Those who are freshly fallen off the android wagon

[cbreze]

I'm still on the wagon and debating on trying the icon as my first windows phone. Ive been researching apps and seeing what's compatible and which ones are not.
I and perhaps many others are thinking of switching to WP. Would love to hear how the switch is going for ya so far.

 

[jpling]

I am a multi phone os user. (WP and android) if you use google hangouts a lot you will go through withdrawal's. Gplus is ok using IE but if you use communities you may find it a pain. Give yourself 2 weeks to learn the os.
download pocket file manager to manage files between various cloud services.
Download UCbrowser if you download music and videos from links often.
download thumba if you use snapseed to edit photos. In some ways it is even superior to snapseed.
once you get used to WP you will be amazed how efficient it is and wp8.1 will turn everyone's heads!

I adore android and WP equally. With 8.1 update I can see me using WP only. (L822,L928, lgg2, note 3, soon to be L.ICON ))

 

[ajb1965]

Only about an hour into it, but so far so good. I had already become used to some of the oddities of Win8 (compared to android) since buying a Windows tablet a few months ago, so my transition may be easier than some who have had no exposure to it. Many similarities between the phone and tablet as far as the native apps. No major issues, holy cows either for that matter. I haven't ventured out to the app store yet, but lack of apps was never really a concern for me...

 

[jlzimmerman]

If you run into a missing app dilemma, let us know which one. Some great alternatives are not obvious or easy to find in the store.

I hope to see more Android converts here, although in not holding breath since Android conveniently announced the launch date of the Galaxy S 5 today, the same day as the Icon release. I blame VZ/Nokia on that one though. It was a doofus decision launching with the Galaxy S predecessor just a couple weeks away.

 

[chrisdaboss]

Coming from a Moto Droid Razr I am loving the Icon. Feels sturdy, call quality is great (not sure what weak cell phone towers the reviewers were using). There is a learning curb but not a drastic one. As far as apps, it seems like the same things that are available on Android are on the Windows App store. One tap and it starts downloading and pops up in the 'apps'. No need for laggy creating shortcuts like on Android. Press the start button and boom-bye-yeah. The only thing is miss, but will be expecting when WP 8.1 is released is a notification bar that I can pull down. Voice command is really good, I use bluetooth in the car and it's a snap for me to say my command. Quad core processing makes me feel like I am actually using a computer in my hand. The Icon is so easy to use, and for Verizon it's probably the best phone out there. Some say that's a long shot with unofficial bitstrip apps or snap chat bs like that. The 3rd party apps blur out my d pics. K-9 pics you pervs So far, I'm liking it a lot. People with their simplistic iphones and lagdroids will now turn heads like this.
DRAKE CAMEO ON ANCHORMAN 2 - YouTube

 

[ajb1965]

Ok here's my big question. I used speech to text all the time on Droid. Is there a way to have WP not bleep out my swear words lol? I cuss a lot ��

 

[jpling]

Haha no you can't add curse words or keep it from bleeping them as far as I know.

And (lagdroid) doesn't describe all android phones. Lgg2,motoX,nexus5 are android phones on par with WP8. And yes iPhone is simplistic but we can't customize that much more on WP. (yet)
let's not hate just educate.

ICON tomorrow!!

 

[chrisdaboss]

Haha no you can't add curse words or keep it from bleeping them as far as I know.

And (lagdroid) doesn't describe all android phones. Lgg2,motoX,nexus5 are android phones on par with WP8. And yes iPhone is simplistic but we can't customize that much more on WP. (yet)
let's not hate just educate.

ICON tomorrow!!

So after two years they should be able to run like they did day one?

 

[tgp]

So after two years they should be able to run like they did day one?

The Nexus 4 I had ran like it did on day one after a year. And, I got over 1,100 hours of up time out of it.

 

[chrisdaboss]

The Nexus 4 I had ran like it did on day one after a year. And, I got over 1,100 hours of up time out of it.

Sorry, I just don't trust the man anymore. I was abused by opening up Chrome and having to wait 5 minutes to get a response. I need some liquor.

