Windows Phone: Why Your App Store Sucks

Silverdude2167

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Since I accidentally derailed the IPhone 6 topic, lets move the conversation over here about why you should or should not ever consider a Windows Phone.
 
Could someone please move all the posts over.
 

Caspir

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I see your answer for the lack of apps in the Windows store as, "Well, there's some less functional, generic versions of most of those." I use Dropbox daily, have more than 8 gigs of stuff backed up automatically including rel time back up for my pics, docs, email attachments etc. So should I just drop the (best) cloud service because WinMo doesn't have an app, or trust some middle man app that would get access to my stuff just to get it to Dropbox? I don't like One Drive, so that's not an option for me, and I'm not big on trusting third party developers just because I'm on a niche phone. You also dismiss Chrome since "it's just a browser" but Chrome syncs across all my devices, so I can go from reading a story on my phone to my laptop without losing my place. Since I use Gmail and other Google apps, I'm not going to drop it for IE or whatever Windows Mobile can offer. The Gmail app's interface is light years ahead of any mail app, and offers things like a tabbed inbox that I'm assuming wouldn't translate well to a generic version. My sister has a Windows phone, and I don't see anything in the OS that makes it superior in any way to Android. I've never had an iPhone so I can't speak to those, but it's not a huge deal to acknowledge that having things like "6tag" instead of Instagram is going to cause a lot of people to discount the app store entirely, and using the browser to do things on a cell phone is just clunky, less efficient, and defeats the purpose of a mobile device in many ways. WinMo is more of an oddity to me than a viable mobile OS. It's just too limited, and .while a lot of that is my own bias due to the fact that Google has embedded itself into my daily life, the lack of an app store, and the lack of 'cool' apps like Vine, Snapchat, etc is going to hinder growth whether you have a third party "same thing" app available or not. 
 

Silverdude2167

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Those are all solid points. I can't speak to Andriod phones as I have never really used one.
 
This whole conversation spiraled out of control, my first point was don't discount the phone because "you" say the app store is crap. I think it is sufficent enough to warnt legit interest in the phone if "you" are intrigued.
 
I am fine with the "generic" apps because I don't think they lose much functionality and to your specific point Instagram does have an app on Windows it is just in beta (maybe it is not a full version, I have never used the app on any device). But you are right, the real thing is better 95% of the time.
 
Also unrelated, but does chrome really do that about "keeping your place"? I mean I run multiple pc's using chrome and have never had that experience, but maybe I do not know how to use the feature.
 

Tony C

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This is interesting. In re Windows phones, on the other thread there were some dissing them based on using them 4 years or by virtue of Windows computers sucking. The Windows phones are getting really good reviews, look great, and specifically have features that matter a lot to me and dispense with some of the stuff I don't like.
 
The problem noted in reviews and by everyone is the app. I'm probably middle of the road when it comes to using apps - definitely not hundreds but someone's list of apps in the thread prompted me to think of exactly what I have/what I'd lose if I transitioned to Windows
 
Notes/Reminders -- I sort of assume this type of thing is so standard that Windows would have some good ones. I have like 6 different ones, and am definitely not addicted to Things over Tasker over Evernote. Is it a dumb assumption that something as useful will be available via Windows?
 
Cam apps -- again, have quite a few, but one of the attractions of (some) Windows phone is the superior camera, and I'd go in that direction so won't worry about this.
 
Dropbox -- very handy and would suck not to have. I see the client via a websearch, but.....
 
Entertainment -- I have Open Table and Yelp and Flixster etc. Nothing I really need there, though Flickster is pretty handy. A quick websearch shows it is available on Windows, though, though no guarantee how good it'd be. 
 
Navigation -- no google maps is no problem. Nokia has great maps.
 
I Remote is one I love to control my music from throughout the house. Love it and doubt it's replaceable.
 
Paprika is my recipe app which is great for using in the kitchen. AGain, I doubt replaceable, though don't really know.
 
Tools -- basically my flashlight (I assume Windows has that) and clinometer and shit like that. No problem -- either replaceable or forgettable (why do i have a compass on my phone -- no idea why)
 
Sports -- honestly, SoSH is a great app that I use a lot when am killing a few minutes waiting for something. I also love the Minor Lg Baseball app. Sunday Ticket I've never used on my phone, but could imagine using this upcoming NFL season...
 
