Should I switch to WP8?

Today is my 2 week point with my 920, where I could have taken it back. I switched from an iPhone 4, mainly because I never want to give Apple any of my money ever again. I'm down to one MacBook Pro after nearly 30 years as loyal customer. I smiled when Steve Jobs left us. Karma.

I am quite happy with the 920, although there are a few simple things I think MS can do with some updates. I'd like a notification center, and for my texts and emails to pop up on the screen long enough for me not to have to press any buttons. I would also like individual volume controls for different functions. Also, I should be able to prevent the screen from locking, either automatically while on a charger, or at least as a setting that can be switched on and off as needed.

As far as missing apps: I would like a native Pandora, Mint.com and Wells Fargo app. I'm not sure if there are any other major issues. I don't use games or fart generators, just productive things. I was missing Google Maps when I first got the phone, because the traffic data on Nokia Here is pretty weak. Luckily I found out about gMaps, and honestly, I think it's better than the Google Maps on iOS. I've never used an Android phone, so I don't know how that compares. Oh, I did also like Motion X Drive on iOS, but Nokia Maps works pretty well too, just need to input my customer addresses to make LA and OC trips a little easier from San Diego.

The pluses on the hardware side: The phone is large enough for man-sized hands. I do like the plastic vs the metal body, though I did like the steel case on the iPhone 4 vs the Aluminum one on the 5. (I've honestly only seen fewer than half a dozen iPhone 5s in the wild, which is very odd compared to how quickly the 4 spread. Must be a good correlation to stock price.) The camera is quite good, but still not a replacement for a good point and shoot or a real SLR, both of which I still lug around.

I can't think of any negative hardware issues. Not yet at least.

Overall, I think this phone is great for the main reasons to have a phone. Talking, Texting, Email, some navigation, and some entertainment. I'm not planing to diagnose cancer or fly quadracopters from it.

Hey man, I'ma tell you my truth. ~ Money is usually a thing with everyone. So I myself, I'm getting an Xbox Infinity this year, so I'm saving up. ~ And so, I'll probably then get a Windows Phone 8.5 phone next year. I don't wanna dissuade you off of Windows Phone any, but Xbox Music on Android might hold you at some point.

I agree with summer600 assessment of Windows phone. But speaking from what I use which is the Nokia 920. This OS is NOT iOS or Android. If that is what you hope to mimic here, I would suggest that might be a bridge too far. Having said that, that doesn't mean you cannot or you won't embrace this phone for all the great stuff it does have.

The thing many will complain about here is apps and features not yet available on this platform: Instagram and notification respectively. There is a reason for that. The outliers are those that want quad core, HD screens, HDMI ports, removable batteries, the ability to make the screen look like an Iphone and such, but beyond that, continue to do what you are doing, ask questions.

Understand what you can live with and live without then decide. For me, if I change anything it would be carriers. This platform is developing nicely and most everything I need to do is here in the Nokia 920. The pace could be quicker but I don't want the development cycle to supplant functionality. Bring it when its ready because Ive seen too many bad acts with companies pushing products to market too soon and hoping an update will be in time to calm the masses.

Motorola Xoom tried that crap. Promised the moon in a tablet and then said, buy the XOOM, then send it back in a month, so we can put in LTE and memory slots about 4 to 6 weeks of that. Microsoft tried it with Vista, pushed it out before it was ready and hoped a quick update would heal all wounds. Not so much.

We kinda saw that with WP7. It too was put on the market and we had to wait to get cut/paste with NoDo update, then the 500 plus changes / improvements in the Mango update which did smooth out the OS but made developers weary in the process. But that's a brief of the development cycle. WP8 is what we've been waiting for IMHO. I have seen a lot of really nice games and apps for WP8 and more are on the way, aka the official Pandora app. There are just a few things it needs to add and it'll be the go to device.

Originally Posted by Vectraat

@Cameradork

Those are some nice looking photos.
I believe I do see some focus/fuzziness issues in at least 2, but most are
quite sharp. Do you tweak settings on the camera to get them
to look that way prior to taking the photos?
I'm mostly looking for a point-and-shoot with good results
type of camera as I know nothing about cameras.

