[x I'm tc]

Waaay back in early November, 2011, I posted this complaint list to ZDNET for things that were making my Windows Phone experience excruciating. Four years later, it's still pretty excruciating, but I wondered if maybe it's come farther than I give it credit for. And so, I just thought it'd be interesting to see how many of the really basic and necessary fixes I mentioned way back when are actually fixed in "the last version of Windows." Here's my original post:

There is a lot that is excellent about Windows Phone. It is, overall, the most coherent smartphone OS. That said, it is probably that way because it came the latest and hasn't had to tack on all kinds of functions, one at a time, like Android has. Furthermore, there are some serious shortcomings it needs to overcome. Without addressing the following things, there is simply no way one can reasonably recommend Windows Phone to serious users (and note that my only phone is a Windows Phone).

1) Multitasking. Get some. What exists on Mango doesn't count. Not. Even. Close. Please see webOS if you need any help.

2) Make email not suck. I should be able to edit the content of a reply or forward. I should be able to reply or forward from an account different than the one I received my email in. I should be able to browse for and attach any kind of document I have on my phone, from an office file to a PDF to an MP3, picture or video.

3) Make some kind of notification system. Right now I can get "toast" notifications from any app, but these disappear after a few seconds and once they do, there is no way to get them back again. On the lock screen, only the built-in applications for phone, email and messaging can leave a persistent reminder. This needs to be opened up to all applications, and there needs to be a way to get right to the relevant application from the lock screen. Please see iOS' lock screen and webOS' notification system (although this is probably impossible to tack on at this point).

4) Open up live tiles. MS' own apps can do things like trigger a counter when the lock screen is lifted. 3rd party applications can't do things like that. The live tile is a widget by another name. Treat it like one or get squashed by Android.

5) Hardware. Improve it. I don't care that WP runs like butter on single core chips. I don't care that 800x480 is still a respectable screen resolution. Open up the platform so that hardware vendors can innovate -- or at least just slap WP on their latest Android handsets. The simple fact -- often touted by WP enthusiasts -- is that not even the absolute latest and greatest Android handsets run nearly as smoothly as WP when navigating the OS. But these same handsets do play smoother, higher resolution games, etc., because of their better CPUs and nicer screens, and because of...

6) Native applications. Probably MS is waiting for Win8/WP8, but there has got to be a way to get native applications that will run on both systems *today*. If I can run native Windows programs on Linux using WINE, I should be able to run native WP7.5 programs on WP8 when it eventually debuts.

And here's my opinion of where we stand today: 1) Multitasking still sucks. It sucked on W7. Sucks on W8/8.1, and looks to continue right on sucking in W10M. Except for a few services that are permitted to run in the background, WP still really can't multitask. 2) The new Outlook email app in W10M is a marked improvement over the disastrous email client in W8.1. At the absolute minimum, the fact that I can now edit the contents of a reply or forward is a game-changer. Add to that much better attachment handling, and that's a huge step in the right direction. I'd still like to be able to switch which email client I use to handle a reply or forward, but that's not such a huge deal. 3) Notifications are now pretty darned good. They're not as powerful as on Android (or even iOS), but B+ just for existing. 4) Live Tiles are still pretty much pointless. The notification center is much more useful as a "glance and go" utility than the Start Screen. MS demoed interactive Live Tiles a while back, and unless and until we get something like that, the W10M Start Screen will remain a poor shadow of Android's launcher. 5) With the exception of the aging One M8, there isn't a single good WP on the market. That said, the existence of that device has shown that it's at least possible for vendors to "slap WP on their latest Android handsets." I am more tantalized by the possibility of an Intel "Surface Phone" so I am withholding judgement on this point until I see if it comes to fruition sometime soon. 6) While WP applications still never run as well as their Android counterparts on similar hardware, I think that is just poor coding and lousy APIs. Projects Astoria and Islandwood may do a lot to close that gap. So, I'm optimistic! Univeral apps is also a potentially groundbreaking idea.

So, in short, even though I am growing increasingly frustrated with this OS, it seems as though it has, in many ways, substantially improved. But there's a lot of work still to do.

[charlatan1978]

With the exception of the aging One M8, there isn't a single good WP on the market

Don't agree with that quote. Just because there haven't been any flagships released recently, there are still good WP's on the market.

[x I'm tc]

Like?

