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

[chmun77]

Re: Another goodbye topic... But with good feedback!

View attachment 119029

Been on Windows since HTC Touch with Windows Mobile 6.0, and today I made the switch. My bank no longer supports Windows 10 Mobile and there are no plans for supports. It is one of the biggest banks in the country.

I love the OS so much, and I am not a fan of iOS but as soon as I starter using my new iPhone, I realised: I am not missing anything. Hubs? Gone. Cortana? Got siri. Here Maps? Got it too. Office and Skype? Better now! Tiles? Got weather, calendar and whatsapp on the action center like menu.

I also can mobile bank now! Everywhere I want! And Hearthstone, Snapchat, app of my work, oh and Whatsapp updates so often. And Facebook works great! I can see stuff in subgroups like my universities and react on reactions!

I miss the keyboard, glance and the beautiful gui of Windows 10 though. Always hoped that 8.0 would change everything. Nope. 8.1? Nope. 10? Nope. Such a great OS, but Microsoft is letting it bleed out. And Windows Phone will always be special for me! I will keep on following the progress and hopefully one day return. Really hope so. Good bye, and thanks for the great ride!

*will keep my 640 XL to keep an eye on the progress of Windows*

Nice points there!

Just like you, I'm still having the 640 XL around just to be updated with windows 10 mobile. Switched over to iPhone 6s+ since early October. Not missing anything from windows phone at all. Tiles was nothing to me but only some sort of square / rectangular app shortcuts. I don't see how "lively" they were at all. I don't wait for them to flip over in order to read about the latest stuffs - I simply launch respective app and get information from them.

Banking and regional apps are no longer an issue now with iOS. Enjoying Clash of Clans which is still missing till now on Windows phone. Like you said, apps are updated so promptly on iOS - Facebook, Messenger, Whatsapp, Flipboard, Instagram, MS Office suits, LINE, Here maps, Google services, Transport services apps, official Pocket app, etc etc.... I find that even the CityMapper app on iOS is so much better than Here Transit when I was on windows phone.

Running latest W10M build on my 640XL. The user experience? "Meh" is the word. App updates are a nightmare on windows store -- all the Pending and error nonsense. Even the latest Facebook Beta app is crap as compared to the official ones on Android / iOS. To make things worse, the camera photo quality on W10M is totally rubbish!

Am I going back to Windows Phone if W10M managed to take off in the future? A big NO. I will rather jump to Android than going back to windows phone. To make things even more gloomy - using Office via Continuum will require subscriptions to Office 365 starting next April. There is no more perks for staying with Windows phone platform. Glad that I have left this pathetic platform fast enough.

 

[cracgor]

Re: Off to Nexus Land

I switched about 2 weeks ago now to an LG V10. I had been with Windows Phone for 5 years (HTC Trophy, Lumia 1520, Lumia 640). I ended up buying a 950XL and returned it within 2-3 days because it did not support visual voicemail, could not support installing apps on the USB card, couldn't get emails to load pictures, had multiple restarts for no reason, and the back of the phone was creaking. The price I paid to beta test that phone angered me enough to open my eyes to the missing features and apps on the platform. I settled on the LG V10 because the camera is really better than the 950 in a lot of ways.

My experience on Android Phone:

The negative:
1) There really isn't as good a function to read texts when I use a bluetooth headset. I never really used this feature except sometimes when running, but in general found it annoying and cumbersome. I do not use it to text and drive either.
2) Waiting on an update to Marshmallow, but I have no problems with Lollipop.
3) Battery is not as good as my 1520, but after 6 hours use I do have 81% right now.
4) Playing music in my car is not as easy as it was on windows phone...though I'm currently using groove and have no music downloaded to my phone. Once I change this, I may have a different experience. The problem is just that it won't turn on the music automatically.
5) Drive mode (that blocks phone calls and texting) is better on Windows Phone. ATT's drive mode app doesn't turn off correctly all the time since it uses speed and not bluetooth to turn on.

