If you HAD to choose between Windows or Android Phone which would you choose and why?

[ChazUK]

ICS is definitely better. It's the apps that are often the problem.

If only developers would use the guidelines google have published on since the lunch of ICS (I'm looking at you Instagram with your almost straight iOS port).

During the whole of Windows Phone's short life it appears to me that Microsoft really learned from the positives of iOS (swift updates, app consistency, vetted app store, standardised hardware requirement) and the negatives to Android (Fractured updates, inconsistencies with applications, eclectic hardware designs) and they've even tried to cater to the tinkerer with their work with the Chevron WP7 stuff.

They certainly get praise from me with what they're trying to achieve.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Since I already have a Samsung Focus, I'd have to say WP7. My girlfriends' experience with her Droid X left a horrible taste in my mouth when it comes to Android.

 

[ixodes]

Currently I own all smartphone platforms, and have for some time. If I was forced to choose, I'd still keep my iP4S, and add an Android phone. I like the ability to customize it to my liking, a true advantage based on my smartphone workflow patterns.

I'd pass on the Windows Phone 7, since I strongly dislike the appearance of the UI. The large "People/Facebook tile, as well as the XBox tile, are wasted space since I don't use either. In fact I will never use either, and I don't need to be reminded of them when looking at the display. The only reason I bought one, was to try it out since I'm open to try any new platform or device.

 

[0dev]

Android. It's very customisable, has a lot of developer support, and is available on a lot of different hardware. Plus, there are a lot of excellent custom ROMs. It's fantastic for nerds like me who enjoy tweaking their systems.

WP7 is a decent OS and it has a very nice looking and smooth UI to boot, but it's just not got that support and it's not as open IMO.

 

[DingleButt]

Currently I own all smartphone platforms, and have for some time. If I was forced to choose, I'd still keep my iP4S, and add an Android phone. I like the ability to customize it to my liking, a true advantage based on my smartphone workflow patterns.

I'd pass on the Windows Phone 7, since I strongly dislike the appearance of the UI. The large "People/Facebook tile, as well as the XBox tile, are wasted space since I don't use either. In fact I will never use either, and I don't need to be reminded of them when looking at the display. The only reason I bought one, was to try it out since I'm open to try any new platform or device.

Fair enough on your preference of the Tiled Metro interface

But for the other part just remove the tiles if you dont want to see them. I would think you would need the People app once in a while though since its the phones contact list.

 

[Wrathwitch]

I'd pick my iPhone.

Way to understand the question.

That's like asking would you rather be eaten by a shark or a crocodile....

So, which would you rather be eaten by?
----------

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!!!

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".

Glad to know that one person can dictate to you your entire preferences. To limit yourself because one choice is undesirable makes one wonder how some of you people get along in real life.

Oh look, 2 more people that can't understand the question and instead post answers that are completely useless to this thread.

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

God Bless you!

Actually I understand the question fine. It is just a ridiculous question ( especially on this forum) that assumes we only have a choice of two types of phones.
As a previous poster posted would you go on the BMW sight and ask "Would you buy a mercedes or a ford"?
And then you wasted your time and possibly inebriation, to post a scathing response about my "useless" post, by posting one of your own.

My question is no more ridiculous than any other here, and I found a lot of answers here very informative regarding the competetion, which in turn has also fostered an interest in knowing what is all out there. I agree the person possibly did waste his inebriation on that posting since your answer was childish enough to turn anyone sober.

Android Sucks. Several friends of mine have them and the Android phones seem choppy and awkward. The lay out is difficult to navigate, nothing is clearly marked. I just hate it.

Windows phone is awkward as well. I hate it more than the android. The choice of Android or Windows phone is like choosing between getting punched in the balls or kicked in the face with a steel toed boot. You loose either way.

Viva iPhone!

I find it interesting that people seem to fail to realize that although in the computer industry, there really is only 2 EASY choices for consumers, Windows (blech) and OSX (Unix derivative). Others like Unbuntu and other Linux based systems are not so familiar.

Is it not really wonderful that the OS for mobile phones have such a variety that if you do get bored, or hate one kind, that there is likely another one that you might enjoy quite alot instead of being forced to either iOS or Android?

Didn't even know this tread went as far as it did. Thanks for the replies guys, I did actually learn alot.

 

[Macist]

Android. I had the HTC Desire before my iPhone. Nowhere near as good, but the HTC was alright. I didn't hate it.

So if I couldn't have an iPhone I'd go Android as WP would feel like taking a risk on getting something i might hate.

 

[Stella]

I'd have to try them both more in depth.. battery life is a biggy.

