What do I do?

[cp2_4eva]

Hi all. I am currently on VZW with a non Windows Phone. I really want to buy one through ATT. I played with the WP7 phones in the store and they seem really interesting. I currently have an HTC rezound. One of the dark horses of Verizon. Very good phone. Has given me minimal issues. It's not that I dislike the rezound, it's more of a problem with me being bored of the whole click the icon deal and then there some fragmentation issues as well.

So, what are some of the WP7 phone short comings that you can speak on from personal experience? Ya know, from the people who have used some of the top android phone or even the not so top android phones. One of the things that jump out at me is the lower resolution of the windows phones and the fact they non of the windows phones has a dual core in it. I mean soon enough HTC will be releasing it's quad core. I understand that the way WP7 handles tasking is different and all, but I'm skeptical to say the least.

PLUS, I'm only 6 month into my VZW contract, so if I am to get a WP7 phone on ATT the I need to find a bail plan that doesn't require me to shell out 350 bucks to terminate my contract early.

I'm all ears!

 

[rchillin]

If you're only 6 mos. into your contract, then your best bet is to wait for the Apollo devices coming out next year. Apollo devices are expected to hit the end of this year. Hardware wise, they'll be more competive with Android devices by having NFC and dual core. I don't expect resolution to be stellar but from my experience, I have no issue with 480x800. Its perfectly adequate for the device. You can search wpcentral to find more info on Apollo.

 

[cp2_4eva]

If you're only 6 mos. into your contract, then your best bet is to wait for the Apollo devices coming out next year. Apollo devices are expected to hit the end of this year. Hardware wise, they'll be more competive with Android devices by having NFC and dual core. I don't expect resolution to be stellar but from my experience, I have no issue with 480x800. Its perfectly adequate for the device. You can search wpcentral to find more info on Apollo.

When I played with the phones, videos on youtube didn't differ too much, so the I don't know what it is the WP has going on, but I can only imagine how good it might look with more outstanding resolutions. Lol. I hate waiting though, I'd like a windows phone sooner rather than later, but like you said, maybe I should wait for apollo and the hardware changes.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Agreed wait for Apollo if you are mid contract. You could also wait until 2nd generation Windows 7.5 phones (Focus S, Titan) lower in unlocked price once the LTE versions come out. I'm not sure how long that would take to get under 350$ but if you really want a WP now look at buying a Titan or Focus or Focus Flash off of Craigslist

 

[cp2_4eva]

Agreed wait for Apollo if you are mid contract. You could also wait until 2nd generation Windows 7.5 phones (Focus S, Titan) lower in unlocked price once the LTE versions come out. I'm not sure how long that would take to get under 350$ but if you really want a WP now look at buying a Titan or Focus or Focus Flash off of Craigslist

But i wants my WP phone now! LOL! On a similar note kind of, one of the guys that works above me in my IT/IS department sees my current phone and asks about it. I soon after told him I was looking into a WP. He winces and says "eh, they seem ok, but look at Microsofts OS. I'm sure it the same thing on their phones. I don't see them making a big mark in the smartphone industry"

I'm never biased person when it comes to me spending money on a device. I am only biased towards good quality. I had the first iphone, then the iphone 3g then the iphone 4. Switch to android, had a few android phone. But i think I like what I am seeing out of WP7 devices. I like innovation and change. WP7 seems like their are headed in the right direction.

 

[Judge_Daniel]

Also, don't forget that Verizon's early cancellation fee for contracts shrinks each month that you're into your contract. I would suggest looking at how much you would have to pay for each upcoming month and then line that up with the timeline of Windows Phones coming to AT&T.

For example (I'm just going to make numbers up, since I don't feel like calculating, sorry), say this month you wanted to cancel and get the Titan. That'd be $300 for ECF and then the purchase price of the Titan. You could also wait until November-ish and $200 for ECF and then buy a new Apollo phone. Just something to be wary of.

 

[cp2_4eva]

Also, don't forget that Verizon's early cancellation fee for contracts shrinks each month that you're into your contract. I would suggest looking at how much you would have to pay for each upcoming month and then line that up with the timeline of Windows Phones coming to AT&T.

For example (I'm just going to make numbers up, since I don't feel like calculating, sorry), say this month you wanted to cancel and get the Titan. That'd be $300 for ECF and then the purchase price of the Titan. You could also wait until November-ish and $200 for ECF and then buy a new Apollo phone. Just something to be wary of.

Thanks for the info on this. I might bum a HTC trophy in the mean time and see how much it changes my outlook on smart phones.

 

[eric12341]

Dual core, quad core doesn't matter, those Android phones are still going to be laggy and not adequately utilize the extra cores. This is why all the current windows phones are outperforming them. The #smokedbywindowsphone challenges are the proof. Also HD screens on a phone? What's that going to do besides make u run data caps faster?

 

[cp2_4eva]

Dual core, quad core doesn't matter, those Android phones are still going to be laggy and not adequately utilize the extra cores. This is why all the current windows phones are outperforming them. The #smokedbywindowsphone challenges are the proof. Also HD screens on a phone? What's that going to do besides make u run data caps faster?