The positive:
1) Camera is phenomenal with manual controls for video, Laser focus, and better quality.
2) Apps. I have a couple new apps that I use often and couldn't on Windows Phone like HBO GO and Xfinity TV/Remote. More shocking is how bad a lot of the apps I frequently used are on Windows Phone. Kindle is awesome on Android with built in dictionary and more functionality. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram all update more regularly and give appropriate notifications. Facebook in particular helps me by suggesting things to post and allows a lot of functions I was having to go to the browser for.
3) IR Remote! That is awesome. I can control my TV, Cable Box, etc without having to look for a remote.
4) Multiple window support. I didn't realize Android phones can support two windows at the same time. very useful.
5) Apps do not crash when reloading them wiping out the information I was filling in. I cannot tell you the number of times I would switch to a text message or web page to copy information and when I switched back, the original page had blanked out.
6) I have a clipboard that I can switch through multiple copied texts or images.
7) Android pay is a good function and loads faster than my WP wallet experience. Plus I can finally NFC to pay.

The surprises from preconceived notions
1) I really don't use live tiles and think they get in the way of seeing my background. They are more cluttered looking than icons. They are less cluttered looking than widgets. Widgets are more useful as they are interactive.
2) The notifications section on android is better than windows phone's and replaces live tiles easily.
3) Android is not unstable at all in my use. I have no crashes.
4) Windows Edge/Explorer browser is so bad. I have no problems really loading webpages anymore. I had so many before.
5) Fingerprint scanner is much better than iris scanner. I push the button on the back of my phone and it unlocks as soon as it turns on...presto. I can even unlock the phone from any position. I have options to have a knock pattern, which also works well.
6) A lot of stuff I thought was innovated by Windows Phone is the same as exists on Android Lollipop and maybe older. The one that really comes to mind is shrinking the screen so I can type one handed.

 

[dlcpa]

Couldn't Wait

My Galaxy Note 2 died two days ago and I needed to get a phone really fast. I like to buy phone through AT&T because it gives me one extra level of service. I thought I would be able to use my SD Card to repopulate the new phone but that's not so simple if the phone is gone. The SD Card repopulates empty phones if they take SD cards. The rest you have to do phone to phone with a wire and Smart Switch software.

So, I have these 4500 Contacts that needed to be transferred, plus text messages. The rest is no great loss. Pictures and music were on the SD card but those could be used again. So, I uploaded all my contacts from my MS Office 10 Outlook (not exactly the same as the phone contacts because a few times I forgot to email the vcf file to my domain email acct) to my Live.com account. I was surprised to see that the Categories from Outlook 2010 were lost. Then I did the same to my gmail account and all the Categories were there. For me, with all those contacts, that is a necessity.

I was riding around for two days with an old Blackberry 9850 that I never opened, just so I would have internet access with WiFi. Then I realized even if I wanted to, the BB wouldn't do any bank apps and I said forget it for Windows Phone for now. One of my concerns were the Contacts and keeping that integrity of categories and Categories never appeared in the MS contacts and then the bank apps and a host of other apps I use all the time (Bloomberg, BNA tax, love Google Maps, Tinder, Match.com etc.).

So, I was actually for a brief moment thinking about an iPhone because I wanted simple and to be compatible with everyone I know but I have this thing about that company screwing over the US and I couldn't do it. Plus, with the beauty of how everything went through with the gmail contacts, I really didn't need Apple.

I got the LG V10 because I wanted replacable batteries and an SD Card. I wanted so much to support Microsoft but I have no faith whatsoever in Satya Nadella and I think Gates and Ballmer could have done so much more. The contacts are now in my phone and sortable by category, they're on the free 8 inch tablet I got (not really free because I have to pay for the $10 monthly for 2 years). I'm not so sure that I couldn't have done better forgoing 4G and LTE and just sticking with Wifi but my contacts are on there too, sortable by category. I feel like a traitor but I needed to make a choice fast and with all the LTE problems MS was having plus AT&T didn't have the 950XL, I think I made a smart move for now.

