BUT, I just loaded 14955.1000 on my "mint" condition ICON.

Sooooooo...... Just saying I'm back.

Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

Peace. Alan

Glad that you are liking your Edge!
It's funny that you mention the Icon as your daily toy, I like that haha.


So I got a smartband thing recently and after a week and some days, I didn't wear it yesterday because I didn't want the buzzing notifications of Bluetooth disconnects since I was using the Lumia 550. I didn't know this could happen but I got used to it so not having it track my steps all day and just sleep feels wrong. The Lumia 550 is idealistically my device in size and customization options but not having the app to track my steps, makes it a no go as a daily driver, along with some other things. I like to play with it though daily lol.

Back on the iPhone.

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

Glad that you are liking your Edge!
It's funny that you mention the Icon as your daily toy, I like that haha.


So I got a smartband thing recently and after a week and some days, I didn't wear it yesterday because I didn't want the buzzing notifications of Bluetooth disconnects since I was using the Lumia 550. I didn't know this could happen but I got used to it so not having it track my steps all day and just sleep feels wrong. The Lumia 550 is idealistically my device in size and customization options but not having the app to track my steps, makes it a no go as a daily driver, along with some other things. I like to play with it though daily lol.

Back on the iPhone.

Well, Laura, I guess you don't have the luxury I do of carrying both phones around with you and playing all day long with/at anything you want - but if you just luv that 550 the way I luv my ICON you know you don't need to pay monthly for a sim for it, you can just run it on wifi and do app updates, Insider updates, emails, texts and everything but make calls on it (maybe Skype ?)

Anyway that's tough luck on the smartband and not being able to silence the Bluetooth alarm. Do you HAVE to have Bluetooth set to ON on your phone for other uses. If you really don't maybe Offing it would OFF the alarms from your smartband.

Just keep havin' fun :smile:

Peace. Alan
Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[libra89]

Well, Laura, I guess you don't have the luxury I do of carrying both phones around with you and playing all day long with/at anything you want - but if you just luv that 550 the way I luv my ICON you know you don't need to pay monthly for a sim for it, you can just run it on wifi and do app updates, Insider updates, emails, texts and everything but make calls on it (maybe Skype ?)

Anyway that's tough luck on the smartband and not being able to silence the Bluetooth alarm. Do you HAVE to have Bluetooth set to ON on your phone for other uses. If you really don't maybe Offing it would OFF the alarms from your smartband.

Just keep havin' fun :smile:

Peace. Alan
Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

Haha, I think you meant Libra xd

Carrying two phones doesn't fit my lifestyle, since I like to only have the necessary things. Exactly what you said is what I plan to do. Use it on wifi and update stuff but no Insider, I'm good. I don't think I can do that (silencing the alarm thing unless I turn off the watch altogether). I only use Bluetooth for this smartband. It's weird how we can become attached to stuff in a short amount of time.

I know some might wonder why have the band if it doesn't support Windows 10 Mobile? Well, if someone gives you something nice, you would want to try it right? That's what I did, and I find myself liking the addition to my life, especially for the sleep tracking.

Phones are fun, I don't want to use so much of my energy thinking about shortcomings of the phones I own lol. The irony in all this is that Tapatalk notifications are weak on the iPhone (not there at all on mTalk, aside from private messages), and excellent on Android. :/

 

[jdballard]

Just watched the MS Fall event, and not a single mention of Mobile, not one. Just why do they think people will keep using their phones without any future information going forward?

They don't. As Paul Thurrott has said (love him or hate him, I think on this point he's right): MS is keeping Windows Phone artificially alive until "the next big thing" hits, and they're hoping they can ride the wave of "the next big thing" and maybe mobile will have a place in that. The obvious guess is the next wave will be something like a Continuum dock, but more complete; your phone is your PC, your PC is your phone - no longer having two devices. It will get there, it's really a matter of when. The problem with that is UWP apps haven't taken off as expected, still leaving MS behind if that really is the next big thing. Chromebooks will eventually be as functional as PCs and they have the apps. It may be too late for MS, but that's why they are making themselves into a cloud provider - it's a way to survive. Plus, their cloud can provide the backend for all these apps.

Windows phone is effectively dead, Windows is becoming more and more a niche provider (it'll take years to fully get there, but the Creators Update is anticipating that), and unless MS can get apps for their platform, eventually Android/Chrome will be the major consumer OS. I'm not really sure how Apple fits into the picture, because while they have the mobile OS, they have never had much of a desktop market share and the bit they have MS is going after hard with the Windows 10 Creators Update.

It's fascinating to watch, esp. if you don't get too hung up on platforms and take it personally.

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

Haha, I think you meant Libra xd

Carrying two phones doesn't fit my lifestyle, since I like to only have the necessary things. Exactly what you said is what I plan to do. Use it on wifi and update stuff but no Insider, I'm good. I don't think I can do that (silencing the alarm thing unless I turn off the watch altogether). I only use Bluetooth for this smartband. It's weird how we can become attached to stuff in a short amount of time.