[Mattman86]

Like?

1520, 1020, 640, 640XL, One M9,...

[charlatan1978]

Exactly plus my L930 is a great phone. You seem like an Android fan so maybe WP just isn't for you.

[Nikolai Kuzbanovsky]

ok your 930 or your 1520 are good but not even close to note 5 or the iphone6 or the other flagships. That is what OP said: they are good, but not even close to flagships of the competition.
I fully agree with "x I am tc", you make really good points, but I think you are optimistic against the facts. LOTS of features are missing from wp since 2012 and they are not here yet. Everyone who has a w8 or a w10 phone knows. (try to share a link, a photo, to edit a document from onedrive or dropbox, try groove music, try to use the maps, try to copy some text from ms edge, and the list goes on...) And we see no of those features coming!

Next is the pc... Right now I have a w10 laptop and a w10 lumia 535. And those two devices do not interact at ALL. All I can do is open "my computer>w10 phone" and pass files. That is all, when they were supposed to be one os, with one store.

And the question is:
What is MS doing? Why are they not trying to fix and complete the operating system?


What I fear is MS do not know where to go. If you go to the store you will see lumia apps, microsoft apps, Here apps, skype, xbox, MSN apps, metro apps, desktop apps etc... THey do not have a specific plan, they go back and forth, not settling anywhere. Or remember how many things they have cancelled... Probably they need a plan: something that we like and want and works, and makes them money.

[AndyCalling]

Integration was a thing for WP7, it got expanded in the W8 ecosystem but in recent times the hubs and linked accounts, the sharing and the Onedrive focus, basically all the trappings of integration have been depreciated. Even the touch UI has been hived off into its own mode on tablets to be more easily isolated and wound down. The arms-length Onedrive access should show you all you need to know re. MS's plans for linking devices together.

Welcome to the world of tomorrow. It looks a lot like yesterday.

[Torontonian22]

I own a lumia 930 and it's everything but a flagship. It's an ok phone, not at all a great smartphone. However, it does what i need or should i say, i adapt my needs to what the 930 and WP can do. I actually lowered my standards a lot after buying the 930 due to numerous bugs and issues.

Regarding MS plans, i'm also wondering who is actually in charge of the strategy. Other companies such as Google or Appne define themselves what the OS should be and leave the door open for comments. On the other side, MS actually need people feedback to implement what should be obvious. This shows a real lack of vision and direction for the platform. The experience keeps changing back and forth because they have no idea where to go.

Hope time will proove me wrong but i'm seeing on w10m is not really reassuring for the future.

[livejazz]

Keep in mind that any manufacturer can release a flagship only 6 moths later than a previous one and, hardware wise, it could potentially be myriads better. In this case (ie note 5/iP6 vs 1520) it was even longer, especially with the new Note. The six wasn't that much of a hardware boost. Comparing the 6s, Note 5, and the Fall Lumia 950 will be a pretty fare comparison of hardware imho.

[AndyCalling]

This is largely a beef with the OS though, not the hardware.

[livejazz]

This is largely a beef with the OS though, not the hardware.

Agreed. The thread was just going in that direction. I had a great thing going and selling HTC's with WinMo on them to Enterprise with custom ROM's. I was put out of that business with WP7. Was ok with it, though, but wasn't ok with the stripping of the OS!! Lol

[mprebich]

Agreed. The thread was just going in that direction. I had a great thing going and selling HTC's with WinMo on them to Enterprise with custom ROM's. I was put out of that business with WP7. Was ok with it, though, but wasn't ok with the stripping of the OS!! Lol

Sorry for the further OT, but:

What about slapping Windows 10 on an Asus as someone seems to have done? Enterprise potential?

[mprebich]

Next is the pc... Right now I have a w10 laptop and a w10 lumia 535. And those two devices do not interact at ALL. All I can do is open "my computer>w10 phone" and pass files. That is all, when they were supposed to be one os, with one store.

I agree with the main point of this thread, i.e. that W10M needs to improve significantly.

But I'm quite happy with the seemless integration of my Microsoft account across devices.

From any device, logged into my MSA, OneDrive lets you share everything, all my settings are there, universal apps share data (wunderlist, you-doo, bill reminders, etc.), although a don't like the app itself, my music collection is in sync on all devices, etc.