Plus, the Microsoft store near me is a kiosk in the Boca Town Center Mall and service isn't great. because it's not a store. Last night I was at the AT&T Customer Service Center in West Palm Beach where they took my SD card from my dead Note 2 and put it in the S5, downloaded Smart Switch onto the S5, using Smart Switch repopulated the S5 so that they could do a wired Smart Switch transfer to the LG V10 for my text messages which I needed plus there were some Contacts I didn't have in MS Outlook that were on my dead Note 2 and I was able to recreate them.

So that's it. My fight with Apple and companies that inverted will go on but I will be rooting for Microsoft to get their act together. If Nadella does what Tim Cook of Apple did, by inverting I will be Microsoft's worst enemy. I don't think Gates will let that happen. I really did like the WP user interface. I think MS needs to talk to regular people because their CEOs can't relate to them and have no idea what they want. I have said forever, look at how Excel and Word never change, only the menus to make it hard for all of us.

Good luck and I really hope everything works out for you all. Happy Holidays and Happy and Healthy New Year. dlcpa

 

[njnbat]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I have decided to switch from Lumia 920 after 3 years usage. I think moto x play is a good option under 20k in India. Another option was oneplus 2 at 25k. Can anybody suggest on these options please

 

[Magikal]

I left Windows Phone. I will explain why

Title says it all. So here's the story.

I used windows phone since April 2014. The phone I bought back then was the legendary Lumia 520. I was tired of crashes with Android 4.0. And to be honest with you, I have experienced full tech reborn. The feeling having a phone with not *that* good parameters and getting it to work smoothly was a unique and unfamiliar experience to me. It was a breath of fresh air
This year I decided to buy something better and I've picked up Lumia 640. In the beginning was good and then the problems began. I am saddened by Microsoft's policy towards its customers. I'll give you a few examples.
In my country, Bulgaria, the official keyboard layout is BDS (Short from Bulgarian Darzhaven (meaning state) standart). It was developed back in the 50s/60s, the era of typewriters. The goal was to have quick, accurate and effective typing. The problem is that this keyboard has never been available in Windows Phone. It was on all other versions - desktop / tablet, but never on mobile. Strange, isn't it? Over the years, there were dozens of requests to Microsoft and just empty promises or no response at all. An experienced programmer will do the job in 20 minutes. Microsoft are blind to their users. They don't even pay attention to our tiny little problems. Now all these chicken have come to a roast.
Another problem - the clumsy policy of updating. There were people waiting Denim update for months. We joked that when Denim arrived it was already obsolete along with the new functions it caried.
Microsoft is always blaming the app developers. Then why outlook, onedrive, onenote just to name a few, are far superior on Android and iOS? They look better, they work faster and they seem more reliable than their Windows counterparts. Strange, isn't it?
What about Windows 10 mobile? I see the same disaster and development hell as the development of Windows Vista in the period 2001-2004. This quote is about the developers stuck on Windows Vista at the beginning of 2004:

By 2004, it had become obvious to the Windows team at Microsoft that they were losing sight of what needed to be done to complete the next version of Windows and ship it to customers. Internally, some Microsoft employees were describing the Longhorn project as "another Cairo" or "Cairo.NET", referring to the Cairo development project that the company embarked on through the first half of the 1990s, which never resulted in a shipping operating system

Did you find any similarities with Windows 10 mobile?
It would be ready in September, then October, then sometime in November, then December 14 and now - at the beginning of 2016 ...
I'm sick of waiting for basic functionalities for months or even years. And for Christ's sake we're talking about screen rotation, landscape mode, keyboard layouts.
Currently, Microsoft is an example of how bad marketing works. Actually there's no marketing strategy at all. Absolute disrespect to users, they don't value customers opinion. Slow work, slow progress, no advertising, no ideas, no nothing. They are doomed to failure.
That's why I gave my Lumia 640 my sister as a Christmas gift and bought a Sony Xperia M4 Aqua. I hope one day Microsoft realize their mistake, if it's not too late. Until then they will continue losing customers.

