Clarify few things before switch to WP 8

[hirawan77]

Hi,
I have been following news and blog for Windows Phone and I am very interesting with this OS. I am currently using Android OS and considering switching to Nokia Lumia. But before I switch to WP, I would like to clarify few things:
1. I am not a heavy Android user and I have researched the apps in WP and I can get most apps that I need. However I like pixlr express so much, does anyone know are there any similar/better apps in WP? I need a photo app with ability to do focus blur, colour refining and some photo filter.
2. Does WP7 apps compatible with WP8?
3. Say If I go with Lumia 920 or 720. When I connect the phone to computer using USB cable, does the computer detects the phone as mass storage and I am able to drag and drop any file from and to computer?
4. I like to watch movie / clips offline, does standard player ( or apps) able to run MPG, MPEG, AVI, FLV, etc files?
5. Is that true that WP doesn?t have a good youtube app?
6. If I go with Lumia 720, do you think 512MB ram is enough?
7. Since WP has people hub, is that true that we don?t need facebook, Linkedin and Twitter apps?
8. Are there any apps where we can sync a particular folder to the cloud (e.g. skydrive, google drive, drop box) where we can determine the folder and sync it (either manual or schedule)?
9. I am planning to buy outright, however the operator sim card that I use don?t sell Lumia 920 or 720. How do I get a software update from Microsoft/Nokia?
10. Does WP have another browser app other than IE?

Thank you
Rgds,
Hendrik

 

[iPwnza]

1. Thumba Photo Editor | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States) (Filters, Blur, IDK if color refining is there.)
2. Some were not at launch day, but 95~% of them are now.
3. I think so, works with 8X.
4. IDK.
5. No. Use MetroTube.
6. Not if you play any games.
7. Not if you are a heavy user, I use the twitter apps.
8. IDK.
9. Non-locked phones actually get upates first (Usally...)
10. Yes, but IE is always the browser engine (No, there will never be chrome engine or firefox). UC browser is a good example of what IE's engine can do.

 

[brianbackwards]

1. Nokia has it's own photo editing app available and Fhotoroom is also another popular editing app. I don't use them, so I'm not completely sure if they meet your needs, but you can check them out.
2. I believe all WP8 phones have access to WP7 apps, but they might not be optimized for WP8. So they might not have the double-wide tile or might not look as crisp on the newer higher resolution phones.
3.When I connect my phone it recognizes it right away. There is a Windows Phone program on the computer so you can import/export whatever you need.
7. I can't vouch for Linkedin, but I think FB and Twitter apps are still needed. For twitter, there are a lot of popular ones. I use Rowi and Peregrine.
10. You can use the UC Browswer, I think it's based on IE, but it has more features and is just overall better. Unfortunately, you cannot set it as your default browser.

Hope this helps

 

[a5cent]

Welcome to WPC!

2. Not always, but most of the time, yes, WP7 apps will run on WP8. WP8 apps do not run on WP7
3. Yes.
4. WP default player supports 3GP, 3G2, WMV, MP4, M4V, AVI, and MOV
5. It is widely believed, not just by members of the WP community, that WP actually has the best YouTube app on any platform. It is called MetroTube.
6. Some graphically intensive games will not run on 512 MB devices. If you play a lot of fast pace racing games or shooters, you will need 1GB.
8. No. WP doesn't allow direct access to the file system. In this regard WP is like iOS, not like Android.
9. The only difference with an unbranded phone, is that the OEM and Microsoft can flip that update switch without asking carriers for permission.

 

[hirawan77]

Hi,
Thank you for your reply. So does it mean unlocked phone will get software update quicker than locked phone?
What about if we have a special folder and I want to backup all files in this folder into sky drive, is it possible?
I haven't see Lumia 720 but it's like a smaller version of Lumia 920. Lumia 920 is too thick and heavy for me. Does anyone use Lumia 820? is it good?
Rgds,
Hendrik

 

[raul_junior]

About creating a separate folder for SkyDrive, you have to download the SkyDrive app and create and add to the separate folder from their good luck

 

[a5cent]

So does it mean unlocked phone will get software update quicker than locked phone?

