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applefanDrew

macrumors 65816
Jul 17, 2010
1,437
4
I would choose WP7 for its elegant interface. I still prefer iOS of course but MS did a good job coming up with a unique UI.
 

joshwithachance

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2009
2,103
1,318
Windows Phone, without a doubt. I actually left the iPhone to try out the Titan, but ended up coming back to iOS after a week. The tile interface is awesome, but the OS as a whole is lacking a bit in my opinion.
 

Calidude

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2010
1,730
0
Windows Phone, without a doubt. I actually left the iPhone to try out the Titan, but ended up coming back to iOS after a week. The tile interface is awesome, but the OS as a whole is lacking a bit in my opinion.
Yeah, Windows Phone isn't quite ready to compete with iOS. Microsoft has a good idea going, but they're so far behind that it's going to be a while before they make a phone really worth buying compared to what iOS presents you.

What they SHOULD be doing is coming to Macrumors and reading all the threads about what we want in iOS and then just putting them into Windows Phone, since they're already following the Apple model.
 

siurpeeman

macrumors 603
Dec 2, 2006
6,321
24
the OC
windows phone.

ios, wp7 and android all have their pluses. my favorite thing about android is that it is the best integration of google's apps and service: proper google voice (it really is set it and forget it), good gmail with label support, a better maps app than ios, free navigation, etc. but the pluses for me end just about there. the phone i had was too laggy, battery life was too short, and the apps were just not as good. even a lot of first party apps felt more like a web app than a native client.

so yeah, i'd choose windows phone; it's different from both android and ios in a good way. i like metro, i love live tiles, and i'm really fond of nokia's lumia 800. if wp7 had better apps, i would give it serious consideration for my next phone.
 

X5-452

macrumors 6502
Feb 16, 2006
483
48
Calgary, Canada
Windows Phone.

I like the overall look better than Android. Every time I use an Android device I have no clue how to do anything. When I've used a Windows Phone before I can sort of figure my way around.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
Look - WP
Speed - WP
Customization - Android
Apps - Android
Games - WP (more exclusive because their in-house developer)
Hardware - Android (more variety and better specs)
Software - WP
Battery life - Push, YMMV depending on the phone

There really is no right or wrong here. It is like asking if you prefer blondes, brunettes, or redheads? I use BOTH and I have a slight preference with WP because it is easier to sync my media but also find some of their apps lacking. There is a much bigger gap between apps and functions between WP vs Android than Android vs iOS. Microsoft just entered the next gen of mobile OSes by about two years. Should have entered back in 2008 or early 2009 when Android was still new. Windows Phone were first available to the public in late 2010.

But the irony is while Google MAKES YOU the product while Microsoft and Apple are better at making and selling products, I still prefer Google over both of them because of their services. I rely on alot of their services including my Google Voice number which is free texting to the people I know who live in the States. Google has saved me ALOT of money. And another irony is that Microsoft has never been known as innovative and known to copy Apple. Now they have one of the most intuitive mobile OSes out there without looking like they copied Apple like Google did. And there is no doubt Apple makes the best products out of the three but there is more of a price you have to pay (ie Apple tax).

Check this out -

My phone just got smoked by a Windows Phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yb6S0mRoL80


http://windows8beta.com/2012/01/ces...-phones-get-smoked-by-windows-phone-challenge
So at CES 2012 it was time to face the music with the Microsoft’s #SmokedbyWindowsPhone challenge.The open challenge put forth by Ben The PC Guy for any smartphone platform which can compete with his Windows Phone device with a small challenge.100$ at stake if the Windows Phone looses to the competitor in the challenge.

Almost all the phones which took the challenge(except two) got smoked by Windows Phone’s challenge.One of them was captured in a video by Neowin was Samsung’s latest and greatest offering from the android platform,the Galaxy Nexus up against Ben’s Windows Phone.In this specific challenge Ben Challenged the guy with the Galaxy Nexus to post a message to Facebook and the Galaxy Nexus ended up on the loosing side.

According to Ben’s Latest Twitter updates,the stats read,21 Wins for Windows Phone 2 losses( by a hair) while one was a tie.By far the Windows Phone was able to smoke a few biggies which includes,Galaxy Nexus,Galaxy SII,iPhone 4,iPhone 4S devices while one of the iPhone 4S and Motorola Atrix got better of Windows Phone by a Marginal difference.
 

Calidude

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2010
1,730
0
Battery life - Push, YMMV depending on the phone
I'd have to give this to Windows Phone. In general, their phones have battery life comparable to that of the iPhone while Google's clumsy Android coding creates a situation that drains battery power more than the other 2 options even if you haven't enabled the available customizations on a typical Android phone. Because of this people, nearly every Android user I know has to rely on the XDA forums to get themselves a ROM that doesn't drain their battery so much.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
I'd have to give this to Windows Phone. In general, their phones have battery life comparable to that of the iPhone while Google's clumsy Android coding creates a situation that drains battery power more than the other 2 options even if you haven't enabled the available customizations on a typical Android phone. Because of this people, nearly every Android user I know has to rely on the XDA forums to get themselves a ROM that doesn't drain their battery so much.
I think you could be right. I based my observation from a first gen WP. The 2nd gens probably surpassed the 2nd gen Androids from 2009 and beyond. WP is very light and loads fast too.