I've started this thread with no intention of bashing Windows Phone/Mobile, or any of its past or current users. I've had a fantastic time running it, I'm still keeping eye on it, still curious about W10M when it becomes GA. Let's have one great discussion with proper arguments. Fire it up gentlemen.

 

[Dusan Randj]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I'm thinking about switching to Android. No real upgrade for 735and getting really tired of MSFT BS.
I will most certainly go with some older flagship, like LG G2, xperia z1 compact, Z1, and so on. Actually have one z1 compact on offer now for very little price over my 735. Very tempted.

 

[njnbat]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I have now shortlisted Honor 7 , oneplus 2 and Moto x play. Is NFC an addition worth it ?

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I have now shortlisted Honor 7 , oneplus 2 and Moto x play. Is NFC an addition worth it ?

I like NFC, since it is needed for Android Pay, which I use.

 

[tgp]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I have now shortlisted Honor 7 , oneplus 2 and Moto x play. Is NFC an addition worth it ?

I like NFC, since it is needed for Android Pay, which I use.

I was thinking what Laura said before I read her response. I use NFC for very little besides Android Pay. However, I use it for that a lot. It is worth it for that alone.

NFC is nice for other things like using tags for toggling settings or other tasks. I do that a little, but you can do those things by voice with Google Now as well, and it is more flexible than the tags.

 

[Austin Angus]

I had a Windows phone for multiple years, a lumia 1520 then a lumia 640 XL, I loved Windows phone for long time. But in school I always thought I was missing out by all the cool games people were playing, the Snapchat conversations. I loved the love tiles and everything. I found a nice LG G4, I bought it for Christmas. I incidentally fell in love, the apps, the functionality. Windows 10 Mobile always had the "loading". Not once yet. I just finally gave in. Goodbye Windows users!! Thanks for everything!
Also, I would just like to say. The Android OS just feels more complete, looks nicer, a lot nicer. Very colorful compared to Windows Black and White backgrounds. Even the Windows central app is better on here.... Windows 10 mobile just pushed me over the edge though. It's sad to go, but it is time for me.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[akthelonelyman]

Finally moved on from 1520

It's been 2 years and the phone was clearly on its last legs... I was hoping to wait till trying windows 10 on it but the touch was acting weird and after a couple of falls a small damage was sustained on the display. Battery life was deteriorating.. I decided it was time for a new phone anyways...
Thought about 950xl.. Yeah the hardware was class leading just like lumia 1520 but I didn't want to get trapped again by a poor app ecosystem.. So decided to get a nexus 6p..

Anyways it was a great phone... Crippled in some ways by poor app ecosystem including Microsoft software.. If that situation truly changes and the app quality matches the competing platforms I'll surely be back coz wp was really good in many ways...

 

[njnbat]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I tried the latest insider build in my 920 and honestly i feel things have improved a lot. Now i feel very sad about leaving this beautiful OS behind and moving over to android due to app gap Hopefully i might like the oneplus 2 and android experience.

 

[Alen Blazunaj]

Goodbye windows phone.

Im moving to android today, LG G4. After 2 years on windows phone I only get strugel, apps out of date and much apps missing like snapchat, youtube... I was waiting for windows 10 and now i hade enough, we were promised new facebook app and instagram and messenger but what we got? only facebook. Windows is one big disappointed:unhappysweat:, so this is my final goodbye to windows phone and windows central, it was a pleasure to be a part of community.
Farewell lads.:excited:

 

[njnbat]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I bought the oneplus 2 today. Moving on to android world.

 

[emjey]

Re: Switching platforms|Thinking of leaving...comment here!

I bought the oneplus 2 today. Moving on to android world.

Gonna get lenevo Vibe S1. Gonna move soon in sme weeks. Selling off my two month old Lumia 640XL after being in WP environment for lika two and half years

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

Goodbye for now, Windows Phone

It is with regret that I am leaving the Windows Phone platform today :-(

Unfortunately, the app gap has caught up with me and I feel like that after three years on the platform, it's time to move on.