With those smokebywindowsphone things, some of that boils down to people not even knowing how to use their own android phones. lol. But I will say windows does have a better way of doing those things. HTC sense for android is right there with windows though in the case of convenient features. I'll agree with you on the processor thing. They do tend to get laggy sometimes depending on the phone. But Imagine a WP with a dual core. that would be nice. But it probably wouldn't get that much betting being that the WP is already performing smooth as butter. And can you take what people like to call HD pics with a single core phone? I was told that you couldn't. I could be wrong. I mean, yes, in the end a camera on a phone will never match up to a REAL SLR camera. it's just for convenience of capturing those unplanned moments. Also, I've never reached a data cap with my LTE phone. I have a 4GB plan. So I'm not worried about that. I tend to watch videos on my phone from youtube, G4, etc.

In the end, i still want a windows phone. If my contract wasn't binding i'd be on is as soon as the Lumia 900 comes out, which is still a mystery.

 

[Major]

Pass the Verizon account to your mother/sister/whoever and open a brand new AT&T account. You'll lose your existing phone number, but oh well.

As fas as dual core vs. single core, if you've read these boards you'll know that the current iteration of WP is smoother on single core devices than virtually any iteration of Android is on dual core devices. Android requires a boatload of processing power, RAM, and battery juice do be merely decent.

There are plenty of things that can be improved upon within the WP ecosystem, but system requirements is not one of them; WP has the lowest system requirements of any of the major mobile OSes.

 

[bilzkh]

With all the stability WP offers, you might get bored with it. That will probably change with the Windows Phone 8 handsets, you'll also have the option of nicer hardware too by then (multi-core, PureView, HD resolutions, some form of interaction with Win 8, etc).

 

[cp2_4eva]

Damnit, I hate the speed of technology these day. because as soon as someone has the latest and greatest, a new prospect is around the corner.

@MajorLonghorn, the passing of the account to someone is actually a decent idea. Trying to see if my parents will give in if their sprint contracts are due for renewal. me and my fiance are on a family plan, so both parents have to give him.

 

[bilzkh]

Damnit, I hate the speed of technology these day. because as soon as someone has the latest and greatest, a new prospect is around the corner.

@MajorLonghorn, the passing of the account to someone is actually a decent idea. Trying to see if my parents will give in if their sprint contracts are due for renewal. me and my fiance are on a family plan, so both parents have to give him.

If it is try out Windows Phone, I strongly suggest Lumia 710 - the price point is reasonable and you won't feel "cheated" once the next-gen WP8 phones hit. That's what I did, I don't plan on getting Lumia 900 or Focus S.

 

[freestaterocker]

bilzkh had a good idea... If you're wanting to try the Lumia 710 Rogers in Canada has the 850/1900 bands that ATT uses, and it's available off contract for $254 CAD. You could unlock it and try it contract free on ATT's network. The Rogers 710 also has the 1700 band, so you could try it out contract-free on TMo. Either way you're getting a great device without spending a ton of cash. Once you're out of your VZW contract there's nothing preventing you from signing on with a subsidized Apollo device if you like the OS.

 

[eric12341]

With those smokebywindowsphone things, some of that boils down to people not even knowing how to use their own android phones. lol. But I will say windows does have a better way of doing those things. HTC sense for android is right there with windows though in the case of convenient features. I'll agree with you on the processor thing. They do tend to get laggy sometimes depending on the phone. But Imagine a WP with a dual core. that would be nice. But it probably wouldn't get that much betting being that the WP is already performing smooth as butter. And can you take what people like to call HD pics with a single core phone? I was told that you couldn't. I could be wrong. I mean, yes, in the end a camera on a phone will never match up to a REAL SLR camera. it's just for convenience of capturing those unplanned moments. Also, I've never reached a data cap with my LTE phone. I have a 4GB plan. So I'm not worried about that. I tend to watch videos on my phone from youtube, G4, etc.

In the end, i still want a windows phone. If my contract wasn't binding i'd be on is as soon as the Lumia 900 comes out, which is still a mystery.

seriously? with the same usage pattern withn 2 weeks I was over on my 5GB plan with T-mobile, of course this is also with my phone tethered to my sis' iPod. I had to upgrade to the 10GB option now I can make it to the last week of my cycle.

 

[cp2_4eva]

seriously? with the same usage pattern withn 2 weeks I was over on my 5GB plan with T-mobile, of course this is also with my phone tethered to my sis' iPod. I had to upgrade to the 10GB option now I can make it to the last week of my cycle.

Lol. On a daily basis I stream a short video or two while on the train. I read articles, facebook, text, nothing huge. I assume with the live tiles on WP then maybe that could be part of the reason for a high data usage? I don't know how exactly that works.

As for the 710, i just can see myself with a phone that is less than 4.0 inch display. Not saying there is anything wrong with smaller displays, but it's a preference thing. i like bigger screens, but not Galaxy Note big. The titan honestly fit well in my man hands. I have a droid incredible 2 before and I like the phone, hated the small size. Couldn't type good because it was so small. But the 710 did feel good in my hands when I went to t-mobile. Sucky thing about T-mobile is that all of their stores in my area NEVER have a fully function WP. always turned off and stuff. I don't see how people are comfortable with their purchases if they can't try it our for 10 minutes. So I have to venture all the way to the mall to try it out at the Microsoft store. I should snag an HTC trophy on the cheap, but too bad they aren't on the cheap lol. Verizon reviewers give it GREAT props though.