I've had a 920 for a few days and I'm really torn

[Cod3rror]

You are not "torn" you have a "thorn" it's called Windows Phone. Return it and get a real smartphone phone.


Or else... couple of more great points about Windows Phone...

Cannot select individual letters in a word for copying or cutting
No Orientation lock
No Notifications menu
No Background audio(from video, i.e. cannot start a video from YouTube and make the audio from video continue playing in the background)
Tile and app list positions aren’t remembered when returning to it, you always start from the beginning(top)
No music player equalizers
No Player seeking/scrubbing… video player skips in 20 second intervals and for the audio player, you have to press-hold-wait… good luck doing that with long songs.
No wallpaper support on the homescreen
Cannot download backup installation files(ipa, apk) so you can install them later offline, you are completely dependent on Microsoft.
No IE Sync(bookmarks, history, tabs)

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

Going to windows phone is like jumping back to 2008. Like I said, great hardware on the 920 (i was tempted by it), but when I look at the functionality of the device in my life and what I need it for, I have to unfortunately pass. It was between the 920 and the Note 2 in the store on Saturday.

 

[Akash.B]

I'm pretty sure the Lumia has a ton of equalizers, and you can skim just fine in video.

I know it's lacking in some areas, but I'm pretty sure they will all be ironed out pretty soon. Microsoft is already working on a unified notification center

 

[gotzero]

Citibank, united airlines, Dropbox, tunein radio are a few that I use quite a bit traveling that are missing.

All of which work in the browser...

I am loving my 920. Legit Microsoft office, a maps (and navigation) app that let me download the entire US for free and it is integrated with the OS, separate mailbox indicators, customizable, does not drop calls...

I do not play games or consume music/movies/TV on my phone, but from the productivity side, this was the platform I was waiting for.

There are some battery shenanigans, but I think the issue is the battery meter, not the battery. It seems to drop down really fast and then continue running for hours of use once it looks like it is losing its charge.

I can see how this might not be for everyone, but this was clearly the right phone for me. I am thrilled it came out and I am glad to be able to support someone actually innovating in the phone space.

EDIT: I almost forgot Internet sharing. I cannot believe that one made it on there...

 

[Vegastouch]

You are not "torn" you have a "thorn" it's called Windows Phone. Return it and get a real smartphone phone.


Or else... couple of more great points about Windows Phone...

Cannot select individual letters in a word for copying or cutting
No Orientation lock
No Notifications menu
No Background audio(from video, i.e. cannot start a video from YouTube and make the audio from video continue playing in the background)
Tile and app list positions aren’t remembered when returning to it, you always start from the beginning(top)
No music player equalizers
No Player seeking/scrubbing… video player skips in 20 second intervals and for the audio player, you have to press-hold-wait… good luck doing that with long songs.
No wallpaper support on the homescreen
Cannot download backup installation files(ipa, apk) so you can install them later offline, you are completely dependent on Microsoft.
No IE Sync(bookmarks, history, tabs)

Some of these are petty things.

Not sure im understanding the no background audio. Why would you need that from youtube?
Wallpaper support is on the lockscreen. If you had it on the homescreen, it would be a mess with the live tiles.

Have you ever used a windows phone before?

 

[snow blind]

You are not "torn" you have a "thorn" it's called Windows Phone. Return it and get a real smartphone phone.


Or else... couple of more great points about Windows Phone...

Cannot select individual letters in a word for copying or cutting
No Orientation lock
No Notifications menu
No Background audio(from video, i.e. cannot start a video from YouTube and make the audio from video continue playing in the background)
Tile and app list positions aren’t remembered when returning to it, you always start from the beginning(top)
No music player equalizers
No Player seeking/scrubbing… video player skips in 20 second intervals and for the audio player, you have to press-hold-wait… good luck doing that with long songs.
No wallpaper support on the homescreen
Cannot download backup installation files(ipa, apk) so you can install them later offline, you are completely dependent on Microsoft.
No IE Sync(bookmarks, history, tabs)

All this guys posts lately have been anti-windows... surprise... he doesn't like the 920

 

[Cod3rror]

Some of these are petty things.

Not sure im understanding the no background audio. Why would you need that from youtube?
Wallpaper support is on the lockscreen. If you had it on the homescreen, it would be a mess with the live tiles.

Have you ever used a windows phone before?