Travel -- Flight Status, Tripit, Airbnb are very handy. There's gotta be a Flight Status equiv on Windows. A quick websearch says TripIt, too, which is cool.
 
Finance -- BoA and Capital -- I see B of A
 
Bunch of other crap.
 
It looks like I Remote, Paprika, Dropbox, and SoSH are the key ones I'd lose. hmmm...tough.
 

Caspir

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I think it's mostly personal preference, and WinMo might appeal to older users who don't really care about some of the extras like Snapchat, but that's a tough sell in a mobile marketing dominated by young consumers. I use Chrome on mobile, laptop, tablet, etc, and if you go to the settings tab you can view your history on each device and open existing tabs. I should've been more specific about keeping my place though. What I meant was, I can pull up an article on say, The New Yorker, and if I get off the train on page 3, I can jump on my PC at home and open up to page 3 on my laptop without searching around for the story on Google or whatever by looking at my open tabs on the devices I sync and I'm back to reading. You could also use Chrome to Phone (or Phone to Chrome) to open stuff instantly, and those apps sync with Dropbox to save links. Just make sure you're signed in on all the devices you want to sync.
 

EricFeczko

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Caspir said:
It's just too limited, and .while a lot of that is my own bias due to the fact that Google has embedded itself into my daily life
If you haven't used an iphone or a windows phone, then yes, your bias influences even your perception of facts. In fact, your post sounds like something a google fanboy would post (no offense intended).
 
Caspir said:
I see your answer for the lack of apps in the Windows store as, "Well, there's some less functional, generic versions of most of those." I use Dropbox daily, have more than 8 gigs of stuff backed up automatically including rel time back up for my pics, docs, email attachments etc.
OneDrive is not a "less functional, generic version" of dropbox, but I'm sure you meant a different example here.
 
Caspir said:
 So should I just drop the (best) cloud service because WinMo doesn't have an app, or trust some middle man app that would get access to my stuff just to get it to Dropbox?
Why is dropbox the best? Please explain this to me.
Dropbox has terrible security, nonwithstanding the promotion of 256 bit encryption. Dropbox also mirrors shared files. If someone shares a video with you, that video counts towards your space limit. This is not true when using OneDrive. Both services offer extensive versioning for backup files (in case you delete something off the cloud). Dropbox offers 2 GB free, and additional GB free IF you sync it with other devices add it to facebook etc. In other words, do things that put more PHI out there. OneDrive provides 15 GB free with no strings attached, save for a login.
 
Caspir said:
You also dismiss Chrome since "it's just a browser" but Chrome syncs across all my devices, so I can go from reading a story on my phone to my laptop without losing my place.
 
If you maintain your browser history on the web, and therefore allow it to sync through the cloud. This also means that any purchases you make via https will also be on the cloud. Unless you clear your browser history, which would eliminate this particular advantage.
 
Caspir said:
 Since I use Gmail and other Google apps, I'm not going to drop it for IE or whatever Windows Mobile can offer.
Gmail and other google apps are accessible via IE, so I'm not sure what you're talking about here.
 
Caspir said:
 The Gmail app's interface is light years ahead of any mail app, and offers things like a tabbed inbox that I'm assuming wouldn't translate well to a generic version. My sister has a Windows phone, and I don't see anything in the OS that makes it superior in any way to Android. I've never had an iPhone so I can't speak to those.
You really can't speak to either unless you use them for yourself. WinMO live-tiles enables you to have buttons that select folders in the email app, and you can choose what folders are on the livetiles, and they update regularly. Even better, livetiles don't utilize system resources. So unlike widgets, you can have many livetiles without impairing the speed of the OS.
 
Caspir said:
using the browser to do things on a cell phone is just clunky, less efficient, and defeats the purpose of a mobile device in many ways.
I don't follow this at all. Why would a sleek elegant browser defeat the purpose of a mobile device? If you are saying that you don't like web browsers and find them clunky, well that's your opinion. I've no problem using mine on my mobile devices.
 
