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After looking at the presentation of IPhone 3G v3.0 and already have read the articles about the WM v6.5 and v7.0, a huge disappointment came over me.
You see I am a top shouter in my environment for the HTC phones which are all equipped with the WM OS's.
The greatest impression on me where some articles about guys(who seemed in my eyes a real priority on this, i am dutch so not quickly impressed by anything), who wrote all similar story's about the WM v6.5/7.0. Stating Microsoft is not at all doing anything to compete with the Google and APPLE OS's. There are just very few improvements and absolutely not at all impressive enough as the IPhone OS.
Reading some article they are looking for a lead developer for the new core for WM v7.0 are not honored and contradicting, like saying oke guys i know the current OS is ****ty so we need to start over, can anyone help us?
That is not the sort of message I as WM lover like to hear.
It seems that Apple is just about the only one who is really listening to the users and they are working their ass off getting all requested functionality integrated. APPLE have done more on the OS in 1 year then Microsoft did on all development of the WM versions.
I am working at an IT company where the IPhone is making a serious entry and I am working at support and people asking me for information getting the IPhone working with the company applications. and guess what, it is sooooooo much easier getting it setup then every other WM-device i have seen. And they seem to shrink in number at the company.
Now I am really in love with the HTC-devices, but i am slowly getting confused by the latest IPHONE OS.
I expect that Microsoft will loose this battle due to their arrogance and dragging all major mobile company's down with it. So expect another crisis in a year or 3 because now the smart phones are booming but people will come to their senses and they switch to IPhone after their subscriber to the providers has ended.
So please bring me to my senses and say I am totally wrong!!
yes and no
the problem is migrators. people whove had there nokias and stuff then want a better device. theyll run to iphone dueto the flashy marketing and support
bu winmo is more like an old pair of sneakers. sure theyre ugly aan dirty
but they do the job they were built to do. in my opinion as long as they do there job making it work i can do my job making it look pretty. coz id rather get ther in my old confy sneakers to get there than getting blisters from a new pair
i dont think any die hard winmo fan will move not really because at the end of the day we always go back to those old trainers
ive got a headache now
stop making me use my brain
i went from iphone to iphone 3g to windows mobile
i prefer my diamond to be honest even thou iphone can do alot more in ways the diamond does more in other ways
hands down id rather go with diamond or pro
@jayjay8585
Thanks for your response.
I hope you are familiar with ice skating?
They where skating years and years on the normal skates and the fastest times stayed longer and longer on the list.
Then someone decided to change the skate(klikskate, the iron comes half lose when lifting the skate) so significantly everybody said out loud that will not work, so they tried it a bit but went back to their old skates(sneakers).
Until someone who always was just under the top 10 decided, oke I reeeeeeealy going to try this and trained for 2 years on it.
So the next major tournament this person broke all long standing records.
Now everybody is using the new ice skates and up until now, records keep broken almost every new major tournament.
Shortly: I half agree with the sneaker story but it will not hold on the long term.
Microsoft just messed up to big, so if Bill wants to see another billion or 2 added on the Forbes list he has to get serious on this.
Windows Mobile 7 is not even beta yet so how can you be making comparisons with that OS? And while apple has added features to bring it on par with modern smartphones I personally am too used to the freedom of using a device of my own choosing with whatever carrier I choose and not being tied to using apple software and hardware products.
Here is what I have to say about the iPhone. The iPhone............
iPhone = Flashy Fashiontoy laden with DRM Crap no one here wants. Period.
Yup!
jadephyre said:
iPhone = Flashy Fashiontoy laden with DRM Crap no one here wants. Period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quoted for the Mo-Fo'm truth!
How about the g1? It listens to its users the users and devs nake this phone better everydaay. I have had my for just over a week and don't know how I livd without it. I love how it works It can do all the iphone can and more. My main thing is it needs flash player other than that. also anyone seen or have any ideas on the new plam?
I personally wouldn't touch the G1 even if my life depended on it... Someone has to remove all the frickin' Google Crap from the OS (mandatory googlemail acc, anyone ?) before I'd be willing to shell out a few hundred bucks for one of these.
I'm not willing to let Google put a leash up my ass...
To the above guy. Besides making a mail account that's ur only leash. That beats being to to steve and bill in my opion. U can change the browser and well just about every u can get a lot of apps on line. U don't have to use the market that came on the phone everything is open.
the G1 I tested required a Googlemail Account.
Granted, I already have one and only Spam gets redirected there, but I don't want Google to know who i have as Contacts on my Sim and my Appointments no one has to read either.
Google on G1 = No Phone for me
Well whre are getting that they do that? And if they do why dosent everyone else? I figuer all cell phone data is almost public anyways
just wanted to add my 2 pence worth.
I've only had 2 WM devices so far, the XDA Exec and now the Touch Dual.
As much as I've enjoyed playing with these, I'm starting to really like the look of the iPhone. Everyone I speak to that has one say they love it because it does what is says on the lid. It works.
I'm fed up with having to reset my phone when it crashes on an incoming call, or re-syncing it to my BT car Hands free set...............
I've had to work hard and rely on the good devs here (thanks folks)to be able to get to a point where my phone is just about stable.
The iPhone is starting to look like a possability when my contract is up in six months
WM 6.5 will make it better as well as ROM Cookers. I have the Iphone 3G - in the box. Yes its flashy and its more fluid I like the control I have over my Touch HD. I like being able to flash it and try it out. I like the fact that I can change the BATTERY out on it. I like the ability to sync with Outlook, I like the fact that there are many many apps for the WM 6.1 and 6.5(when it becomes available).
And I like my screen resolution and Garmin XT NAV
Oh yeah.. Did I mention that I hate ITUNES and DRM?
jadephyre said:
the G1 I tested required a Googlemail Account.
Granted, I already have one and only Spam gets redirected there, but I don't want Google to know who i have as Contacts on my Sim and my Appointments no one has to read either.
Google on G1 = No Phone for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you do realize that you can turn off syncing, which means that you wont send any data to the google acct. so none of your contacts/appointments will leave your phone, and gmail wont sync. if you root your G1 you dont even have to use a google acct.
This is an article from BRIGHTHAND:
Cut, Copy, and Paste
Confirming the earlier rumors, iPhone 3.0 will -- finally -- allow iPhone users to cut-and-paste and copy-and-paste. Naturally, the process for selecting text will take advantage of this device's multi-touch screen. This feature will be available in Apple's own software and third-party apps.
And it extends to more than just text. Users will be able to copy images and paste them into an email.
MMS, A2DP, Etc.
iPhone 3.0 will also mark the arrival of other features long available in the iPhone's competitors, including MMS messaging, Stereo Bluetooth, device search, and voice memos.
In addition, landscape support is being added to more of the bundled applications.
Apple is also going to release a new SDK (software developer kit) for handling streaming audio and video, including HDTV streaming.
Still No Multitasking
Apple had some good news and bad news for users. The bad news is that it's still not allowing multitasking because running third-party applications in the background is more than the device can handle. Scott Forstall, Apple SVP iPhone Software, who handled much of today's presentation, said that an IM application running in the background reduced the iPhone's standby battery time by 80%.
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I don't think the iPhone is able to beat anybody yet, as you can see, the above upgrade or fix to the coming iPhone 3 are qualities that should have been there since it's first release. They are still playing catch-up to Windows Mobile.
The only thing I like about the iPhone is the speed. Other than that, nothing else. With more powerful processor coming out, this will definitely be a brighter future for WM.
mavrik64 said:
I'm fed up with having to reset my phone when it crashes on an incoming call, or re-syncing it to my BT car Hands free set...............
I've had to work hard and rely on the good devs here (thanks folks)to be able to get to a point where my phone is just about stable.
