I'd been using a Nokia 5233 (hmph!) for the past 2 years, and its time i considered an upgrade.
Once the Lumia's were out, i kind of fell in love with WP. The non stuttering UI seemed awesome to me. And, i'd promised(breakable ) that the Lumia 710 would be my next phone.
But, it was after being a member here that i came to know the shortcomings of WP. You really can't download a music file, can we? And, heard that the Lumia 710 got a pathetic battery life.
So, i was forced to look elsewhere. That's when the Xperia U caught my attention. It got some Novathor 1 ghz dual core processor, and cute design. And the colour changing transparent bar felt like a deal breaker to me. Being in the Nxt series, Sony has promised an ICS update(Sweet!). Well, now, i'm in a dilemma.
Can any WP user out there, comment and help me choose my upgrade?
Well, downloading music through the store works just fine. Downloading music through the web browser will let the music be played, but it doesn't seem to let you save it to the media library. I'm sure it's possible with homebrew... eventually, when somebody gets around to writing it.
I can't speak to the battery life of the 710 specifically, or even the Lumias in general, but I know Nokia has been releasing firmware updates that address the poor battery life the lumias had originally. I don't know how far they can take that, but it's profress. Also bear in mind that Android is hardly a battery-sipping OS either.
There's also the minor fact that Sony, even Sony-Ericson, is a company I will never buy anything from, on account of the horrible way they treat their customers and the industry as a whole (rootkits on audio CDs, retroactively removing console features, etc.) So, I would never recommend them... there's lots of other phone OEMs if you don't want to go with Nokia.
Thanks for your valuable words.
So, if one requires a song, he's supposed to buy it from the store, eh? I wouldn't mind.
And yeah, i've heard about the Droids' battery draining powers . But, when i googled, i never found anyone mentioning battery drains from Xperia U.
I guess you're indirectly asking me to stick with the Lumia, right? Let me see... I guess Microsoft would preview their WP8 tomorrow.
Waiting for the day...
It's totally up to you. But, you asked for advice, and that's what you got!
As a side note, the Lumia 710 is a good choice if you want a device you can modify or hack on. It's possible to very easily unlock its bootloader so you can install custom ROMs, with extra features and fewer restrictions.
In addition to music from the store, you can also listed to the radio (all Windows phones have FM receivers) and you can use apps (there are lots of apps that provides access to streaming music, for example). Also, that's just ways to get music on the phone without using the PC. HOwever, when you sync the phone to the PC, you can send music to it from the Zune software, which will then be available to play on the phone.
We're all waiting to hear about WP8. Don't know if it'll be tomorrow or not, but we can hope...
Sony........Never again
Hi babu.rajiv2007,
I would agree with GoodDayToDie and will also never buy anything from Sony ever again. In The past they have been underhand with their contractual obligations to their customers and after the initial sale has them your money i would wish you or anyone else the very best of luck with their aftercare, updates, RMA policies etc...etc...etc.......(very bad taste left after owning an X1, took almost 9 months and 5 returns of that handset to have them recall the chassis and admit that it wasnt my fault) I am also of the opinion that Sony is trading off a name that they made for themselves many years ago regarding quality of their products and services and that in this day and age they will (hopefully) not last much longer.
Anyway, in my personal opinion i would go for the Nokia. The OS is splendid (of course) and the handset is really well put together, not that i would try to put you off the Android option, I would advise that you take one for a 30 day cool down period and put yourself off it.....it didnt take me long to see that there is indeed a difference between the two.
I'm running a custom ROM atm and can tell you that the homebrew scene is very much alive with the WP7 O/S, there are several apps that will allow you to do what you like regarding music.
Hope this helps (still i say try both, but hell no to Sony)
Creamy
I don't know if you remember me. I had almost bought a Lumia710 but returned it as I found its display to be horrible and quite different from demo models. After it, I considered buying Xperia U too. But two of my friends own Sony Androids (Xperia X8 and Xperia X10 respectively) and they swear that they will never buy a Sony again and strongly advise me to stay away too. Because Sony never bothers to update their phones.
However it is most certain Xperia U will be upgraded to ICS (though no 100% guarantee). I have used a real Xperia U (not the demo model). It was fine though it it didn't feel as nice to use as a WP7 device or even a Samsung Galaxy S2. Main reason being uninspiring UI and the dim LED back-lit LCD. The display feels like a candle when compared to S-LCD and AMOLED based displays. Camera is definitely awesome. The phone does feel fast but not as fluid as a WP7. Its UI lacks the wow factor which makes me love my WP7. Heck, it doesn't feel as nice as my friend's Galaxy S2.
Confused, I've decided to postpone my purchase for another two-three week. I see that newer devices are coming in Indian market. One example is HTC Desire C. Please note that it is a 600MHz phone but runs on ARM v7 and hence should be as good as 1GHz ARM v6 devices or even better. This signals that newer ARM devices are coming within two weeks. And hence I've decided to wait and watch since I don't want to get stuck with ARM v6 devices.
Last but not least, I'm also eagerly waiting for WP8 announcement
babu.rajiv2007 said:
Thanks for your valuable words.
So, if one requires a song, he's supposed to buy it from the store, eh? I wouldn't mind.
And yeah, i've heard about the Droids' battery draining powers . But, when i googled, i never found anyone mentioning battery drains from Xperia U.
I guess you're indirectly asking me to stick with the Lumia, right? Let me see... I guess Microsoft would preview their WP8 tomorrow.
Waiting for the day...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better wait for Windows Phone 8 release and see what it offers if you want to buy songs directly from the store. Because downloading songs requires a ZunePass and as far as I know, India is not one of the supported countries for Zunepass. I would be happy if I am proven wrong though.
