Windows 10 for phones (an honest review)

etad putta

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Can someone do the math for me? We have a phone that has a 3% share, and you change it's OS and only about 3% of that 3% like it. Where does that leave MS mobile?
 

stephen_az

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If your thinking, doubting or just confused about upgrading to windows 10 for phones, read this review, I tried windows 10, then went back to 8.1, this review sums up how I felt ��

A closer look at the rather rough and not yet ready Windows 10 for phones | Ars Technica

The idea of doing a review (positive or negative) of an alpha level TP would be most closely approximated by an auto magazine doing a vehicle review of a clay model, or the empty fiberglass shell on a concept stage. People are wasting their time if they choose to take that approach to the release. If anyone wants to run it, participate in the process properly by providing feedback to Microsoft. This current trend of "I installed it then uninstalled" and then whining about the fact it has bugs or is unfinished, etc., achieves nothing.
 

DCTF

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goodbye text is always displayed on left side(slightly upside)not in middle...

I think the "goodbye" will always be to the left, because now it integrates with your Calendar entries. So, it might say...

"goodbye

Don't forget
Dad's birthday is tomorrow"

... and those messages would look a bit odd if they were centred.
 

Yazan Abdullah

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yeah and those search spaces and hamburger menus in the top as opposed to bottom are aweful. i got a lumia icon on wp8.1. will not try any preview builds and will not download windows 10 for phones because the direction they're taking is wrong. they are also working at a slower pace on the phone version than they are at the desktop version, which is a shame. i just dunno why MS can't get the phone OS right. why? it's so sad.
 

mmcpher

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I thought this was a fair, proportional and comprehensive review. It takes a little discipline, but reviewers have to be able to assess apps and functions that are buggy, as if they were not, in order to really assess what might be. I thought this review did a good job of noting the buginess, which a reader would need to know if they were considering whether to install the TP or not, but not gratuitously seizing on the "in progress" nature of the TP as license to scorn, carp and crow.

It is a tricky allocation and time and resources for MS -- they want to air and explore a wide array of good and promising ideas, but need at some point to decide upon which ideas will form the core for the UI. Doing this so publicly and openly not only opens MS to cheap ridicule, it will doubtless cause some testers to become invested in some experimental aspects which will not make the final cut. In this way, one unhappy result is that there are sure to be a chorus of boos attacking MS once they get to final release for choosing and discarding the precisely wrong array of ideas.

And I can understand, too, why MS would release a TP in this imperfect and only partially functioning state. It would be wasteful to continue to pour resources into every single idea or concept, as if they will all make the cut. A TP is not like a beauty contest where a succession of fully-rigged and dolled-up candidates parades before a voting public where the most appealing is chosen. Instead the idea is to make judgments about what might work and get that into a form that is non-destructive and functional enough so as to not be counter-productive, and then let us all see what we all think. The mail app is an example of this -- it is wanting in the extreme as a daily driver in its current state, for the oft-stated reasons about limits on homescreen folder and the unavailability of office apps. But it works well enough for me to have a sense of what a finished app would look and work like, and to provide feedback. So yes, I feed back the obvious, (more folders and office) but can also chip 2 cents worth of observations about the format, etc. I like the fact that MS has the nerve and confidence to do this.
 

Kram Sacul

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Folks, I think we're going to have to get used to the fact that our beloved OS is going to start looking like the competition. It's been 5 years and it hasn't caught on, with or without apps. It's not a defeatist attitude but sometimes you have to know when it's time for a change. I don't know what hamburgers are other than what they sell at McDonald's, but most of you seem to know and that's where Microsoft is looking. Forget the glitches associated with the TP and let's look at the UI. So they went with round thumbnails for contacts, so what? If you don't like it, stay with the People Legacy contacts.

Yeah, I don't think legacy contacts is going to be there in the final build. That would actually be a nice thing of MS to do though. Have the option of using the 8.1 system apps instead of the new junk. Since there doesn't seem to be native system apps anymore that shouldn't be a lot of trouble. That would sure fix a lot of the complaints I have of W10. At this point just give me the new keyboard and the expanded action center and chuck the rest in the dumpster.
 

jlzimmerman

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I read the review, and even better, all the comments. I agree with most of the sentiments. What I REALLY wonder from the comment section is how many of those people take the time to give MS the feedback on feature/function complaints? I sure hope the answer is "all of them."
 