A smartphone OS could be extraordinarily good but if the hardware it runs on has poor battery life.. whats the point?

 

[*LTD*]

Choosing between Android and WP7 at *this* time?

Simple. Android. At least Google is a company that doesn't take ages to move in the industry, and I'd be very careful about putting time, money and energy into a platform whose future is seriously in question.

MS is on a slow and steady downward decline. The industry and consumers have moved on.

 

[Tarzanman]

Choosing between Android and WP7 at *this* time?

Simple. Android. At least Google is a company that doesn't take ages to move in the industry, and I'd be very careful about putting time, money and energy into a platform whose future is seriously in question.

MS is on a slow and steady downward decline. The industry and consumers have moved on.

That's a pretty inaccurate perspective, which par for the course when you post.

Microsoft has entered a saturated mobile market with a product that is currently less powerful and less featured than its competitors.

There is only one manufacturer for iPhone, but everyone else and their mom seems to have put out an android device. Customer aren't quite hurting for choice. Even if they dont' like ios or android then they can go with blackberry or even WebOS.

Windows Phone is closing the gap as fast as they can, but in the meantime Microsoft has to fight tooth and nail for every single user. They have the smoke my phone challenge where they essentially give phones away and they have been flying young devs en masse to their HQ in order to entice them to write apps for the platform.

They are throwing a ton of money at the effort, and they are actually ahead of Apple and Google in one respect... the upcoming full integration of windows phone with windows 8. Apple is making efforts to do this with iOS/MacOS and Google is years behind with ChromeOS.

It is silly and short sighted to discount Microsoft's efforts. They might not have as much cash on hand anymore as Apple, but they still maintain the single greatest hegemony of software on desktops and notebooks in the entire world.

If you write software for a living then you probably pay attention to what microsoft does because even if it doesn't affect your end product, it probably affects the platform upon which you develop your end product.

Also, as many people have point out.... Windows Phone does not suck. Uptick will be slow, but there are plenty of people who don't want an iphone, and don't want to learn android. Android manufacturers are trying to respond to the last one, but only time will tell if they can still offer what the savvy and non saavy extremes of the smartphone-buying-demographic want.

 

[eric/]

Probably go with Android. Not too trusting of Microsoft I'm the mobile market just yet.

 

[rrl]

1.5gen devices have slow to activate WiFi (imagine turning on your iphone and it took 5-7 seconds for a WiFi connection to be made...)

Meaningless information and not true for 7.5. My Lumia 800 connects to WiFi faster than any device in my house. And I have plenty of them.

 

[*LTD*]

Also, as many people have point out.... Windows Phone does not suck. Uptick will be slow, but there are plenty of people who don't want an iphone, and don't want to learn android. Android manufacturers are trying to respond to the last one, but only time will tell if they can still offer what the savvy and non saavy extremes of the smartphone-buying-demographic want.

Waiting with baited breath for those "plenty of people" to move to WP7.

Apple and Google are splitting the industry between them, with MS having nothing to offer but a brutally late entrant into a saturated market that has been doing poorly for well over a year (WP7, that is, not the market.) Current hilariously, uproariously noobish and downright embarrassing ad-campaigns from MS and that other turkey Nokia, aren't helping. Add to that the godawful mess that is MS" Windows 8 strategy moving forward, and you've got all the makings of "too little, too late." Zune-like.

If you want to put your time and money into growth platforms, it's Android and iOS. On the PC side, MS will be losing a lot more customers in an already troubled PC market. They've already handed the future of personal computing to Apple.

Stick around to read the industry news for the next 5-7 years. You'll quickly learn that it's All About Apple™. Google can snatch up what's left.

 

[hawk1410]

I like Windows Phone better than Android, but stock Android 4.0 is pretty good. And on top of that disappointing screen resolutions, no current WP7 phone has decent hardware specs(mostly screen resolution i am concerned about). And the App ecosystem is kinda lacking i guess. But I really like Nokia's Lumia series. If i had to choose this is how i would rate them -

future Windows Phone device with a decent screen res(a nokia) --->Stock Anrdoid 4.0(galaxy nexus) --->WP7(The 4in Nokia Lumia)---->Any other Android.

 

[Rennir]

WP7 for sure, just based on aesthetics and functionality of the OS. If I were to consider future of the platform and available apps though, Android my win.

As much as I hate I admit it, LTD actually has a valid point about Microsoft being late to the game--again. This could be another Zune situation.

 

[boss.king]

WP7 for sure, just based on aesthetics and functionality of the OS. If I were to consider future of the platform and available apps though, Android my win.

As much as I hate I admit it, LTD actually has a valid point about Microsoft being late to the game--again. This could be another Zune situation.

