Considering WP*

[megamaster5]

Hi everyone! I'm a current LG Optimus G user (previous iPhone 4S User) and I'm considering switching to WP8 in the coming 2 weeks. I'll have to get a device on May 1st, to be exact. I'm switching over to AT&T. I was just wondering, in comparison to Android, what are the pros and cons of WP8? I know notification center is an issue that should be fixed soon but what other things have you noticed?

Things that matter to me: Battery life. I'm a college student, so my phone lasting all day is important. But I understand if it can't for 14 hours. I usually have a computer to charge up with.
Messaging - Integrated messaging is awesome. But really just fluidity of the keyboard and messaging apps.
Facebook - Still essential for all my organizations and friends. But not for updates. I don't use push notifications. Just to check myself.
Twitter - I love twitter I'm guilty. But having a great twitter app.. necessity. Something like Falcon Pro would be great but I could live without it.
Something similar to Google Currents! I love reading articles, on tech and on Politics.

Screen size is also an issue. I'm deciding between the 8X and Lumia 920. Does the heftiness bother you, and are the Nokia Apps better?
Lastly, price. Both of these phones, refurbished, cost .99 cents. But new ones are only $50 right now. Much more affordable than GS4 and HTC One, which I also considered. 4.7 inches I think is just too big for me. But yeah, feel free to share your thoughts, and experiences, I'd love some input. I will indeed be going to check the phones out myself today and tomorrow as well for the physical build quality. I would get a Matte Lumia

 

[Chris_Kez]

I think you'll be fine with WP8. I switched from an iPhone 4 in November have been very, very happy.

• Battery life was a little wonky out of the box, but the last few months I've had no problem making it through the day
• I actually prefer this keyboard to my iPhone, though it took some getting used to. I like the extra space on the L920. I also prefer the wordflow insertion to Apple's autocorrect. One other small thing I appreciate is having real Capital Letters.
• I'm a light user of both Facebook and Twitter so I get by without incident. You'll probably end up trying a bunch of Twitter clients but Rowi and Mehdoh seem to be the most popular if you want something more than the stock app (which was updated not long ago and looks quite nice). The Facebook app is not as good as iOS/Android versions but I haven't really had any problems.
• I'm not familiar with Google Currents, but if it's a feed reader then apps like Weave and Fuse are (though not as slick as something like Flipboard)
• Screen size was the killer upgrade for me. I don't think I could ever go back to the small iPhone screen. Even my wife's iPhone 5 seems too small now.

I would 100% go with the Lumia 920 over the 8x. Nokia has a much better selection of apps and they have proven themselves to be much more committed to WP8. They've rolled out two firmware updates; they've updated many of their custom apps; if there is an exclusive app, it is with Nokia.

 

[megamaster5]

Awesome, thanks for your thoughts! I was wondering how the connection with google services is as I live off Gmail, and Drive. I'm not in a position to switch exclusively to outlook yet :/

 

[Chris_Kez]

That I couldn't tell you. I switched to Outlook and SkyDrive. A little digging will turn up the latest situation in regards to using Google services on WP8, and how to switch (if that becomes an option for you).

 

[Slai]

Gotta say, Im going for the s4 from my 920.
Sizewise theyre pretty similiar. But the s4 has a bigger screen (just a much smaller bezel).
Camera is reported to be better on the s4 than the 920, though it doesn't have ois which makes video smoother on the 920. Most tests conclude that the camera is overall superior.
Batterywise my 920 is quite a bit behind my s3, after several months use. Its been up and down. But generally; worse than my s3.

Personally I like WP and the 920, however it can be quite slow at times. Nothing huge, and the animations of WP hides it quite well so it doesn't stick out that much.
Also there are some issues with Spotify, but those could be spotifyrelated and not OS relates, namely that when playing offline it seems to skip over songs, sometimes refuses to aknowledge that the list is useable offline, then works the next press on the playlist, it can skip to song 1 then 2 then 1 then 2, when playing randomly in a list of say 185 songs, which happens faaaaar too frequent for it to be chance, it can sometimes pause at the start of the song you just skipped to and will need another press on your headphones pkay/pause button to start, etc.

Generally I like the concept of WP, but for me its not enough to keep me on, no matter how,much I wanted to love it.

 

[megamaster5]

That I couldn't tell you. I switched to Outlook and SkyDrive. A little digging will turn up the latest situation in regards to using Google services on WP8, and how to switch (if that becomes an option for you).