I've had four Windows Phones during my time on the platform:

• Nokia Lumia 520
• Huawei Ascend W1
• Nokia Lumia 630
• Microsoft Lumia 535

All of them offered a smooth experience, with most of the devices (excluding Huawei) has had Windows 10 Mobile (build 10586.36) even handling it well.
I continue to use my Lumia 520 for Windows 10 Mobile testing purposes, but as for the daily driver, I've moved over to the dark side, Android.

My new daily driver is a Wileyfox Swift, which offers 2GB RAM, Snapdragon 410 and Cyanogen 12.1 (Android 5.1.1).

I'll still be around here helping people however, and I'll still be testing Windows 10 Mobile on my low end 520, but as my daily driver is concerned, it's goodbye for Windows Phone.

 

[qbrick]

Re: New user here

After 16 months of using Windows Phone on Lumia 830 and 640 (both of which had to be sent for repair due to very prominent flaws btw) I have left the platform for several reasons. First of all, Windows 10 for Mobile is ante portas and from what I hear and know the transition from old WP 8.1 on earlier Lumias is less than flawless. Especially concerning battery life there seems to be a high price to pay for upgrading.
Second, I observed Microsoft's queue of newly released devices and I am very disappointed by what the company announced and offered the last months (severe problems with WM10 on brand new flagships, underwhelming budget devices in terms of hardware (Snapdragon 2*, really?)).
This and recent utterances from MS's CEO is leading me to believe, that the company has given up on the platform. About Microsoft's strategy we can only speculate. In the end, two big players in the mobile market might be just enough. Possibly, after years from now, Microsoft will have gained some profit from desktop's Windows nimbus shining on the world of mobiles if they convince their shareholders to continue sinking money like they are doing now. However, Microsoft might be better off using what is already the dominant platform in mobile space, then and tweak it to their good. They are already cooperating with Android phone vendors like Samsung in regard of integrating their services for the user. OneNnote on my Galaxy phone is just as convenient to use and a fast app as it is on WP 8.1 if not faster.
For now, I see Windows Mobile dead in the water. Selling the hardware now seems a better option than to wait for WM10 and to wake up to a nasty reality of novel bugs and battery life cuts.

 

[Geo Hutchings]

Time for me to get something cheaper but just as good as the lumia 950.. and its only 99 pound
Still got the lumia 1020 but that's lock and contract has ended plus the screen is crack.. but I need something new and fast
lumia 950 would be the only thing I would get, but lets see what comes later when money is not as bad. I wish Microsoft made their phone cheaper or had a true mid range phone

But like I said...windows phone is something special.. its just pushed me to going to android


UMI-ROME-GOLD | UMI Rome Gold 16GB Unlocked & SIM Free - Laptops Direct

 

[JasonSCarter]

Switching at the end of the month for both me and my wife. Windows Mobile/Windows Phone has been the only smartphone OS I have ever used, but it's just time to move on. Apps have never been a problem for me in the past, but it's starting to finally become a pain for mobile banking, home DVR, smart home stuff, etc. And after seeing the OS bugs in Windows 10 mobile, I just can't see the benefit with staying and hoping when I can go buy a unlocked good Android phone for $200-$300 off contract and load it up with all my favorite MS apps anyway.

I will keep mine and my wife's 830's as backup devices and may put my SIM in it every now and then to see if anything has improved, so I may be back, but for me to keep saying "Windows Phone may not have all the apps, but it has enough for my needs right now" is becoming hard and harder to say as there are more gadgets and services I want to use that just don't' have Windows Phone apps/support.

 

[scalpetti]

After four years, and four phones (800, 820, 920, 930), with the 930 having some issues (the screen lift, the mic problem) I was really looking forward to 950XL. After more than one year of waiting, I can say that 950XL didn't live up to my expectations. For a premium phone price tag, I really don't think that the experience in nearly premium. The back cover squeaking after a few openings, the win10 feels like it's incomplete, and even though I knew what I signed up for in terms of apps, after four years I cannot tolerate the missing apps anymore. I jumped on the Windows Phone train because of Nokia, and in time I got to love the OS.. but I am thinking more and more to switch to an IPhone.