Thoughts on switching to Android

[netowp]

I can say something weird is happening to me. When I moved to the united states I decided to buy a MacBook Pro instead of the Surface Pro 3. And I'm kind of happy about that. I used to be a "happy" Surface RT owner (I had to give it to my mother).

So, after switching for Windows to OS X, I realized that it was not a big deal to use a new OS. I have to confess that I miss Windows a lot, but I'm satisfied with my MBP.

But let's talk about smartphones. I had one single Android device in my life, it was the Galaxy 5, a low-end smartphone that made me hate Android for a long time, but Google's OS evolved a lot since then! After that, I switched to a HTC Mazaa with Windows Phone 7 and latter to Nokia Lumia 820 with Windows Phone 8 (great phone with the worse battery ever!).

Let's say that I'm disappointed with Windows Phone. Microsoft had enough time to work on the platform but I did on the wrong way. Windows Phone doesn't look as beautiful as it used to do, and some minor problems and lack of apps are making me want to switch to other platform.

My first option is Android, because it's cheaper then an iPhone 6.

So, I would like to know if anyone else switched from Windows Phone and I want to know about your experience.

PS: Please, I don't want to start a war about which mobile OS is better then the other. I love Windows Phone and I'm a big fan of metro interface and live titles. And I don't have to mention Cortana, right? So, please, don't start a war here.

 

[gapost]

I will say this. I have used all three OS's and before I started using Android a few weeks ago, I didn't think much of it. There is a lot of mis-information on forums and the web. However, I'm pretty impressed with it and the capabilities it has. You can talk all day about security issues and lag, but the fact is, there is any app you need, you can root most devices to take care of bloat, and android can be fast and depending on phone, great battery life. There are advantages to both, and it also depends on which carrier you have. If on Verizon, get android. If on another carrier, consider the support they give WP.

 

[Ashish Gupta888]

If you had enough of WP and need a refreshing change, then go for devices with Android L as this version of droid seems bit interesting.

 

[Stefan Holder]

Here we go again..yet another post about the poster thinking of switching to Android.. Dude.go for it. If WP isn't cutting it for you, having bad experiences etc.. Just jump ship and get a device that's suits you. It's all good.

 

[jsooney]

If you're going to switch to something switch to an iPhone, more expensive or not. Android is the worst choice in my opinion because you get sucked into the Google ecosystem.

 

[David Ginsburg]

I picked up an S5 after having a 925. I dislike the interface of Android. The 925 was setup so all my important info was available at a glance. Get in, get out and on with anything else.

The S5 does a lot more while still working with all my Microsoft apps. The only thing I haven't switched over to is the outlook.com calendar. That's because my wife using Google services and the outlook.com calendar will only sync the google calendar info once every 24-36 hours. That's not often enough for me with the changes she makes, so I use a google calendar also.

I don't think I've lost any functionality switching to Android. I've lost easy of use and it's been work to find a good way to present my data in a way that works for me. Otherwise I have gained a bit more in what my phone can do. For example I use Feedly for my RSS reader/feeds. I don't like their app on Android. I've been thinking about switching my feeds to AOL beta reader. There isn't an app on WP8/WP8.1 but there are a few on Android. It just gives me some additional choices.

Since nothing is ever free, it costs me extra steps to view my data and do some simple things like making phone calls (I think that's a Samsung dialer thing), but I feel I can some additional utility I was missing for tiles and consistency.

 

[Stefan Holder]

If you're going to switch to something switch to an iPhone, more expensive or not. Android is the worst choice in my opinion because you get sucked into the Google ecosystem.

And if he buys an iphone, isn't he getting sucked into Apple's ecosystem? I'd the same thing. Whatever platform you choose you're getting sucked into an ecosystem.

 

[aximtreo]

I confess. I have the Nokia 1520.3 WP and I have the Samsung Galaxy S 8.4 tablet. I have had Android in the past and I got started with Windows Mobile some 10 years ago. I see nothing but benefits to having both. My WP is my daily driver, my calendar and contact manager. My Tab S does all the esoteric things I want to do that either can't be done on WP or the app is not up to the same capability standard I need on WP.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having and using both OS's. As for the Apple world. When my rich uncle in the poor house dies and leaves me his fortune, I'll think about giving it a try. Boy is it overpriced in today's real world.

 

[jsooney]

And if he buys an iphone, isn't he getting sucked into Apple's ecosystem? I'd the same thing. Whatever platform you choose you're getting sucked into an ecosystem.

Very true, and it's also the case with WP phones. Still, Google seems much more evil than anyone else, and they're into everything.

 

[anon5999636]

I have a Lumia 920 and a LG G3 now. Very happy with Android and LG...I think that Microsoft has a lot of work to do with WP. When you get a great Android device you see the diferences between these two OS... I really like WP but Im not fanatic. The big problem with WP is just the devs desregard with their own apps.