I'm a college student and my school switched to Google Services (basically Google Business) so I need to be able to access it I could get the mail forwarded..meh. Thanks sir!

 

[eric12341]

Hi everyone! I'm a current LG Optimus G user (previous iPhone 4S User) and I'm considering switching to WP8 in the coming 2 weeks. I'll have to get a device on May 1st, to be exact. I'm switching over to AT&T. I was just wondering, in comparison to Android, what are the pros and cons of WP8? I know notification center is an issue that should be fixed soon but what other things have you noticed?

Things that matter to me: Battery life. I'm a college student, so my phone lasting all day is important. But I understand if it can't for 14 hours. I usually have a computer to charge up with.
Messaging - Integrated messaging is awesome. But really just fluidity of the keyboard and messaging apps.
Facebook - Still essential for all my organizations and friends. But not for updates. I don't use push notifications. Just to check myself.
Twitter - I love twitter I'm guilty. But having a great twitter app.. necessity. Something like Falcon Pro would be great but I could live without it.
Something similar to Google Currents! I love reading articles, on tech and on Politics.

Screen size is also an issue. I'm deciding between the 8X and Lumia 920. Does the heftiness bother you, and are the Nokia Apps better?
Lastly, price. Both of these phones, refurbished, cost .99 cents. But new ones are only $50 right now. Much more affordable than GS4 and HTC One, which I also considered. 4.7 inches I think is just too big for me. But yeah, feel free to share your thoughts, and experiences, I'd love some input. I will indeed be going to check the phones out myself today and tomorrow as well for the physical build quality. I would get a Matte Lumia

Battery Life: I have absolutely no problems with battery life on my 8X, I can make it through my 16-17hr work days (8 hour work shift and 7hr back and forth commute) with 15% left very easily , this is with streaming music, web browsing and alphajax playing.

Keyboard: hands down the best onscreen keyboard I've used and I've tried them all.
Messaging: No problems with texting but the built in Facebook and other messaging apps such as kik can be spotty at times.
Facebook: the built in people hub and Facebook app should satisfy your needs even though the current Facebook app is not the popular solution within this community.
Twitter: As with Facebook the built in people hub should satisfy your needs as well as the official app. There are also 3rd party twitter apps if you don't like the official one.

920 vs 8X: if you absolutely care about consuming media on your phone then you should go for the 8X. The 8X offers a built in amp with advanced audio processing capabilities and the screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio which is used with many movies, TV shows and all the latest music videos use it as well. The Nokia exclusive apps so far seem to be less with WP8 than with WP7 and are usually only for a limited time. HTC also releases quarterly (maybe sooner) firmware updates for the 8X.

 

[bxr4t]

Megamaster, I too am a college student and I switched from my android to WP8 and am not looking back. My phone lasts more than one day and I use it quite frequently, it has apps for just about everything and I actually prefer a lot of apps on WP8 compared to their counterpart android app. Rowi is a pretty decent twitter app although lately I haven't had time to really play with it because of this semesters hectic schedule.

In all honesty, my WP8 phone is extremely smooth when it comes to everything that I have needed it for. It surpassed my android with ease and I have not had to reboot it once where with android it seemed like a daily task just to fix the dang thing. Speaking of school, I can download lecture notes directly to my phone, and view them with incredible detail, my friend can't figure out how to do it as easily on his GS3.

When I had my android, I was always wishing it had something else, or was able to do this or that. I have not experienced that at all with my 822. I have zero gripes with it, and I am sure when my two year contract comes up, I will just buy the next WP8 phone. They just work beautifully.

Go to your local phone store and try them out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when it comes down to how flawless these phones are. I decided that I will never go back to android within the first 3 days of owning the phone.

 

[jlynnm350z]

Ever since I switch to Windows Phone I won the lottery, I've had sex with beautiful celebrities, I am staring in a major motion picture with Harrison Ford. I saved a babies life when she fell out of a 87 story building. I also invented a cure for Android users (still working on IOS) last but not least I found a $20 bill in the parking lot and anonymously donated it to my favorite charity. Yes Windows has been very good to me.

 

[jlynnm350z]

Ever since I switch to Windows Phone I won the lottery, I've had sex with beautiful celebrities, I am staring in a major motion picture with Harrison Ford. I saved a babies life when she fell out of a 87 story building. I also invented a cure for Android users (still working on IOS) last but not least I found a $20 bill in the parking lot and donated it to my favorite charity. Yes Windows has been very good to me.