The iPhone is starting to look like a possability when my contract is up in six months
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to see you are having trouble, but for me, my setup is very stable. No crashes nor freezes, so I am happy with Windows Mobile. BT works flawlessly too. I believe stability is related to what applications you have installed. I have about 350 applications and games installed, you just need to try them one by one and see which one causes the problem. This is the proceedure I do each time I upgrade my device. By the way, I have an HTC Advantage X7510. I just use my HTC Universal as the test subject nowadays.
I'd like to thank those brave enough to say that the iPhone does in fact pose a huge problem to WM, and those brave enough to say that they're willing to move away. Another thing I'd like to say is that being tied to a carrier/network that you don't like is not actually an argument against the iPhone, rather the circumstances surrounding it. Let's keep this thread based around an SIM-unlocked iPhone for a change. Also, let's just look at the OS, and not the extras HTC/Samsung/SE has overlayed on top.
Now, let's face it, WM is losing appeal- fast. WM is dynamic and flexible- almost like an open-source OS, but the UI is outdated and still bears an uncanny resemblance to it's oldest predecessor almost 10 whole years ago. Also, it can get laggy, and crashes even on stock ROMs, so there's another bunch of disadvantages.
Not much left. Let's hope WM7 saves MS.
I agree 100% with cktlcmd.
Thanks for putting it exactly how I would,
so I don't have to think.
This is what I'm feeling so far.......... (my two cents)
I love my wimo (6700, 8525, tilt and now touch Pro) and at first I use to tell people that only way that iPhone is making a killing is because how they advertised the phone.
People with iPhones use to be like your phone looks and feels like a brick. I will tell them how the wimo can do all types of things, so they started coming back to me and showing how once they jail break the phone they can do about all most the same thing. I would laugh and say well you still can't get mms, teathering, or cut/paste......3.0 is coming out for the iPhone, now I feel like hiding from the ones I laughed at.
If Microsoft is reading......please help us out, because the reason I love the phones is because they can do wonders but now I'm starting to feel like an old school guy with and old phone not willing to give up.............We (I hope I can speak for all the wimo people) spend at alot of time and money on these phone and just want a little something back, beside a new phone......think about the inside the phone and help us out so we can stay and be the top dogs again.
First of all I would like to say many thanks to all the developers in this site. I think you all have the talent and know how of making a plain windows phone into something incredible. My thanks to the maker of energy rom, and all those fantastic developers. Helping to make this comunity greater and better. I am going to miss you all. Yes I have moved into the iPhone community.
Let Me just tell you all this is my opinion and yours counts as well. I have been a very avid windows mobile user, but more so an htc fan then any. I write this thread to let you all know of my findings from switching to an apple device. with that said I also would like to emphisize that my findings are based off of device and not network.
iPhone vs windows mobile
*landscape supported in both
*copy and paste supported in both thanks to OS 3.0
*user interface- on iPhone comes built in with a nice OS
-on htc nice as well but customizable. Thanks to xda forum
*physical keyboard- only built in to some htc devices
-on iPhone does not include a physical keyboard but I feel this product in terms of progress is moving foward faster. So what I mean is this product does not include a physical keyboard you can purchase one. But the soft keys included are nice with a little practice. Even thow landscape is not supported on most device but it is on the most use full apps.
*productivity- email, document editing, mms, tethering, auto spell check,
WM- supports all of these except spell check is an extra step
iPhone - supports email, doesn't come with word editing apps but i have purchased docs to go which I like and will allow me to get free updates.($5) mms thanks to mms not supported thanks to AT&T but it will by summer( check iPhone alley for up to date news or engadget. Tethering again thanks to AT&T no sir again to be announced, auto spell check is default and a plus since o generally suck in spelling.
* customizble- supported on both via xda and jailbreak, I still like the OS so I don't need to until I get bored but I'm pretty happy now.
*UI
- wm/not very user friendly but customizable thanks to xda. Hope fully windows gets the clue.
-iphone/ very user friendly , auto spell check on the fly, dual touch, browser a plus still waiting on firefox but iPhone browser is much faster. No flash support this is a downside the the iPhone. The text magnifier is a handy tool. Easy access tools like app store handy and comes with pre approved handy tools.(and free apps ass well)
*multimedia on both is pretty equal
*gaming is a dead blow away based off of amount of developers and screen size On the iPhone , dual touch helps in dramatic amounts.
My thoughts- altough the iPhone is not the best choice for everyone. There are pros and cons for both device. This being a WM forum I expect "flamming" but instead write why you stay with wm(not htc related because I love xda and htc and don't wish to sell my fuze) i find apples iPhone is moving slot faster progress wize in terms of when they started and what it has accomplished to this date. Windows made a big mistake delaying development on windows 7.0 OS. 2010 just shows they where not ready. Thank you all
My 2 cents on user friendliness.
I would think, from a perspective of someone who likes tweaking, that wm is much more user friendly since it allows me to customize it to my heart's content rather than jailbreaking the thing to even do basic things like changing the background to every page.
The iphone is more idiot proof than user friendly. In apple's classic style, anything that provides the user to customize the system is completely locked down unless hacked. what you can use is what they allow you to, not what you want to.
multi-touch is nice and is something i wish more smartphones will adopt in the future but I don't feel like it's a "game changer" especially gaming on a smartphone is not something that's that fancy. there are plenty counterpart apps for both OS that are mirrors of each other, like the light saber, tetris, bubble breaker, etc etc.
oh i forgot to mention, tethering... it is possible for the fuze to tether thanks to some of the resident geniuses of XDA who saved many of us from having to pay 30-50 bucks extra for tethering. the iphone's tethering is still in the process since I highly doubt att will let them get away with it for free or atleast without some haggling between apple and att.
my conclusion to this is that the review is good, i just don't approve of apple's take on "customization" (or lack thereof).
mputtr said:
My 2 cents on user friendliness.
I would think, from a perspective of someone who likes tweaking, that wm is much more user friendly since it allows me to customize it to my heart's content rather than jailbreaking the thing to even do basic things like changing the background to every page.
The iphone is more idiot proof than user friendly. In apple's classic style, anything that provides the user to customize the system is completely locked down unless hacked. what you can use is what they allow you to, not what you want to.
multi-touch is nice and is something i wish more smartphones will adopt in the future but I don't feel like it's a "game changer" especially gaming on a smartphone is not something that's that fancy. there are plenty counterpart apps for both OS that are mirrors of each other, like the light saber, tetris, bubble breaker, etc etc.
oh i forgot to mention, tethering... it is possible for the fuze to tether thanks to some of the resident geniuses of XDA who saved many of us from having to pay 30-50 bucks extra for tethering. the iphone's tethering is still in the process since I highly doubt att will let them get away with it for free or atleast without some haggling between apple and att.
my conclusion to this is that the review is good, i just don't approve of apple's take on "customization" (or lack thereof).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for you input, I agree on customizabilty. This is basic stuff. It's your phone you should be allowed to personalize it by default. What I can do with out jail break is add my own short cuts off the web and changes some of my back ground. My friend has managed to change his icons to a Laker theme, and mms enabled on his phone. Other have managed a vista ultima desktop with video background. Which to me is cool but I doubt I find it usefull productive wize. Gaming on the iPhone is different. I encourage all to take some time to YouTube developed games, ping pong, archers, brickbreaker revollusion, tap tap revenge 2, stick wars , and ifighter. This is thanks to multi touch. But I thank you for your input. And tethering is enabled for free you just have to click a link in iPhone alley. And this is money saving as well. Thank you and more should write this will let Windows mobile step up their game.
Being a long time windows mobile and long time iPhone user, here is my take on this:
iPhone is fun, smooth and pretty nifty - for someone who doesn't rely on a device to get stuff done.
WM is a slower, sometimes ugly beast that gets **** done. It may not be the prettiest but if I need it to do something, it does it.
Case and point - I manage 10 separate business units and I rely on notifications to remind me about things. The iPhone just doesn't cut it, even with its 3.0 upgrade. Without a rock solid time specific task function/reminding system that can be snoozed, it's worthless for me.
