[zipro]

So is SkyDrive.

The problem with skydrive is that it's not supported by many 3rd part apps.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[zipro]

I've been a WP8 user for a couple of weeks only. I didn't exactly switch - I also have an iPhone and a Nexus 4 but the Lumia 920 has been my daily driver ever since I got it.

Yes, I miss some of the google apps on it (google+, for example), but up until yesterday, I was fine with the app situation. I now have a business trip coming up and I need to decide which phone I'm taking along.

What I need in terms of software isn't much: I simply require a flight tracking software that keeps me alerted about gate changes and delays. On android and iOS I use flighttrack for that. I was happy to find the same app for WP as well. I purchased it only to find out that it hasn't been updated since 2011 and that it lacks all functionality except the absolute bare minimum. It's essentially been abandoned by the developer.

This is the first time that it really hit me: WP doesn't seem to be going anywhere. There was a short-lived boom phase 2 1/2 years ago and many apps available today were hastily pushed on the market back then because the developers thought Microsoft had something going for themselves. Then they realized that adoption was glacial and stopped developing for the platform. I'm willing to bet that if you deleted those apps from the Market that haven't been updated in over a year or so, you'd end up with less than 10000. I mean - how many apps have been updated to use the new features WP8 offers? 100? I'd say definitely not more than 1000. That's desolation for you folks.

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

Here is my take:

I started with the IPhone when it first came out and was hip to the whole jailbreaking thing it was fun after a while and then it got boring, with the constant changing of firmwares. Most of my favorite apps were all from Cydia and the IPhone was still growing as a platform. I lasted with them for about a year, then I moved to blackberry and it was great at first. The fast email, the quick way of BBMing people and having my battery last literally all day was amazing along with the Blackberry Desktop. However, the slow bad internet was a pain, and all the new models looked the same and didn't change much also the apps were expensive (Believe Documents to Go was $30 and BeeJive was $20). Now here I am with Windows Phone. WP7 was good initially at first there was some lacking stuff but WP8 has addressed some issues. Yes, WP8 is not getting as many apps as the other platforms but your comparing established well known platforms to a new growing OS that just changed their SDK. When the other OSes were new and growing as well, they experienced the same growing pains. You all expect Rome overnight and it won't happen. It will take time and it will be harder to breach a scene that's already saturated.

I love WP8 for it's freshness and live tiles compared to the static icons of iOS and Android and I'm used to Windows after using their computers for the last 18 years. The fact is this Windows Phone has to build for awhile before they get their house. Will I be around, maybe depends on if Blackberry 10 swoops me back away. But as of right now I like what Windows is doing, they seem to have a plan and they have a good company in Nokia backing them up along with Samsung & HTC. If the Surface Phone is true then the only way to go is up. People who complain didn't do enough research, I always think before I act not act before I think.

[JMBasquiat]

What I need in terms of software isn't much: I simply require a flight tracking software that keeps me alerted about gate changes and delays. On android and iOS I use flighttrack for that. I was happy to find the same app for WP as well. I purchased it only to find out that it hasn't been updated since 2011 and that it lacks all functionality except the absolute bare minimum. It's essentially been abandoned by the developer.

Flightaware does the same thing, and it's free (updated last month).

FlightAware | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

[wjlim3]

The tell me feature didn't work on my car bluetooth (VW Jetta, 2012). Wondering if I did anything wrong?

It's definitely connected, and I activated speech recognition. My wife sent me a text message and there was only a vibration, no notification from my car whatsoever.

[ceraf]

I tried out the voice recognition feature today. Somehow, the word "plastic" was interpreted as "hot sex".

Good thing I wasn't actually texting anyone =)

[Alex Kj]

Coming from an iPhone I do miss few apps which are not available in any form on WP8... However, other aspects of WP8 and the phones themselves are pretty good, while the competition is either standing still or declining in quality over time (I am of course talking about Apple's recent products), so I will not be "giving up" on WP platform any time soon. I would, however, really like for MS to spend more $$$ on attracting most popular app developers to this platform (MS has plenty of $$$ to do that), as well as spend more time on further improving the OS itself (like adding in global display orientation lock, or proper notification center) in a shorter time period, this will attract more users which in turn will attract more independent app developers. MS succeeded in a gaming console market, they can do the same in a mobile market, they just need to be a little bit more "proactive" rather than waiting for app developers themselves to decide to provide WP versions of their apps...

[zipro]

Flightaware does the same thing, and it's free (updated last month).