I know some might wonder why have the band if it doesn't support Windows 10 Mobile? Well, if someone gives you something nice, you would want to try it right? That's what I did, and I find myself liking the addition to my life, especially for the sleep tracking.

Phones are fun, I don't want to use so much of my energy thinking about shortcomings of the phones I own lol. The irony in all this is that Tapatalk notifications are weak on the iPhone (not there at all on mTalk, aside from private messages), and excellent on Android. :/

Sorry about the mixup - I get all flustered when I'm around power brokers and I make stupid mistakes like that - really!

Well you have a gen-U-INE quandary there, Libra. There HAS to be a solution. You're right - phones ARE fun and sometimes they become absolutely loved because a model will suit you so well. I've had 2 in the whole history of smartphones - my Palm TREO, then I thought this can never happen again until I got my Lumia ICON, April 2014. At 68, I don't think it'll happen again lol.

Hey, I don't carry 2 phones around - just from the house to the truck and then from the truck to the house. Most guys I know carry a back pack (on one shoulder) just stuffed with 10 year old chargers and micro-usb cables, thumb drives they don't even remember they have, 3 headsets, PNP dvd drive,and god knows what-all. All I have is a messenger bag with an I pad, S7E, ICON and that's it. Appropriate car chargers all live in the car. That's not a lot. I only carry one phone when I go in a store.

I hope you can figure out something for that band - I KNOW a 950XL lol. I love the "Current Insider Release Forums". I'm addicted to them and can't believe all the 950-950XL problems - just unbelievable. Me and my old ICON keep chugging right along.

Peace. Alan
Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

It's fascinating to watch, esp. if you don't get too hung up on platforms and take it personally.

Personally, PERSONALLY ??? I'm so upset I could squish a grape !!! :winktongue:

Peace. Alan
Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

October 26, 2016
Wednesday
​

After five long years with Windows Phone it is with a heavy heart that I switch to an Apple iPhone.

During those years I have stood beside my Windows Phones, even though they weren't perfect, it was memorable. The day I graduated and started adulthood is a lifetime Trophy I'll always remember. The best friend whom I've lost will forever and always be a Titan by my side. I still remember Sea Rays gracefully swimming in aquariums, and the day cupid shot an Arrow through my heart. We laughed at jokes and baked lots of Phi. Sometimes life can feel like a Catwalk, and a glass full of Martini usually helps. And yet here I am now, an adult, living in a city wearing suits and ties, working. A Cityman.

Today marks the last for this chapter, but not the end of the story.

Until next time.

DUDE!!! Nix the suit - BE A WRITER!!!

Peace. Alan
Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[digitaldd]

This is what really P!$$#$ me off but it?s true?THE MICROSOFT APPS REALLY ARE BETTER ON ANDROID (Except Cortana, but it?s not her fault).

I couldn't agree more. If Cortana could be better integrated into Android to the point where it would give me the same kind or reminders and suggestions it does on my Windows 10 computer or on a Windows Phone I could live with Android quite nicely. Google Now or whatever is going to replace it gives me the worst suggestions (well they aren't bad suggestions they just are ill timed or impossible to follow).

 

[tgp]

Chromebooks will eventually be as functional as PCs and they have the apps.

Codeweavers recently released an Android app that is an emulator to run x86 programs on a Chromebook. The Chromebook must be capable of running Android apps, which most of them sold today are. It still is no replacement for all PCs, but it would satisfy the needs of a lot of consumers. In fact, most of the customers of our PC sales and repair department at work use little more than the browser on their PCs.

 

[fpena911]

For the past week I've been straddling the fence between Android and Windows 10 mobile. I bought a Moto G4 and removed the SIM card from my 950. I've been carrying both and thought everything was great with my transition to Android until my drive home yesterday from work.

The issue is that my wife sent me a text message while I was driving. On my 950 Cortana would read it to me and ask if I want to respond. I'd say yes and she would note what I said, repeat it, and send it upon my request. With Android it reads the message but that's it! Now I can ask Google to then send a text to someone but it doesn't necessarily reply. And when it does that it doesn't read it back to me to make sure it captured it correctly.

I did some research online and found that some apps are supposed to handle this. I downloaded "ReadItToMe" and it missed some of my texts coming in and just didn't feel as integrated as Cortana did on W10M.

So am I missing something or is this an example of something Windows does handle with superior ease? Everything else in my transition has been fine but this one really bugs me.

 

[Joe920]

If Cortana could be better integrated into Android to the point where it would give me the same kind or reminders and suggestions it does on my Windows 10 computer or on a Windows Phone I could live with Android quite nicely.

For me another problem is that I can't stop Cortana from yelling reminders at me in Android. MS have it set up such that reminders are spoken out loud, and no option to disable that afaik. At least that's how it works on my Fire Phone (don't laugh) if the media volume is not at zero. That could be embarrassing in meetings..