 

[savagelizards]

So I did it. Took 2 1/2 hours for the Microsoft store to figure out how to activate my phone to my corporate account (the rep told me that they just got authorization to access corporate Verizon accounts today. They weren't able to copy any of my files, although they really wanted to. I have been trying to set up my email accounts. Going to be a steep learning curve coming from my Razr Maxx. Phone build quality is nice. I am having a hard time connecting to the Internet, although I suppose it's my data syncing in the background. Not sure on the 4G yet. The screen is nice and the phone is responsive. Reinforcing my opinion that you really have to want a WP or you will walk away with something else. No one is ever steered to it, that's for sure.

I did get a wireless charging stand (free!) and a cool-looking yellow cylindrical extra battery charger device, since I am very concerned about the undersized battery. Went with the Microsoft insurance plan, which should save me $140 over the life of the phone provided I don't lose it.

I expect it will take a couple of weeks before I settle in. The folks at the Microsoft store really want me to like it and to tell my friends. I was the only person who even asked about the Icon today.

 

[Astropin]

Long time Android user here and this is my first WP. So far so good. Some adjustments but nothing monumental. This phone seems faster and more responsive but it should considering how much more power it has vs my old HTC Rezound. There is no HBOgo app yet and no Dish Network app to access my tuner and DVR.

 

[ret18057]

How about a streaming mp3? I have unlimited data, and no Amazon MP3 app (sheesh)...How about good Dropbox access?

 

[WScottCross]

How about a streaming mp3? I have unlimited data, and no Amazon MP3 app (sheesh)...How about good Dropbox access?

nokia MixRadio and dont look back. Even the free version allows up to 4 mixes for offline use. Unlimited data = streaming bliss.

 

[rebornempowered]

If you have unlimited data I would recommend using Plex to stream the audio from your home computer.

 

[nakialj]

I have windows and android. Sometimes the Nokia phone can be boring.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[admorris#AC]

Not sure what people are talking about when they mentions learning curve. WP is right up there with iOS as far as a simple OS to use. It literally took me 20 mins to know everything there was to know about my lumia 920. I expect 8.1 may change that a bit, but for now I couldn't imagine an easier phone to learn.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[invertme]

My Droid DNA, GS4 and Note3 all worked notably worse after a few months. This is the case for many of the phones I support. While you may be lucky and that could be the case for you. It's unlikely.

I gave my daughters each a retired Samsung Focus. The phones have been in operation for years without a reset. They still work the exact same as day one.

 

[savagelizards]

Not sure what people are talking about when they mentions learning curve. WP is right up there with iOS as far as a simple OS to use. It literally took me 20 mins to know everything there was to know about my lumia 920. I expect 8.1 may change that a bit, but for now I couldn't imagine an easier phone to learn.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Coming from android, I am used to a lot of flexibility in how my phone is configured. Additionally, I am finding that even some of the official apps aren't up to date. For example, the paid version of Words with Friends is about two years behind the free android version. There is no leader board, and it doesn't even auto calculate potential point values as you place tiles.

Sure this doesn't seem like a big thing, and maybe it will serve to free up the half hour each day I spend on WWF, but its annoying.

And some things, like a system clock app, are missing entirely from the OS. I downloaded a free app from the store and it reminds me of one I had for my DroidX back in 2011. Not the performance I am looking for from my brand new phone.

At this point, I am chalking it up to just needing more time with the phone and ecosystem to figure out how to do the things I used to do, so that is what I mean when I refer to a "learning curve."

There are some things I like about the Icon, but at this point I am still feeling the pain of not knowing how/ being able to do the things I took for granted with my 2-year-old Motorola.

 

[anon6002755]

Not sure what people are talking about when they mentions learning curve. WP is right up there with iOS as far as a simple OS to use. It literally took me 20 mins to know everything there was to know about my lumia 920. I expect 8.1 may change that a bit, but for now I couldn't imagine an easier phone to learn.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

So far the phones has been a breeze for me. Thats after being on android for 4 years with a 6 month period of iOS in the middle of all that. There are some habits that arent useful anymore but the Icon is easy to use. Also this is coming from and LG G2 which outside of its exchange email issue it was a pretty solid device. But as someone else said the simple elegance and things just seeming to work right is what i was looking for.