FlightAware | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

FlightAware is pretty much useless - I can't look for future flights, for example. The app only shows flights in the next 24 hours or so. Plus I keep on getting error messages. It's an early alpha at best.

[JMBasquiat]

FlightAware is pretty much useless - I can't look for future flights, for example. The app only shows flights in the next 24 hours or so. Plus I keep on getting error messages. It's an early alpha at best.

You said that you needed it to alert you of changing gates and delays, so that's why I suggested it. Didn't realize you need it to alert you of changing gates for flights in the future.

[JW888]

our chinese 920's app store is locked to China area only! No more than this make me so angry!!!
chinese app store is garbage!!!

Why you need Chinese apps????????????????

[Gergolos]

Why you need Chinese apps????????????????

I think he means that in China you can download and use Apps from China only.

[zipro]

You said that you needed it to alert you of changing gates and delays, so that's why I suggested it. Didn't realize you need it to alert you of changing gates for flights in the future.

Well, I need to be able to enter my itinerary before I leave. An app that isn't able to look up a scheduled flight that leaves in 7 days isn't going to cut it.
Sent from my RM-821_eu_euro2_224 using Board Express

[Acejax805]

This would all be a different story if M$ decided to offer better 1st party options, if Xbox music didn't update all podcasts a day late or if the OS has some ability to manage files and documents outside of office.

Anyone that types M$ = ability to be taken seriously lost

The moral of this story is simple. Stop expecting everything to be available day one, or even day 180. It took Android years to come out with a good market, even with Apple paving the way. The apps will come soon enough and all of those developers that have "ditched" the platform will come running back when WP8's market share increases. Patience everyone. The sky is not falling!
- Android Nexus user convert

[spaulagain]

Anyone that types M$ = ability to be taken seriously lost

The moral of this story is simple. Stop expecting everything to be available day one, or even day 180. It took Android years to come out with a good market, even with Apple paving the way. The apps will come soon enough and all of those developers that have "ditched" the platform will come running back when WP8's market share increases. Patience everyone. The sky is not falling!
- Android Nexus user convert

This guy is a troll anyways. He's in other threads *****ing about MS as well. And you're right, anyone who types it M$ obviously has a complex with anything Microsoft as it is.

[jwinch2]

Its the success or failure of Windows 8 and RT that are going to determine things in my view. If they catch on, developers will write for them and it would then be very easy for them to port to Windows Phone. If Windows 8 goes the way of Vista, then WP is in trouble.

[spaulagain]

Its the success or failure of Windows 8 and RT that are going to determine things in my view. If they catch on, developers will write for them and it would then be very easy for them to port to Windows Phone. If Windows 8 goes the way of Vista, then WP is in trouble.

Its selling at the same rate as Windows 7 (fastest selling OS ever) so I think it will do fine!

[Alex Kj]

Its the success or failure of Windows 8 and RT that are going to determine things in my view. If they catch on, developers will write for them and it would then be very easy for them to port to Windows Phone. If Windows 8 goes the way of Vista, then WP is in trouble.

What does Windows 8 have to do with WP8??? If you mean the built-in "Windows Store" in Windows 8 - it WILL fail, it was a failure since the beginning because there's no need for this on desktop OS. People on Windows desktop OSes are too accustomed to download their programs/games from other sources (mostly directly from developers who are not forced to pay unneeded "Microsoft tax" for distribution of each of their paid program/game), and companies like Electronic Arts and Valve already have their own software distribution platforms, both of which are superior to "Windows Store" and which can still be used in Windows 8, not to mention many PC users still prefer (for whatever reason) to purchase their programs/games on physical media. I have Windows 8 installed and I did browse the "Windows Store" once or twice... Didn't see anything useful there for the reason I stated above and because desktop's web browser is much easier to use for most of the tasks (I don't even use dedicated e-mail programs on my laptops or desktops, same goes for Facebook and everything else which can be accessed using a web browser).

[tgp]

Anyone that types M$ = ability to be taken seriously lost

This guy is a troll anyways. He's in other threads *****ing about MS as well. And you're right, anyone who types it M$ obviously has a complex with anything Microsoft as it is.

Give the guy a break! "M$" was around long before there was WP8 (or WP7 for that matter and maybe even WM).

[thekonger]

I think the statement that it's difficult to develop for WP8 or that you can't build quality apps for WP8 is silly. There are plenty of great high-quality apps for WP8 and as an iOS developer who is now delving into WP development I can tell you iOS development is worse. Any suggestions otherwise is simply based on a lack of knowledge.