It's the petty little things that make all the difference in the end.

As for the background audio. I'll give you an example...

Imagine you're on a bus or a train, you turn on a documentary or a lecture from YouTube, it's full of those, hell, even put some music that you do not have on. Then open up Chome and browse the web, or do anything else you want.

Also, again regarding a lecture. Imagine you had to jot something down from YouTube. In Windows phone you'd have to go back and forth all the time because the video stops, in iOS you can just play the video in the background and use the Notes.app to write.

There are many scenarios for why background audio the way iOS does it is awesome!

Centralised audio controls and background audio are very convenient. Not even Android can do this.

Here's a video demo,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwPXIUlAKAo

 

[beyondthepale35]

You are not "torn" you have a "thorn" it's called Windows Phone. Return it and get a real smartphone phone.


Or else... couple of more great points about Windows Phone...

Cannot select individual letters in a word for copying or cutting
No Orientation lock
No Notifications menu
No Background audio(from video, i.e. cannot start a video from YouTube and make the audio from video continue playing in the background)
Tile and app list positions aren’t remembered when returning to it, you always start from the beginning(top)
No music player equalizers
No Player seeking/scrubbing… video player skips in 20 second intervals and for the audio player, you have to press-hold-wait… good luck doing that with long songs.
No wallpaper support on the homescreen
Cannot download backup installation files(ipa, apk) so you can install them later offline, you are completely dependent on Microsoft.
No IE Sync(bookmarks, history, tabs)

Yeah, youre obviously just nitpicking here. Last I checked my Lumia has:
1)a 7 band equalizer
2)video seeking is barely an issue since it skips in 7 second intervals on mine and a fast forward button exists for a reason
3)whoever doesnt listen to songs in their entirety probably listens to crappy music...just saying.
4)whats the point of a wallpaper when you have tiles that cover up the screen? you honestly cant say that the iOS grid is better looking just because you can put some crappy wallpaper on it.
5)Selecting individual letters in a word to copy? really? how about typing the letter again...that and if you hold down on a word a cursor comes up so you can select a specific part of a word.
6)Is it really that hard to scroll down from the top of you start screen? Unless you have 200 apps pinned thats not even an issue.

So that takes away most of your complaints. I mean Id rather have those supposed problems than Apple Maps. Or that antiquated GUI. Instead of spouting crap why don't you let people form their own opinions after using WP8, for me at least it does all that I need it to do in a much more intuitive way than the other operating systems. They're all great, just tired of people hating so much on stuff they barely even take the time to learn about or use for an extended period of time. For 2 years MS has really created a very promising OS, compare that to where Android and iOS were at that time. Its light years ahead. Still have no idea why people want monopolies in the phone market, no one wins in that scenario.

 

[onthecouchagain]

My god is the 820 fat and unwieldy. Isn't the 920 thicker, too?

 

[beyondthepale35]

My god is the 820 fat and unwieldy. Isn't the 920 thicker, too?

I have both at my house right now and neither of them are unwieldy. The 920 is like 6 oz, when did people all of a sudden become malnourished?

 

[watchthisspace]

I have both at my house right now and neither of them are unwieldy. The 920 is like 6 oz, when did people all of a sudden become malnourished?

Since the iPhone 4 The perception for joe consumer is thick phone = bad. I haven't been able to try out the 920 or any Windows Phone 8 device as they're not out yet in my country. Can't wait to!

 

[aznguyen316]

Some of these are petty things.

Not sure im understanding the no background audio. Why would you need that from youtube?
Wallpaper support is on the lockscreen. If you had it on the homescreen, it would be a mess with the live tiles.

Have you ever used a windows phone before?

YouTube has become a huge thorn in the side for the music industry. I read an article recently many people that consume music (teen and twenties mostly) are using youtube and youtube playlists to listen to music rather than downloading/purchasing or subscribing. In this case, load up a yt playlist and play it on your phone as music while doing other tasks. I personally use grooveshark for Android, but this is another viable option to listen to music not commonly found on Rdio or Spotify. Breakbeats and video game music for example.

As for browser options for some apps, dropbox app allows for automatic upload of all pictures taken which is nice, but I'm guessing SkyDrive offers this too. Thing is for me, I have 70GB of dropbox space (thanks to a Galaxy S3 offer of 50GB + referrals).