Pranjal Rai

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Give me more official apps(and don't take them down from the store either) and I'm willing to accept any crappy UI Microsoft has to offer in W10 for phones.
After all it is the apps that make a smartphone, and even after getting all the gorgeous UI in the world, if apps are absent, then I don't know what our beloved OS will turn into.
 

SirThoreth

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I read the review, and even better, all the comments. I agree with most of the sentiments. What I REALLY wonder from the comment section is how many of those people take the time to give MS the feedback on feature/function complaints? I sure hope the answer is "all of them."

As someone who installed the Technical Preview to a 521, then bought a brand new Lumia 530 to try it on (due to issues with the 521), and who commented on the Ars Technica article (twice!), the answer is, yes, I did give Microsoft feedback on the current features.

The reported goal is to have Release to Manufacturer for Windows 10 occur in June. The stated goal is to have Windows 10 PC ship this year, which would require the RTM to be no later than the end of the summer. Remember also there are really only two versions of Windows 10: the version with the full desktop that's meant for devices with screens 8" and larger, and the version without the desktop that's meant for devices with screens under 8", including Windows phones.

It's mid-April, and the Technical Preview that Microsoft has released for phones has alpha-test software on it, has broken Office applications, has buggy and missing features. And Release to Manufacturers is only three months away? Really?

As I said in the Ars comments, Windows 10 for your phone really makes it feel like Microsoft can no longer be bothered with phones, and is only continuing to bother with them because they already bought manufacturing from Nokia, and can't afford to appear to no longer be in the mobile business at all. By basically shoehorning in the desktop/tablet OS into the phone, there's little extra development cost. Their primary concern, at this point, is to make sure they keep their enterprise customers happy with their desktop OS, that the tablet features of the OS work with their Surface tablets. Phones and smaller tablets certainly seem to be a lesser concern.
 

fatclue_98

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After all it is the apps that make a smartphone

I beg to differ. When you really stop and analyze it, the iPhone is nothing but an app launcher.

Let me explain before I get skewered.

To me, the definition of a smartphone is what it was a decade ago when they became the new norm: the marriage of a cell phone and a PDA. The Palm Tungstens of the time allowed mobile pros to bang out emails, set up meetings in their calendars, edit Office documents, etc. Then you would sync all your tasks with your PC and send to whomever OR, use your phone as modem (PAM) and send from anywhere.Smartphones were developed to carry just one device.

As a stand-alone device, the iPhone is useless without an internet connection. There's no file manager to store your info. There's no place to save your edited docs since the apps are internet-dependent. You can't even save your work to external storage because Apple has never seen fit to grace their devices with SD storage. Heck, you can't even do a bluetooth file transfer to a PC because Apple devices only do BT FTP with other iOS devices. Can't save your files via USB to your computer because iOS doesn't support USB Mass Storage. No can do with NFC either.

So you see, apps aren't what defines a smartphone. Take away internet connectivity and what can you do with your device? With WP, a heck of a lot more than with iOS and about the same as Android.
 

hotphil

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There's a lot of focus on how upgrades will be handled for W10. The mindset of gold, RTM, retail is going. All OS updates for all devices e.g. to Redstone, will be via Windows Update.
So RTM deadlines and the subsequent lead times to release reduce - the first update a new device will get once unboxed is the latest OS build.
Of course, MS have to have actually written the new OS first.
Getting manufacturers onside could be tricky. They'll be shipping product with even less of an idea of the final user experience than they have now. But it might stop Superfish type situations. And Sony charging not to load machines up with crapware
 

vEEP pEEP

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About sums it up:

"One thing to make clear: this isn't ready for use on a primary device. As well as a list of known bugs including no functional airplane mode and the Office apps being inaccessible, I've found the apps to be quite crashy and a little weird in the few hours I've been using it. If you want to try it, use a phone that you don't need to actually use."
 

Jeff Merritt1

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As someone who installed the Technical Preview to a 521, then bought a brand new Lumia 530 to try it on (due to issues with the 521), and who commented on the Ars Technica article (twice!), the answer is, yes, I did give Microsoft feedback on the current features.

The reported goal is to have Release to Manufacturer for Windows 10 occur in June. The stated goal is to have Windows 10 PC ship this year, which would require the RTM to be no later than the end of the summer. Remember also there are really only two versions of Windows 10: the version with the full desktop that's meant for devices with screens 8" and larger, and the version without the desktop that's meant for devices with screens under 8", including Windows phones.