I heard after the Portico update some people were experiencing issue with focus on the camera, but not for you?

95% of the time I'm shooting full auto with the focus assist light off. The rest of the time it's either in close-up mode if I know I'm going for macro, or I alter the white balance or ISO if I'm looking for a particular effect and then try to remember to set it back to auto for next time. I usually get 3-4 captures for each shot I'm going for and then cherry-pick the best one. I don't find focus to be an issue most of the time - I hold the hard button half way to get focus lock, and then push it all the way to capture. Once in awhile I tap to focus and shoot, and that tends to work as well. I do find that if I'm going for a close-up and don't choose "Close-up" mode, then it doesn't focus correctly, but I don't have that problem with anything that's not a close-up.

I've tried an iPhone 4S, HTC One X, GS3, and a few others, and the 920 has the best camera of the lot. Nokia is the only phone manufacturer that seems to understand how to source components for photographic quality and aesthetics, as opposed to having the right marketing bullet points. Still and all, it's not a camera and it's not about to replace even my wife's Canon S95 anytime soon, but it's great for spur-of-the-moment shots of relatively slow moving or still things and the occasional artsy pic. It's also the first phone I know of that will give you good pics in low restaurant lighting without a flash most of the time if you hold it reasonably still. What it's not going to do is stop quick action (especially in poor light), zoom in on a monkey across the street or produce shots that will hold up to pixel-peeping scrutiny or being printed on 20x30 posters. It won't take photos in complete darkness without a flash - they make special cameras for that and they're really expensive. It's amazing for a phone, not for a camera. The video I've seen out of the 920 is pretty spectacular, but I can't speak to that firsthand really because I'm a stills guy.

Should you switch? Think about those apps, are they something you wish you had? Are there WP8 alternitives? Are you like me and want the latest and greatest? Can you deal with some problems?

If you want the latest and greatest, wait. Software updates are coming. Nokia has some amazing hardware in the works. You have a good phone now, no need to switch. I don't have a phone so I am switching sooner.

I love the photo taken by 920 after Portico update. For me, problem before the update has been solved.
I never had reboot problem after Portico update.
I have heat problem and when that happen I also have battery problem.

Originally Posted by cameradork

95% of the time I'm shooting full auto with the focus assist light off. The rest of the time it's either in close-up mode if I know I'm going for macro, or I alter the white balance or ISO if I'm looking for a particular effect and then try to remember to set it back to auto for next time. I usually get 3-4 captures for each shot I'm going for and then cherry-pick the best one. I don't find focus to be an issue most of the time - I hold the hard button half way to get focus lock, and then push it all the way to capture. Once in awhile I tap to focus and shoot, and that tends to work as well. I do find that if I'm going for a close-up and don't choose "Close-up" mode, then it doesn't focus correctly, but I don't have that problem with anything that's not a close-up.

I've tried an iPhone 4S, HTC One X, GS3, and a few others, and the 920 has the best camera of the lot. Nokia is the only phone manufacturer that seems to understand how to source components for photographic quality and aesthetics, as opposed to having the right marketing bullet points. Still and all, it's not a camera and it's not about to replace even my wife's Canon S95 anytime soon, but it's great for spur-of-the-moment shots of relatively slow moving or still things and the occasional artsy pic. It's also the first phone I know of that will give you good pics in low restaurant lighting without a flash most of the time if you hold it reasonably still. What it's not going to do is stop quick action (especially in poor light), zoom in on a monkey across the street or produce shots that will hold up to pixel-peeping scrutiny or being printed on 20x30 posters. It won't take photos in complete darkness without a flash - they make special cameras for that and they're really expensive. It's amazing for a phone, not for a camera. The video I've seen out of the 920 is pretty spectacular, but I can't speak to that firsthand really because I'm a stills guy.

In what way(s) is the Nokia camera better than the S3 camera?

Originally Posted by Vectraat

In what way(s) is the Nokia camera better than the S3 camera?

Many ways .... The Best Smartphone Camera

Don't go for the WP yet... Wait for one more year. GS3 is superb.

How are the apps on WP8? (Not the number) but the quality when comparing the same apps across iOS and Android?