The issue is that my wife sent me a text message while I was driving. On my 950 Cortana would read it to me and ask if I want to respond. I'd say yes and she would note what I said, repeat it, and send it upon my request

That's definitely a nice feature of WP that I forgot about. I've added it to my ever growing list of where WP competes or excels over the other two main players.

 

[tgp]

on my Fire Phone (don't laugh)

I laughed! :winktongue: I actually bought one of these when they were being dumped. I bought it, claimed the one year of Amazon Prime that came with it, and resold the phone. I sold it for almost what I paid for it, and got the Prime which I pay for anyway.

That's definitely a nice feature of WP that I forgot about. I've added it to my ever growing list of where WP competes or excels over the other two main players.

I'm not sure what's up with responding to text messages. My Nexus 6P does it just fine. I've used pretty much only Nexus devices for the last several years so I cannot speak for other phones.

 

[Joe920]

I laughed! :winktongue: I actually bought one of these when they were being dumped. I bought it, claimed the one year of Amazon Prime that came with it

I did the same, but installed Google Play on it and kept it. It's a nice way to keep an eye on what's available and possible on the Android front. The main reason I didn't switch to it is the fact that the camera is so much worse than those of the 1020, 1520, 950XL. That, and because it has 'only' 32GB and no expandable storage.

I'm not sure what's up with responding to text messages. My Nexus 6P does it just fine. I've used pretty much only Nexus devices for the last several years so I cannot speak for other phones.

So can you set it up such that you hear the incoming message out loud, and can you then respond to it without touching the phone, and get an audio preview of the response before sending?

 

[tgp]

I did the same, but installed Google Play on it and kept it. It's a nice way to keep an eye on what's available and possible on the Android front. The main reason I didn't switch to it is the fact that the camera is so much worse than those of the 1020, 1520, 950XL. That, and because it has 'only' 32GB and no expandable storage.

I installed the Play Store on mine too in the little bit I had it. It actually turned it into a half decent Android device. I flashed it back to stock though before selling it.

So can you set it up such that you hear the incoming message out loud, and can you then respond to it without touching the phone, and get an audio preview of the response before sending?

The only thing it will not do it read the message automatically. But I can say, "OK Google, read my last text message(s)." It will say who it's from, and ask me if I want to hear it or skip it (the options vary based on whether I ask for "last message" or "last messages"). If I ask to hear it, Google Now will read it, and then ask if I want to reply, repeat, or go on to the next one. Again, the options vary based on if any are in the queue. Everything is 100% hands free.

If I reply, after the text is created it asks if I want to send it or change it. It does not ask for an audio preview. However, I can say "hear it" and it will read it to me.

Another cool thing is you can ask to hear the last text message, or the last text messages. You can also ask for the last text message from a specific contact. I can say, "Read the last text message from my wife's contact name." Or I can say my wife, even though her contact name is her real name. It will say when it was received, and then read it.

 

[anon(6078578)]

I'm so upset I could squish a grape !!! :winktongue:

Hmm where I have I heard a similar phrase before? :wink:

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

Hmm where I have I heard a similar phrase before? :wink:

Only place I've ever heard it was my mom.

Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[anon(6078578)]

Only place I've ever heard it was my mom.

Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

I don't know if you're British but there was a comedian in the 80s whose catchphrase was "Ooh! I could crush a grape" :grin:

 

[Shamshi-Adad]

I don't know if you're British but there was a comedian in the 80s whose catchphrase was "Ooh! I could crush a grape" :grin:

No British, I'm French. Google = Stu Fancis, Game show host; Ooh, I could crush a grape.
I didn't do tv during 70s and 80s - I was all music.

Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

 

[anon(6078578)]

No British, I'm French. Google = Stu Fancis, Game show host; Ooh, I could crush a grape.
I didn't do tv during 70s and 80s - I was all music.

Galaxy S7E [ MM6.01 ] Daily Driver :smile:
Lumia ICON [ 14955.1000 ] Daily Toy :winktongue:

Just that I've never heard anyone else use that term before and hence wondered if there was a connection. Obviously not though :grin:

Anyway back to usual programming on this channel as they say...

 

[libra89]

Just watched a follow up video of a certain guy on YouTube who spent 2k for his Apple Experiment, and that video went viral, which was how I found him originally. Anyway, so he got the iPhone 7 and the comments are nuts. The strong loyalty that a good amount of people have towards one or the other is kind of disturbing since they are bashing his review, and the general platform with so much hate.

Why are some of us like this? It's one thing if it is a joke, but another to just completely bash like Google and/or Apple is paying you to bash the competition. I just don't get it. I was a hard core Windows loyalist, yes, but I can't recall if I was so mean about someone's choice to use a platform. All have pros and cons, it's just a matter of what the individual is OK with.