You can always transfer songs from your PC to phone through Zune though.
Thanks a lot, guys.
So, that helps me let go of Xperia U. Whew! What a headache it made
daAppu said:
I don't know if you remember me.
Confused, I've decided to postpone my purchase for another two-three week. I see that newer devices are coming in Indian market. One example is HTC Desire C. Please note that it is a 600MHz phone but runs on ARM v7 and hence should be as good as 1GHz ARM v6 devices or even better. This signals that newer ARM devices are coming within two weeks. And hence I've decided to wait and watch since I don't want to get stuck with ARM v6 devices.
Last but not least, I'm also eagerly waiting for WP8 announcement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course. I do remember you.
And 600 Mhz? You sure it'd be a good deal? I've seen the One V lag. For the droids, will it be enough?
Tell me, what do you think of HTC One V. Not that i've considered it, but, seems to fall under my price range.
About WP8, i won't be willing to wait for more than a month. My choice would solely be based on tomorrow. Can't wait!
I think Xperia the best cause Lumia very slownly I think that
@chaitanya91845: You do not need a Zune Pass in order to buy music from the store. Zune Pass is only needed for streaming full songs. The old Zune Pass would give you 10 credits a month toward buying songs, but the song buying is independent of Zune Pass.
With that said, it's possible that Microsoft's licensing with the music labels don't allow them to sell music in India at all. I haven't tried. One easy way to tell would be to download the free Zune software (http://zune.net), sign in with your Windows Live account, go to the Marketplace, and see if you can buy songs (most are about $1 US, and are MP3s so you can play them in anything). If that works, it should be fine on the phone too.
GoodDayToDie said:
@chaitanya91845: You do not need a Zune Pass in order to buy music from the store. Zune Pass is only needed for streaming full songs. The old Zune Pass would give you 10 credits a month toward buying songs, but the song buying is independent of Zune Pass.
With that said, it's possible that Microsoft's licensing with the music labels don't allow them to sell music in India at all. I haven't tried. One easy way to tell would be to download the free Zune software (http://zune.net), sign in with your Windows Live account, go to the Marketplace, and see if you can buy songs (most are about $1 US, and are MP3s so you can play them in anything). If that works, it should be fine on the phone too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG. And I was under the impression that you need a ZunePass to purchase songs from the store. Almost a year, and I still dont know some basic stuff!!
But yes, if you download Zune and login, the music(in marketplace)/social sections used to disappear if my Control Panel "Location" settings were set to India. And if you change Location settings to USA, then you will require a US credit card to purchase.
So probably not possible to buy songs as of now.
Xperia U will get you Android 4, Lumia won't get you Windows Phone 8. Go Xperia for now.
guilhermedsx said:
Xperia U will get you Android 4, Lumia won't get you Windows Phone 8. Go Xperia for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... Microsoft's announcement made me reconsider my decision... Damn!
I bet the developer's would start using native code for developing apps, and older devices WON'T support those apps
I'm sad not because of WP8(i'd be happy with 7.8), but, the low availability of apps once WP8 enters the scene is displeasing.
Now choosing a new phone is really confusing! Unless some awesome features are revealed about WP 7.8 and if WP7 device prices crash to sub-10,000 Indian Rupees, I certainly don't want a WP7 device now.
I honestly have no idea which's better- 1GHz ARM v6 Android vs 600MHz v7 Android. Having owned a smooth and fluid WP device for over a year, I certainly don't want a lagging phone for my sister.
The choices are vastly split-
1. Single core v6 1GHz Android (like One V, running ICS)
2. Single core v7 600MHz Android (like Desire C, running ICS)
3. Dual core v6 Xperia U (might not get ICS)
4. WP7 device (least chance of buying it).
I honestly have no idea which phone to choose
@daAppu
I'd advice against a WP7 device now. It just don't make sense going for one, now. Once WP8 devices enters the scene, the scenario might change.
About your processor doubts, i'd recommend you to post at the Android Q&A section. They might be a bit experienced. But, what i think is that those devices would be under powered. The Xperia U now, starts to make more sense to me.
But, i'm sad.
Xperia U Android 4, Lumia never Windows Phone 8, Microsoft Down. Go Xperia.
Did MS actually state that WP8 apps wouldn't work on WP7.8? The impression I got was that 7.8 was basically WP8-without-the-new-hardware-features. For example, there's no reason that native code can't be used on WP7.x (most homebrew apps, and even a few Marketplace apps, already use native code, in fact). It is possible that the native code API for WP7.X and WP8 will be incompatible, though. This would be mildly stupid of Microsoft, but eh, what else is new? They do seem to have an incredible talent for releasing excellent products and then botching them up horribly...
Microsoft did announce it indirectly...
No doubt the developers would use native code, and according to what i read at wpcentral, older devices won't support it.
Anyway, just watched the video of the new tiles... Kinda cool. But, it doesn't make sense sticking to a WP7 device. And, i'm not willing to wait for a WP8 device(i guess it come by December).
I guess i'll move along with the pack, stick with droid :\
Regardless of whether apps will still come to WP7 or not, I'm also not interested in buying a WP7 right now.
But wait, we're not alone. No one is gonna buy WP7 also. We can easily bet that there are thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands) of WP7 devices already manufactured but unsold. So this opens a possibility that WP7 devices will be sold at half the original price or even less. Don't believe me? I bought my BB Playbook for only INR 13,000!