What the iPhone does better:
Web - hands down it is a better experience
Email - Again, much better IMO on the iPhone
Note taking - iPhone stomps all over WM here especially with Evernote. The newest Evernote is absolutely incredible on the iPhone.
Pictures - My fuze is much better in this area and I don't want to buy the newest iPhone to get auto zoom.
3rd party programs - iPhone may have 50,000 apps, but WM has the apps "I" need to run my business, at least at this point.
I hemmed and hawed about it for a few weeks but I gave my iPhone to my 17 year old son who doesn't need a business class device and I got an iPod touch. I can still have nifty web browsing on the go and most of the benefits of apps like Evernote.
WM is still king in my mind but there are some things that would push it over the top in regards to the Apple offerings:
1. Capacitive screen - It's amazing and makes the resistive touch of the normal PDA's seem old and outdated.
2. Give us a Word/Excel/PP Viewer program in addition to the damn programs included that rip the formatting to shreds of anything remotely complex that we open with them. Granted, there are other programs that have better compatability that the built in office apps, but come on MS, Office is YOUR program!
3. This is for hardware vendors - Get your **** together and actually include driver support so your devices look and act as smoothly as the iPhone. I have a fuze that has more memory and a faster processor (in MHz only I know) than the iPhone but it's a dog. Gimme some smooth eye candy! I look at this damn device for hours per day, at least make it more enjoyable! MS needs to step up to the plate here and realize that the 3rd party hardware vendors are the ones causing the problems. Make them have to certify devices in the areas of performance and appearance before they launch.
4. Put more than 5 people on task to put an upgraded mobile operating system out. I am embarrassed for MS that they would do something like that. I don't care if they are the best of the best, mobile computing is the future and you guys are missing the boat by such a large margin it isn't even funny in the areas of usability and looks.
-Asbestos
iPhone vs WM
I agree with asbestos, if I need a real fancy music player, I'll put stickers on my "work" WM Touch Pro. My Touch Pro does WORK just fine.
I'll pay for my TP with SPB Mobile Shell 3.0, before given a fancy music player.
Someday, somebody will realize you can play music and videos on WM. Granted Windows Media Player sucks. But there are other multimedia apps.
What I will yield to Apple is our MS developers as a whole SUCK compared to the tons of great apps being created daily for iPhone, that could be made for WM. SOmebody needs to tell WM dev's to just sit down and copy every app they make. Cause WM is not the best in ingenuity.
My two cents,
JWB
Stickers ?!? Really?
That's the most educated piece of mine you can come up with. Better yet how about you mension konomi or any other great media player and recomend windows come with a built in finger friendly and eye candy friendly UI. Yes windows does need to look into developers from this site to make their products better.
Business over entertainment
asbestos said:
Being a long time windows mobile and long time iPhone user, here is my take on this:
iPhone is fun, smooth and pretty nifty - for someone who doesn't rely on a device to get stuff done.
WM is a slower, sometimes ugly beast that gets **** done. It may not be the prettiest but if I need it to do something, it does it.
Case and point - I manage 10 separate business units and I rely on notifications to remind me about things. The iPhone just doesn't cut it, even with its 3.0 upgrade. Without a rock solid time specific task function/reminding system that can be snoozed, it's worthless for me.
What the iPhone does better:
Web - hands down it is a better experience
Email - Again, much better IMO on the iPhone
Note taking - iPhone stomps all over WM here especially with Evernote. The newest Evernote is absolutely incredible on the iPhone.
Pictures - My fuze is much better in this area and I don't want to buy the newest iPhone to get auto zoom.
3rd party programs - iPhone may have 50,000 apps, but WM has the apps "I" need to run my business, at least at this point.
I hemmed and hawed about it for a few weeks but I gave my iPhone to my 17 year old son who doesn't need a business class device and I got an iPod touch. I can still have nifty web browsing on the go and most of the benefits of apps like Evernote.
WM is still king in my mind but there are some things that would push it over the top in regards to the Apple offerings:
1. Capacitive screen - It's amazing and makes the resistive touch of the normal PDA's seem old and outdated.
2. Give us a Word/Excel/PP Viewer program in addition to the damn programs included that rip the formatting to shreds of anything remotely complex that we open with them. Granted, there are other programs that have better compatability that the built in office apps, but come on MS, Office is YOUR program!
3. This is for hardware vendors - Get your **** together and actually include driver support so your devices look and act as smoothly as the iPhone. I have a fuze that has more memory and a faster processor (in MHz only I know) than the iPhone but it's a dog. Gimme some smooth eye candy! I look at this damn device for hours per day, at least make it more enjoyable! MS needs to step up to the plate here and realize that the 3rd party hardware vendors are the ones causing the problems. Make them have to certify devices in the areas of performance and appearance before they launch.
4. Put more than 5 people on task to put an upgraded mobile operating system out. I am embarrassed for MS that they would do something like that. I don't care if they are the best of the best, mobile computing is the future and you guys are missing the boat by such a large margin it isn't even funny in the areas of usability and looks.
-Asbestos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my friend you are a perfect example to why windows is best for you.
I'm not saying and nor do I feel you are saying that I beleive the iPhone is better then a fuze. I beleive there is no such thing as an iPhone killer simply because every phone is built for a specific user.
In this case the user is a business user. I can't imagine typing countless emails and documents simply by using the soft keys altough I have seen some impressive typing on the iPhone. Not everyone is talented enough to move like the do. But I find my self getting faster each day. The built in keyboard is an advantage that I don't have on the iPhone. What weighed in my mind was windows mobile first came out in 1975 I beleive... And it has years of experience over the iPhone. The iPhone has 3 years in the market yet development for this device has excelled. What I beleive is windows took it's customers for granted said here is this product enjoy it but never develops after that? Windows 6.1 windows 6.5 windows 7.0 ? These are all slow developed UI. Windows give your consumers what they want not honey combs. Come out with 7.0 already.
Why does everyone who goes to an iPhone write one of these long, stupid, and annoying "goodbye" posts justifying their reasons for going to an iPhone? Just sell your HTC, get an iPhone, and go away. It is that easy.
My take is both are excellent phones/devices.
The reason I went to the HTC over the iPhone isn't a bias against the iPhone, but because I've used PPC/windows mobile OS's since the days of the Dell Axim X5. I'm comfortable with the WM OS, know how to tweak & hack it, customize it to suit me. The iPhone OS, really can't do a lot with it, as far as customization. Plus, the iPhone, is really intended as a "multimedia" device.
The TP/Fuze is too, but, it's not as integrated as the iPhone. I don't play MP3's, movies or anything like that. I use my TP/Fuze as a business device, and it does it very well.
Either phone, you really can't go wrong, it's a choice issue.
asbestos said:
What the iPhone does better:
Note taking - iPhone stomps all over WM here especially with Evernote. The newest Evernote is absolutely incredible on the iPhone.
-Asbestos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Say What? How does Evernote "stomp" all over OneNote? What does Evernote do that OneNote does not?
i hate these comparisons wars with smartphones going on. its like console wars or format wars. the iphone isnt bad, infact its very good. you choose the product you like the best. its not like its something you have to show off to the world and that you where the wisest because you choose it and others didnt because they are tards. i find it very hard to recommend windows mobile phones. they can do a lot if you put some work into it like a hobby. i chose between the touch pro and the iphone and went for the touch pro and i must of thought it better for me cause i even paid alot more for it. my entire family has iphones (cept my sister who has a palm centro) and that works for them. i think the touch pro is better in alot more ways but the iphone is there for people who need something easy for them.
I know you guys probably heard this a thousand times (and a forum search shows this) and what I'm about to say is probably very cliche, but the iPhone is a pretty amazing device.
Typically, I am a WM man (I currently own an HTC Touch Pro), and I've owned WM phones/devices for a long time now. I tried other OSes (Symbian, Palm OS), but ultimately, I prefer WM. When the iPhone first appeared, I disregarded it almost entirely because it's made by Apple. As someone familiar with Apple, I just didn't like them very much (largely due to their design philosophy).