Are there good apps on WP8 that aren't on the iOS/Android ecosystems?

Originally Posted by Vectraat

How are the apps on WP8? (Not the number) but the quality when comparing the same apps across iOS and Android?

Are there good apps on WP8 that aren't on the iOS/Android ecosystems?

FB and Twitter apps suck. I've tried everything to get a notification from either and still can't after four months. Calendar app sucks and there is no options for replacement. I'm not a big gamer, but I see quite a few big names in market. Of course, instagram is MIA, not that I use it. One note is great as well as Skydrive. I have removed Skype because of battery issues so I don't know where it stands now. Map apps, Nokia and Bing, are ok. Neither seem to have as much detailed info as Google but there is also a gmaps app.

I don't know if I hit on any that you are using or looking for. Anything specifically you are looking for?

Originally Posted by Vectraat

How are the apps on WP8? (Not the number) but the quality when comparing the same apps across iOS and Android?

Are there good apps on WP8 that aren't on the iOS/Android ecosystems?

They are ok. Some are good sime are too basic and lacking.

Unfortunately, WP gets updates for an app after Android/ios, sometimes long, long after.

Look at Netflix and Amazin apps for example. BBoth have more features on Android/ios that make the apps a lot better. No idea how much longer its going to take for us to get these updates, if ever. And MS gas even done this as well. They update their apps on other os's before WP. Sad but true

Buy a windows phone unless your an avid app user, go for an iPhone. Even though android has the same amount of apps as the iPhone, they aren't optimized and look like crap. Windows Phone is the perfect android IOS hybrid.

If somebody "can't live" without certain apps on a mobile device, trying to settle on which toy to buy is the least of your issues.

My Lumia 920 is missing basic phone functionality. Its as simple as that. There is no universal phone search . There is no way to exit an app directly (you have to constantly press the back button to exit an app). heck there is no way to turn vibrate on and off without manually going into settings and doing it every time. No sound profiles either. No LED notification. No way to set custom alerts for messages , email etc. There is no way to actually stop the music you are playing. You can pause music , but to stop music and erase the player from the volume UI you have to download an app ( stop the music). I could go on and on with my annoyances with the OS but i'll stop here.
The apps are not an issue for me. WP8 is very smooth and stable , but so is the iOS.
When it comes to the choice i made , i made it because i wanted a stable, silky smooth operating system. That means iOS or WP8.
Being that i am hugely anti-apple i went for the lumia 920 . I like the design and i like that its rock solid
Nokia Lumia 920 Hammer & Knife Scratch Test - YouTube .
In its current state i don't recommend a windows phone to anyone, there's better options out there. Looking back i should have gone for a nexus 4 or S3 or waited for the new xperia because i had no idea how these basic things would be missing from a windows phone. The API is very restrictive its like i bought a crappy apple product..........-_-

You forgot to mention Xbox music app is worthless, battery sucks, no ability to store PDF or email them, phone is pretty much useless without win8 for file transfer and then it won't find any Office docs unless they are pulled from SkyDrive. FB and twitter apps suck, haven't received a notification since day one from either. Its funny, if you have nothing else for phone, you should have the two biggest social apps working properly. Just a thought MS. The other storage issue, you might have mentioned that already. Anyway, this phone is a step back from my BB9810 which is just plain sad.

Originally Posted by Vectraat

Hello all..

As the title suggests I'm wondering if I should switch to WP8 or stick with what I have.
I've used an iPhone 3GS and I now have a Samsung Galaxy S3, but I have to say I've been disappointed with the Android experience.