So this opens two choices for us-
1. A really nice WP7 like Lumia 800 for price of INR 10,000. I'm talking about a brand new one, not second hand.
2. A 600MHz ARM v7 Android phone for INR 15,000 or 1GHz ARM v7 Android phone for INR 19,000.
That's why I didn't completely ruled out WP7 in my last post. I really can't decide a phone quickly. Heart says go for an Android now. Head says "Wait and watch for 2 more weeks, you stupid compulsive buyer!"
Related
Hi all,
I am wondering whether to buy a plus to learn webOS development, does anyone thinks there will be a big market share of webOS phone?
Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using XDA App
I don't see why not. webOS is going to be big next year. I think every app in the market needs to be rewritten in order to work with the new Enyo framework. Now is the time to make apps
thereddog said:
I don't see why not. webOS is going to be big next year. I think every app in the market needs to be rewritten in order to work with the new Enyo framework. Now is the time to make apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great.
But what is the official version of a Pre plus has? I am wondering whether I should buy a pre plus or considering newer model.
I have a Verizon Pre Plus. The most recent updated version on mine is Palm WebOS 1.4.5.
Of all of the phones I've owned, or played with, WebOS is the best and most intuitive - even better than iOS. However, Palm/HP needs to get over the clunky slider hardware.
I love my Pre. I was and still am a Win Mo diehard. Absolutely hated Android, Win7, iOS, and Blackberry. After picking up my pre I haven't looked elsewhere.
Even though it has many shortfalls, WebOS is SUPREMELY easy to use. It just feels so elegant and polished. Never once has my phone froze, stuttered, or slowed down during use. Multitasking is unrivalled.
With HP pushing new stuff out in the summer, and WebOS on PC shortly after. 2011 is going to be big with WebOS
Honestly... I don't think so
Look, I love webOS- I really do. It's a great mobile operating system and is really underrated and I want to see it thrive. But I've had a Pre Plus for year now, and while I love webOS, I can't stand the hardware. The screen is small, the processor is slow (but there's always overclocking ), the battery life is bad, and it's got a terrible build quality- I'm on my 5th Pre at least. It could be more, I've lost count. But when I went to Palm Developer Day in November 2010, I got a free Pre 2, as did everyone else who went. The Pre 2 was an awesome phone. I loved it, and I'd recommend you buy it if you're interested in webOS. It's got a much better build quality and is much faster than the Pre Plus, and it comes with webOS 2.0 out of the box. Unfortunately, my Pre 2 was run over (I'm kinda careless as you can tell) and no longer works, but for the 3 or so months that I had it, I loved it. It was a great phone, and I highly recommend it. You can get the unlocked GSM version and put whatever SIM you like in it (you'll get AT&T 3G, but not T-Mobile 3G, sorry) and you'll be good to go, or you can buy the Verizon version. Either way, the Pre2 is the way to go. Good luck!
Yes, I also would recommend you to buy a new Pre 2 as he is going to get the Update to newer WebOS-Versions which will support the new development modell (Enyo which uses Javascript, you can also mix C or only use C for development).
You can get a cheaper developer Pre 2 if you register.
Just look here to get started:
developer.palm.com
I don't think that WebOS will surpass Apple or Google very fast and in this year it will "only" establish and stabilise itself. The next year is when it is getting bigger. For now there is still some room for good Applications in WebOS.
We have good Twitter, Music and Notes-Apps... But I guess if you have an idea and you kick it your idea will work wherever you try^^
A third working eco-system, especially at the start, is a big chance for "new" guys or people who have a good App which now only is on the third, fourth or fifth place because the platform where he is now already isn't very "flexible" any more and has some big established players. In such an environment he could try to make himself a name on another platform before the big ones show up.
I am selling a LNIB pre 2 gsm unlocked. PM me if interested.
Wait for pre 3
Sent from Snarf phone
wait for the pre3
I think webos is promising, but still need a lot of work before it becomes perfect and mature as iOS and android. You can try pre plus.
wait for the Pre 3
buy a veer. it can open upto 30 apps and still run.
Im using 3GS right now and will either upgrade to a WP or IP4/5, I am sick of Android feeling like its still in a beta stage and freezing, closing apps, lagging no matter what phone. Anyway back when I used the focus the UI was amazing! But it was missing features...IOS is great! Time for some new features though imo, has WP7 been upgraded to more features? And how long will those updates last for the current WP's? What in your opinion is the best WP? And ultimatly what do you think is better? Hopefully Apple announces what IOS5 will be like. I really like WP7 but it felt like it needed time to get more features and some Apps were not optimized properly(ebay) but wow! That os is like butter! If it keeps getting features I may have to go WP! Especially if IOS5 is the same old, But for now I guess I gotta stay IOS.
maybe you should wait until fall or september,then both iphone 4s and major updates for WP7 are released,that time you can make a better comparison.which phone to buy...
The Fall Update to WP is a pretty big one, and new hardware will come out with it so I'd wait. The OS as it is, is to me the best designed out there, and the features people have been aching for are almost all coming with Mango (the fall OS update). Its going to be pretty nice, but ultimately up to you what you like most.
you've already pointed out that ios is complete and mature, try a friends phone around christmas and see if wp7 updates are all they're claimed to be...
the iPhone/iOS really is matured. You know where the saying comes from "There is an app for that".
I am still missing a lot of apps I was using on the iPhone, which are not (yet) available for WP7. But I really like the look of feel of WP7.
Wait for Mango if you like simplified device working more or less without any trouble
and you don't miss some basics. The UI is consistent and very easy.
For more sophisticated and better equipped device look somwhere else.
doministry said:
Wait for Mango if you like simplified device working more or less without any trouble
and you don't miss some basics. The UI is consistent and very easy.