But they both can be battery hogs since they offer bigger screens and more things running in the background while pre-iOS5 sorta lacked some things. Live tiles can be a batter drain just as much as Android's widgets and live wallpapers sometimes.

But there are few things that also keeps me with Android such as Flash, FREE turn-by-turn navigation, customizable ringtones/sounds, more apps, Bluetooth data transfer, and ability to sideload apps much easier without needing to jailbreak. Its notification system is also superior to WP. I think WP is the most beautiful and fluid out of the three once you get used to it, but I don't easily get fooled by just beauty. I admit it took me only three days to start liking the Metro UI while it took me at least a month for Android to start growing on me. But Android still has more apps which makes it more functional while you start to see WP's limitations in the longer run. But I hate the force closes on Android while WP has been far more stable. Perhaps even more stable and speedier than my iOS. But it still lacks in apps, lacks a battery % on top, and I don't always want to be force to pin my favorite apps. WP doesn't even have Pandora or Sportacular and the ESPN one is worse than the other two. Same with the IMDB app and the Facebook isn't all the functional which already sucks on the other two platforms. And if the WP Marketplace does have the same game like the other two, it usually is the more expensive one. Check the prices on Angry Birds or Plants vs Zombies to know what I mean. With Android, I got them for FREE with the latter being sideloaded thanks to piracy.

If you can tolerate some of the complacency of iOS, I still think it is the best one all-around. But in terms of UI, WP has got them beat while Android will always bleed the most cutting-edge hardware first while not exactly marrying it the best compared to the other two. Apple and Microsoft simply have more experience with software than Google. But we will see quad core phones likely on Android phones first, but its different variations is also makes it their double-edge sword.

In a perfect world, you get them all. Not one phone or one mobile OS is perfect for everyone since everybody can be different at things they want. There will not always be an end-all be-all for everyone.

Android vs iOS vs Windows Phone
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile...dows-phone-a-mobile-showdown-20111228/?page=1


Total apps
apps-580x232.png


Showcase phones
showcase-phones-580x357.png
 

sand_man

macrumors 6502a
Jun 3, 2011
642
113
Johannesburg, South Africa
That's like asking would you rather be eaten by a shark or a crocodile....

----------

Having said that I think I would go windows. Android is over rated IMHO!!! Too convoluted!! Providers of software and technology need to acknowledge that simplicity is key and design their products accordingly.....

Maybe not the best example but I remember once seeing a high end amplifier and all it had was an on/off switch!!!
 

ilifecomputer

macrumors 6502
Feb 9, 2005
391
100
CA
WP7 is pure joy to use. +1 for wp7 for pretty much all the positive reasons those above me have mentioned.

I decided to take an iBreak for a while and completely in love with the buttery smooth UI wp7 offers. The apps are great, the battery management is top notch on my device, and the way social applications are baked into the actual OS is beautiful.
 

Mochi Hana

macrumors 6502a
Jul 30, 2010
532
1
Texas
I think I'd go with Windows Phone 7. The Metro interface is nice and I've had problems with my Android handset.
 

clark85

macrumors newbie
Nov 16, 2011
23
0
Since you are able to get iOS, get iOS. But if you would really have to choose between those two choices I would go for android. Their selection of phones just seems much better.
 

deuxani

macrumors 6502a
Sep 2, 2010
709
743
The problem with Android is that only now with 4.0 the OS seems to look and feel like an unified OS. Before 4.0 it felt too "open-sourcy" with every default app looked like it was developed, and especially designed, by a different team with a different vision. Now with the arrival of Mattias Duarte, the entire OS becomes more as one in design terms. But the third party apps still all look and feel like sandboxes and there seems no connection, UI and UX wise, with the OS. And this is even worse with all the customizations that the likes of Samsung, HTC, Sony and LG built in.

On the other hand, WP has one design idea and also the third party apps look and feel like they are part of the OS. WP is more iOS like in that aspect. But the biggest flaw is that it's almost completely text based. Your mind doesn't work and think in text, but in images. So to translate all the text labels to images makes it less userfriendly. Also, with many apps the actual (scrollable) content is very small (sometimes even 1/3 of the screen) as the huge text label on top takes up so much space. Also, the limitations of the OS limit the manufacturers to innovate. No high res screens and multiple core support till the end of the year, while Android and Apple will come with quad cores very soon and retina displays are here for a long time.

If I had to choose today, I would probably go for the Galaxy Nexus as it's stock Android, update friendly and it has this huge screen with 720p resolution. But the Nokia Lumia 900 would be a close second.
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
When you look at mobile OS history prior to iOS had burst into the scene, Windows Mobile might have been more functional and far more customizable than Windows Phone of today. Sometimes being TOO SIMPLE can have its limitations and that's what Windows Phone can be similar to what iPhone users are used to. Android is catering more to folks who need more personal control. At least the Nexus line anyway. I can't speak for many of the carriers and OEM's who pretty much don't always give Android users that freedom.