No he doesn't. MSFT anticipated a slow uptake from the beginning and have planned ahead to stick it out for as long as it takes. They're pushing the boundaries with Windows 8 in a way I expected Apple to a long time ago, and good for them for being ballsy enough to do it. As for ads, I'm not a fan of the Nokia campaign but the Smoked By Windows Phone campaign is brilliant.

 

[ChazUK]

As for ads, I'm not a fan of the Nokia campaign but the Smoked By Windows Phone campaign is brilliant.

From a personal perspective, I can not stand "Smoked by Windows Phone" because to me as a user, saving a few seconds on posting or tagging a picture to Facebook for example pales in comparison to the features and applications other platforms bring.

Apple's "there's an app for that" campaign was far more effective at showing the diverse amount of useful applications out there. App support is something that Microsoft is working on but it does annoy me to see things like Dropbox absent or a true, first party YouTube app missing from Windows Phone.

 

[boss.king]

From a personal perspective, I can not stand "Smoked by Windows Phone" because to me as a user, saving a few seconds on posting or tagging a picture to Facebook for example pales in comparison to the features and applications other platforms bring.

Apple's "there's an app for that" campaign was far more effective at showing the diverse amount of useful applications out there. App support is something that Microsoft is working on but it does annoy me to see things like Dropbox absent or a true, first party YouTube app missing from Windows Phone.

What you say about the apps is true, there are a few I miss from iOS, but the Smoked By Windows Phone campaign is very good at demonstrating the key strength of the platform: it lets you get the job done faster than the competition. That's all it set out to prove, and it's doing it by the truckload.

The There's An App For That campaign demonstrated heaps of good apps, but that was/is Apples biggest strength. MSFT isn't going to try take on Apple with App Store because Apple dominates there, they're going to show off what makes their phones unique.

 

[ChazUK]

What you say about the apps is true, there are a few I miss from iOS, but the Smoked By Windows Phone campaign is very good at demonstrating the key strength of the platform: it lets you get the job done faster than the competition. That's all it set out to prove, and it's doing it by the truckload.

The There's An App For That campaign demonstrated heaps of good apps, but that was/is Apples biggest strength. MSFT isn't going to try take on Apple with App Store because Apple dominates there, they're going to show off what makes their phones unique.

With some of the challenges, the way the phones are pre-configured (the recent episode with Sahas Katta and the weather challenge is one example) is another aspect that puts me off. Having two weather tiles set up on an a Windows Phone would make my HTC Titan lose that challenge automatically because I only have a local weather widget configured. Should a Windows Phone be able to "smoke" a Windows Phone?

Why aren't Microsoft focusing on promoting SkyDrive? The excellent Zune Pass service? The Zune media player/synchronisation software on Windows which had Wifi Sync before the competition (ahem Apple)? Office integration? And the biggie, XBOX Live integration? I know so many hardcore XBOX gamers which aren't even interested in WP and I think that MS should be promoting heavily to those people.

There is so much good about the platform that I think is being pushed back thanks to Smoked by WP.

 

[boss.king]

With some of the challenges, the way the phones are pre-configured (the recent episode with Sahas Katta and the weather challenge is one example) is another aspect that puts me off. Having two weather tiles set up on an a Windows Phone would make my HTC Titan lose that challenge automatically because I only have a local weather widget configured. Should a Windows Phone be able to "smoke" a Windows Phone?

Why aren't Microsoft focusing on promoting SkyDrive? The excellent Zune Pass service? The Zune media player/synchronisation software on Windows which had Wifi Sync before the competition (ahem Apple)? Office integration? And the biggie, XBOX Live integration? I know so many hardcore XBOX gamers which aren't even interested in WP and I think that MS should be promoting heavily to those people.

There is so much good about the platform that I think is being pushed back thanks to Smoked by WP.

Those are good points, and hopefully in future MSFT will put some of the spotlight on those features, because as you say they should be promoting those as well.

The incident with the weather challenge was unfortunate, and I agree that it should be based on challenges that all Windows phones can shine at equally, but on the whole I still think the campaign is doing a lot of good for the platform. It's getting people interested in what Windows Phone is all about.

 

[calb]

Windows Phone.

My mum recently switched to a Nokia Lumia 800 (after a HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy Ace which were both riddled with issues) and it's an excellent phone. The hardware is lovely – particularly the glass 'bubble'. The software is fluid, responsive, and (most importantly for my mum) much much easier to use.

I'm still sat on my iPhone 4, but the Lumia 800 is the only phone to have caught my interest outside Apple's offerings. Will I switch to a WP handset in the months to come? I'm very tempted, and I'll be watching developments with interest. Will I switch to Android? It would take a lot of convincing.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Android because I dislike Google less than I dislike Microsoft.