For more sophisticated and better equipped device look somwhere else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO the UI on Wp7 blows iOS out of the water. It's simple yet still highly functional. I keep making my older and less technical users go to WP7 devices. They all seem to love it and I see them on their phones all the time - I'm sure their productivity is tanking lol.
Ignorance is Bliss, as they say.
But I'd wait until Mango and IP5 is our and make a more informed decision.
Right now WP7 can't hold a candle to iOS, but the update will be big. Unfortunately it's months off so you'll have to use a phone that has 30+% less functionality than your 3GS and many showstoppers (and lack of Apps) if you upgrade NOW.
I'd wait.
Wait for iPhone4S/5 and WP7 Mango update, and then decide. You might look into Samsung Galaxy SII as well, it's very fast. Maybe more device coming out with Dualcore/Quadcore that improves Android. WP7 is still in beta stage imho.
I've been using wp7 since October when I replaced my 3gs, and I've missed nothing so far.and that's been very honest, the thing is all I use to use on the iPhone was Facebook eBay satnav n a few more apps so the 300k appstore didn't matter to me. You've gotta think about the features and apps u need. Upgrading to wp7 guarantee u mango update regardless of the handset you choose.
Wp7 Focus
wp7 for sure, the metro UI is amazing.
I just bought a WP& phone, will post what i think of it, just hope the app market kicks off and MS add more functionality and that it becomes moddable
opti7 said:
I just bought a WP& phone, will post what i think of it, just hope the app market kicks off and MS add more functionality and that it becomes moddable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Functionality is more than coming:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1084161
Marketplace is already pretty good considering dev's cant create certain apps yet (Mango SDK will have all the 1500+ API's available, many of which will be used to create these lacking apps).
If you are looking for heavy modification, it may not be the platform for you, but people will definitely be modding it. Just not the extent WM & Android users are probably used to.
I went with the iPhone4, Im still gonna wait and see how WP7 goes and see what Apple does with IOS5, then I can make my Dec with what I want, but Ive heard from a lot of news sources that WP7 is doing pretty bad in sales and that its really not catching on at all, hopefully it dosnt go the way of the Kin phones...
As some have already said, I would probably wait for the Mango update and iPhone 5 before making the decision. I got a WP7 and I really enjoy it, but I think to make a fair choice, you should wait to pick between the two.
solidkevin said:
I went with the iPhone4, Im still gonna wait and see how WP7 goes and see what Apple does with IOS5, then I can make my Dec with what I want, but Ive heard from a lot of news sources that WP7 is doing pretty bad in sales and that its really not catching on at all, hopefully it dosnt go the way of the Kin phones...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually sales of wp7 from start till now are better then sales of iphone when it came out for same amount of time + soon nokia will arrive with their wp7 phones and wp7 is gonna blow the market
eXtremeLT said:
Actually sales of wp7 from start till now are better then sales of iphone when it came out for same amount of time + soon nokia will arrive with their wp7 phones and wp7 is gonna blow the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nokia phones in 2012 which is dumb imo, why not get it rolling out as quickly as possible?
solidkevin said:
Nokia phones in 2012 which is dumb imo, why not get it rolling out as quickly as possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are doing it as quickly as possible. Its a major change at Nokia, it doesn't happen overnight. Nokia is planning for a late 2011 release of their first phone(s), and they are planning a whopping 12 devices (rumored so far) in 2012 running wp7 (including a dual core N8 version with a 12MP high optics camera). They will be using both qualcomm chips and SE dual core chips according to forbes.
http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwo...bes.com: Technology News)&utm_content=Twitter
There will also be some pretty nice second gen phones from Samsung, HTC, LG ect so people should have quite a few nice ones to choose from.
dtboos said:
They are doing it as quickly as possible. Its a major change at Nokia, it doesn't happen overnight. Nokia is planning for a late 2011 release of their first phone(s), and they are planning a whopping 12 devices (rumored so far) in 2012 running wp7 (including a dual core N8 version with a 12MP high optics camera). They will be using both qualcomm chips and SE dual core chips according to forbes.
http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwo...bes.com: Technology News)&utm_content=Twitter
There will also be some pretty nice second gen phones from Samsung, HTC, LG ect so people should have quite a few nice ones to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the OS is up to par with IOS in terms of features and Apps by the time Nokias phone comes, thats my next phone, Nokia=Fantastic hardware+Camera, Crap Symbian...
I'm not sure I like the white on the radar and the quality of the hd7's screen and its older cpu/gpu put me off, but the lumia only has 8gb of storage. I'm leaning towards the lumia 710 right now because I prefer its design, but I feel like I'll need more than 8gb of storage.
P.S. are there any services similar to google music (or a google music app for that matter) on windows phone? That would pretty much solve the storage issue. (It's what I use on my android phone.)
One advantage of the HD7 is that, being a first-gen phone, it's highly hackable. If you want to do custom ROMs or heavy tweaking of stock ROMs, the HD7 is your best bet. It also has the largest screen, which help with things like using the on-screen keyboard.
The Radar strikes me as the Trophy v2, a device I was never terribly impressed with to start. However, it does have the advantages of a second-gen device: the faster processor and the front-facing camera. The CPU quality is not yet an issue, really - some games might load a little faster, but all of them are designed to play very smoothly on first-gen phones - but it might be a bit more feature-proof. It's also worth considering that pretty much any phone can be "skinned" with coatings that make it more resistant to damage and change the color, but are cheap and add little weight or size.
The Lumia 710 is a very nice device, but I agree tha 8GB is just too little storage. Is it possible to tear it down and put in a bigger microSD card? Many phones, including the HD7, don't actually have a soldered-in storage chip, they just use an internal uSD that can be replaced if you know how.
