Should I switch to WP8?

[conanheath]

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?

 

[DaveGx]

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

 

[nube_android]

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.

 

[JerseySal]

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.

 

[raacut]

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..........-_-

 

[conanheath]

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.

 

[jdhooghe]

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.

 

[Nimdock]

EDIT: Wrong thread...

 

[anon(5370748)]

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.

 

[paulxxwall]

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

 

[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.

 

[ImmortalWarrior]

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

 

[conanheath]

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.

 

[zipro]

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.

 

[saulgould13]

Do it!..

 

[rockstarzzz]

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.

 

[lipper2000]

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.

Sorry you had a bad experience but my 920 has been the best experience I have had to date...
I've played with BB10 and really there is no point in that platform...If BB came out with that 2 years ago they would have had a decent chance but there is nothing there any better than the android's I've had in the past and I actually find the swiping not intuitive until you spend an hour with it...
The app situation is pathetic at best....I thought it was bad with WP but at least with WP there are about 140,000 NATIVE apps, not crap ports that don't work...my buddy who has a BB10 showed me his android ports he has downloaded...they are just terrible.

To the OP, ignore this guy....he's either just damn unlucky or just a ****** who has never tried the phone...
Many of us have nothing but great experiences with the 920 and WP8 in general. Is it perfect? No, but no platform is...at least with WP the UI is innovative and functional and you get a complete ecosystem that BB can't touch

 

[rockstarzzz]

Sorry you had a bad experience but my 920 has been the best experience I have had to date...
I've played with BB10 and really there is no point in that platform...If BB came out with that 2 years ago they would have had a decent chance but there is nothing there any better than the android's I've had in the past and I actually find the swiping not intuitive until you spend an hour with it...
The app situation is pathetic at best....I thought it was bad with WP but at least with WP there are about 140,000 NATIVE apps, not crap ports that don't work...my buddy who has a BB10 showed me his android ports he has downloaded...they are just terrible.

To the OP, ignore this guy....he's either just damn unlucky or just a ****** who has never tried the phone...
Many of us have nothing but great experiences with the 920 and WP8 in general. Is it perfect? No, but no platform is...at least with WP the UI is innovative and functional and you get a complete ecosystem that BB can't touch

Yes but BB got BBM and emails and LED with colours.