Am I nuts for wanting to do this? (android to WP, etc.)

flyinion

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So I'm currently on VZW with a Galaxy Nexus. I've been enjoying the Android ecosystem since early 2010 with the original Motorola Droid and now a Samsung Galaxy Nexus 32GB with Verizon's unlimited LTE. However, I've been a long time Zune user, and WP has intrigued me (I also was heavily tempted by the last version of Windows Mobile before settling on Android). Now I'm considering switching to T-Mobile (well, I AM going to switch) for their new contractless services. Because of my Zune experiences (the device AND the subscription service) I have been thinking I will get a Lumia 925 and jump to the "dark side" from Android :) Most/all of the apps I really care about seem to be on WP finally so that's good, even if games like the Angry Birds series seem to be a bit behind. I like the OS in general as far as look & feel from a few sessions of playing with it in the stores.

I guess I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. I realize of course that this is a WP forum but that's ok. I should mention the other part of my plan as well. I don't plan to totally abandon Android as I plan on picking up the 2nd generation Nexus 7 tablet when it arrives so I will still have full access to the apps/etc. that I have bought from Google. I guess I'm just looking for validation that one of my main reasons (Zune, now Xbox Music) is a good enough reason to be the primary reason to switch phone systems.
 

psiu_glen

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I switched from the Droid to the Trophy back in 2011 and have no regrets. I still have a lingering desire to monitor my battery percentage, but that is about the only remaining symptom. I just finally upgraded to the 928 and am pleased (and loving the upgrade from something along the lines of the original Droid Incredible era hardware).

Have you considered getting a 928 and staying with Verizon? It might be a good idea (if you can afford it) to try T-Mo while you still have VZW as well just to make sure coverage works for you.

Good luck.
 

flyinion

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Zune isn't compatible with the 925 or any other WP 8 Lumia phone.

Right, but my subscription service has been converted to XBox Music which IS compatible. I still get to use the old Zune software on Win7 to sync with my Zune and even to access music, but the subscription is actually to XBox Music now.
 

flyinion

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I switched from the Droid to the Trophy back in 2011 and have no regrets. I still have a lingering desire to monitor my battery percentage, but that is about the only remaining symptom. I just finally upgraded to the 928 and am pleased (and loving the upgrade from something along the lines of the original Droid Incredible era hardware).

Have you considered getting a 928 and staying with Verizon? It might be a good idea (if you can afford it) to try T-Mo while you still have VZW as well just to make sure coverage works for you.

Good luck.

I have thought about getting a 928 for sure, I tried it in the store and really liked it. I'm guessing the off contract price will be similar to what I will pay for the 925, and if I pay for a 928 in full I will get to keep my unlimited VZW LTE......for now. I'm just really tempted by the T-mobile "no contracts" thing. From what I can tell from talking to friends coverage is pretty good. OpenSignal an Android app that shows user submitted (as opposed to carrier supplied) coverage information seems to show good coverage in my area and talking to people at work I have actually had their t-mobile HSPA connections blow my LTE one out of the water in speed. Also the t-mobile rep said LTE is supposed to hit here in a few weeks.
 

KrightonX

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.
 

flyinion

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.

Hmm, the Drive bit is too bad. Of course if I go with my planned setup and get the Nexus 7 as well, I can use that for Nav so it's really a non-issue. The rest sounds really good though (I'm a ROM guy as well, love flashing them, but at some point it becomes not much better than waiting for official updates)
 

N_LaRUE

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Hmm, the Drive bit is too bad. Of course if I go with my planned setup and get the Nexus 7 as well, I can use that for Nav so it's really a non-issue. The rest sounds really good though (I'm a ROM guy as well, love flashing them, but at some point it becomes not much better than waiting for official updates)

Drive will probably come out of Beta with the Amber update or sometime around then (that's just a guess) which if it turns into what it was like on Symbian will be very good. Keep in mind that HERE Drive can use offline maps.

The one thing that should be pointed out is understanding that WP is nothing like Android. If you're expecting any access at all to a file system you're going to the wrong platform. Also the Zune software doesn't work with WP8, you need to use the Win7 software for WP8. If you use Win8 there's a WP8 app that installs automatically. There are also a couple of little things that may drive you a bit batty, like anything to do with Google and one of the things I tell anyone who picks up a WP is don't think of it like any other smartphone. You need to approach it as WP and accept it the way it is otherwise you'll be disappointed.

If you're just picking up a WP for xbox music why not just pick up a cheap WP8 then?
 

Florin Anghel

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Windows Phone is the best mobile OS, you won't regret it, but! regarding Xbox Music on Windows Phone, it's totally f*cked up! So if that is your main joy, be prepared!
 

ferazzz1985

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.