 

[jlynnm350z]

.....

 

[megamaster5]

Megamaster, I too am a college student and I switched from my android to WP8 and am not looking back. My phone lasts more than one day and I use it quite frequently, it has apps for just about everything and I actually prefer a lot of apps on WP8 compared to their counterpart android app. Rowi is a pretty decent twitter app although lately I haven't had time to really play with it because of this semesters hectic schedule.

In all honesty, my WP8 phone is extremely smooth when it comes to everything that I have needed it for. It surpassed my android with ease and I have not had to reboot it once where with android it seemed like a daily task just to fix the dang thing. Speaking of school, I can download lecture notes directly to my phone, and view them with incredible detail, my friend can't figure out how to do it as easily on his GS3.

When I had my android, I was always wishing it had something else, or was able to do this or that. I have not experienced that at all with my 822. I have zero gripes with it, and I am sure when my two year contract comes up, I will just buy the next WP8 phone. They just work beautifully.

Go to your local phone store and try them out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when it comes down to how flawless these phones are. I decided that I will never go back to android within the first 3 days of owning the phone.

Hey, that's really awesome to hear actually. I've had some complaints with Android, wifi connectivity problems and other things but overall, battery life has been the biggest gripe. If I can ensure that I can use my gmail accounts and such, I'll definitely probably switch. I love the shape of the 8X as well. Lumia is sorta weird in my hand. Are Lumias that much better? Media viewing and such isn't too big a deal. Reading on my phone, is a must.

 

[Slai]

Eric: you find the WP8 keyboard better than the current Swiftkey X?
May I ask how?

Bxr4t: how long have you had your WP and what Android was it you had previously?
There is a difference in models. Take the 920 with its reboot problems for instance. Doesnt mean thats what WP is like.

No idea what your friend is doing, but downloading things online was far easier on my s3 than the 920.

Theres really nothing you wish your WP does better? You wouldnt want IE to use metrotube instead of the default viewer when watching streamed content? Never wish that music/video played let you use the progressionbar to zip back/forth like metrotube does?
Never thought "damn, i should be able to DL this file from this website"? I can see the keyboard being nice to use if you're only using English. I use two languages interchangeably and compared to Swiftkey it just doesn't compete. For instance will it always change "it" to "IT", and "me" to "Me" when its set to Norwegian. With NO way of letting it know that I never ever ever ever want that to happen.

Bottom line: these phones are nice indeed.
But they are nowhere near flawless,

As for reading on the phone: it works. the pdf viewer is quite bad though. My 920 heats quite a bit and drains battery fast when using pdf viewer, Nokia reader or kindle.
Screen on the 920 is great.
Not a big fan of the 8x since i find the design horrible in regards to texture, shape, button placement etcetera, but many like it so shouldn't be a problem technically for you. It has ok specs.

 

[ag1986]

Hey, that's really awesome to hear actually. I've had some complaints with Android, wifi connectivity problems and other things but overall, battery life has been the biggest gripe. If I can ensure that I can use my gmail accounts and such, I'll definitely probably switch. I love the shape of the 8X as well. Lumia is sorta weird in my hand. Are Lumias that much better? Media viewing and such isn't too big a deal. Reading on my phone, is a must.

If it;s a Google Apps for Education account (i.e. megamaster5@yourschool.edu and not gmail.com) then no worries. However, you may not be able to get Exchange sync for calendar, not sure what the situation there is. And if lots of docs are on Google Drive for you, no luck. There's no Drive app for WP8 and everything will have to be done in the browser. Which is pretty sucky on my Nexus 4, can't say how it is on WP8.

Bottom line, I'd say that if Google services are important then stick with Android. If not, then go ahead and switch.

 

[megamaster5]

If it;s a Google Apps for Education account (i.e. megamaster5@yourschool.edu and not gmail.com) then no worries. However, you may not be able to get Exchange sync for calendar, not sure what the situation there is. And if lots of docs are on Google Drive for you, no luck. There's no Drive app for WP8 and everything will have to be done in the browser. Which is pretty sucky on my Nexus 4, can't say how it is on WP8.

Bottom line, I'd say that if Google services are important then stick with Android. If not, then go ahead and switch.