Caspir said:
WinMo is more of an oddity to me than a viable mobile OS. It's just too limited, and .while a lot of that is my own bias due to the fact that Google has embedded itself into my daily life, the lack of an app store, and the lack of 'cool' apps like Vine, Snapchat, etc is going to hinder growth whether you have a third party "same thing" app available or not. 
This is entirely due to your bias and how its distorted your perception of other phones. WinMo has an excellent MS office suite, that beats out everything else on android and iphone right now. I can create/edit presentations, manuscripts, and even perform simple data analysis (via excel) all on the phone; these capabilities just don't exist on others.
Finally, vine does have an app in the windows store; so I'm not sure its a great example. Instagram, snapchat, and dropbox are, however.

Personally, I've used android mobile devices since the Motorola Droid, and continue using them through the latest google Nexus device. I've also used iphone, Ipad, and currently have a windows phone; I purchased the windows phone because I get a ridiculous discount, more for any other reason. From my experience, the phone OS that works best for an individual depends on how they are integrated elsewhere. In other words, because everything you do exists in a google universe, it would make no sense to have an iphone or a windows phone. The same is not necessarily true for those who are mac users, or for those who use Microsoft services; the phone OS that makes the most sense is the one that integrates with the rest of your electronically-oriented life.
 

EricFeczko

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Tony C said:
This is interesting. In re Windows phones, on the other thread there were some dissing them based on using them 4 years or by virtue of Windows computers sucking. The Windows phones are getting really good reviews, look great, and specifically have features that matter a lot to me and dispense with some of the stuff I don't like.
 
The problem noted in reviews and by everyone is the app. I'm probably middle of the road when it comes to using apps - definitely not hundreds but someone's list of apps in the thread prompted me to think of exactly what I have/what I'd lose if I transitioned to Windows
 
Notes/Reminders -- I sort of assume this type of thing is so standard that Windows would have some good ones. I have like 6 different ones, and am definitely not addicted to Things over Tasker over Evernote. Is it a dumb assumption that something as useful will be available via Windows?
 
Cam apps -- again, have quite a few, but one of the attractions of (some) Windows phone is the superior camera, and I'd go in that direction so won't worry about this.
 
Dropbox -- very handy and would suck not to have. I see the client via a websearch, but.....
 
Entertainment -- I have Open Table and Yelp and Flixster etc. Nothing I really need there, though Flickster is pretty handy. A quick websearch shows it is available on Windows, though, though no guarantee how good it'd be. 
 
Navigation -- no google maps is no problem. Nokia has great maps.
 
I Remote is one I love to control my music from throughout the house. Love it and doubt it's replaceable.
 
Paprika is my recipe app which is great for using in the kitchen. AGain, I doubt replaceable, though don't really know.
 
Tools -- basically my flashlight (I assume Windows has that) and clinometer and shit like that. No problem -- either replaceable or forgettable (why do i have a compass on my phone -- no idea why)
 
Sports -- honestly, SoSH is a great app that I use a lot when am killing a few minutes waiting for something. I also love the Minor Lg Baseball app. Sunday Ticket I've never used on my phone, but could imagine using this upcoming NFL season...
 
Travel -- Flight Status, Tripit, Airbnb are very handy. There's gotta be a Flight Status equiv on Windows. A quick websearch says TripIt, too, which is cool.
 
Finance -- BoA and Capital -- I see B of A
 
Bunch of other crap.
 
It looks like I Remote, Paprika, Dropbox, and SoSH are the key ones I'd lose. hmmm...tough.
Windows phones come with OneNote, so you should be fine for notes.
There is no good dropbox client with windows phones, and we will likely not see one in the near future. This has more to do with industry competition than anything else.
Your entertainment apps are fairly unchanged on windows, and there are others, specific to windows, that fill the gap.
Windows phone has a free HERE Drive app that is in beta but phenomenal; works in many western countries. I'm not aware of the same app being available on android or iphones.
 
Nothing on windows phone will replace I remote, or Paprika, sorry.
Sunday ticket is available on windows phone. I'm not sure about the SOSH app, but someone could code it...
 
Tripit and Flight Status are both available on the windows phone (I use both myself). There is an airbnb app, supposedly, but I don't think its very good.

The camera on the HTC windows phones are awesome and pretty easy to use (there's a built-in physical button for automatically taking pictures). There's not even a need for a camera app.
 
I'd be happy to answer any other questions about other apps you may be concerned about...
 

mt8thsw9th

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Why wouldn't it make sense to have an iPhone if you're in deep with Google? The Google experience on iPhone is quite solid. Gizmodo and others have even argued it's better, but I can't speak for the experience on both.

