Windows Phone 8 people

[thehustleman]

Quick question, what are killer features on this platform?

I'm thinking of trying it out even though I typically don't like closed platforms I don't like to badmouth something I never owned myself.

What's to offer besides texts translation, Windows wallet, and live tiles?


Thanks in advance

 

[ChazUK]

Skydrive integration.
Xbox live.
Microsoft office support built in.
Integrated contracts and feeds from Facebook/twitter.

If you go Nokia, it goes further.
Nokia Here Maps+ (worldwide offline navigation)
Nokia Music.

If you heavily rely on anything Google it may be a pain though. I manage with most of it though.

 

[thehustleman]

Skydrive integration.
Xbox live.
Microsoft office support built in.
Integrated contracts and feeds from Facebook/twitter.

If you go Nokia, it goes further.
Nokia Here Maps+ (worldwide offline navigation)
Nokia Music.

If you heavily rely on anything Google it may be a pain though. I manage with most of it though.

What would I be missing from android?
Do they take screen shots and how?

 

[ChazUK]

Missing from android...

Google maps navigation, native Google music, some applications (instragram and dropbox spring to mind). Not masses to be honest. Gaming can be the one big weakness.

Screenshots can be taken by pushing the power and start buttons together.
Which handset would you be replacing with which if you did go through with it?

 

[chagla]

Well, windows phone X experience is generally similar even when you switch your device (nokia, htc or lg phones). WP is fast and very different from both IOS and Android. there are limited number of apps but it's growing. so if you can live with that, give it a try. WP is very fast, very very easy to use.

i'd recommend a Nokia handset.

 

[thehustleman]

Missing from android...

Google maps navigation, native Google music, some applications (instragram and dropbox spring to mind). Not masses to be honest. Gaming can be the one big weakness.

Screenshots can be taken by pushing the power and start buttons together.
Which handset would you be replacing with which if you did go through with it?

I'm thinking of a lumia 822 or htc 8X if I can find a used one at a good price

 

[sentinelsx]

I would say its the small things that can also get you...

Like a single system wide volume control. Put phone on silent and your media follows. Same for other apps. One setting controls all. Annoying.

Or scrubbing by pressing and holding the forward/rewind buttons instead of a scrubber. Another annoying thing.

Small things like that, which you start to take as granted on other platforms can quickly creep up to annoying level and make the experience bad.

I would give wp8 more time, may be a year more, to further refine and get better.

 

[thehustleman]

I would say its the small things that can also get you...

Like a single system wide volume control. Put phone on silent and your media follows. Same for other apps. One setting controls all. Annoying.

Or scrubbing by pressing and holding the forward/rewind buttons instead of a scrubber. Another annoying thing.

Small things like that, which you start to take as granted on other platforms can quickly creep up to annoying level and make the experience bad.

I would give wp8 more time, may be a year more, to further refine and get better.

Interesting.

Didn't know about the system wide volume control

 

[Missjenna]

I had the lumia 920 a while back and I loved it, but couldn't get over a few things.

-The volume control
-There is no 'silent' ringtone (I applied a ringtone to all of my contacts, but any unknown number would be silent), You have to download one of the ringtone apps from the app store, download the silent ringtone and then apply it.
- The lack of apps. I almost strictly use waze as my gps, but it wasn't available on wp8.

I miss the UI though. Probably my favorite out of all the phones i've owned.

 

[siurpeeman]

that the volume controls were tied to both ringer volume and system volume never made sense to me. is it still like this in windows phone 8?

 

[otismotive77]

i love the live tiles of windows phones, xbox live,etc.
nokia's windows phones are the best.... awesome cameras, stores, etc.
but i've to say these features weren't enough for me...couldn't leave my iphone

 

[thehustleman]

Thanks for the input.

I'm still doing to try the platform, but at least now I know what to look out for.

 

[sentinelsx]

Thanks for the input.

I'm still doing to try the platform, but at least now I know what to look out for.

By the way, what i like about the WP8 ecosystem is you don't really need a high end phone to test it out.

Buy a lumia 620, comes with 2012 era top of line specs i believe (dual core S4, same as the galaxy S3 and One X in North America), combined with a fluid UI, it will be a cheaper way to test it out.

Then if you like it more just buy a higher end device.

 

[MuffCabbage]

By the way, what i like about the WP8 ecosystem is you don't really need a high end phone to test it out.

Buy a lumia 620, comes with 2012 era top of line specs i believe (dual core S4, same as the galaxy S3 and One X in North America), combined with a fluid UI, it will be a cheaper way to test it out.

Then if you like it more just buy a higher end device.

You can get a Lumia 521 at the Microsoft store for like $106. Price match Wamart or someone, then use the $25 Windows Phone Challenge credit.

 

[beaniemyman]

Thanks for the input.

I'm still doing to try the platform, but at least now I know what to look out for.

go for a nokia windows phone, nokia makes the best windows phones.
some of nokia's high end windows phones:
lumia 920
lumia 925
lumia 928
lumia 820

 

[MRU]

What would I be missing from android?
Do they take screen shots and how?

widgets. customisation & personalisation (can't even set a basic home-screen wallpaper to go behind the tiles). notification centre. quick toggles. and more importantly over everything else..... a lot of apps are still not available on the windows marketplace.


Windows 7 to me was a breath of fresh air - hindered by lack of marketplace content.