I really like the look of the WP8 UI, the speed and fluidity of the OS.(Granted this is only from a total of 30 minutes on-hands experience at stores.)
I'm disappointed that 4 applications I use are absent, but I think I can live with that. I'm mainly looking for a good stock experience. (I do not use many apps nor care about apps in general.)
I care about functionality out of the box.
It's important that you know what you are getting yourself into with apps. I would make a list of the apps you use on a daily basis for a couple weeks and then check against the offerings of the WP8 store.
But after conducting my own research I'm not sure if It's a good idea to switch? I've read a lot of negative things about WP8 devices.
I really wanted to get a Nokia Lumia 920, but I see a lot of people complaining even after a software update. (Portico)

1.) Camera issues (even after update)
2.) Very hot near the top.
3.) Rebooting issues (maybe on all WP8 devices) ?
There are issues with all phones. Nokia really made a great phone with their hardware and their continual software offerings.
Maybe I should wait for Catwalk, EOS, or Laser?
Laser will be Verizon. Catwalk or EOS will probably be released at the end of the year.
I could have written more here, but just wanted to give a general overview so people actually read. ;o

Skype does not work well despite being promised by Microsoft and there are better offerings on iOS and Android. IM+ has taken its place for me. The PDF application by Microsoft is close to useless. There is no attachment support for email. You cannot add sms message sounds and are stuck with the stock offerings. There are severe problems with syncing music and XBox music in general. There is a problem with a portion of your total storage space called "other" that keeps growing. There is an app which helps to negate it but doesn't work well for everyone. Facebook doesn't work too well and there is no instagram if you're into that. Microsoft has been slow on updates as well, well, what some people including me consider to be slow. It is different for everyone.

With that said, I've never had a phone whose audio quality is better than my 920. The camera is also very good but sometimes it takes a couple of pictures to get a good one. There is an app called ProShot which has helped a great deal. The OS is very, VERY fluid and the "social" connection with twitter and facebook are unmatched even if the toast notifications don't always work right. There is Kindle and WhatsApp which are big pluses for me and there are some very good newsreaders.

Nokia's phone building is incredible and they support their phones the best they can with software.

EDIT: Wrong thread...

Originally Posted by Vectraat

In what way(s) is the Nokia camera better than the S3 camera?

Aesthetic preference mostly, but also the ability to get good photos in poor lighting conditions without using the flash.

I'm trying it out for two years so far I love my Lumia 920 and the ui is sweet I signed a two year contract with att so i kinda knew what i was walking in to but i was bored of android not even the gs3 interested me so far wp8 is gettin better so as for me and alot of customers i give wp8 two years (don't have much choice) to get me to stay or leave

No, no, and no. Stay away from wp8. After a month with no random restarts or massive battery drains, thought things might be looking up for my 920. Was I wrong. In four hours phone has completely drained. Thought it had bricked at first. I'm done with WP and if you haven't bought yet, don't. Stay as far away from WP as you can. I don't care if its Nokia, MS, devs or ATT at fault, but wp8 is the worst experience I've ever had with an OS. I'm going back to my 9810 and I will wait for MS to start over again or some good reviews. Its just one problem after another with this OS.

Originally Posted by conanheath

No, no, and no. Stay away from wp8. After a month with no random restarts or massive battery drains, thought things might be looking up for my 920. Was I wrong. In four hours phone has completely drained. Thought it had bricked at first. I'm done with WP and if you haven't bought yet, don't. Stay as far away from WP as you can. I don't care if its Nokia, MS, devs or ATT at fault, but wp8 is the worst experience I've ever had with an OS. I'm going back to my 9810 and I will wait for MS to start over again or some good reviews. Its just one problem after another with this OS.

WP8 as worst experience over a 9810? ಠ_ಠ

Originally Posted by ImmortalWarrior

WP8 as worst experience over a 9810? ಠ_ಠ

Hey now, don't knock it till you try it. BB may not have had the apps but more than made up for it with functionality. For getting business done and stability my two year old 9810 runs circles around 920. Wp8 is just mediocre at everything it does. Every OS has its pros and cons. Wp8 has way too many cons for me. Better gaming in apple and android. Better stability with every other OS. Better email with BB and apple. I could go on, but I can't find one thing that WP does better except new UI and I like the keyboard. Its crap and will be for couple of years if MS doesn't abandon it first.

Originally Posted by raacut

Looking back i should have gone for a nexus 4 or S3 or waited for the new xperia because

I tried all of these. The SGS 3 is laggy, the Nexus 4 has a crappy camera, the Xperia Z has both a crappy camera and absolutely abysmal battery life. After hopping from phone to phone for months now I'm back with the Lumia 920 and have to say that despite all of its shortcomings, it still bests the other premium phones.

Do it!..