Keynote does everything on iPhone that PowerPoint did for me. I'd typically start a presentation in PowerPoint and shoot it to my phone to complete it in Keynote. I can't speak to Office on iOS, and Excel is far superior on Windows than Mac, so my guess is it's stripped down on iOS, but then again I can't say for certain.
 

Silverdude2167

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Taptalk allows you to access SoSH through an app and works pretty well. I have not posted from it yet, so I can not speak to its ability there.
 

EricFeczko

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mt8thsw9th said:
Why wouldn't it make sense to have an iPhone if you're in deep with Google? The Google experience on iPhone is quite solid. Gizmodo and others have even argued it's better, but I can't speak for the experience on both.

Keynote does everything on iPhone that PowerPoint did for me. I'd typically start a presentation in PowerPoint and shoot it to my phone to complete it in Keynote. I can't speak to Office on iOS, and Excel is far superior on Windows than Mac, so my guess is it's stripped down on iOS, but then again I can't say for certain.
My experience wasn't that great when it came to gmail and navigation, or when I had to integrate Google docs. On an Android, it was both seamless, and I could use the default search function to access gmail messages, google map directions, or documents.
 
I think that speaks to my point about using a phone based on your experiences. If you like Keynote over PowerPoint, then it would make sense to stick with an iphone. If you don't like keynote...

 
 

EricFeczko

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Silverdude2167 said:
Taptalk allows you to access SoSH through an app and works pretty well. I have not posted from it yet, so I can not speak to its ability there.
Huh...I just use the IE browser on my phone, so I haven't even bothered. Maybe I'll give it a shot sometime.
 

Tony C

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EricFeczko said:
Windows phones come with OneNote, so you should be fine for notes.
There is no good dropbox client with windows phones, and we will likely not see one in the near future. This has more to do with industry competition than anything else.
Your entertainment apps are fairly unchanged on windows, and there are others, specific to windows, that fill the gap.
Windows phone has a free HERE Drive app that is in beta but phenomenal; works in many western countries. I'm not aware of the same app being available on android or iphones.
 
Nothing on windows phone will replace I remote, or Paprika, sorry.
Sunday ticket is available on windows phone. I'm not sure about the SOSH app, but someone could code it...
 
Tripit and Flight Status are both available on the windows phone (I use both myself). There is an airbnb app, supposedly, but I don't think its very good.
The camera on the HTC windows phones are awesome and pretty easy to use (there's a built-in physical button for automatically taking pictures). There's not even a need for a camera app.
 
I'd be happy to answer any other questions about other apps you may be concerned about...
 
thanks, that's super helpful.
 

Caspir

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EricFeczko said:
If you haven't used an iphone or a windows phone, then yes, your bias influences even your perception of facts. In fact, your post sounds like something a google fanboy would post (no offense intended)
 
 
None taken. I think it's more a matter of which platform people adopted early on. My first smartphone (the Incredible, and it's awesome 4.5 hours of battery life) was an Android, and since it integrated my Google account so seamlessly, I've become tied to them in the same way iPhone users are locked into their OS because they have an Iphone/pad/mac etc. I'm not blind to Google's flaws at all. It just so happens that they handle most of my day to day smartphone related tasks.
 


OneDrive is not a "less functional, generic version" of dropbox, but I'm sure you meant a different example here.
 
Yea, there's a third party Dropbox app for WinMo. I tried One Drive, but with Dropbox and Google Drive, I just didn't need it, which also ties into the fact that I was using Dropbox from day one, and it has just become a go-to since it automatically backs all my stuff up. I only use Google Drive as a back up of my back up and for shared docs, whenever that ened arises.
 


Why is dropbox the best? Please explain this to me.
Dropbox has terrible security, nonwithstanding the promotion of 256 bit encryption. Dropbox also mirrors shared files. If someone shares a video with you, that video counts towards your space limit. This is not true when using OneDrive. Both services offer extensive versioning for backup files (in case you delete something off the cloud). Dropbox offers 2 GB free, and additional GB free IF you sync it with other devices add it to facebook etc. In other words, do things that put more PHI out there. OneDrive provides 15 GB free with no strings attached, save for a login.
 