Google Music could be done on the phone, but it would have to be via an app. A quick check of the marketplace turns up nothing useful. Hmm, maybe this should be fixed... You can also use Pandora (and any other site that supports HTML5 streaming) on the phone; just open the page in a browser, and the music stream will start playing (you can control the station via the browser windows, of course) and the play/pause/volume controls that are built into the phone will be usable from any app, no need to keep the website in the foreground.
However, WP7 natively supports Zune Pass. For $10/month (less if you buy a multi-month subscription), you get all-you-can-eat music streaming. It can only be played on Windows Phones, Zune software on PC, Zune devices, and Xbox 360 (the files are DRMed, and will also stop working if you stop paying) but the selection is very nice, and my HD7 makes a good portable music player. It's a great way to get around the issue of not being able to keep your whole music collection on the phone. It's also a good way to discover new music; there's a feature called "Smart DJ" that automatically creates playlists based on songs, albums, or artists.
GoodDayToDie said:
One advantage of the HD7 is that, being a first-gen phone, it's highly hackable. If you want to do custom ROMs or heavy tweaking of stock ROMs, the HD7 is your best bet. It also has the largest screen, which help with things like using the on-screen keyboard.
The Radar strikes me as the Trophy v2, a device I was never terribly impressed with to start. However, it does have the advantages of a second-gen device: the faster processor and the front-facing camera. The CPU quality is not yet an issue, really - some games might load a little faster, but all of them are designed to play very smoothly on first-gen phones - but it might be a bit more feature-proof. It's also worth considering that pretty much any phone can be "skinned" with coatings that make it more resistant to damage and change the color, but are cheap and add little weight or size.
The Lumia 710 is a very nice device, but I agree tha 8GB is just too little storage. Is it possible to tear it down and put in a bigger microSD card? Many phones, including the HD7, don't actually have a soldered-in storage chip, they just use an internal uSD that can be replaced if you know how.
Google Music could be done on the phone, but it would have to be via an app. A quick check of the marketplace turns up nothing useful. Hmm, maybe this should be fixed... You can also use Pandora (and any other site that supports HTML5 streaming) on the phone; just open the page in a browser, and the music stream will start playing (you can control the station via the browser windows, of course) and the play/pause/volume controls that are built into the phone will be usable from any app, no need to keep the website in the foreground.
However, WP7 natively supports Zune Pass. For $10/month (less if you buy a multi-month subscription), you get all-you-can-eat music streaming. It can only be played on Windows Phones, Zune software on PC, Zune devices, and Xbox 360 (the files are DRMed, and will also stop working if you stop paying) but the selection is very nice, and my HD7 makes a good portable music player. It's a great way to get around the issue of not being able to keep your whole music collection on the phone. It's also a good way to discover new music; there's a feature called "Smart DJ" that automatically creates playlists based on songs, albums, or artists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Zune pass is nice, but google music is appealing because it is free. There seem to be a couple of google music apps in development right now (mainly CloudMuzik. Its developer says he's submitting it to the market tonight. He's the guy who made metro browser, which I am a fan of.)
I should add that I owned a samsung focus back when I was on at&t. I switched to tmobile because I have a MUCH better plan now. If I could, I'd get a focus s, but being on tmobile obviously restricts that. My current phone is a nexus s which I plan on keeping as a toy. I'd like something more stable as a daily driver and I love windows phone. Google music is really the only service I'd miss. I don't have a single song on my nexus s's internal memory, it's all in the cloud and it hasn't failed me once.
One other question I have is about sideloading apps. If I'm not mistaken, you have to "jailbreak" your phone to do this. How difficult is this and how difficult is it to install updates/undo it?
A Google Music Player is coming to the marketplace very soon! It's in the software Dev section
---------- Post added at 11:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------
and i would reccommend the nokia since they will have the most vested interest in windows phone, so updates and like will be much better
I don't really like appying the term "jailbreak" to Dev-Unlock (which is all that you need for sideloading apps). Developer unlock is a built-in feature of the OS, and is officially available to anybody... you just normally have to pay some money to use it (students can get it free through DreamSpark). One advantage of it being an official feature is there's no risk of it bricking the phone or preventing updates. There are some apps that can mess up the phone if used incorrectly (mostly things like registry editors) and they require an additional level of unlock, which we call interop-unlock. It's still technically a feature of the OS, but it's a hidden one not supposed to be available to end users. Currently the HD7 is the only phone on your original list that can be interop-unlocked, and you'll probably have to flash a lower firmware version to it first, then upgrade again afterward.
Currently, none of the free options for dev-unlock work on any of the phones you mentioned, although with enough effort you can downgrade the HD7 to pre-NoDo and use the original ChevronWP7 Unlocker, then manage to carry that forward through the upgrade to Mango. It's not easy, though. The official method is to get an AppHub (marketplace developer) account from Microsoft. $99/year, or free if you're a student. Well worth it to me, but your opinion may vary.
For what it's worth, you could of course get the Samsung and just SIM-unlock it. It might even support the right 3G / HSPDA+ (what TMO calls "4G", basically twice as fast as their usual 3G) bands, although I'd be a little surprised; most AT&T phones don't support TMO's higher-speed networks. Samsung phones can currently be both dev- and interop-unlocked easily using the WindowBreak project (provided they don't have the latest firmware update, which one bought now might not). Additionally, the first-gen Samsung phones (but not second-gen, like the Focus S) can now use custom ROMs. That was just published today. No word yet on support for second-gen custom ROMs on either HTC or Samsung, though.