Things didn't look like they were about to change. In fact, the next phones I was seriously looking at was the Toshiba TG01, Samsung Omnia HD i9810, and Samsung Omnia Pro B7610. Two of these are Windows Mobile and one is Symbian (which I was less likely to get anyway). The only major difference is that they aren't HTC (I want to move away from HTC because I exceedingly dislike Qualcomm).
However, something special happened yesterday: My friend invited me to lunch and he showed me his new iPhone 3GS. He allowed me to play with it.
In one word: Incredible!
As my intuition knew, I ended up not liking the design of the OS (I still prefer WM's design), but I couldn't really deny how well made the iPhone really is. More than anything else, I really have to compliment how extremely optimized it really is. Opening any software, going to the home screen, playing movies/music, and doing just about anything really was incredibly smooth. The entire time I was with my friend, I just gushed and gushed about this one aspect. The reason why is because it really is incredible how fast everything was.
The truth is that when compared side to side with my Touch Pro, the speed is really the same. However, a few things to note. First, everyone know how the iPhone seems to use "gradual transitions"? To elaborate, whenever you do anything, such as opening software or rotation, it is done in real time, and you can see the changes with your eyes. This is as opposed to WM where it is done immediately (for example, rotating with my TP results in an immediate change as opposed to you seeing the screen rotate on the iPhone).
This seems like a minor thing, but it has a large effect on perception. Notably, it makes you perceive it as being faster. When I counted down the seconds on the iPhone and WM, I noticed that opening programs and rotation are really done at the same speed, but the iPhone's gradual transition effects makes you perceive it as being faster, which is actually pretty nice.
Second thing and a very important point: My TP uses a custom ROM, which is why its speed was on par with that of the iPhone. If it had been using the stock ROM, I am positive that the iPhone would have crushed it in speed.
This seems like a moot point because I *can* use custom ROMs, but note that this forum and all of its custom ROMs are largely exclusive to HTC phones (with the sole exception of the Xperia...which was made by HTC anyway). What happens if I decide to use another WM phone (for example, the Samsung B7610)? Then I would have no choice but to remain with the stock ROM or at least hope someone would develop the stray ROM for the Samsung devices (such as the i900 on XDA).
At this point, I'm also willing to blame the speed issue on hardware. After all, the iPhone is about 72MHZ faster than my phone, and it also also has a dedicated graphics chip. On the other hand, I also have to take into consideration that it takes a custom, optimized ROM for my device to keep up with the stock ROM on a series of device which is notorious for being outdated (anyone remember the iPhone 2G)?
If anyone is wondering, am I thinking about switching to the dark side? Unfortunately, no. While the huge number of apps and the great speed is tantalizing, I am still the guy who frequently spends 4+ hours changing the ROMs on his phones (and tweaking it afterwards). I'm also the guy who frequently goes into the settings menu because he nitpicks about how each little thing on his phone works.
Can I switch to something that won't allow me that much customization? Speaking as someone who's about to change the ROM on his phone again, the answer appears to be a pretty clear 'no' as this point.
On, the other hand, while playing with the iPhone, I did find myself wishing that the Windows Mobile experience was as smooth, and great as with the iPhone, especially on stock ROMs. I also did find myself wondering what Windows Mobile 7 will be like (I can't wonder with WM6.5 because I'm using it now). But of course, what do people saying about wishing too much? It's useless.
Am I going mad?
I'd take an iphone over any WM device any day of the week, but I absolutely refuse to pay $70+ a month just to use it.
Exactly how many apps are there for windows mobile?
Until recently I assumed that WinMo>Symbian>Iphone.
Apparently that's wrong.
I was going to buy one with all the other sheep but decided to buy an ipod touch. Works great, but the first time I put it in my pocket and crouched down a bit later it nealy killed it!
Screen went a nice mix of colours and it totally stopped working. Quite a few plug ins to the computer and it came back to life.
There just to fragile and to big(iphone is thicker than the touch also), good girls phone or if you carry a handbag.
Glade I got the Jade not a problem so far.
thedigitel said:
I'd take an iphone over any WM device any day of the week, but I absolutely refuse to pay $70+ a month just to use it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that the AT&T contract you have to sign up for to get an iPhone? If that's the case, why not just buy the iPhone unlocked? It's expensive, but it cost about as much as any HTC phone I've seen.
charge1313 said:
Exactly how many apps are there for windows mobile?
Until recently I assumed that WinMo>Symbian>Iphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of right now, the iPhone has roughly 50K-60K of apps while the last article detailing how many apps Windows Mobile seems to have stopped at 20K. Futhermore, the iPhone famously beaten Windows Mobile in reaching 25K apps, and I find it highly unlikely that Windows Mobile caught up.
Even from an outside perspective, though, it seems to me that the iPhone has an impressive number of apps, including a plethora of ones that Windows Mobile never seems to get (or is even capable of getting).
stu-k said:
I was going to buy one with all the other sheep but decided to buy an ipod touch. Works great, but the first time I put it in my pocket and crouched down a bit later it nealy killed it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the iPod Touch would make sense, but I would rather not have to carry two devices around. It seems better to me to have an all-in-one device in this case and, if nothing else, it would allow me to utilize the numerous phone-related apps in the app store.
I entirely agree.
My wife has a Gen 1 iphone, and I recently updated it to version 3 and unlocked and jailbreaked.
In the old days, WM had thousands of apps as one of its killer features.
I recently spent a few evenings installing apps on the wife's phone, and I was blown away. Not necessarily by the quality, but by the experience.
Everything is smooth, everything works, the user experience is "unchallenging".
I love tweaking, I love coding, I love spending MONTHS dissecting the WinMob OS to implement a tiny hack. But you know what? Why bother?!
I can't see myself giving up on WinMob - it's got momentum, and I can't be bothered to learn Objective C. I'm barely coping with C++ as it is.
But, to paraphrase Gauntlet, "WinMob [may be] about to die".
In defence of WinMob:
It's p*sses me off something crazy that when Gizmondo et all were reviewing the Palm Pre, multi tasking was one of the killer features. WinMob has had it FOREVER.
It's a good OS, it multitasks, it generally works, it can make calls and emails and whatnot.
But - the user experience is OLD.
And I think one of the most fundamental flaws is also one of the biggest strengths - WinMob runs on a hundred kinds of hardware. But the problem:
WinMob runs on a hundred kinds of hardware.
Some of those have graphic accelerators, some don't.
Some have dpads, some don't.
Some have 600mhz CPUs, some don't.
The iphone is a single homogeneous ecosystem.
Coders know they can anti-alias without trying to code to the lowest common denominator 200mhz phone with 16mb of ram. They know exactly what they're gonna get with an iphone. And that fact means they know the limitations, and how to pitch what they've got at the right performance considerations. They know what they're working on. The Human Interface spec is incredible, and incredibly helpful. Users expect an experience, naturally, because it feels natural. Apple encourages that, and coders have to honour it.
I think most of the iphone experience can and should be emulated on WinMob.
I'm not just talking about cloning Springboard and everything else. Yes, we can emulate this and that - our coders on XDA devs are incredible, and could do every bit of it.
But we need more: the experience of just being able to use the phone and expect it to work needs to be emulated.
I don't think the iphone is necessarily a better piece of hardware: I prefer my Touch HD. But clearly the user experience, the user interface paradigm, the reward of just being able to use the thing easily needs to be implemented - from the ground up.
I don't think this is going to happen on WinMob; I think the strength/limitations of a wide open platform means this probably can't happen. I think that like Win CE before it, WinMob will end up being relegated to a certain environment that has low expectations (eg Enterprise markets).