I have a lot more free space from the Galaxy 4 promotion, and a bunch of other avenues, but suffice to say, it's not hard to have a Dropbox account with plenty of storage space. I only back up photos, school related stuff, and copies of cover letters/resumes etc., and again, it's just a personal preference. One Drive might be right for some, but I didn't see anything that made me want to go to the trouble of switching. FWIW, my Dropbox has upwards of 20 gigs of space and isn't linked to my FB or any other social media accounts.
 
 


If you maintain your browser history on the web, and therefore allow it to sync through the cloud. This also means that any purchases you make via https will also be on the cloud. Unless you clear your browser history, which would eliminate this particular advantage.
 
I clear my browser history when I close Chrome, so if I want to open a tab on another device, I keep it open. It's not really difficult, and since I was talking specifically about making it easier to read articles, you're arguing something I never contended to begin with by talking about purchases on https and the like, but ok, that's nice info, and has nothing to do with the fact that it is a nice convenience that you can utilize if you want to, which was all that I said.
 


Gmail and other google apps are accessible via IE, so I'm not sure what you're talking about here.
 
Which was my point. I don't use my browser to check my email via mobile, and the third party mail app isn't as good as Gmail's. I don't need to open a browser to check my email, because my Gmail app lets me get right there. The tabbed inbox organizes everything for me, and third party mail clients I've seen don't offer that same level of functionality, which is understandable, but why would I want to use a browser to check emails on my phone? It's clunky. (Yea, yea, I know, that's my personal opinion. I think that's what we're all giving here, but don't sound the fanboy alarm again.)
 


You really can't speak to either unless you use them for yourself. WinMO live-tiles enables you to have buttons that select folders in the email app, and you can choose what folders are on the livetiles, and they update regularly. Even better, livetiles don't utilize system resources. So unlike widgets, you can have many livetiles without impairing the speed of the OS.
 
I have used WinMo phones, but thanks for the tip. I'm not even talking about widgets, but since you brought it up, live tiles are ugly (personal preference), and I prefer widgets. You don't. This has nothing to do with what I was saying, which is that the dedicated Gmail app and other Google apps are better than the third party mail clients that can retrieve my Gmail or mimic whatever app isn't available in the WinMo store. I don't even need widgets for the most part (I only have a weather one right now if I recall correctly), because the apps are just fine for me, although if I wanted to, I could have specific Gmail folders and everything on my homescreen. I just don't have the need. Since my battery life is fantastic and I never experience any noticeable  lag, I'm not concerned about widgets using my system resources. You're really starting to dig if the response to dedicated apps is that live tiles can link to stuff, because they're not even remotely similar. I'm not a huge widget person since I view them mostly as a novelty, but I did use the Gmail, Twitter, Groupon and Evernote widgets for a time and they were fine. Never experienced any lag, although I'm sure I added a few hundredths of a second to the time it takes an app to open due to the widget hogging the system resources, so you got me there.
 


I don't follow this at all. Why would a sleek elegant browser defeat the purpose of a mobile device? If you are saying that you don't like web browsers and find them clunky, well that's your opinion. I've no problem using mine on my mobile devices.
 
That's fantastic for you. I have a "sleek elegant browser" as well, and I use it for a lot of things. Checking my email and watching Youtube videos or whatever aren't among them. I don't like it, and find the dedicated apps easier to use, better to navigate, and just overall a better user experience. This is, once again, personal preference, and if yours is different then power to you, but I'm pretty sure you follow it perfectly and just wanted to make a witty remark about browsers, so bravo? 
 


This is entirely due to your bias and how its distorted your perception of other phones. WinMo has an excellent MS office suite, that beats out everything else on android and iphone right now. I can create/edit presentations, manuscripts, and even perform simple data analysis (via excel) all on the phone; these capabilities just don't exist on others.
Finally, vine does have an app in the windows store; so I'm not sure its a great example. Instagram, snapchat, and dropbox are, however.
Personally, I've used android mobile devices since the Motorola Droid, and continue using them through the latest google Nexus device. I've also used iphone, Ipad, and currently have a windows phone; I purchased the windows phone because I get a ridiculous discount, more for any other reason. From my experience, the phone OS that works best for an individual depends on how they are integrated elsewhere. In other words, because everything you do exists in a google universe, it would make no sense to have an iphone or a windows phone. The same is not necessarily true for those who are mac users, or for those who use Microsoft services; the phone OS that makes the most sense is the one that integrates with the rest of your electronically-oriented life.
 