If I get a Lumia, I'll be able to get a Nexus 7 I need a tablet for school anyway, and iPads are a noooo. But I do still need calendar to sync up. Calendar, and email. That would be awesome

 

[Slai]

Hmm would be quite awesome to have a phone/tablet combo that works great together like a 920 and a wp8 laptop/tablet thing.
Or an android phone/tablet combo.

 

[PeltFrelken]

I'm not an Android fan, at all, but if you are definitely buying a Nexus 7 tablet, then it really makes most sense to get an Android phone. The syncing will be seamless, especially if you're locked in to Google services. If you are really interested in trying out Windows Phone, get the 520 as a secondary phone.

 

[Huime]

Eric: you find the WP8 keyboard better than the current Swiftkey X?
May I ask how?

Bxr4t: how long have you had your WP and what Android was it you had previously?
There is a difference in models. Take the 920 with its reboot problems for instance. Doesnt mean thats what WP is like.

No idea what your friend is doing, but downloading things online was far easier on my s3 than the 920.

Theres really nothing you wish your WP does better? You wouldnt want IE to use metrotube instead of the default viewer when watching streamed content? Never wish that music/video played let you use the progressionbar to zip back/forth like metrotube does?
Never thought "damn, i should be able to DL this file from this website"? I can see the keyboard being nice to use if you're only using English. I use two languages interchangeably and compared to Swiftkey it just doesn't compete. For instance will it always change "it" to "IT", and "me" to "Me" when its set to Norwegian. With NO way of letting it know that I never ever ever ever want that to happen.

Bottom line: these phones are nice indeed.
But they are nowhere near flawless,

As for reading on the phone: it works. the pdf viewer is quite bad though. My 920 heats quite a bit and drains battery fast when using pdf viewer, Nokia reader or kindle.
Screen on the 920 is great.
Not a big fan of the 8x since i find the design horrible in regards to texture, shape, button placement etcetera, but many like it so shouldn't be a problem technically for you. It has ok specs.

When we are not picking how your S3 last longer, smoother, S4's camera is better (?!) and Project butter turns out to be an octocore, you should not go down this road.

 

[Honestabebread]

I have an S3 for work and an 8X for my personal phone and the S3 is by far one of the worst phones ever and my wife has a ton of issues with hers as well.

-Battery life is about twice as long on my 8X
-8X is very smooth and not laggy at all, S3 is a lag machine
-8X audio output is way better via cord or via Bluetooth
-8X screen unlocks no problem. With the S3 it seems like I have to swipe my finger around for 5 seconds before it will unlock
-8X has infinitely better reception and call quality. The S3 is not for people who talk on the phone.
-Though the S3 has more apps, most of them crash or lock up on me anyway.

Apply these same comparisons to my Spectrum 2, Droid Razr, the Droid Razr M, and the HTC Rezound.

My Trophy runs more fluidly than Android flagships.

Also, the stock Touchwiz keyboard is an abomination. The WP8 keyboard is only beat by the BB10 keyboard.

 

[Slai]

Huime:

When you write "picking" do you mean it as in "selecting" or did you mean "picking on"?

Im not going "down a road" in any Clint Eastwood sense, but you seem to have some delightful insight, so lets check it out .

Firstly I don't think its a stretch to say my s3 had a better battery life than my 920 has. 920 has had its peaks and valleys batterywise, some periods it was great. Others it was ridicolous. In general I get a day if Im being careful.
The s3 would generally hold a day and a half with the same type of use age, though it had its ups and downs as well of course.

S3 being smoother isn't what Im saying. Im saying its about the same as my 920. Big difference.

I take it from your questionmark-/explanationmarkcombo that you don't think the s4 camera is better than the 920s camera?
All tests so far seem to indicate that it is, but we obviously can hold off on that until some more tests pop up.

Not sure how changing from 4 cores,to 4 other cores that have a lower,clock frequency would make anything "buttery" compared,to running the same 4 cores, but I don't know much about how octacores work. I thought it was mainly for battery purposes, not fluidity.
How does the octa make things smoother?

Honestabe: you clearly have something wrong with your device for it to behave like that, but glad you enjoy the 8x. Shame that your wife struggles as well.
I agree that the stock TW keyboard on the s3 is rubbish compared to the ios and wp one.
That's why I never really used it, and opt for Swiftkey instead.

It sort of is like dooming WP because you have one of those nice 920s that have reboots/freezes six times per day and drains battery at a rate of 10% per hour idle, etc. Its no real basis for a judgement.