New to Windows Phone!

[anish mahadik]

Hello everyone,
I am Anish from India and the Lumia 710 will be my 1st windows phone.
I am also using a Galaxy S Captivate and can say that i am an advanced user on android, i also had my own mixed up rom in XDA for a short while.
But i am not a ****** by any means and like to try different OS'es.
Hence i have ordered a lumia 710 to get to know the WP OS.
I have read some threads on the forums on how to get started with the phone and stuff.
I had used the lumia in store for some time and was really amazed by the fluidity of the OS.
I haven't received it yet, ordered it online and i will be getting it in 4-5 days.
I will be writing my experience with the phone then.
Also anybody has got any tips for me, please share.

Thanks everyone.

 

[speedtouch]

Hi, Anish. Welcome to the forums at WP Central, you have come to the right place! I know you're going to enjoy your Lumia 710. It really is a nice phone. Let us know when you get it.

 

[baseballbert]

Welcome!

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[opacityzero]

You mentioned ROMs, so here's my one tip on xda if you haven't already come across it..[Custom ROM] RainbowMod for Lumia 710 - xda-developers

You probably will need to downgrade the bootloader to the Qualcomm one:
Interop-Unlock Lumia 800 plus bootloader and NAND access [Q&A] - xda-developers

I haven't done this yet, but being that you're very familiar with cooking up your own ROMs it may be helpful. Perhaps one day I'll be installing one of yours

 

[Duvi]

Welcome to WPC and the WP platform!

The device choice is great. If you should have any questions, feel free to let us answer them =)

 

[anish mahadik]

You mentioned ROMs, so here's my one tip on xda if you haven't already come across it..[Custom ROM] RainbowMod for Lumia 710 - xda-developers

You probably will need to downgrade the bootloader to the Qualcomm one:
Interop-Unlock Lumia 800 plus bootloader and NAND access [Q&A] - xda-developers

I haven't done this yet, but being that you're very familiar with cooking up your own ROMs it may be helpful. Perhaps one day I'll be installing one of yours

Hey bro! Thanks for this, but i want to stay stock for as long as possible, Sorry.
The reason is that i don't see many uses for unlocking the phone, not interested in themes as i like the simplicity and sideloading for apps not required for now. Nokia has the best OEM apps available.

File explorer and Bt file transfer not needed. I actually love to use zune,infact it has been my default player since launch, it is the most beautiful music player on desktop, i know many people will be surprised by this, lol.

Also i feel that most of the roms will have some quirks and i don't want lumia to land up like android phone.

I may do it, lets see but right now i don't see much benefit. Also i have my Galaxy S and am not selling it, so i will use it to tinker with things and experiment. So let android be my geekphone and WP my reliable phone.

Also thank you everyone for the warm welcome, community seems nice here, now impatiently waiting for my phone

If i may ask can i know if the following apps are available or their alternatives:
Amazon Kindle
Box app [Cloud storage]
Any flight simulator game
Any flash video player [Not necessary]
Sky map
Gmail app
Google + [Not necessary]
Good dictionary
Temple run or similar game
Whatsapp
Xda
Youtube

I understand if above apps are not available yet, the store is still growing, but would like to know if there are any lesser known alternatives.

Also i hope i made a good decision going for lumia 710 and not buying 800. There was no budget problem but thought that i will check out the ecosystem 1st and then maybe upgrade to Nokia WP8 phone. The reason i say this is because it is a natural tendency for Companies to support their flagship phones more and overlook the budget ones.

One more question [Hope i don't irritate you guys]
Is there any other method to buy apps from the marketplace rather than using credit cards. Like Apple has prepaid cards. I try to not use my credit card online as i have had a bad experience earlier on Sony's PSN, so it is difficult to trust any company. Also in India Microsoft's site had been hacked some time back, This Article hence i am not going to use my credit card.
On android i survived as most of the apps i needed were free and some apps i paid for, the developers were willing to accept payment by net banking.