Maybe I'm not a poweruser and missing something?

Where I see the significant shortcoming is OTG, digital audio output (external DAC), etc.

Thanks to all for the posts.

[livejazz]

Sorry for the further OT, but:

What about slapping Windows 10 on an Asus as someone seems to have done? Enterprise potential?

Not sure what you're getting at? Asus smart phone? With regard to the W10 Mobile, Any device will be capable for Enterprise. Depends on the additional software/firmware added ti the device, whether or not it'll be worthy. Also, needs to be a solid build and long life cycle with long support for Enterprise to get their ears perked up. Acer, imho, hasnt historically been a solid choice for Enterprise due to build quality. They make a great device for consumers looking for cheap - or I should say inexpensive.

[Sam_93]

you know what MS favorite song is I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn't even matter. MS is handicapped by its own limitations. I think those guys never read forums like these or are too afraid . They dont care . I bought a Lumia 640 Xl . Used windows preview 10166. After relaeasing 10166 they suddenly said its feature complete ? Wtf ? Seriously man ? I am no fanboy of android or any os . I invested in Lumia as I thought the user experience will be better than android and atleast some of the apps will be available. Feels like using an beta OS. One thing I love is camera . I think I should have sticked with Android may be.

[livejazz]

you know what MS favorite song is I tried so hard And got so far But in the end It doesn't even matter. MS is handicapped by its own limitations. I think those guys never read forums like these or are too afraid . They dont care . I bought a Lumia 640 Xl . Used windows preview 10166. After relaeasing 10166 they suddenly said its feature complete ? Wtf ? Seriously man ? I am no fanboy of android or any os . I invested in Lumia as I thought the user experience will be better than android and atleast some of the apps will be available. Feels like using an beta OS. One thing I love is camera . I think I should have sticked with Android may be.

Maybe you should be using a finished OS like 8.1 instead of a beta version like an insider build? Then it wouldn't feel like a beta version. What feature is it that you are looking for? What app are you looking for. All of the apps are not yet available in the insider builds. Did MS make a mistake by letting the masses test their OS with them? Looks like it when I see posts like this.

[Sam_93]

Actually I am using 8.1 now . Returned from windows 10 preview builds . Actually WP 10 needs more features and ought to be more better . Some times I get error as WNS not working need restart . Notifications sometimes don't appear. Even 8.1 feels like beta OS . Actually my anguish is MS is painfully slow . Although I dont install preview builds but I wait for new ones as they may have some new features such as landscape mode etc . There are many . There is still no reply from notifications . Waiting !Just Waiting . No hard feelings though. Just feeling sad when MS android apps are growing by leaps and bounds on Android. Thats it

[livejazz]

Actually I am using 8.1 now . Returned from windows 10 preview builds . Actually WP 10 needs more features and ought to be more better . Some times I get error as WNS not working need restart . Notifications sometimes don't appear. Even 8.1 feels like beta OS . Actually my anguish is MS is painfully slow . Although I dont install preview builds but I wait for new ones as they may have some new features such as landscape mode etc . There are many . There is still no reply from notifications . Waiting !Just Waiting . No hard feelings though. Just feeling sad when MS android apps are growing by leaps and bounds on Android. Thats it

Yep. Well, MS stands responsible for the security and steadfastness of 98% of the World's Enterprise and cant be like Google and fall forward while throwing their feet in front of them, hoping there's not any more stones to trip them like there has been so many times. I have a perspective from a power business user across the MS ecosystem and feel very comfortable with the relative conservative nature from which Microsoft approaches. I'm ok that MS hasn't invented a way to use our mobile devices as hover boards and, honestly, haven't ever felt left out of innovation since my first Windows PC in 1992 and my first Windows mobile device in 2004 (PPC6400). I do understand those that ache because, maybe, the Facebook app on Windows isn't as good as the same on Android or iPhone because I am a part time developer, but it takes real introspect to understand the reasons for Microsoft's need to be so careful and empathetic with their innovation. Most ordinary people can't begin to understand MS's level of responsibility and never will and I think Microsoft handles this fact very nicely, too. I've been in the kitchen and I am on several forums under this same user name at arm's length, due to nda's. Some as long ago as 2005. I've seen a lot of smack talk, too, and I respect that you have "no hard feelings." They are different companies with different goals and guidelines. Bottom line.