No. Apparently, at least for the time being, the U.S. market is prioritized above others. Unlocked devices don't belong to any market, so they come later. Microsoft, the carriers and the OEMs certainly have a process for update distribution, but as of yet the details aren't public knowledge.

 

[WPhantom]

Go for 920. I had Galaxy S2 previously, significantly smaller and lighter, but now Im using to 920. It has a great camera. Apps, well I was a power user and surprisingly enough, I don't miss a single app.

 

[Nabkawe5]

I have been following news and blog for Windows Phone and I am very interesting with this OS. I am currently using Android OS and considering switching to Nokia Lumia. But before I switch to WP, I would like to clarify few things:
1. I am not a heavy Android user and I have researched the apps in WP and I can get most apps that I need. However I like pixlr express so much, does anyone know are there any similar/better apps in WP? I need a photo app with ability to do focus blur, colour refining and some photo filter.
Yes , Fantasia Painter has so many tricks up its sleeves that focus and blur and color refining are its basic features. (its free with ads with paid version)
what you'll edge Pixlr at in WP8 is the fact that your pictures can be pulled to edit from your phone or your Facebook pictures and your skydrive(cloud service).
any picture you have in the gallery can be edited in the gallery with all the Photography apps you got . for example in the gallery choose a picture and open it bring the menu click on apps , all photo related apps will be there, click on edit all photo editing apps will show up , click on share and all services that share pictures will show up (9gag app gets a share to 9gag option in there for example) >


2. Does WP7 apps compatible with WP8?
No, not all of them , its basically because of the res difference mixed with the highly new kernel .

3. Say If I go with Lumia 920 or 720. When I connect the phone to computer using USB cable, does the computer detects the phone as mass storage and I am able to drag and drop any file from and to computer?
YES. though type of files you could actually open are severely limited in the moment. you can't deal with any file that doesn't have an app to deal with it , for example you can't share a zip file if you don't have a zip file manager installed.

4. I like to watch movie / clips offline, does standard player ( or apps) able to run MPG, MPEG, AVI, FLV, etc files?
The codecs in WP8 are still severely limited , FLC won't work, AVIs might depending on the coding , I say prepare for the worse on this front. (An App is being developed for WP8 to run FLV and other files its called VLC player. it has a kickstarter campaign and you could bet they are doing everything they can to bring it soon.)

5. Is that true that WP doesn’t have a good youtube app?

Yes but that's due to Youtube's restriction on WP and not for MS's lack of support.
6. If I go with Lumia 720, do you think 512MB ram is enough?
It'll effect games. everything else not so much , still if you want a product with fewer issues the 720 is a better bet (or even better wait for the new flagship to come along).
7. Since WP has people hub, is that true that we don’t need facebook, Linkedin and Twitter apps? yes and no , in the basic sense you could go along not needing most of those things for the process of SHARING and LIGHT follow ups , but if you're into #searching it won't do you any good, its about sharing stuff easily.
If you're into pages you'll need the app even for the news feed , its just the news feeds of your friends brought to your VERY EASILY (think of it like a list that gets created as you add friends to a room or a group.

8. Are there any apps where we can sync a particular folder to the cloud (e.g. skydrive, google drive, drop box) where we can determine the folder and sync it (either manual or schedule)? I think not Skydrive syncs all of your photos manually or automatically. but other than that there's not much to sync in terms of file access.
9. I am planning to buy outright, however the operator sim card that I use don’t sell Lumia 920 or 720. How do I get a software update from Microsoft/Nokia?
as you are planning to buy unlocked phones you get updates either on the fly or using Nokia's suit.
10. Does WP have another browser app other than IE?
Yes but it uses IE10's code, look up Surfcube 5 for a great example.

 

[CSJr1]

4. I hear the app Flash Cinema will play and download flash files

 

[Huime]

8. No, you cant. But there is an official skydrive app that allows you to browse the cloud just as if it is part of your phone storage. And whatever folder you setup in there you will see the same in the app. You can even do some minor management for example delete a certain file, create new folder, and move files to folder. This is useful since most of the things you upload from the phone will end up in the "mobile upload" folder.