It's mid-April, and the Technical Preview that Microsoft has released for phones has alpha-test software on it, has broken Office applications, has buggy and missing features. And Release to Manufacturers is only three months away? Really?

As I said in the Ars comments, Windows 10 for your phone really makes it feel like Microsoft can no longer be bothered with phones, and is only continuing to bother with them because they already bought manufacturing from Nokia, and can't afford to appear to no longer be in the mobile business at all. By basically shoehorning in the desktop/tablet OS into the phone, there's little extra development cost. Their primary concern, at this point, is to make sure they keep their enterprise customers happy with their desktop OS, that the tablet features of the OS work with their Surface tablets. Phones and smaller tablets certainly seem to be a lesser concern.

There is no way this can be only three months out. It has a looong way to go yet. Unless there is an internal tested build that is further along there is no way this going to happen in three months.
 

Roderick Aspiras

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This is so TRUE!!!! Thank you your explanation is CRYSTAL CLEAR!

I beg to differ. When you really stop and analyze it, the iPhone is nothing but an app launcher.

Let me explain before I get skewered.

To me, the definition of a smartphone is what it was a decade ago when they became the new norm: the marriage of a cell phone and a PDA. The Palm Tungstens of the time allowed mobile pros to bang out emails, set up meetings in their calendars, edit Office documents, etc. Then you would sync all your tasks with your PC and send to whomever OR, use your phone as modem (PAM) and send from anywhere.Smartphones were developed to carry just one device.

As a stand-alone device, the iPhone is useless without an internet connection. There's no file manager to store your info. There's no place to save your edited docs since the apps are internet-dependent. You can't even save your work to external storage because Apple has never seen fit to grace their devices with SD storage. Heck, you can't even do a bluetooth file transfer to a PC because Apple devices only do BT FTP with other iOS devices. Can't save your files via USB to your computer because iOS doesn't support USB Mass Storage. No can do with NFC either.

So you see, apps aren't what defines a smartphone. Take away internet connectivity and what can you do with your device? With WP, a heck of a lot more than with iOS and about the same as Android.
 

hotphil

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There is no way this can be only three months out. It has a looong way to go yet. Unless there is an internal tested build that is further along there is no way this going to happen in three months.
There's at least two internal Rings before anything hits Insider Fast. So yes, stuff inside MS is bound to be more advanced.
Not sure where the 3 months timescale comes from. Most specific I've seen is "summer". And the delay of RTM-to-retail will be a lot shorter going forward.
 

Roderick Aspiras

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This is my take.

So my Lumia 925 got Windows 10 mobile today. Sadly this is my primary phone but what the heck, the thoughts of not opening a wrapped gift is unbearable and so Pandora's box was open.

My initial impression is bad. I did not like how everything got so tiny. What were they thinking? Even the battery icon is so ugly. Why? I think this is bad for MS because initial impressions are lasting and I will be reverting to Windows phone 8.1 tonight.

I know this is an unpolished software but how can you start ugly? Outlook is not for me I hope MS gives us choice and include the built-in mail app because it is awesome.

Everything except the live tiles seem foreign to me and sadly it is bad because I feel I'm using the hybrid child of iOS and Android. I do hope that it gets better. I hope MS makes it right the first time this time!
 

oviedofreak82

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I beg to differ. When you really stop and analyze it, the iPhone is nothing but an app launcher.

Let me explain before I get skewered.

To me, the definition of a smartphone is what it was a decade ago when they became the new norm: the marriage of a cell phone and a PDA. The Palm Tungstens of the time allowed mobile pros to bang out emails, set up meetings in their calendars, edit Office documents, etc. Then you would sync all your tasks with your PC and send to whomever OR, use your phone as modem (PAM) and send from anywhere.Smartphones were developed to carry just one device.

As a stand-alone device, the iPhone is useless without an internet connection. There's no file manager to store your info. There's no place to save your edited docs since the apps are internet-dependent. You can't even save your work to external storage because Apple has never seen fit to grace their devices with SD storage. Heck, you can't even do a bluetooth file transfer to a PC because Apple devices only do BT FTP with other iOS devices. Can't save your files via USB to your computer because iOS doesn't support USB Mass Storage. No can do with NFC either.

So you see, apps aren't what defines a smartphone. Take away internet connectivity and what can you do with your device? With WP, a heck of a lot more than with iOS and about the same as Android.

The best definition of Apple ever! I have a friend of mine who always says that Apple isn't a real computer company LOL
 

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