 

[*LTD*]

that's a pretty inaccurate perspective, which par for the course when you post.

Microsoft has entered a saturated mobile market with a product that is currently less powerful and less featured than its competitors.

There is only one manufacturer for iphone, but everyone else and their mom seems to have put out an android device. Customer aren't quite hurting for choice. Even if they dont' like ios or android then they can go with blackberry or even webos.

Windows phone is closing the gap as fast as they can, but in the meantime microsoft has to fight tooth and nail for every single user. They have the smoke my phone challenge where they essentially give phones away and they have been flying young devs en masse to their hq in order to entice them to write apps for the platform.

They are throwing a ton of money at the effort, and they are actually ahead of apple and google in one respect... The upcoming full integration of windows phone with windows 8. Apple is making efforts to do this with ios/macos and google is years behind with chromeos.

It is silly and short sighted to discount microsoft's efforts. They might not have as much cash on hand anymore as apple, but they still maintain the single greatest hegemony of software on desktops and notebooks in the entire world.

If you write software for a living then you probably pay attention to what microsoft does because even if it doesn't affect your end product, it probably affects the platform upon which you develop your end product.

Also, as many people have point out.... Windows phone does not suck. Uptick will be slow, but there are plenty of people who don't want an iphone, and don't want to learn android. Android manufacturers are trying to respond to the last one, but only time will tell if they can still offer what the savvy and non saavy extremes of the smartphone-buying-demographic want.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/17/nokia-telcos-idusl6e8fg4cy20120417

http://www.neowin.net/news/euro-mobile-operators-lumia-handsets-are-not-good-enough

euro mobile operators: Lumia handsets are not good enough

the launch last week of the nokia lumia 900 in the us was greeted with some better than expected sales, despite a software issue that nokia quickly fixed. However, a new reuters report claims that a number of wireless carriers in europe are not happy with the sales of the lumia line since the first, the lumia 800, launched in november.

The article, which cites unnamed executives and representatives from europe's leading wireless carriers, claims that those operators that have sold the lumia products are unhappy with their price points as well as a perceived lack of innovation in the phones. One was quoted as saying, "if they could lower the price we think they could sell more. It might be worth making it a bit of a loss leader to get it out of the door. It's not rocket science."

another telco representative, from a network that has sold both the lumia 800 and 710 in its stores, states, "no one comes into the store and asks for a windows phone", adding that "if the lumia with the same hardware came with android in it and not windows, it would be much easier to sell."

one executive stated, "ultimately, nokia and windows are challengers and they either need to come to market with a really disruptive, innovative product or a huge marketing budget to create client demand. So far they have done neither."

the report highlights the scale of the challenge that nokia and microsoft face together in their aim to become the 'third ecosystem' - and without the mobile networks on their side, it's not going to get any easier.

... ...



one executive stated, "ultimately, nokia and windows are challengers and they either need to come to market with a really disruptive, innovative product or a huge marketing budget to create client demand. So far they have done neither."

^^^^

That.

 

[Tarzanman]

... ...
one executive stated, "ultimately, nokia and windows are challengers and they either need to come to market with a really disruptive, innovative product or a huge marketing budget to create client demand. So far they have done neither."
^^^^
That.

I can read articles too:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/17/european-carriers-turn-on-nokia-and-its-lumia-phones/

Meanwhile, AT&T claims to be having a different experience in the U.S., having gone to unusual lengths to market the Lumia 900 (even if that recent Time Square fandango was all Nokia) and now seeing it sell out in "many stores."That proactive approach appears to contrast with the attitude taken by some of Reuters's European insiders, who insist that all they can do is "open our stores to [Nokia] and train our staff to sell the phones."

Shocker. Europe can't sell a product that they haven't bothered to market or advertise. Do you need me to explain what a "saturated market" is to you?

 

[ChazUK]

I can read articles too:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/17/european-carriers-turn-on-nokia-and-its-lumia-phones/



Shocker. Europe can't sell a product that they haven't bothered to market or advertise. Do you need me to explain what a "saturated market" is to you?

Europe cant be bothered to market or advertise the Lumia line of handsets?

It's not the responsibility of European carriers to put up the cash needed to do that. Shouldn't you be blaming Nokia and Microsoft for not marketing Windows Phone well enough to entice consumers?

Operators say that if Nokia would cut the prices on phones, and if Microsoft and Nokia would spend considerable marketing dollars, they might be able to sell more Lumia phones. But so far, the price cuts and marketing haven't arrived the way the operators want..

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