Window 8 refines a lot and adds some additions - but in the process choices such as making smaller tiles for homescreen actually result in a very cluttered home screen and it can be very hard to find things... Many tiles are still not 'live tiles' and the bewildering array of tiles on a busy homes screen can be a frustrating experience. Marketplace has improved but still is very far behind android & ios.

Lack of a proper centralised notification area, and still odd choices like 'tiny little font' for the telephone number in contacts making it hard to sometimes see - really should have been corrected with windows phone 8, but hasn't.

 

[b166er]

If you do a lot with social networks, mainly twitter or facebook, the integration in to WP8 is fantastic. If you go Nokia you are going to get amazing hardware, fantastic camera, and unparalleled build quality. Also a nice collection of Nokia only apps that are surprisingly well thought out and useful. The skydrive and office integration is awesome. I really enjoy the OS in general, it's snappy, has a fresh look, and is very easy to use.

Complaints- Naturally the app store is not up to snuff just yet, but it's getting better by the week. The OS is almost as tightly sealed as iOS, meaning you have very few options with customization. The NFC is even really locked down, so right now there is very little it's good for.

If you like to use Google, you're going to be disappointed with WP8.

 

[thehustleman]

If you do a lot with social networks, mainly twitter or facebook, the integration in to WP8 is fantastic. If you go Nokia you are going to get amazing hardware, fantastic camera, and unparalleled build quality. Also a nice collection of Nokia only apps that are surprisingly well thought out and useful. The skydrive and office integration is awesome. I really enjoy the OS in general, it's snappy, has a fresh look, and is very easy to use.

Complaints- Naturally the app store is not up to snuff just yet, but it's getting better by the week. The OS is almost as tightly sealed as iOS, meaning you have very few options with customization. The NFC is even really locked down, so right now there is very little it's good for.

If you like to use Google, you're going to be disappointed with WP8.

Well I'm not hung up on using Google, i have no allegiance to any company but it looks like I'm going to be getting a windows phone.

Lumia 822 it is unless I can find a lumia 928 at a good price.


Is the 8x any good?

 

[b166er]

I don't know about the 8x. I've been using a 920 off and on, it was my primary phone for several months. Sadly I kind of need access to Google's stuff, so I bought an S4. I kept my 920 though, because I'd love to keep up with updates and see how the app store is doing.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Is the 8x any good?

8X is a good phone but I'd go for the 920 or 928, those are the real flagship phones. Main reason to go for an 8X is if you prefer something lighter.

I'd also go for Nokia since they're pushing the ecosystem harder than Microsoft. You have exclusive XBox games and things like that which are only available on Nokia phones. HTC and Samsung are just standing on the sidelines watching.

The app problem will bother you, esp the MS-Google rift. Though they're slowly either being solved by third party solutions or MS making some bold moves. MS totally played Google this month by illegally releasing a YouTube app that let you download videos and removed Google's profit layer. End result is Google caved and WP8 users will finally get YouTube support.

 

[thehustleman]

8X is a good phone but I'd go for the 920 or 928, those are the real flagship phones. Main reason to go for an 8X is if you prefer something lighter.

I'd also go for Nokia since they're pushing the ecosystem harder than Microsoft. You have exclusive XBox games and things like that which are only available on Nokia phones. HTC and Samsung are just standing on the sidelines watching.

The app problem will bother you, esp the MS-Google rift. Though they're slowly either being solved by third party solutions or MS making some bold moves. MS totally played Google this month by illegally releasing a YouTube app that let you download videos and removed Google's profit layer. End result is Google caved and WP8 users will finally get YouTube support.

Well I need it for Verizon, but I'm still going with the 822 since it according to the Nokia rep, has the exact same internals as the 920/928 but less expensive (especially in Craigslist)

 

[KentuckyHouse]

I would say its the small things that can also get you...

Like a single system wide volume control. Put phone on silent and your media follows. Same for other apps. One setting controls all. Annoying.

Or scrubbing by pressing and holding the forward/rewind buttons instead of a scrubber. Another annoying thing.

Small things like that, which you start to take as granted on other platforms can quickly creep up to annoying level and make the experience bad.

I would give wp8 more time, may be a year more, to further refine and get better.

I would completely agree with everything listed here, including the idea that it's probably best to give WP8 another year or so to mature. It's a nice platform, but it's still in it's infancy and missing a lot of things you may be used to on either iOS or Android.

 

[bean dip]

WP8 is awesome and does pretty much everything one needs. The experience is second to none. Sure there is a flaw or two but I say go for it. If everything decide on a phone based on apps alone we would all have iPhones. Not that the iPhone is bad, but choices are better. Try the Z10 out as well. Another great option.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Well I need it for Verizon, but I'm still going with the 822 since it according to the Nokia rep, has the exact same internals as the 920/928 but less expensive (especially in Craigslist)

Same processor but everything else is different

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Nokia-Lumia-928,Nokia-Lumia-822/phones/7765,7487

Between the 822 and the 8X, I opted for the 8X but mine was a new contract. 822 is more of a midrange offering. If the 928 existed back then I would've picked that instead.

But yeah if you're buying second hand, the 822 wouldn't be a bad purchase.

 

[aristobrat]

Quick question, what are killer features on this platform?

I'm thinking of trying it out even though I typically don't like closed platforms I don't like to badmouth something I never owned myself.

True story : I sell phones for Verizon for a living (GREAT money contrary to what people told me I'd make)

I think it's cool that you're getting some first hand experience with Windows Phone, but it sounds like Verizon didn't give you enough training on phones they expect you to sell.

I'd have thought that they'd at least make you aware of the "killer features" of any platform that you're selling.