Well it's a good thing we have you here to tell us what is and isn't the proper way to use a mobile device. I noted in the beginning that much of my preference stems from the fact that Google just works better on Android (obviously) and even on iOS when compared to WinMo. That's not an opinion, it's a fact,, and I don't see any compelling reason to go anywhere near a Windows phone. You disagree, and that's fine, so do about 3% of mobile phone users, so there's certainly room for varying opinions. However, it seems pretty silly not to acknowledge the deficiencies of WinMo phones in general, and if most of your argument is that I'm basing things on personal experience,wo which I'd say no shit. If you needed credentials or something, I've owned iPods, iPads (co-opted by children), have a mac and a pc, an Android phone and tablet, and I've played with other people's Windows phones although I admit I've never owned one of my own. 
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Well it's a good thing we have you here to tell us what is and isn't the proper way to use a mobile device. I noted in the beginning that much of my preference stems from the fact that Google just works better on Android (obviously) and even on iOS when compared to WinMo. That's not an opinion, it's a fact,, and I don't see any compelling reason to go anywhere near a Windows phone. You disagree, and that's fine, so do about 3% of mobile phone users, so there's certainly room for varying opinions. However, it seems pretty silly not to acknowledge the deficiencies of WinMo phones in general, and if most of your argument is that I'm basing things on personal experience,wo which I'd say no shit. If you needed credentials or something, I've owned iPods, iPads (co-opted by children), have a mac and a pc, an Android phone and tablet, and I've played with other people's Windows phones although I admit I've never owned one of my own.
You're basically saying that you've tied your life up with Google and Google has gone out of its way to make sure that it doesn't help Windows Phone so you're never going to try it and that's cool. And there are people who've dropped hundreds of $s at the Apple Store and they aren't going to switch over too. But quite frankly, when it comes to doing core functions - phone, email, camera, work, and a little entertainment - Windows Phone does them all well and sometimes better than the others.

I don't know why people have to trash other operating systems. From a consumer POV, having more robust ecosystems has to be better than fewer. I am glad MS is trying to add another choice. It will probably never be for you and lots of other people, but there are still millions of other people who would benefit. And quite frankly, for those who can only afford middle-,and lower-priced phones, the Windows Phones are as good an option that is out there.
 

Caspir

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wade boggs chicken dinner said:
You're basically saying that you've tied your life up with Google and Google has gone out of its way to make sure that it doesn't help Windows Phone so you're never going to try it and that's cool. And there are people who've dropped hundreds of $s at the Apple Store and they aren't going to switch over too. But quite frankly, when it comes to doing core functions - phone, email, camera, work, and a little entertainment - Windows Phone does them all well and sometimes better than the others.

I don't know why people have to trash other operating systems. From a consumer POV, having more robust ecosystems has to be better than fewer. I am glad MS is trying to add another choice. It will probably never be for you and lots of other people, but there are still millions of other people who would benefit. And quite frankly, for those who can only afford middle-,and lower-priced phones, the Windows Phones are as good an option that is out there.
 
And if that's their market, they'll do very well. My sister has a Windows phone for this exact reason. She has shitty credit and like most people, doesn't have $700 to come out of pocket for an G5 or iPhone. My reason for not wanting to try a Windows phone is not simply because Google had embedded itself in my mobile life, but also because I'm not a big fan of the tile set up, which again, is a personal preference that I know will vary from person to person. In addition to using other people's, I've tried some WinMo style launchers on Android (not an apples to apples comparison, obviously) and the style just isn't visually appealing to me. Nobody is trashing another OS by pointing out its shortcomings. I guess to counter your point, I don't see why people have to get defensive about cell phones. It's all pretty silly if you think about it, but fuck it, I'd rather have first world problems than third world, yea?
 

Silverdude2167

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Caspir said:
 
 Nobody is trashing another OS by pointing out its shortcomings. I guess to counter your point, I don't see why people have to get defensive about cell phones. It's all pretty silly if you think about it, but fuck it, I'd rather have first world problems than third world, yea?
This did not start because I was defensive about cell phones. A few people mentioned potentially getting windows phones and multiple people responded saying don't because the app store sucks. I disagreed and the whole thing blew up into what it has become. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, friendly discourse about products even if it can come across as fanboyish is a good thing in my mind.
 

