Not really... I've been puttering around these forums for a while, getting info on the Surface and pondering WP8. I'm finally at the point that Sprint has lost me and I'm going to jump. So, here's my dilemma: Get iPhones for my wife and me, or go with WP8? Android isn't an option. We've both had it and loathe it. The switch would be to Verizon (based on local service), so it's the 928 or 4S.
I've currently got an iPhone and am pretty comfortable with it, which is surprising, considering my feelings about Macs and how much I hate iTunes (biggest Apple complaint is how closed the ecosystem is). IOS pretty much just works for most of what I need: It hasn't "wowed" me for a long time, but it only occasionally vexes me.
So, why switch? Well, first, I like the look of the 928 better than the iPhone. Second, I'm a .NET developer, and I kinda like the idea of being able to build stuff for my phone; I'm actually working on a couple apps for WinRT. Third, I do get frustrated at how painful it is to sync things like Pages to Word and anything on Dropbox/SkyDrive or to just open a link in the app I want. Finally, I'm ornery and really just want to move away from Apple.
What's holding me back is fear of loss. Not all my apps are available (duh). OneNote and Office would be shiny, but what about the stuff I lose? I thought I'd list the apps I use all the time and see if there is a good equivalent on WP8. Here goes:
One other question that doesn't lend itself well to a bullet point. I have a couple of nice games on my phone. Not Angry Birds or PvZ, but "real" games (Ticket to Ride and San Juan) that can be played by multiple people and are a bit more engaging. I play these with my wife or kids when we're traveling, sitting in a waiting room, or some such. I don't really care if WP has conversions of physical games, like what I've got, but I'd like to hear if there are a couple of deeper games available.
Thanks in advance. I hope to join the ranks of WP8 users while Amazon is still selling these things at $.01.
I've currently got an iPhone and am pretty comfortable with it, which is surprising, considering my feelings about Macs and how much I hate iTunes (biggest Apple complaint is how closed the ecosystem is). IOS pretty much just works for most of what I need: It hasn't "wowed" me for a long time, but it only occasionally vexes me.
So, why switch? Well, first, I like the look of the 928 better than the iPhone. Second, I'm a .NET developer, and I kinda like the idea of being able to build stuff for my phone; I'm actually working on a couple apps for WinRT. Third, I do get frustrated at how painful it is to sync things like Pages to Word and anything on Dropbox/SkyDrive or to just open a link in the app I want. Finally, I'm ornery and really just want to move away from Apple.
What's holding me back is fear of loss. Not all my apps are available (duh). OneNote and Office would be shiny, but what about the stuff I lose? I thought I'd list the apps I use all the time and see if there is a good equivalent on WP8. Here goes:
- Google calender (family of six using a custom Google Apps domain -- we must be able to manage six separate calendars from the phone. Number one feature for my wife)
- Google Maps (Here Drive?)
- Zite (looks like it's there, but is it gimped? This is big for me.)
- Email, especially syncing with gMail folders
- SkyDrive (I'm assuming this is pretty awesome on WP)
- Kindle (the WinRT app is... less than excellent)
- Amazon Cloud Player (would consider switching to Xbox music, if it was good at storing mp3s)
- Pandora (all day, everyday. heads-down coder)
- TiVo (I know there isn't an official one, but is there a good 3p app that will let me see my recorded shows without having to turn on the TV?)
One other question that doesn't lend itself well to a bullet point. I have a couple of nice games on my phone. Not Angry Birds or PvZ, but "real" games (Ticket to Ride and San Juan) that can be played by multiple people and are a bit more engaging. I play these with my wife or kids when we're traveling, sitting in a waiting room, or some such. I don't really care if WP has conversions of physical games, like what I've got, but I'd like to hear if there are a couple of deeper games available.
Thanks in advance. I hope to join the ranks of WP8 users while Amazon is still selling these things at $.01.