Windows Phone Questions

[speedtouch]

Thanks for all the replys. This is a tough desicion. After deciding on a os I then need to choose the phone. Having T-Mobile if I decided on a Windows Phone it would be between the Nokia Lumia 710 and HTC Radar 4G. Any opinions on these two phones. Sorry for asking so many questions but I want to make the right choice.

The Lumia 710 is a great phone, except for the battery life. It's very speedy and smooth. If you can deal with having to charge it often, the Lumia is awesome.

 

[ubizmo]

The Lumia has the Nokia Drive app for navigation, but it's underpowered. Battery life on the Radar is pretty good. WP is gentler on the battery than Android anyway, due to the way it's built.

But I have to agree with the others who have pointed out that if you don't have access to a computer where you can install the Zune software, you're eventually going to have a problem.

 

[Spiify]

The Lumia has the Nokia Drive app for navigation, but it's underpowered. Battery life on the Radar is pretty good. WP is gentler on the battery than Android anyway, due to the way it's built.

But I have to agree with the others who have pointed out that if you don't have access to a computer where you can install the Zune software, you're eventually going to have a problem.

Is Windows Phone that dependent on Zune software on a pc? I am around a pc and internet access atleast once or twice a week, would that be enough? Seems like,i am hitting alot of road blocks with Windows Phone compared to Android but I would not mind giving it a shot as Android has caused alot of headaches for me, not to say I do not enjoy Android though.

 

[ubizmo]

Is Windows Phone that dependent on Zune software on a pc? I am around a pc and internet access atleast once or twice a week, would that be enough? Seems like,i am hitting alot of road blocks with Windows Phone compared to Android but I would not mind giving it a shot as Android has caused alot of headaches for me, not to say I do not enjoy Android though.

I'm new to WP myself, so I'm no expert. As has already been pointed out, if you listen to podcasts, it's easy to get one that's bigger than 20 MB, and for that you'll need the Zune software or a wifi connection to get it on the phone. Basically, the carriers don't really want people using their bandwidth for huge downloads. But wifi isn't hard to find, so that's not a big problem. For software updates(I mean OS updates, not apps), however, you absolutely have to have Zune installed somewhere, just as you need iTunes on the iPhone. These don't happen often, but when they do, you want to be able to get them.

Now, the word is that when Apollo comes, WP won't be so Zune-dependent. But I don't know if that means OS updates will come OTA, or there will be some other PC interface, like the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.

 

[freestaterocker]

Thanks for all the replys. This is a tough desicion. After deciding on a os I then need to choose the phone. Having T-Mobile if I decided on a Windows Phone it would be between the Nokia Lumia 710 and HTC Radar 4G. Any opinions on these two phones? Sorry for asking so many questions but I want to make the right choice.

Depends on your priorities. Here are the areas in which each phone shines:

Lumia:
Clearblack screen is unsurpassed for direct sunlight viewing
Faster clocked processor @1.4ghz vs the Radar's 1ghz (the Radar is no slouch though)
Pedigree of legendary call quality
Nokia drive app

Radar:
Slightly larger screen could be easier for large hands to use (extra 10th of an inch)
FFC
WiFi sharing
Main camera has received more positive reviews
Best battery life of all WP7 phones

If you're wondering, I'd go with the Radar. Cost could be a consideration too. If you don't want to be stuck with it for 2 years, the Lumia has a lower off-contract price.

Oh, and I don't have a home internet connection. (broadband isn't available where I live) I have managed just fine driving into town to use MCD's free WiFi for updates for my HD7. Both are solid devices, though.

 

[Twpps]

I have a nokia lumia 710... love it... only draw back is no internet sharing... and batterie life is a little bit short.. but with the batteri save option activate.. it's decent!

 

[dannejanne]

I come from Android and flashed custom roms like crazy and tweaked everything I could because Android gave me that freedom.

I have been using wp7 for about two weeks not. I will never go back to Android again. The Android OS feels slow and sluggish when compared to wp7. Sure Android is very open and you can do whatever you want. But honestly, I do not miss that freedom at all. My Lumia is just that nice to use.

 

[N8ter]

The Lumia has the Nokia Drive app for navigation, but it's underpowered. Battery life on the Radar is pretty good. WP is gentler on the battery than Android anyway, due to the way it's built.

But I have to agree with the others who have pointed out that if you don't have access to a computer where you can install the Zune software, you're eventually going to have a problem.

Android always got better in-use time for me, by several hours.

Windows Phone has better standby times, though, however the in use time for me is not good.

 

[ALborntoride]

I guess you could call me new to smart phones cause i've only had 2 over a year's span. But i will tell you that i started out with a HTC Inspire 4G and hated it. Granted i came from a Motorola Tundra which is good if your outside working or playing in the mud but i wanted a smartphone and in my ignorance let the ATT guys talk me into the Inspire. After like a week i wanted to go back to my Tundra. Battery life sux on Android, at least it did for me, and to me it just felt so disorganized. I got tired real quick of Android and was getting ready to go back to the stone ages with my old Tundra, but found out about WP7. I did some research and found that most people would agree that it was good software but that the apps and some of the features weren't there that could be found with ios or android. The ATT guys didn't help either and all i heard from them was that there weren't any apps, android is better, blah blah blah. I tell anybody now to do your research and don't base your choice on what the salesman says. Anyways i look the plunge and got a Focus and have not regretted it one bit. Better battery life, great integration with FB and Twitter and some pretty cool games to play. WP7 is the way to go. I will say that you need Zune to update your phone but with Android you don't even know if your phone will update to the next one.