GoodDayToDie said:
I don't really like appying the term "jailbreak" to Dev-Unlock (which is all that you need for sideloading apps). Developer unlock is a built-in feature of the OS, and is officially available to anybody... you just normally have to pay some money to use it (students can get it free through DreamSpark). One advantage of it being an official feature is there's no risk of it bricking the phone or preventing updates. There are some apps that can mess up the phone if used incorrectly (mostly things like registry editors) and they require an additional level of unlock, which we call interop-unlock. It's still technically a feature of the OS, but it's a hidden one not supposed to be available to end users. Currently the HD7 is the only phone on your original list that can be interop-unlocked, and you'll probably have to flash a lower firmware version to it first, then upgrade again afterward.
Currently, none of the free options for dev-unlock work on any of the phones you mentioned, although with enough effort you can downgrade the HD7 to pre-NoDo and use the original ChevronWP7 Unlocker, then manage to carry that forward through the upgrade to Mango. It's not easy, though. The official method is to get an AppHub (marketplace developer) account from Microsoft. $99/year, or free if you're a student. Well worth it to me, but your opinion may vary.
For what it's worth, you could of course get the Samsung and just SIM-unlock it. It might even support the right 3G / HSPDA+ (what TMO calls "4G", basically twice as fast as their usual 3G) bands, although I'd be a little surprised; most AT&T phones don't support TMO's higher-speed networks. Samsung phones can currently be both dev- and interop-unlocked easily using the WindowBreak project (provided they don't have the latest firmware update, which one bought now might not). Additionally, the first-gen Samsung phones (but not second-gen, like the Focus S) can now use custom ROMs. That was just published today. No word yet on support for second-gen custom ROMs on either HTC or Samsung, though.
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No, none of the wp7 phones are pentaband/aws compatible sadly, else I wouldn't even be considering any of these phones, I'd just go straight for a lumia 900.
So is there no consumer-oriented unlock tool for the lumia? I wouldn't say I "need" it, but I like toying around with beta software.
@mmian, that was the app I was referring to (cloudmuzik) and I think the nokia is what I'm going to go for. The free nav software is enticing and I prefer their design over htc's (never really been a fan of them, had a g1 which was pure **** and a sensation which wasn't a bad design, but they clearly put all of their time/money into making it look nice rather than having a good, responsive touchscreen that doesn't let dust into it. /rant). Now that I know google music is coming, the storage isn't an issue.
Well, beta software can actually be distributed through the marketplace now (the dev has to specifically add your account to the beta, though). Almost everything WP7-related on XDA-Devs is either custom ROMs or XAP files (sideload-able application packages, though), and you need dev-unlock to install the latter (and a custom bootloader to install the former).
GoodDayToDie said:
Well, beta software can actually be distributed through the marketplace now (the dev has to specifically add your account to the beta, though). Almost everything WP7-related on XDA-Devs is either custom ROMs or XAP files (sideload-able application packages, though), and you need dev-unlock to install the latter (and a custom bootloader to install the former).
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Wow, I had no idea! That's actually a really cool system. Thank you guys for all the help btw.
Just a little info also... there is an article on wmpoweruser saying the lumina 710 is pentaband.
http://wmpoweruser.com/250-rogers-c...taband-and-works-on-wind-and-mobilicity-also/
I don't think any of the others are (non nokia's that is)
For £7.50 a month you don't only get unlimited streaming and localises downloads on Zune pass. You also can get 10 DRM-free songs each month. That works out to be 75p per song! Zune pass works out to be much cheaper for legal song downloads and streaming. DRM-free songs that you get each month can be saved on your PC and are yours for a lifetime even if you stop paying for the subscription.
Sent from my TITAN X310e using Board Express Pro
ROCOAFZ said:
Just a little info also... there is an article on wmpoweruser saying the lumina 710 is pentaband.
http://wmpoweruser.com/250-rogers-c...taband-and-works-on-wind-and-mobilicity-also/
I don't think any of the others are (non nokia's that is)
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Click to collapse
Yep, that's why I'm getting it (a mid/low end device) instead of an 800/900 which aren't pentaband.
@drupad2drupad: You're confusing the old and the new subscriptions, sadly.
The old Zune Pass subscription was $15/month ($12.50 if you bought a year at a time), all-you-can-eat downloads and streaming, and 10 song credits for DRM-free purchase each month.
The new subscription, as of some time late 2011, is $10/month (probably $7.50 if you buy 12 at a time, but I haven't checked) but you don't get any song purchase credits - just the (DRMed) streaming and downloads.
It's still a good service, but if you consider the cost of those 10 song purchases, the original plan was the better deal. However, they've discontinued that first plan; the only way you can have it now is if you're grandfathered in. I wish they'd kept both options available; I have the old plan but a new subscriber can't get it.
GoodDayToDie said:
@drupad2drupad: You're confusing the old and the new subscriptions, sadly.
The old Zune Pass subscription was $15/month ($12.50 if you bought a year at a time), all-you-can-eat downloads and streaming, and 10 song credits for DRM-free purchase each month.
The new subscription, as of some time late 2011, is $10/month (probably $7.50 if you buy 12 at a time, but I haven't checked) but you don't get any song purchase credits - just the (DRMed) streaming and downloads.
It's still a good service, but if you consider the cost of those 10 song purchases, the original plan was the better deal. However, they've discontinued that first plan; the only way you can have it now is if you're grandfathered in. I wish they'd kept both options available; I have the old plan but a new subscriber can't get it.
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Click to collapse
Really?
Din't know that all! Read all the review around, wonder why I never bothered to check the dates on them. Luckily after my 14 day free trial, I've moved on to 1-month basis. I din't realize I was going to lose the downloaded songs as I just kept thinking the 10 I download are now DRM-free! I knew it can't be that simple. And it's not. Thanks for pointing that out.