I personally do not want to see a monopoly and would love to see WP8 get a larger share of the market. However, when it comes to choosing a phone you're going to drop $99-200 on and keep for 2 years, then that's another story of wanting to own one or not. I was very interested in getting an 8x however, a few OS pitfalls that I've read up on have scared me off. I would like a unified notification system. I know live tiles is supposed to take care of that but I don't want every single app I use pinned, there's a reason there's an app list to swipe to... It would be annoying to get a buzz while in a meeting/class and then go back to check only to not have any idea what the toast notification was about.
I also don't like how the volume control is controlled altogether. Listen to music/notifications all that are tied together. Not cool!

 

[Cod3rror]

Yeah, youre obviously just nitpicking here. Last I checked my Lumia has:
1)a 7 band equalizer
2)video seeking is barely an issue since it skips in 7 second intervals on mine and a fast forward button exists for a reason
3)whoever doesnt listen to songs in their entirety probably listens to crappy music...just saying.
4)whats the point of a wallpaper when you have tiles that cover up the screen? you honestly cant say that the iOS grid is better looking just because you can put some crappy wallpaper on it.
5)Selecting individual letters in a word to copy? really? how about typing the letter again...that and if you hold down on a word a cursor comes up so you can select a specific part of a word.
6)Is it really that hard to scroll down from the top of you start screen? Unless you have 200 apps pinned thats not even an issue.

So that takes away most of your complaints. I mean Id rather have those supposed problems than Apple Maps. Or that antiquated GUI. Instead of spouting crap why don't you let people form their own opinions after using WP8, for me at least it does all that I need it to do in a much more intuitive way than the other operating systems. They're all great, just tired of people hating so much on stuff they barely even take the time to learn about or use for an extended period of time. For 2 years MS has really created a very promising OS, compare that to where Android and iOS were at that time. Its light years ahead. Still have no idea why people want monopolies in the phone market, no one wins in that scenario.

All your replies to my points are excuses. "Just don't do it", "You don't need it".

The fact is; other platforms have those features, Windows Phone does not.

I use background audio from YouTube or from other apps a lot, especially at night, before going to sleep, I put on a nice ambient sound, YouTube is full of those and read a book or browse the web, write notes, etc... it's a super handy feature.

And while you skip 7 second intervals in your video(imagine if it was a movie), an iOS/Android user can just grab the lever and scrub through to an exact point that in a second.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

All of which work in the browser...

I am loving my 920. Legit Microsoft office, a maps (and navigation) app that let me download the entire US for free and it is integrated with the OS, separate mailbox indicators, customizable, does not drop calls...

I do not play games or consume music/movies/TV on my phone, but from the productivity side, this was the platform I was waiting for.

There are some battery shenanigans, but I think the issue is the battery meter, not the battery. It seems to drop down really fast and then continue running for hours of use once it looks like it is losing its charge.

I can see how this might not be for everyone, but this was clearly the right phone for me. I am thrilled it came out and I am glad to be able to support someone actually innovating in the phone space.

EDIT: I almost forgot Internet sharing. I cannot believe that one made it on there...

There's a lot you can do on a browser, but if it were the "way" we wouldn't have the need for apps.

 

[beyondthepale35]

You can drag to any point in a video in a second...I dont know where youre getting that you cant do this. And yes, you cant plat youtube in the background but thats something thats not going to be a dealbreaker for the vast majority of people.

 

[Cod3rror]

You can drag to any point in a video in a second...I dont know where youre getting that you cant do this. And yes, you cant plat youtube in the background but thats something thats not going to be a dealbreaker for the vast majority of people.

No you cannot. Show me a demo.

 

[b166er]

No you cannot. Show me a demo.

I just attempted to do this with a youtube video.

If there is a way to do it, I'm not seeing it.

I'm sure that is something that software updates can fix, but for now it's another nail in the 920's coffin.

6 days left to go with my trial.

 

[Akash.B]

I just attempted to do this with a youtube video.

If there is a way to do it, I'm not seeing it.

I'm sure that is something that software updates can fix, but for now it's another nail in the 920's coffin.

6 days left to go with my trial.

I loaded up a movie on my 920 and I can scrub back and forth just fine

 

[b166er]

I loaded up a movie on my 920 and I can scrub back and forth just fine

From where? I can scrub a preloaded movie. I can't scrub YouTube or Netflix.