Caspir

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That wasn't directed at you (or anyone in particular), just a general comment.
 

B H Kim

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I've never considered a Windows phone, but comparing the apps I use most often on my iPhone and what's available for Windows phone, it appears that one area where Windows is lacking is home hardware control/automation. Windows doesn't have Tivo, Sonos or Dropcam apps.
 

Tony C

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yeah. I-Remote is the one app that I think I'd have a really hard time living without.
 
Will see...have until Nov when my contract runs out. I imagine the new 6 will have some things that add to the sexy factor once it's out (though the leaks don't make it sound so terribly sexy), and it really is a boring interface and not terribly efficient. Granted, aesthetics are totally subjective so not worth arguing over, but still am surprised by those who call Windows ugly. To my eye it's by far the most aesthetically pleasing (and have read many reviews and even skeptics seem to at least agree on that).  And the tiles set up a pleasing -- one might even say most classically Apple -- arrangement of both aesthetic pop combined with ease and efficiency. Don't know Android as well, but when friends brag on their phones ("it can do so much!)" it always reminds me of Windows back in their heydey -- can do tons and tons of stuff, but it all looks like a sprawling mess that takes too much time to figure out.
 
At the end of day, even if aesthetically the Windows interface appeals to me the most, I think the combo of I-Remote and whatever goodies are on the 6 (I'm particularly curious about the new sapphire glass -- a bit unclear if will be on all phones or not) will more likely than not suck me into sticking with that eco-system. (and that's why Windows stays at 4% -- not because it's inherently inferior, but for the same reason that Windows computers remain so prevalent. The status quo is hard to break.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
17,120
Brooklyn
The "huh" is because those phones still cost $600+ without a contract. The newest iPhone is only $20 more than the Lumia 930 on Amazon.
 

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
mt8thsw9th said:
The "huh" is because those phones still cost $600+ without a contract. The newest iPhone is only $20 more than the Lumia 930 on Amazon.
 
But a lot of the discount carriers that target people with low income and/or shitty credit offer those $20 p/month payment plans for the phone so your up front cost is minimized. People who don't qualify for Verizon/ATT often slide through at a place like Metro because those carriers expect their customers to have shit credit. Just using my sister as an example, she has atrocious credit, multiple accounts in collections, she can't even get a checking account because she screwed Citizen's Bank over before, so she's an extreme case. Verizon, ATT, Tmobile and Sprint all either turned her down flat, or asked for a crazy deposit which included paying in full for the phone in addition to a deposit on the account of like $750. She went over to Metro, they got her the phone (a Nokia Lumia, not sure which version) for $99 + $20 p/month added to her bill for X months. She ended up going with that, but it's definitely a problem that most people don't encounter.
 

Max Power

thai good. you like shirt?
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2005
7,877
Boston, MA
mt8thsw9th said:
The "huh" is because those phones still cost $600+ without a contract. The newest iPhone is only $20 more than the Lumia 930 on Amazon.
 
Windows Phones are available at all price points and generally perform better at the lower end than Android. Apple doesn't reach into that market at all. Right now you can get a Lumia 520 for $50 off contract, a 635 for $100, and they just announced a 700 and 800 series at $250 and $400 respectively.
 
Thanks to T-Mobile, most carriers are moving toward minimally subsidized phones paid over a 2-year 0% loan. Apple seems to be the one who will suffer most in that arrangement.
 

Blacken

Robespierre in a Cape
SoSH Member
Jul 24, 2007
12,152
Max Power said:
Windows Phones are available at all price points and generally perform better at the lower end than Android.
This was true with WP7 (and I recommended them over Android at the time because if you're buying a downmarket phone your needs are probably not huge). This isn't really true with WP8 and the advancement of phone tech. Something like the Moto G is no worse, perf-wise, than the WP8 options.
 

Tony C

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Apr 13, 2000
13,694
EricFeczko said:
Windows phones come with OneNote, so you should be fine for notes.
There is no good dropbox client with windows phones, and we will likely not see one in the near future. This has more to do with industry competition than anything else.
Your entertainment apps are fairly unchanged on windows, and there are others, specific to windows, that fill the gap.
Windows phone has a free HERE Drive app that is in beta but phenomenal; works in many western countries. I'm not aware of the same app being available on android or iphones.
 