That really means all these few months of songs I've been liking and getting into a groove of listening will go as soon as I stop the service! Bugger!
Yeah, I really liked that plan (and am grandfathered in) but new subscripers can't get it. Such a waste of opportunity on Microsoft's part, to not offer both options and let people choose which they wanted.
The download credits are handled slightly differently from how you describe; I receive 10 credits each month, and when I select a song to "buy" there is an option to pay with a download credit instead. They don't roll over month to month - use it or lose it - but Zune software shows how many credits you have left, and it's a clickable link that will show you the most-played songs in your collection that you didn't buy yet (i.e. that are DRMed downloads), so you can slowly convert your whole collection, in the order that you care most.
You can also use the credits to buy some songs that aren't available for streaming (why anybody would choose to block streaming is unclear to me, but some artists did...)
Anyhow, yeah, it sucks that they discontinued it, even though if you weren't diligent about using your song credits you ended up paying extra each month.
This is a repost from the Nokia 900 forum and just wasn't sure if this is a better place for this question. Saying that my decison is currently being based around said device.
I am very interested in this phone and the $20 Amazon price tag makes it even more exciting but Apollo is (reportedly) just around the corner.
My question is should I wait and get Apollo or go ahead and grab this? I can't think of a good enough reason to wait ATM but I must admit that is mostly due to the fact that I can't think of any must have features Apollo would have that Mango doesn't or that the 900's Hardware wouldn't be able to handle other than screen resolution and I am certainly not waiting 6 months or better for that.
What say you?
I'd go for it if my contract was up anytime soon. I seriously doubt the Lumia 900 won't get an upgrade to Apollo, like you say the hardware is all good plus Apollo runs WP7 apps too.
I agree - grab one now. With the support from the expertise of this community you KNOW youll get all the benefits of Apollo in due course lol
pvt_nemesis said:
I agree - grab one now. With the support from the expertise of this community you KNOW youll get all the benefits of Apollo in due course lol
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Thats something I hadn't really thought about haha. Silly me.
Now I am just waiting to get hands on a white one to see how much that gloss will bother me. If not that one then it is a black one with a case. Why isn't the white matte?!?!?!?!
It is entirely possible the others understood your question and I do not so I would like you to explain what you are asking.
Buy the Lumia 900 or wait for Apollo
A phone vs an OS upgrade?
I do not understand the comparison.
But just to weigh in on the waiting game if you can wait then wait. If you need something now then get it now. In the subsidy world I would find it hard to believe the the Lumia 900 will end up at a price that is unobtainable vs the debut special price we are seeing now.
There is very little reason to believe that the Lumia 900 will not get Apollo. It would go against the microsoft plan and all the hard work Nokia put into this phone. But if you are looking at it from a handset offering (rumoured dual cores) when Apollo launches then if you can wait then wait. I am waiting for Ivy Bridge + Kepler (but giving Trinity a look just for due diligence).
nicksti said:
It is entirely possible the others understood your question and I do not so I would like you to explain what you are asking.
Buy the Lumia 900 or wait for Apollo
A phone vs an OS upgrade?
I do not understand the comparison.
But just to weigh in on the waiting game if you can wait then wait. If you need something now then get it now. In the subsidy world I would find it hard to believe the the Lumia 900 will end up at a price that is unobtainable vs the debut special price we are seeing now.
There is very little reason to believe that the Lumia 900 will not get Apollo. It would go against the microsoft plan and all the hard work Nokia put into this phone. But if you are looking at it from a handset offering (rumoured dual cores) when Apollo launches then if you can wait then wait. I am waiting for Ivy Bridge + Kepler (but giving Trinity a look just for due diligence).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its more of a question of upgrading now(Lumia 900) or waiting for an apollo device. And everyone mentions upgraded processors or dual core but for what purpose?
What are we expecting Apollo to have that will quantify having that kind of neccesary upgrade? I am not sure if the Lumia will get the upgrade( most likely will) but I suppose the question is other than resolution what killer feature would it be missing?
Well to wait or not to wait depends solely on if you can or cannot. Also is the Lumia 900 missing something that you need, and may be offered in a next gen phone?
The Lumia 900 is good enough for me now. FFC, 4.3" screen. I do not need a dual core or NFC or 1080p or bigger storage. The only thing I would need would be more apps and features.
It is reasonable to assume the Lumia 900 will get Apollo.
It is reasonable to assume Windows Phone will bring multicore phones to the table.
wait for apollo
When it comes to appollo it would not be just an OS upgrade
Appollo has three features which would radically change the phones released for it.
1) It would allow for external storage so you can expect the phones to be having removable sd cards
2) HD screens (I am sure the appollo version phones from samsung and nokia will blow the retina display apart)
3) Dual core CPU. WP7 runs fine with the current CPU but dual core is just making it more bad ass
But if I were you I would go for a 900/800 now and once appollo phones come start think of my second phone (Nov end is a long wait)
Go for one now
I see that you like the WP7 OS, otherwise you wouldnt be that unsure if buying it now or later.
So its pretty close that you go for one now, and most possibly upgrade it officially, otherwise the hackers and modders here will make it possible then
shamreez said:
When it comes to appollo it would not be just an OS upgrade
Appollo has three features which would radically change the phones released for it.
1) It would allow for external storage so you can expect the phones to be having removable sd cards
2) HD screens (I am sure the appollo version phones from samsung and nokia will blow the retina display apart)
3) Dual core CPU. WP7 runs fine with the current CPU but dual core is just making it more bad ass
But if I were you I would go for a 900/800 now and once appollo phones come start think of my second phone (Nov end is a long wait)
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This has to be the most complete answer I have seen yet!! Thanks for your input and showing the reasoning behind it.