I don`t get why people sometimes say this LOL. Here drive has worked flawless for me and I have my whole Iceland trip on here maps and favroties save and ready to go OFFLINE and it is only in beta........it will only get better.
 

N_LaRUE

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Windows Phone is the best mobile OS, you won't regret it, but! regarding Xbox Music on Windows Phone, it's totally f*cked up! So if that is your main joy, be prepared!

I like this. This like saying, here's the best car on the market but the accessories don't work...
 

N_LaRUE

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I don`t get why people sometimes say this LOL. Here drive has worked flawless for me and I have my whole Iceland trip on here maps and favroties save and ready to go OFFLINE and it is only in beta........it will only get better.

I've had issues with HERE Drive for several months now. No solution and I've left feedback with Nokia. I live in the UK. It's also missing traffic and other 'vital' bits for it to be a true GPS nav.
 

mhans311

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I just did the exact same thing you are talking about other than switching to t-mo. I had a galaxy nexus and I just picked up an HTC 8x last week. I've still got my nexus 7 to use all my android apps and scratch the android itch (although I haven't flashed a rom for quite a while). I also used an HTC Trophy for a few months about a year and a half ago. Back then I just couldn't get over certain things about wp7. I have to say that so far I am much more pleased with wp8. I'm not way into apps so I have found everything I need in the windows phone store. The only thing really lacking is games but I do most of my gaming on my nexus 7 anyway.

There are a few things that bother me (and a lot of people) about windows phone. I don't like that there is no notification center. The lock screen does show you missed messages and things, and you can pin live tiles that will update on your start screen, but it doesn't work as well as in android. For example, when a calendar notification goes off, I don't always want to address it right away, but I also don't want to forget. On android I could just leave it sitting in the notification tray so every time I turned on my phone I would be reminded that I need to take care of it. On windows phone, you have to either snooze it and the alarm will keep going off every 5 minutes, or you have to dismiss it and you won't see it again. You can't unlock the phone until you choose one of these 2 options.
There are also no separate profiles for volume. If you turn up your volume using headphones to listen to music, the next time your phone rings it will be just as loud. There is also no easy way to toggle between vibrate/silent/ring/ring&vibrate. You have to go into the settings to change it. You can choose if you want to toggle between vibrate and ring or silent and ring. I for one just like to toggle between silent and vibrate. You have to go all the way into settings to do this on windows phone.

Those are just a few things that have bothered me so far. Other than that I have not regretted my choice. The OS is much smoother and fluid. It also has a lot more functionality built right in to the OS which means you don't need as many apps. It is just a much more pleasant experience overall.
 

Andre o Botelho

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.
The fact that I've not "Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.." my WP device is not like I(and many) don't want, is because I can't.
I didn't hear a lot of music on my WP but there's a lot of people here complaining about a lot of issues, better is to wait for WP8.1 or WP9 to change.
 

Ted Ritsick

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I've used Android before and I immediately disliked it. I actually made the switch to the lumia 900 from the iPhone 4 and got the 920 at launch. Since November, the improvement from WP7.5 to 8 has been enormous. Lots more apps, everything works well etc. There's still a few little niche things Microsoft could do, but overall, you will be very happy with your phone if you get one.
 

AR2186

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.


Try gMaps pro, it includes google latitude
 
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vish2801

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6 years on Android. Cooking ROMs, upgrading, tweaking, changing.. I'm over it.

I love my 928. Not looking back.

I do really really miss Google Maps though. Here Drive is quite the joke.

One of the things I admire on WP and you call it Joke...o_O I live in India and Here Maps > Google maps and it supports offline maps that's real deal MAKER for me.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
 

Torch4x4

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I moved 6 months ago and in that time I was missing some apps but not anymore because they came in the last 6 months (at least fully functional 3rd party apps), and I was using hotmail/outlook accounts and skydrive (25Gb) before I move so it was easy for me, but I think is more easy to move now than few months ago... you just need to understand the WP OS, because notifications, sharing, etcetera, could be different and Android users wants to bring their android experiences here
 

snowmutt

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No, you are not nuts. This is a bad ****, easy breathing, simply to adjust, streamlined, seamlessly running, ever improving, fun to own, unique to carry, well supported by Nokia, and just what all the really really Kool kids want OS.

XBOX music is fine. The cloud based service is not as simple as the old Zune, but it is the wave of the future, is a great bargin, and has a huge library.

Nokia Drive, as those posters smarter then me have pointed out, is a strength of Nokia. It will be very close to Google in mapping soon. Symbian owners loved it.

XBOX games.... well, okay I still have hopes it will become what it always should have been. I am not a huge gamer, but I see the short fall for all those who are.

It is a good system. If you are comfortable, give it a 14 day trial.
 

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