I see Android as the latest gen of sorta what WinMo and Symbian used to be when they ruled the roost pre-2007. A bit complicated, but sometimes the work for it can be worth it and sometimes not which might even weaken the experience. True, the masses don't have time to tinker and meddle with their phone. They want one that just works. But the uber-geeks is also what pushes this industry to newer innovation. While Microsoft has mimicked Apple's more disciplined approach, strict and more uniformed hardware requirements, and providing a similar ecosystem but going with a different direction with the UI. The irony is while Android Inc existed before iPhone was ever introduced, it really was supposed to clone BlackBerry OS. Then it went a different route and looks more like iOS and perhaps more of what the next gen of WinMo and Symbian would look like today with the latter being open source too. Even the new Anna on Symbian copies iOS.
 

Merkie

macrumors 68020
Oct 23, 2008
2,121
735
Nice story, but a completely untrue myth.

https://plus.google.com/105051985738280261832/posts/XAZ4CeVP6DC



Some handsets do have some lag issues, but not because of why you suggested.

Phazer

Still, WP7 and iOS are a lot smoother than Android, even compared to ICS. It's not just the frame rate, it's also the instantaneous response iOS and WP7 give which Android does not.

http://www.redmondpie.com/heres-why-androids-ui-will-never-be-as-smooth-as-ios-or-windows-phone-7/
 

AppleMacDudeG4

macrumors member
Apr 16, 2011
81
0
Neither

I would choose not to have a smart phone period. I like my iPhone and would never choose either of those two. Like Steve would say, "they are s*#t".
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
One thing I like about WP over Android is even their lesser popular models can be just as good as their more popular ones. Take the LG Quantum for instance. That is probably just as smooth and quick as most Android phones from 2010 and early 2011. Thanks to the strict and uniformed system requirements, the OS experience remains consistent across all the devices. You rarely see a drop off from one WP to the next with the exception of the hardware differences. With Android, it could go from downright awful to excellent.

I remember playing around with the first Galaxy S from 2010 just recently at a phone shop that sells many second hand phones. I compared it with my Focus which was way more responsive and smoother. Now remember these phones came out in the same year with the GS coming out only a few months earlier. Android was already in its third gen while WP was its first. Yet, the Windows Phone from the first gen could still smoke the very first Galaxy S phone and hold up well to phones of today. I just feel if iOS already graduated college, Android is still a high school senior that WP is like a pretty high school sophomore still figuring how to get its driver's license. It's apps and basic features is still missing because it is still green.

I feel Android becomes dated after a few months while even a WP from Nov 2010 can hold up much better vs its successors. Many Androids just don't hold up well very long. iPhones and Windows Phones can age like fine wine while Android phones ages like spoiled milk. Think back to the original iPhone. Now that phone was a classic but obviously it has its limitations now being it was announced like five years ago and can't go further than 3.1.3. But you take every phone from 2007 and that first iPhone holds up the best. Not the Nokia N95. Why? Smooth touchscreen for its time, beautiful OS, and the apps. What WP really needs is those apps.
 

sk1wbw

Suspended
May 28, 2011
3,483
1,010
Williamsburg, Virginia
I would choose not to have a smart phone period. I like my iPhone and would never choose either of those two. Like Steve would say, "they are s*#t".

I would probably agree with you here. I've used both and really, honestly, it's more than just how the UI looks. What are you gonna do all day, customize the UI and just look at? These things are more like what the PDA should have been so you have to look at the apps and ecosystem. Neither WP7 nor Android has this as well as the iOS ecosystem.

I would most likely not use either one.
 

Calidude

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2010
1,730
0
I would choose not to have a smart phone period. I like my iPhone and would never choose either of those two. Like Steve would say, "they are s*#t".

I would probably agree with you here. I've used both and really, honestly, it's more than just how the UI looks. What are you gonna do all day, customize the UI and just look at? These things are more like what the PDA should have been so you have to look at the apps and ecosystem. Neither WP7 nor Android has this as well as the iOS ecosystem.

I would most likely not use either one.
Oh look, 2 more people that can't understand the question and instead post answers that are completely useless to this thread. :rolleyes:

Do you people not understand that your posts show that you can't even follow simple directions like any normal adult is able to?
 

applefanDrew

macrumors 65816
Jul 17, 2010
1,437
4
Honest question here...As I said before I would choose WP7 but how does it handle notifications? Like when I'm looking at Facebook and I get an instagram notification...on iOS it rolls in and out at the top (iOS 5). How would WP7 handle this situation with a notification? Thanks for an answer!
 

AlvinNguyen

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2010
820
3
WP - Android lags so much - even on their newest device - I had the Galaxy S2 for a bit and I hated it. Same with their tablets.
 
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