But if "Windows" devices are going to survive, I think the change has to happen at a much higher level. I can only hope that Pink or whatever is on the horizon for WinMob 7 is an integrated piece of hardware and user experience designed from the ground up to feel like it's the 21st century... using WinMob out of pity is going to get old, very very soon.
V
8525Smart said:
Well, the iPod Touch would make sense, but I would rather not have to carry two devices around. It seems better to me to have an all-in-one device in this case and, if nothing else, it would allow me to utilize the numerous phone-related apps in the app store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to agree, I hate carry around two devices. Hence no longer use Ipod touch on the go, just leave it at home in docking station, which its good for.
Use the Jade for music and a phone which fits on my pocket.
I find the istore apps mostly gimmicks anyways, which you pay for and never use.
A smaller tougher Iphone would be good
vijay555 said:
I entirely agree.
In defence of WinMob:
It's p*sses me off something crazy that when Gizmondo et all were reviewing the Palm Pre, multi tasking was one of the killer features. WinMob has had it FOREVER.
It's a good OS, it multitasks, it generally works, it can make calls and emails and whatnot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh my God, yes, YES!
I can't count the number of times I had to defend WinMo against people who obviously never used it. The number of ridiculously comments I seen was ludicrous and often times seem as if the people saying it were just parroting common criticisms as opposed to their actual experience.
One guy I saw even suggested that receiving text/emails and switching between apps was impossible.
On the other hand, I agree with the rest of your post too (as is the subject of my topic). I think you really hit the nail on the head: Windows Mobile's biggest strength, its availability on multiple phones, is also its biggest weakness.
As an owner of a Fuze, an HTC phone with an accelerometer, the lack of accelero-meter WinMo apps makes it very apparent.
I do agree with you that Microsoft needs to do something, at the very least, about the user experience, but I really don't see how it can be done. The iPhone is able to achieve this because it is a software available on one hardware designed by Apple themselves. In order for Microsoft to achieve the same quality of apps or user experience, they would have to design Windows Mobile to take advantage of a particular hardware specification.
As of currently, the best Microsoft can probably achieve is to design Windows Mobile with the best optimization they can while maintaining good compatibility and appearance with a wide number of hardware.
stu-k said:
HI find the istore apps mostly gimmicks anyways, which you pay for and never use.
A smaller tougher Iphone would be good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That may be true, but to be fair, the Windows Mobile landscape isn't exactly clear of 'gimmicky' apps either. Some of them even inspired by iPhone equivalents.
HDWobble, anyone?
The 3GS is faster not because of the clock speed, but because the A8 Cortex beats the pants out of the (very long in the tooth) ARM11 in the TP (and TP2, why HTC, why?!!!).
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3595&p=4
This is going to see as an odd first post but i am a jailbroken and unlocked iphone user. I have been tinkering with the iphone the way you guys tinker with winmo for 2 years now. To the original poster, if you are such a tinkerer and want to tinker with something new a jailbroken iphone is for you.
Some of THE BEST apps for the iphone are not in the apple app store because apple would never allow it.
I myself am starting to look at the TP2 and winmo phones because i was REALLLLLLLLLLLLY looking forward to the Nokia N97 and that thing just let me down a ton. I have a HTC Hero coming to play with for a while but besides the widgets i don't see a whole lot different between the new TF3D 2 on the TP2 or the TD2 and the Hero.
There are tons of useful 3rd party jailbroken apps and hacks that you can do that make the iphone even THAT much more useable. For instance the 3rd party text messaging applications are w/o question better than the stock apple version however because how they are designed they would never be approved for the app store. Also, there is a hack app called "backgrounder" which allows me to run apps in the background and multi task.
jim_0068 said:
This is going to see as an odd first post but i am a jailbroken and unlocked iphone user. I have been tinkering with the iphone the way you guys tinker with winmo for 2 years now. To the original poster, if you are such a tinkerer and want to tinker with something new a jailbroken iphone is for you.
Some of THE BEST apps for the iphone are not in the apple app store because apple would never allow it.
I myself am starting to look at the TP2 and winmo phones because i was REALLLLLLLLLLLLY looking forward to the Nokia N97 and that thing just let me down a ton. I have a HTC Hero coming to play with for a while but besides the widgets i don't see a whole lot different between the new TF3D 2 on the TP2 or the TD2 and the Hero.
There are tons of useful 3rd party jailbroken apps and hacks that you can do that make the iphone even THAT much more useable. For instance the 3rd party text messaging applications are w/o question better than the stock apple version however because how they are designed they would never be approved for the app store. Also, there is a hack app called "backgrounder" which allows me to run apps in the background and multi task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy crap are you talking about the iPhone? Is the backgrounder for the iPhone? Can I have more information on how this works?
Here is a more important question... will the backgrounder app allow 3rd party alarm applications to finally work on the iPhone?
Will the backgrounder also allow automatic profile scheduling?
poetryrocksalot said:
Holy crap are you talking about the iPhone? Is the backgrounder for the iPhone? Can I have more information on how this works?
Here is a more important question... will the backgrounder app allow 3rd party alarm applications to finally work on the iPhone?
Will the backgrounder also allow automatic profile scheduling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes. but Backgrounder is not compatible with the new 3.0 OS.
and on the 3G you do not exactly have lots of Ram to spare though. only ~34MB after a reset. and applications are not exactly light weight.
i believe profile scheduling is available through other means. but have not really looked into it. Performance really takes a nose dive when you start asking it to do extra stuff due to the lack of Ram.
crazy talk said:
yes. but Backgrounder is not compatible with the new 3.0 OS.
and on the 3G you do not exactly have lots of Ram to spare though. only ~34MB after a reset. and applications are not exactly light weight.
i believe profile scheduling is available through other means. but have not really looked into it. Performance really takes a nose dive when you start asking it to do extra stuff due to the lack of Ram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that's a shame... this app is useless then. I heard that Apple is considering the idea of having full support for background applications.
The problem is that:
1) Apple knows that not many people care about "background" applications.
2) Consumer common sense is distorted in that they don't understand the purpose of multi-task. They believe that multi-task is already on the iPhone because obviously, you can "exit the application into another application". This isn't the point, a true multitasking system requires A) background applications B) automation of background functions and C) the ability to switch tasks in the foreground of an application.
3) Apple knows that adding background applications will result in people complaining of slowness because 1) Alot of people still don't know what RAM is, not even my sister who is a 4+ year college student working on her masters and 2) Alot of people do not know how to manage a platform involving background applications and 3) average consumers would rather sacrifice functionality for ease-of-use.
I believe the emphasis of this multi-tasking is not a multi-tasking complaint. Idiots are prone to think that the iPhone already has multi-tasking; I've seem them argue about it. We need to add a mentality to people in which they learn that it isn't about multi-tasking, it's about background applications and how we need applications to function in the background.
Well the 3GS has double the ram and faster processor, hopefully they (third-parties) can find a way to make actual multi-tasking more plausible.
new beast in town
the android os is really taking shape and will soon be king. with so many different devices coming aboard this thing will be huge. the g1 now is awesome with just a little tweaking and those who don't want to tweak there are 2 more ota coming in the next 5 months.
nonzenze said:
The 3GS is faster not because of the clock speed, but because the A8 Cortex beats the pants out of the (very long in the tooth) ARM11 in the TP (and TP2, why HTC, why?!!!).
http://www.anandtech.com/gadgets/showdoc.aspx?i=3595&p=4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, very informative read, Thank you,
So the 3GS apparently has a superior CPU in more ways than one, which I'm not really surprised about. I did mentioned that I did not like HTC's choice of CPUs...which they're still using in their newest devices. Many other devices are already using the Cortex A8, so if it is the case that HTC is losing out due to the CPU, then that doesn't bode well for their future phones.
jim_0068 said:
To the original poster, if you are such a tinkerer and want to tinker with something new a jailbroken iphone is for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, everything you said is true. A jailbroken iPhone is a very nice thing and probably does well for tinkerers. In fact, the 3GS that my friend let me used was jailbroken too.