Nothing on windows phone will replace I remote, or Paprika, sorry.
Sunday ticket is available on windows phone. I'm not sure about the SOSH app, but someone could code it...
 
Tripit and Flight Status are both available on the windows phone (I use both myself). There is an airbnb app, supposedly, but I don't think its very good.
The camera on the HTC windows phones are awesome and pretty easy to use (there's a built-in physical button for automatically taking pictures). There's not even a need for a camera app.
 
I'd be happy to answer any other questions about other apps you may be concerned about...
 
Thanks for this and a few others who answered my curiousity about Windows phones. I did end up moving on from my Iphone5 to the HTC M8 for Windows and basically really happy.
 
Apps-wise much much less of a problem than the hype. I do miss the I-Remote and only 1 of my 2 banks has an app that lets me do deposits, but that doesn' t much matter. For SoSH the TapaTalk interface is awesome.
 
Interface-wise I'm in love. I'm not sure what the criticism of Windows would be - -simpler, chic-er,  more intuitive than Iphone/Android. And beautiful.  
 
Form: It's stupid, but I did love the Iphone aesthetics and, in particular, the Iphone5 which was a bit of industrial design genius. The new Iphones looks generic...like your basic Samsung variant, really think the HTC is superior.
 
Performance: great...I imagine the Iphone6 is just as snappy.
 
Battery: slightly disappointing -- I've been using it to shit as I play around with it, but seems like should be better. Still, gets through the day.
 
Camera: the big downgrade. Haven't actually used the camera much, but this seems to be the fail compared to what's on the Iphone6. The M9 supposedly will hugely up that, so got the TMobile Jump program so can switch easily enough when that comes out.
 
A shame for Windows that they were late to the party -- I do think they have the superior product, but nothing so killer better that anyone is motivated to move off a comfortable environment.
 

ngruz25

Bibby
SoSH Member
Sep 20, 2005
18,971
Pittsburgh, PA
I just made the transition from an iPhone 5 to an HTC One M8 for Windows. That's a mouthful of a phone, but it suits my needs pretty much perfectly. My options were limited to the iPhone, Blackberry, and Windows Phone because of my job. I was a little bored with the iPhone and Blackberry was a nonstarter, so I gave the WP a shot. The lack of apps is sometimes a bummer, but I really don't need most of those - though I am missing NHL GameCenter and a couple banking things. Third party apps kiiiinda do the job , for the most part. I don't use my phone for games.
 
I'm not sure if it's the phone or the operating system, but the thing FLIES. Zero lag, quick, snappy response. Apps load almost instantly. Even my internet browser is noticeably faster than my old iPhone. Most pages load nearly instantly. I'm guessing a lot of that is the phone, which has pretty impressive specs.
 
Cortana is neat. I have a few favorite locations set, so I can tell myself "remind me to get milk next time I'm at the grocery store," and it works perfectly. I don't know if I'll just eventually abandon it, but it's fun to play around with.
 
I love having OneNote on my phone. I use that pretty regularly. The lack of dedicated G-apps bothered me at first, but I don't notice anything amiss from the stock mail or maps apps (Verizon Navigator for the latter). I set up two e-mail accounts (one GMail and the other my work account) and it's worked fine. I don't do heavy e-mailing on my phone, mostly just checking mail, so YMMV.
 
Many WP reviews seem to ding them on things that have been corrected by the 8.1 update. I've only used 8.1, so I can't speak to all of those, but the most noteworthy addition is the addition of a notification center. All your notifications are available with a quick pull down on the mail page.
 
Battery life is fantastic. I get somewhere in the vicinity of 24-hours use (light-ish usage) on a single charge. Maybe this will get worse with time, not sure.
 
Expandable storage was a big selling point for me. The phone has 32 GB of onboard storage, and I added another 32 GB miniSD card.
 
Superficial things: the speakers on this thing are a beast. I think the Windows OS is easily the most attractive OS of the three - I love the vibrant colors, and much prefer tiles to icons. After you get off the Start menu, the phone feels minimalist with its black backgrounds and white text, which I find quite attractive. 
 
Super superficial things: the ringtones are so... pleasant. I think part of that is the speakers. I like double-tapping the screen to wake it up.

I should also add that, given the number of devices in our household, it's really nice that literally all of them can now be charged with a micro-USB cable. There's one sitting around in almost every room of the house.