 

[scott craft]

In regards to youtube I use metrotube on my windows phone and I can scrub to the exact spot in the video I want. I can't do that through the browser. Probably can't do it in audio either, but haven't tried.

 

[beyondthepale35]

Yeah, metrotube is the way to go. You can definitely do it in there. No point in using the stock app.

 

[lordofthereef]

I thought I would add some insite here:

Skype: It's now available on WP8. It is also always on, but running on MS servers not to waste battery. What this means is you can get a skype call or message anytime, anywhere, and it is pushed to the phone. The only time the app is actually draining your battery is when you are physically using it. Best implementation on any device I have used.

Drop Box: While this isn't present, skydrive is essentially a direct clone. Better yet, it's a marriage between drop box and iCloud. Everything the two of those can do, so can skydrive. It's also available on iOS and Android, as well as Windows 8 (coming soon to OSX?) so it's on all platforms. Jumping from drop box to skydrive was really easy. Just had to transfer my files over. But it is, technically, a different service, so I understand the reluctance.

Banking Apps: I honestly never understood the allure of these. Every banking app I have ever used is basically a skin for the bank's mobile site. You can easily drop a pin (kind of like making a link_ to your homescreen to whatever banking you do. The only thing I can think of that this wouldn't support would be depositing checks via taking pics... those would still require the app. I do know BofA is there, and Well's is coming soon though. We are transitioning to BofA since we just moved to an area devoid of Well's and I have had to use the wells website, and really had no problems. I probably would have downloaded the app, had it existed, for the slight addition of convenience, but it is nothing TOO bothersome.

Notes: OneNote is phenomenal. I loved notes and reminders on iOS, so I couldn't imagine something better. Well, onenote takes the cake. It's hard to explain. Even watching a video of it is lackluster to me. I recommend just playing around with it. Full integration with W8 too. It's nice.

Pandora: Gone, although supposedly coming. Nokia Music is VERY good, and ad free. No ability the thumb up or down artists though. Bummer

Hulu Plus: Nonexistent. I hope its coming? Granted, I almost never use it on my mobile devices, but it would still be very nice to have.

----------

From where? I can scrub a preloaded movie. I can't scrub YouTube or Netflix.

Netflix through the Netflix app can be scrubbed, but you have to drop your finger on the small vertical bar. It LOOKS like it can;t be scrubbed into you touch it, then you realize it can.

 

[lordofthereef]

You are not "torn" you have a "thorn" it's called Windows Phone. Return it and get a real smartphone phone.


Or else... couple of more great points about Windows Phone...

Cannot select individual letters in a word for copying or cutting
I am not sure why I would ever want to select individual letters, but if this matters to anyone, your info is correct
No Orientation lock
This is also correct, though I haven't found it to be a problem, at all, at least with the 920. My iPhones would often go into landscape from me laying them down. Not the case with the 920. Still, a valid point
No Notifications menu
There is actually an app in the works for this. And I agree, it's a problem. I think the idea is setting up your live tiles properly. If you do that, you shouldn't NEED notifications, but they would be nice to have.
No Background audio(from video, i.e. cannot start a video from YouTube and make the audio from video continue playing in the background)
I am pretty sure this can't be done with iOS either with YouTube. At least I haven't had success with it on my 4S. But anyway, metrotube allows it.
Tile and app list positions aren’t remembered when returning to it, you always start from the beginning(top)
This is inaccurate, at least on WP8 L920. I JUST tested it. Scrolled to the bottom, locked, unlocked, it was still at the very bottom. Just checked again after I typed this. Still at the bottom.
No music player equalizers
L920 has them... and so does the HTC 8x, though I don't THINK it is a WP8 standard thing. Anyway, it works well on the 920. Has some decent presets too.
No Player seeking/scrubbing… video player skips in 20 second intervals and for the audio player, you have to press-hold-wait… good luck doing that with long songs.
This is slightly annoying, but holding down your finger, even on a long song isn't as bad as you make it sound. But I agree. It needs scrubbing baked into the OS.
No wallpaper support on the homescreen
This is a love/hate sort of thing. There is no room to see a wallpaper, the way that WP is designed. If you don't like that, you don't like that. My point is throwing a wallpaper up there wouldn't do a whole lot because it would be completely covered.
Cannot download backup installation files(ipa, apk) so you can install them later offline, you are completely dependent on Microsoft.
Correct, although I am not sure how much of a problem this is for the average user. Valid point though. The option would be nice.
No IE Sync(bookmarks, history, tabs)
This is probably what I miss the most. Not going to justify this in any way LOL. Even basic users I know use this feature on other OS's.