However, truthfully, installing apps that lets me do new things wasn't what I was really referring to before. Instead, I was largely referring to the changing of ROMs/OS. I believe the iPhone has made some progress running Linux, but nothing else as far as I can see. WM Phone has so many different ROMs available and progress has been made on running Linux (including Android) too. This allows for much more customization, in my opinion as you get the benefit of software-based customization combined with ROM/OS-based.
Besides, it's pretty fun to be running Windows Mobile 6.5 while everyone else is still using Windows Mobile 6.1.
Guys, rumours are the Pink/Zune Phone will be a Win 7 derived device based on hardware designed by Microsoft.
If they pull that off, as they say, "I'd buy that for a dollar".
V
My opinion is that in order to be a solid competitor, Microsoft needs to limit the hardware choices for their platform. HTC does a great job at making devices for Windows Mobile. Microsoft needs to pair up with them to make their own phone. With the new Zune HD coming out featuring the nVidia Tegra chipset, it would make a wonderful platform to build the next generation WM phone from. The thing is, it should be the only phone featuring WM 7 Professsional. It will enable Microsoft to fine tune WM to use every bit of the phone's capabilities, leaving nothing to be desired. Much like they do with their PC OS's, there can be several versions of the main OS with steps in capabilities. Their Zune HD phone should be the candidate for WM7 Ultimate, which would feature smooth transitions and speed.
Edit: Just saw the post above mine. I need to read more!
vijay555 said:
Guys, rumours are the Pink/Zune Phone will be a Win 7 derived device based on hardware designed by Microsoft.
If they pull that off, as they say, "I'd buy that for a dollar".
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rumors are a bit too little to get excited, in my opinion. The possibility of a true iPhone competitor by Microsoft sounds amazing, but it's a bit underwhelming at this point.
We have no knowledge of the OS, no knowledge of the important specs (CPU, RAM, multimedia capabilities, etc) aside from Tegra, and the little specs that is publicly available kind of sucks. 3.3in screen with 480x272 res? Call me picky, but I would have hoped for 3.5-3.7in with at least 640x480.
Still, I have not followed the news of the Zune HD, and it does, indeed, look pretty amazing. The Os does at least. The Zune HD's OS appears to work amazingly well; It is incredibly fast and smooth.
8525Smart said:
Rumors are a bit too little to get excited, in my opinion. The possibility of a true iPhone competitor by Microsoft sounds amazing, but it's a bit underwhelming at this point.
We have no knowledge of the OS, no knowledge of the important specs (CPU, RAM, multimedia capabilities, etc) aside from Tegra, and the little specs that is publicly available kind of sucks. 3.3in screen with 480x272 res? Call me picky, but I would have hoped for 3.5-3.7in with at least 640x480.
Still, I have not followed the news of the Zune HD, and it does, indeed, look pretty amazing. The Os does at least. The Zune HD's OS appears to work amazingly well; It is incredibly fast and smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really think the only company that can actually create a truly direct competitor to Apple and iPhone is Microsoft...it's the name and not the product.....
Apple had a bad rep back then and now they are doing good.
It seems like Microsoft is tagged after Apple jumped the boat to success.
We'll just have to wait for Microsoft to adopt Apple's precedent.
With Microsoft directly creating their own phone and not just an OS, we might actually get a true iPhone killer. Though Microsoft may have to revamp the entire OS and create their own line of OS totally unrelated to Windows Mobile.
I was curious to hear from former Android users how you like WP7. Mainly what are your main gripes and what functions did you actually use that are no longer available. Also, are the tradeoffs worth it in the end and what features really *make* swapping worth it. I have loved android for a long time but I'm kind of wanting something new and have liked the wp7 interface from day one. Thanks!
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA App
Here goes:
Mainly what are your main gripes
No apps, and if there are apps they are over priced and crap alternatives to Android versions.
Homebrew is going to cost money.
I know its a phone and should mainly just be a phone, but there is nothing to do on it, I never leave my Android phone alone always playing with something but this I treat it like a nokia 3310 lol.
What functions did you actually use that are no longer available
I don't know what it is but there are some things missing but Mango is looking good but still not as good as Android and Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming out around the same time.
Are the tradeoffs worth it in the end and what features really *make* swapping worth it.
Only thing that is making me want to swap over is the Xbox Live thing other than that Android is far superior.
I have loved android for a long time but I'm kind of wanting something new and have liked the wp7 interface from day one.
I love Android also and also wanted to try something new but Windows Phone 7 isn't something new. Stick with Android and Launcher7 lol ^^
I think I'm fine with paying for my phone to be unlocked personally, one time fee for the latest beta builds forever? Honestly I don't know why HTC Samsung and Motorola aren't looking into this for android devices so they can make some extra $ and make us impatient (or reasonable people that don't like waiting for their craptastic skins) people happy.
I don't care much for Xbox live like I use to but I definitely like Zune pass (really its probably the top single feature that has me wanting wp7 as I use my phone for music a lot).
I love android but honestly, I'm tired of trying to throw on custom ROMs (its fun but tiring) on every phone I get trying to keep up with the updates. I think the only thing that is holding me to android at this point is the ability to wifi tether my phone to my tablet and the fact that mango phones are on their way (fall is only 2-3 months away so announcements should be made soon?)
So guys, is there some feature that I am missing that you really either miss from android or you really like that wp7 had when you made the swap?
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA App
i switched from my old Desire Z and X8 (both of em are still in use sometimes) to a 7 Pro.
so in my own personal opinion, a small "comparision":
1. UI & Customization
I like the UI of WP7 alot more, you can use Launcher7 on Android but it doesn't feel as good. Its smoother and a lot faster, mostly due to inability of "customization" but i really don't miss it. The tile system works surprisingly well, and yeah i don't have a lot to complain about.
No wallpapers, no app launchers etc. It's a locked phone pretty much. If you don't mind, well just don't care
If you want customization stay with Android, else both of em are good in their own ways -> personal preference.
2. Apps
For most people an important point. If you compare Android market to WP7 market, WP7 looses.. big time!
You are charged for almost every app (and a good bunch of em are overpriced!). While free apps, and sometimes test versions of the paid apps are good enough, its still nothing in comparision to Android.
If you want specific apps, check prices first! (i'd recommend it before buying the phone )
There are some social features integrated into WP7 but at the moment (Pre-Mango for me still), they aren't complete. The replacements for those features are at best mediocore, sometimes they shut off randomly etc. There might be some better apps for those, but since i don't use em very much, i havent searched for them.
Otherwise the quality of the apps and games i downloaded is really good, though some of em are missing. As i said, check before you buy the phone, if you didnt already.
3. Features:
Well again the points goes to Android. Bluetooth File Transfer, Tethering and stuff like that, you won't find it on any current WP7 phone (unless you are a Mango user, but i don't know if they implement some of those features). If you need it, well i wouldn't recommend buying a WP7 as of now.
Other than that, i don't really miss any important ones.
4. Final Thoughts:
Since i don't have the WP7 for too long forgive me if i missed or overexaggerated on somethings.
In the end i think, WP7 is a real good OS. While locked down very hard, it just works (just like the hated Apple). While it does feel kind of inferioer to Android (due to the lack of some importants features mostly), it really isn't. There are workarounds for everything, though they are complicated sometimes
With Mango.. well no, even now in MY opinion (which means only for my needs etc), i equal WP7 to Android. While i still use my Androids sometimes (mainly for tethering etc), i often see myself not missing those phones.
I'd recommend WP7 everytime, as well as Android. Just get some information on both, maybe if your friends have said phones, compare them ( or go to the store and do the same).
In the end it comes down to one's need and preference
If you want, you could wait for Mango devices. Though i guess they won't up the hardware too much, maybe add some features like Front Facing Camera and stuff like that, but that's it.