I agree wholeheartedly with your opinion and this will most likely be my plan of attack.
Quick question for you or anyone else while I have your ear. Has anyone seen the gloss white 900/800? And if you have what are your impressions if it's durability compared to the matte?
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express
shamreez said:
When it comes to appollo it would not be just an OS upgrade
Appollo has three features which would radically change the phones released for it.
1) It would allow for external storage so you can expect the phones to be having removable sd cards
2) HD screens (I am sure the appollo version phones from samsung and nokia will blow the retina display apart)
3) Dual core CPU. WP7 runs fine with the current CPU but dual core is just making it more bad ass
But if I were you I would go for a 900/800 now and once appollo phones come start think of my second phone (Nov end is a long wait)
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Click to collapse
I am assuming these 'three features' are purely based on rumours and your own speculation right?
There isn't even enough info about the Tango devices yet, I doubt all these has ever been said anywhere from any official or trust worthy sources. Learning lessons from how everything was copied easily in iOS 5 and Ice Cream Sandwich after Mango developer previews, Microsoft has so far done a good job to keep Apollo very very close to their hearts. I would love Microsoft to not say a word or even bother to release a developer preview until 1 day before the launch, if they really feel desperate. So, if these are not rumours or speculations, links please
Hey,
My contract is ending in a month or so, and it's time to search for a new phone. To be honest, I'm not interested in "Flag Ships", I just want a bigger phone and something different, I'm a bit bored of Android.
Right now I have an LG Optimus L5. (Phones in Serbia are crazy expensive, e.g. S5 here is 800 USD on contract.)
And then I saw the Nokia Lumia 1320, it came out this year it's affordable, it has a big screen and it looks awesome. So I wanted to see if any of you, have used this phone, and I'd love to hear your input about it. Or if you have a suggestion on a different device, go for it. (Devices I can get are listed in the end)
Note, I'm not looking to play heavy games on it, I have a Nexus 7 for that sort of thing. I need the phone to do 7 things, call & sms, twitter, internet browser, wifi hotspot, play music, and some light games to kill time in transit.
Phones that I was offered for my contract:
Lumia 1320
Lumia 630
LG L80
Samsung Galaxy Core 2
Sony Experia M2
Also, if I accidently posted in the wrong section, Mods please don't delete the thread. I'm kind of new here.
Go for the Galaxy Core 2 mate, it seems the best one from the offered ones
filipovic103 said:
Hey,
My contract is ending in a month or so, and it's time to search for a new phone. To be honest, I'm not interested in "Flag Ships", I just want a bigger phone and something different, I'm a bit bored of Android.
Right now I have an LG Optimus L5. (Phones in Serbia are crazy expensive, e.g. S5 here is 800 USD on contract.)
And then I saw the Nokia Lumia 1320, it came out this year it's affordable, it has a big screen and it looks awesome. So I wanted to see if any of you, have used this phone, and I'd love to hear your input about it. Or if you have a suggestion on a different device, go for it. (Devices I can get are listed in the end)
Note, I'm not looking to play heavy games on it, I have a Nexus 7 for that sort of thing. I need the phone to do 7 things, call & sms, twitter, internet browser, wifi hotspot, play music, and some light games to kill time in transit.
Phones that I was offered for my contract:
Lumia 1320
Lumia 630
LG L80
Samsung Galaxy Core 2
Sony Experia M2
Also, if I accidently posted in the wrong section, Mods please don't delete the thread. I'm kind of new here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm sure you hate android because you have an l5 as me, but the bad of this phone is the hardware and lg tht didnt update our phone, so...
i am sure that if you ll have a better phone and you pay it more, you d love android.
android is wondeful, and a major release of os will be presented in autumn
dont move to lumia, in my opinion they are very limited phone and you can do half of things that you can do on android:crying:
more, on android you can change interface, more apps, more personalizarion ecc i suggest you to dont move to windows... very limited os made only to make money from microsoft
that is my opinion:good:
Bink Feed said:
Go for the Galaxy Core 2 mate, it seems the best one from the offered ones
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Click to collapse
I'm not really a fan of Samsung.
AXDFREEDOM said:
hmm sure you hate android because you have an l5 as me, but the bad of this phone is the hardware and lg tht didnt update our phone, so...
i am sure that if you ll have a better phone and you pay it more, you d love android.
android is wondeful, and a major release of os will be presented in autumn
dont move to lumia, in my opinion they are very limited phone and you can do half of things that you can do on android:crying:
more, on android you can change interface, more apps, more personalizarion ecc i suggest you to dont move to windows... very limited os made only to make money from microsoft
that is my opinion:good:
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Click to collapse
To be honest, I like android and I have an android tablet (Nexus7) which I'm using right now. And I've been using Android since v1.6. But as my post said I'd could use a change. I am aware that WP has only a few good apps in the store, but I don't need anything else than the basic most common apps like Twitter and Deezer. Secondly, I absolutely do not want to spend more money on a better android phone or a so called "flagship".
Indeed the L5 was a disappointment, in every possible way starting from the screen right down to the performance. But is not the reason for my wish to switch.
Probably the biggest issue with Windows Phone 8.1 is the availability of apps and games. But it's not something that concerns me on such a level that I would give up on buying it. I also forgot to mention that I like the build quality of the Lumia device(s).
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app
There are 3 threads devoted to discussions about devices, please repost your question in one of these three threads: The what should I buy thread or the The Device Suggestion Thread or the The Device Comparison Thread.
Thanks!