As for WP8 losing support, trust me, MS is 100% behind WP8 and will guarantee it succeeds. WP8 is a key component of MS's architectural vision and MS isn't about to let it fail. Remember a dark-horse gaming system called the XBox? It lost the first round to the PS2 and people made the same complaints about it. No developers, no quality games, etc. Yet MS kept pushing it and cajoled and paid developers to back it. Now look at the 360; it puts thing into perspective. I'm not trying to compare smart phones to game consoles, but the situation is the same. MS has a platform it is committed to and won't let it fail. If it needs to entice game devs, trust me, it will.

Not that I think the situation is dire at all anyway; new carriers are jumping on board and manufacturers are clamoring to meet the big WP global demand. The WP8 market share is growing and developers will surely follow.

[spaulagain]

What does Windows 8 have to do with WP8??? If you mean the built-in "Windows Store" in Windows 8 - it WILL fail, it was a failure since the beginning because there's no need for this on desktop OS. People on Windows desktop OSes are too accustomed to download their programs/games from other sources (mostly directly from developers who are not forced to pay unneeded "Microsoft tax" for distribution of each of their paid program/game), and companies like Electronic Arts and Valve already have their own software distribution platforms, both of which are superior to "Windows Store" and which can still be used in Windows 8, not to mention many PC users still prefer (for whatever reason) to purchase their programs/games on physical media. I have Windows 8 installed and I did browse the "Windows Store" once or twice... Didn't see anything useful there for the reason I stated above and because desktop's web browser is much easier to use for most of the tasks (I don't even use dedicated e-mail programs on my laptops or desktops, same goes for Facebook and everything else which can be accessed using a web browser).

I use at least 10 "metro" apps on my dual monitor desktop at home including package tracker, angry birds, etc. And what's even better is when I get my Surface Pro I can just install them on it as well.

[spaulagain]

Give the guy a break! "M$" was around long before there was WP8 (or WP7 for that matter and maybe even WM).

What does that have to do with it?

The M$ notation is meant to label Microsoft for some good for nothing, greedy, ******* company. Its intentionally negative in its use. Which very easily implies the posters general thoughts and view of Microsoft are negative. If one wants to be taken seriously, then one should not taint there remarks with obviously bias notations.

Its practically the same as coming on this forum with a screen name of "MicrosoftHater"

[Alex Kj]

including package tracker

I just click on "track your package" link in a shipping confirmation e-mail or in a shopping history page on seller's online shop :-/

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

I just click on "track your package" link in a shipping confirmation e-mail or in a shopping history page on seller's online shop :-/

While that is all well and good, what I find for apps like that is that I can then receive push notifications about stuff. For example, with Skype messages, I get a visual notification on the top right of my screen (that ALWAYS gets my attention no matter where on the screen I am looking), that encourages me to click the notification, it takes me to Skype and the message at hand (I think it does anyway, it definitely loads the app). For me, that is simpler and more engaging than trying to keep track of everything. I like a central toast notification system. But YMCA (Your Mileage Can Alter, or that bloody catch Village People song).

[spaulagain]

I just click on "track your package" link in a shipping confirmation e-mail or in a shopping history page on seller's online shop :-/

Or, with package tracker, I don't have to scrounge through emails everytime I want to check the status. Plus, I can put multiple packages from different carriers and orders in one place. Plus, like noted above, I get notifications pushed to me.

Apps like these are very useful and certainly more convenient than what you suggested.

[Alex Kj]

Or, with package tracker, I don't have to scrounge through emails everytime I want to check the status. Plus, I can put multiple packages from different carriers and orders in one place. Plus, like noted above, I get notifications pushed to me.

Apps like these are very useful and certainly more convenient than what you suggested.

You could do the same with multiple different programs and browser plugins before Windows 8 was even released... Also, pop-up notifications aren't a Windows 8 - exclusive feature, you can do them with any program on most OSes, Windows or not (just in a different way). So once again, there's no need at all to use "Windows Store" in Windows 8 to achieve such things (especially if a developer is not interested in supporting any mobile OS or only wants to support Android and iOS), this is why it will be a failure in the long run. At least I personally hope it will fail - I like to use the Valve's Steam for all my PC gaming needs (I have over 300 games purchased through it already) and I definitely don't want to be "encouraged" by Microsoft to use their inferior "Windows Store" to purchase/manage my PC games (as well as manage the community of people who also have those games) instead. Same goes for programs like Skype - it always worked perfectly and provided perfect notifications to me even in Windows 7, without being a special "app" from "Windows Store".
Android succeeded perfectly without Google adding in any absolutely redundant PC "apps" or stand-alone PC programs, so can WP8 :-P