I hope i could help some
BartJJ said:
I was curious to hear from former Android users how you like WP7. Mainly what are your main gripes and what functions did you actually use that are no longer available. Also, are the tradeoffs worth it in the end and what features really *make* swapping worth it. I have loved android for a long time but I'm kind of wanting something new and have liked the wp7 interface from day one. Thanks!
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This entire WP7 OS is simply beautiful and fluid. Rather than 95% of all other android devices, all WP7s are completely lag free while still having a very attractive and intuitive interface. I have 28k apps at my disposal and that means one for everything I would want. The WP7 community here is amazing and hacking / development itself isn't fragmented. I've owned 3 android devices and 2 iOS devices in the past and I'm honestly never looking back.
Android too me seems very slow and inconsistent. Running a Samsung Galaxy I often find when the thing lags, it lags to the extreme. The whole app-store mechanism I find a mess, especially because to much power is given to the app developers. More often then not, they abuse these powers which destroys your battery life.
I like the way WP7 is headed, and I like what Microsoft is doing to keep it a reliable platform. What I don't like however, is the update-procedure as it's very poorly performed. I'm not blaming any company in particular, but I do think updates needs to rolled out faster. Why do ISPs have to test every minor update?
Other then that, the WP7 UI is far superior, and app support is coming along well now. We just need a major bump and hopefully Nokia will spark this? I'm looking forward to purchasing a 2nd gen phone, namely a Nokia.
I went from iphone 3gs to blackberry torch to palm pre 2 to samsung focus to atrix 4g to iphone 4 and back to samsung focus and i love it.
The largest difference to me is that WP7 lacks customization. With android you will hardly ever find 2 phones that have the same ui and settings. All windows phones home screens look the same. I am ok w/ lack of apps. Honestly there is pretty much something for everything already. What would make me happy and never go back to android is being able to personalize the home screen. Maybe some transparent tiles and a wallpaper background for homescreen. that would be awesome.
I'll try to keep this succinct. I had an Evo 4G for the last year, then switched to an HTC Arrive a couple days ago.
Like:
-Most of the apps I used on Android are available on WP7
-As a Zune Pass subscriber, having that ecosystem on my phone is awesome
-It feels like for tasks I do often, I can do all of those tasks in a lot less time than it took on Android
-I primarily develop in .NET, so the dev tools are way friendlier to me than Android's.
Dislike:
-WP7 doesn't have anything that comes close to the awesomeness of Google Navigation
-I'm pretty heavily into the Google Voice ecosystem. Losing the tight integration there is annoying.
-As a Zune Pass subscriber, the lack of expandable storage is agonizing. I can never completely get rid of my Zune HD because it's still the device I have to go to if I want access to all of my music/podcasts.
-The Amazon Android App Market's free app of the day has spoiled me so badly on the pricing race-to-the-bottom front that I am finding it very hard to convince myself to buy any of the games on WP7.
Overall, I am having a good time so far. There is some functionality I am missing, but nothing that I'd consider a showstopper. I still have my Evo 4G, so I might end up switching between the two devices every couple months or so.
I just switched from a samsung mesmerize to a HTC TP7.
My first impression was WOW. I instantly liked the tp7. it's more responsive, it's faster, i can do stuff faster, and everything loads faster. Typing on the screen is more accurate and fixes my screw ups better.
As for apps, the android market has tons more, but in my experience 99.99999% of them are completely and totally useless and the ones that aren't useless i found to be lacking. There were a few that were good, but not many. So far the ones i've tried on WP7 actually seem to be of decent quality and i can find an app for everything i need so far. Some are still obviously in the early stages and need some more features but the app feels higher quality. Of course the windows marketplace has it's share of fart, burp and police light apps. (who downloads these stupid things?)
My ONLY complaint so far is the fact i can't do custom colors on the tiles. the stock colors frankly suck. I tried unlocking the phone and chevron doesn't find the phone at all so i'm wondering if this phone just isn't unlockable with that method. Not being able to do custom tile colors just seems like an obvious omission that should have been fixed allready.
Other than that i like this phone MUCH better, it's faster and doesn't hiccup as much as android did. The loss of customization sucks a bit but honestly, who really cares. I'd rather have the phone work well than be able to customize the wallpaper. The tile color though is killing me.
lots of very good points expressed already, and I agree with most.
However: wm6.5 was far superior to my android in all the little area's that I liked / wanted to tweak... which left me disappointed when I switched to android and frustrated with the infancy of the android based os / app wanting some of the simple things that I was used to on wm6.5.
Then I jump back to windows mobile (thinking it will be great to reg edit again) only to find... tile overlay with no access to the good stuff, and on top of that extremely limited in more ways than android... apps (android copycat) extremely limited and very high priced... I never needed apps to do what I wanted. windows already had it, I just needed to turn it on or off and or tweak it the way I wanted it. customize to no end.
Now I really like the smooth integrated feel, and I took a step down in hardware just to get the operating system. I am back to hacking a android wanna be like device just to get to the meat of the phone, so I can use the power of wm7. I think...
Morrisme said:
Now I really like the smooth integrated feel, and I took a step down in hardware just to get the operating system. I am back to hacking a android wanna be like device just to get to the meat of the phone, so I can use the power of wm7. I think...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's WP7 !
I think all we have to do is to wait a bit. My only problem is, that the application store is pretty empty(and overpriced), but hopefully it's gonna change.
What I see is, that Microsoft tries to copy Apple in terms of system optimisation, and simplicity, and so far I say it's successful.
I hope once the marketplace will be flooded with applications, there will be a serious filter on what apps they allow, and what they don't. The main criteria of selling on marketplace should be to have a perfectly smooth application on every windows based mobile, because what I see now is far away from that. Applications seem to just thrown together for wp7 in a day or 2.
Otherwise coming from android myself, I miss certain apps, or games, or functions, but the other hand I'm impressed by it's UI, and smoothness.
WP7 has potential, but it's time is not yet here. Once a great poet said in youtube comments: "Iphone is the past, Android is the present, WP7 is the future"
I came from evo 4g and I love it I got an arrive. Its so quick. And something no one mentioned battery life is great sure if I game for a while I will need a top off bit other then that a work day is no problem btw my work day is 12 hrs
There are some surprising holes in WP7 which I didn't expect compared to other OS.
1) No common Compass API - it's down to individual hardware manufacturers to supply drivers and they all implement it in a different way. So what works on an LG won't work on a Samsung or HTC. Really hinders the use of maps and star gazing apps etc. This is despite the compass being a mandatory part of MS' hardware spec. So much for MS' tight hardware platform control. And don't think about trying Mango - even if you have the compass working in NoDo it won't in the Mango Beta - and MS say it wont be availible until the OEMs release their final versions. The whole point of a Beta and RTM is so developers can test and adapt their software ready for launch - but with the compass augmented apps (one of the killer features of modern smartphones) they are screwed. We have a common API for GPS, why not Compass?
2) No PIN delay - even the most basic phone that offers Exchange support allows a configurable delay before the phone is PIN locked, or respects the delay imposed by an Exchange security policy. Everytime my screen goes off - I have to enter an 8 character password - despite the Exchange policy allowing a max 20 minute delay. Is this fixed in mango? Is this how MS works with MS?
..and relax...
I'll be getting a new phone within the next month probably. The question is what OS it will run. Currently I have a Motorola Milestone XT720 running Android (running a poor build of CM7 right now). The phone has an underpowered processor and miniscule amount of RAM and doesn't do the best job of running android.
I've been watching WP7 for a while and I've felt tempted to make the switch from Android to WP7. I think Android is a great OS, but I have issues with some aspects of it and have been checking out the other camp (iOS/iPhone does not appeal to me at ALL btw).
Here's what appeals to me about WP7:
+ Metro UI looks slick, pretty and unique
+ All the transitions around the OS (at least as I've seen in videos) look fantastic. Really looks like a lot of detail, animations and polish around the entire OS.