Responses in bold, plus I would like to add a few.

No "Do Not Disturb" function. I know iOS just got this, and it was long overdue. I still get alerts at night. What's worse is I cannot put my phone on JUST silent. It's either vie or ring+vibe.

No custom text sounds to contacts. Also cannot add your own text sounds. You get a list of maybe ten, and that's all you get to work with. Huge bummer for those who text a lot.

Multitasker is lacking. There is no real intuitive way to kill an app. You basically just have to "bak out" of it. It also seems limited to maybe 7-8 apps before it starts killing the oldest app. When you are hopping from music, to browsing, to notes, etc. this fills up pretty fast. Conversely, IOS keeps going until the end of time. I wish there was a happy medium, or perhaps a user definable medium. That would be neat.

That's all for now.

 

[Vegastouch]

I thought I would add some insite here:

Skype: It's now available on WP8. It is also always on, but running on MS servers not to waste battery. What this means is you can get a skype call or message anytime, anywhere, and it is pushed to the phone. The only time the app is actually draining your battery is when you are physically using it. Best implementation on any device I have used.

Drop Box: While this isn't present, skydrive is essentially a direct clone. Better yet, it's a marriage between drop box and iCloud. Everything the two of those can do, so can skydrive. It's also available on iOS and Android, as well as Windows 8 (coming soon to OSX?) so it's on all platforms. Jumping from drop box to skydrive was really easy. Just had to transfer my files over. But it is, technically, a different service, so I understand the reluctance.

Banking Apps: I honestly never understood the allure of these. Every banking app I have ever used is basically a skin for the bank's mobile site. You can easily drop a pin (kind of like making a link_ to your homescreen to whatever banking you do. The only thing I can think of that this wouldn't support would be depositing checks via taking pics... those would still require the app. I do know BofA is there, and Well's is coming soon though. We are transitioning to BofA since we just moved to an area devoid of Well's and I have had to use the wells website, and really had no problems. I probably would have downloaded the app, had it existed, for the slight addition of convenience, but it is nothing TOO bothersome.

Notes: OneNote is phenomenal. I loved notes and reminders on iOS, so I couldn't imagine something better. Well, onenote takes the cake. It's hard to explain. Even watching a video of it is lackluster to me. I recommend just playing around with it. Full integration with W8 too. It's nice.

Pandora: Gone, although supposedly coming. Nokia Music is VERY good, and ad free. No ability the thumb up or down artists though. Bummer

Hulu Plus: Nonexistent. I hope its coming? Granted, I almost never use it on my mobile devices, but it would still be very nice to have.

----------



Netflix through the Netflix app can be scrubbed, but you have to drop your finger on the small vertical bar. It LOOKS like it can;t be scrubbed into you touch it, then you realize it can.

That is actually great to hear about Skype. Wish i could leave mine on all the time on my GS3.,.though ive never tried it. My Wife has a Windows phone, though it isnt a WP8. She has Skype on it but doesnt leave it on all the time. Wonder if she could and not lose battery life. She has a HTC phone and the battery sux bad enough already.?

Skydrive sounds great . I just dont have a Microsoft account yet. Ill try it at some point...probably if Dropbox wants me to pay after my two years is up.

I really like the new Windows phones.

 

[lordofthereef]

That is actually great to hear about Skype. Wish i could leave mine on all the time on my GS3.,.though ive never tried it. My Wife has a Windows phone, though it isnt a WP8. She has Skype on it but doesnt leave it on all the time. Wonder if she could and not lose battery life. She has a HTC phone and the battery sux bad enough already.?

The app isn't strictly in the background. It is on Windows servers. I am not sure how this is handled on WP7.x, but I do know the apps are different than in WP8. Hope that makes sense.

----------

Skydrive sounds great . I just dont have a Microsoft account yet. Ill try it at some point...probably if Dropbox wants me to pay after my two years is up.

It really is very good. And to be available on all three major smartphone OS is awesome. I believe it is unavailable, as an app, on OSX currently, though you can still access things by logging in online. Being that it is available on iOS, I am sure it is coming to OSX.