 

[speedtouch]

Amazon Kindle ---> Available
Box app [Cloud storage] ---> Available as 3rd party apps
Any flight simulator game ---> I don't game, so I don't know
Any flash video player [Not necessary] --> NO
Sky map ---> Available
Gmail app ---> None available, but you can configure Gmail into the email app (I do this)
Google + [Not necessary] --> I don't know
Good dictionary --> Surely there are good dictionaries available
Temple run or similar game ---> As before, I don't game
Whatsapp ---> I think it's available
Xda ---> This is an app?
Youtube ---> Available

I'm not sure if there's any other way to pay for apps from the Marketplace. I know that in the webOS world, people from Australia would get Americans to buy them preloaded credit cards from places like Simon Malls. Seemed to work well for the Aussies, so it might work for you too.

 

[anish mahadik]

I'm not sure if there's any other way to pay for apps from the Marketplace. I know that in the webOS world, people from Australia would get Americans to buy them preloaded credit cards from places like Simon Malls. Seemed to work well for the Aussies, so it might work for you too.

Hmm, i don't have anyone there. Will look for something else.
Yes there is an app for XDA forums same way there is wpcentral app. But doesn't matter. I am not that upbeat on apps as it is bound to increase in due time.
Thanks for your reply.

 

[jimski]

Yes, there is an XDA-Debelopers app available, as well as (currently broken) Board Express, which is a paid app, but connects to XDA, WPC, etc.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[anish mahadik]

Yes, there is an XDA-Debelopers app available, as well as (currently broken) Board Express, which is a paid app, but connects to XDA, WPC, etc.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

Hey thanks for the reply.
As i see you are using the L900, if i may ask, how is the phone in normal use.
By that i mean how is the overall construction and is it comfortable to use. I have seen and handled the L800 but the sharp edges in the bottom made it a little uncomfortable to hold. The 710 though looks cheap is a joy to hold and use [though i used it for only 15 mins.] and is much better built than it looks.
Do you get used to the sharp edges.

 

[opacityzero]

WhatsApp ---> Available [Alternatives: Kik Messenger]
YouTube ---> Available, but it only redirects you to m.youtube.com [Better alternatives: PrimeTube (the best one period and it's free too) and SuperTube ($) ]

Btw, I know what you mean about the ROM situation - I haven't done it either for the very same reasons. I'm looking at it only because of the homebrew apps available - like the ability to create folders - hopefully WP v8 will have this.

 

[MattLFC]

SuperTube is deffo where it's at!! I think the Pro version is even free now as well!! It's worth having for the slider on the video's on it's own; it's funny isnt it, how Microsoft do not have the brains to work out that a slider is a blatantly obvious better solution for forwarding on a touchscreen, than an antiquated and tedious forward/rewind button, that you can't even hold to scan!!

 

[RoccoI]

I just got my first windows phone as well. I got a Lumia 710.
Still learning about the phone, so far it's going smooth.

 

[RoccoI]

I love the tiles. Battery life is ok. About the same as my 9360.

Question, when I read an email on my phone, still shows as unread when I log on to my hotmail with my pc.

 

[speedtouch]

I love the tiles. Battery life is ok. About the same as my 9360.

Question, when I read an email on my phone, still shows as unread when I log on to my hotmail with my pc.

Yeah, for some reason the WP7 email app does not immediately mark the email as read on the server. If you tap sync on your phone after reading the email, then it will be marked read on the server.

 

[RoccoI]

Thanks speedtouch.

 

[rnpereira]

Anish,

Whatsapp has some bugs yet. It seems to have some trouble to stay connected on 3g. I've uninstalled it, for now. Waiting until it gets fixed.
As for the Google+, there is an app for that on market, never used though.

 

[anish mahadik]

Hey everyone, i received my phone today.
Its very refreshing to use the OS, its very beautiful. The hardware is good, but i have some screen backlight leaking on top of the screen, not a huge issue and i am a little forgiving with electronics. It's barely noticeable and can't be seen if on background other than black.
It's comfortable to hold and is solidly built.
I have downloaded some apps and still learning to use the phone.
Initial impressions are great.
Thanks everyone for app suggestions.
Overall the apps are less but are of great quality, which is important.

One thing i didn't like about the store is the abundance of adult apps, it's not good when you are in public and sexy apps show up, is there a way to block them.

 

[speedtouch]

Thanks speedtouch.

You betcha, buddy.

 

[speedtouch]

One thing i didn't like about the store is the abundance of adult apps, it's not good when you are in public and sexy apps show up, is there a way to block them.

Not that I am aware of...I wish there was.