+The unified UX and UI of Metro are really appealing to me, who has had a headache of an experience with Android (I am what I believe is a "power user" and do not have trouble with technology, but navigation and looks of android have been clunky).
-ICS brings more polish to Android and looks like a big improvement but google has basically taken the swiping around OS straight from Microsoft's book and the new UI isn't as consistent around the entire OS as I'd like to be (as opposed to Metro).
+ Some Microsoft services. Zune looks gorgeous, and the service seems interesting (although I found the previous model in which users kept 10 songs at end of month more appealing). Microsoft Office looks very nice and seems to have all the productivity I need (Google Doc app on Android pretty much sucks - though I do like gdocs in general). I use my android primarily for productivity and music and looks like WP7 has great stuff built in.
+ I hear performance and battery life on WP7 generally tops android.
+ "The phone to save me from my phone". When I saw that ad campaign a year ago when I had just gotten my android, I didn't really get what the tagline meant. After spending a year endlessly tweaking, theming and modifying my android in every way possible, I understand. Android is customizable and that is nice. However, I waste so much time with that aspect of Android. What I want is the complete package, in a beautiful design that simply works. It's what I spent all that time tweaking android and switching ROMs to achieve, but I never seem to be happy. I feel that WP7 may actually save me from my phone.
The problem with WP7 for me:
- I worry about making the switch from Android's massive app market to WP7's smaller one. I do see the statements about it being the fastest growing one though.
- There are a number of standout apps on Android that are simply amazing quality apps. (i.e. PowerAmp, SPB Shell 3D, Beautiful Widgets etc...) Can anyone list some unique quality apps that WP7 has? Like 5-10 app list would be great.
- I'm a fan of a bunch of google services. How do the microsoft ones compare? (i.e. bing vs google, office vs docs, maps etc...)
- APPS ARE SO DARN EXPENSIVE. Looked at the market the other day and saw games seem to go on average at $7 as opposed to Android where pretty much everything is free.
- Where are the phones? This is my biggest issue with WP7 right now. I live in Canada and use AWS for my carrier. There are like 2-3 WP7 phones that work with my carrier (WIND) and they are all old stuff from like WP7 launch. The new phones don't seem to be carrying AWS 1700/2100 bands. New Nokia phones looking amazing (except for lack of ffcamera) but no AWS bands and not coming to Canada for a while (and I want to get a new phone within the month). What WP7 phone with good specs could I get if I wanted one?
Galaxy Nexus is coming to Canada and works with Wind and has amazing specs so that might be what I end up with... but I'd like to know if I can consider getting WP7.
Lastly, if you've made the switch from Android to WP7, please feel free to share your thoughts on how you feel after the switch.
Thanks!
(Hopefully I posted this in the right section - not sure)
I'm a windows mobile / windows phone lover and have been since day 1 so I won't go on and on about why you should jump to wp7, but I will say this...
Now that Nokia has entered the fray the app market and support will grow more and more... There will be new wp7 users purely because of nokia...
My mates are all android boys and i gotta say, its looking dated compared to wp7... My android mates marvel at the speed of metro ui when they see me check on several emails and some text messages and delete them and have the phone back in my belt pouch in seconds...
Well you won't need SPB Shell or Beautiful Widgets in WP7, since WP7 is already 'beautiful' enough and I'm sure you'll agree with me. PowerAMP is pretty sweet in that it can play a lot of file types, something you can't do in WP7, but I really don't see the need to play so many types of files. Usually I use my phone to watch Youtube videos, which WP7 does flawlessly, or listen to MP3 songs, not some other funny formats. But then again, it depends on your usage.
There are a lot of quality apps in WP7, but I don't know what to recommend because it's basically all up to your usage. I find things like 'The Onion 7' and 'Cyanide and Happiness' really unique and good on WP7, but it's not for everybody.
For those apps that are 'for everybody', the integrated Facebook and Twitter experience is really something that is unmatched. There are really good Twitter apps too like Birdsong for more functionality.
As for Microsoft services vs Google services, I'll have to say that Microsoft has the upper hand in Office compared to GDocs, and Google has the upper hand in their Maps. Bing vs GSearch, it's subjective. I find GSearch much better for searching serious stuff, while Bing in WP7 is really useful is helping make your life easier. Local cinemas, food and stuff like that. I don't get to enjoy them because I live in a country that is not supported by Bing.
At the end of the day, I think the question you have to ask yourself is this: Are apps more important, or general user experience more important?
Because WP7 is still really short on apps. The big names are there, but when it comes to maybe your local cinema or airlines to purchase ticket, or funky apps like FaceNiff to steal people's Facebook passwords, WP7 just won't have it for now. I can't say for the future.
Meanwhile, WP7 is great on the user experience. Live Tiles to me is much more functional than Widgets, battery life is great, UI is fluid and responsive, seldom crashes, more integrated services (I use the integrated Facebook chat a lot, it has become sort of a WhatsApp for me.), less problems.
I'm using a HD2, couldn't stand using NoDo, went back to Android NAND, wanted to try Mango 'just for fun', stuck with it. Just couldn't leave it. I'm seriously considering buying the Nokia Lumia 800.
it depends...now I'm on the WP7 side...
I'm a proud owner of a HD2 and with it I passed through WM 6.5 all Android Roms and finally WP7
The decision is hard, by the way if you go with WP7 will not regret you just have to wait 6 months to have a Marketplace comparable (in quality) with Android Market. If I have to chose, I would not consider Android if I was not meant to root it; if you want to root then wait for ICS to see if that brings something worth...
This is my view;
- Phone core features: both are extremely dependable, Android has been optimized a bit more and usually drains less battery (even if that depends also on the HW). I would give 10/10 to Android and 9/10 to WP7
- Phone UI: Android stock UI sucks, maybe ICS will be better but at the moment the only comparable UI are MIUI (there are excellent themes) and at some extent Sense, but that means that you have to root it. I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to stock Android (8/10 to MIUI and 7/10 to Sense)
- Embedded Apps: WP7 has embedded Mobile Office, a wonderful Zune and an excellent Messaging apps; I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to stock Android
- Third Party Integration; Android is great and API natively support deep integration with 3pp applications; I would 9/10 to Android, 6/10 to WP7
- Market: Functionally wise they are similar; Android Market counts "uncountable" apps, MS Marketplace is at its beginning...but many useful and popular apps have been ported and in the last 3 months it has improved a lot, so I expect a huge development with current (Nokia) and future device launches (Christmas)
- Other: WP7 is coupled with Zune that is a great piece of SW; nothing similar on Android side. I would give 9/10 to WP7 and 6/10 to Android
Thanks guys. I was worried I would be getting "Android sucks GO WP7!" posts as replies, but responses so far have been exactly what I'm looking for - good analysis. Of course I'm not quite ready to make my decision, but does anyone have any idea of any upcoming T-mo or other AWS 1700/2100 band WP7 phones coming out soon? Do you think Nokia will make a 1700/2100 band Lumia?
On a side note - I find it dissapointing that there's no front facing camera on the lumia. With the skype buyout by microsoft that seems like a really poor decision.
syrenz said:
Thanks guys. I was worried I would be getting "Android sucks GO WP7!" posts as replies, but responses so far have been exactly what I'm looking for - good analysis. Of course I'm not quite ready to make my decision, but does anyone have any idea of any upcoming T-mo or other AWS 1700/2100 band WP7 phones coming out soon? Do you think Nokia will make a 1700/2100 band Lumia?
On a side note - I find it dissapointing that there's no front facing camera on the lumia. With the skype buyout by microsoft that seems like a really poor decision.
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Yeah, MS is still ironing out WP7. It's still in the invention mode, so to speak, and probably in another year WP7 will be finally fully caught up to iOS. We all should begin to see some serious hardware by then.
syrenz said:
(Hopefully I posted this in the right section - not sure)
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Not right section, this is not related to Q&A about WP7. Thread closed.