Interested wth WP8...

[Apocalypsee]

My Droid Razr being stolen this morning so I'm looking for new phone to buy. I'm actually very interested with WP8 OS as its very smooth even for low end phones. I went to the shop and tried the low-end Lumia 620 and very surprised with its snappy performance. Any Android of similar price pales in comparison. So should I go for it? I'm not tied with any apps on the Droid, its just as long as it could play any video files I put on it and could listen to music and play some games like Angry Birds is good enough for me.

Anyone that gone through this route and happy with WP8? I would like to hear opinions about it

[Zero]

I wish I could plan out my phone thefts as accurately as you.

[painkiller]

Originally Posted by Zero

I wish I could plan out my phone thefts as accurately as you.

Thats easy. Get wasted and leave your phone on the bar table.

[Sazar]

Originally Posted by Apocalypsee

My Droid Razr being stolen this morning so I'm looking for new phone to buy. I'm actually very interested with WP8 OS as its very smooth even for low end phones. I went to the shop and tried the low-end Lumia 620 and very surprised with its snappy performance. Any Android of similar price pales in comparison. So should I go for it? I'm not tied with any apps on the Droid, its just as long as it could play any video files I put on it and could listen to music and play some games like Angry Birds is good enough for me.

Anyone that gone through this route and happy with WP8? I would like to hear opinions about it

I went the iOS to WP8 route. Couldn't be happier.

[Zero]

Going from Android to WP might be a bit of a downgrade in terms of usability though...

[AdelphiaX]

Originally Posted by Zero

Going from Android to WP might be a bit of a downgrade in terms of usability though...

Not really, as he said he's not tied to any apps. Not sure what options are in Malaysia though.

[Zero]

It's not just about the apps, but that is a big part of it. On phone file management, customization, and a few other minor quirks can make the experience more limited than Android.

I went from iOS to WP7.5 to Android 4.1+ on my daily driver, there's no going backwards if you want to maintain usability.

[Sazar]

Originally Posted by Zero

It's not just about the apps, but that is a big part of it. On phone file management, customization, and a few other minor quirks can make the experience more limited than Android.

I went from iOS to WP7.5 to Android 4.1+ on my daily driver, there's no going backwards if you want to maintain usability.

WP8 is significantly better than WP7.x

But I agree with you re: Android - WP8. I prefer it as a trial run, but when the time comes to upgrade my device, I have no qualms in moving to Android if WP8 doesn't improve during 2013.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Sazar

WP8 is significantly better than WP7.x

There are quite a few changes but most of them are minor. I personally wouldn't consider it a significant overall change in the user experience.

Here's a good side by side comparison:

http://pocketnow.com/2012/10/30/wind...dows-phone-7-5

[Apocalypsee]

Originally Posted by AdelphiaX

Not really, as he said he's not tied to any apps. Not sure what options are in Malaysia though.

For WP8 choices, there is a couple that fits my budget that is Nokia Lumia 620 and HTC 8S, I could go for 820 but I don't think the differences would be big on WP8 in terms of performance. For Android there is plenty of options; Sony Xperia J, Ion, S, SL, HTC Sensation XE, XL and something within that price range. If I go 2nd hand market I could even get HTC One X and Galaxy Note 1.

Thanks everyone for your impression of WP8, and thank you zero for the WP7.5 and WP8 comparison Can WP8 sync with Google contacts (GMail)?

[ASCI Blue]

I came from Android to WP8. Granted that Android 4.x is a different beast from 2.23 that I came from it's still the same Android at it's core. I'm really enjoying WP8 and not really missing Android in the least.

WP8 can sync with all your usual web e-mails, I've got Gmail, Yahoo, and of course Hotmail. The closest thing to a headache is getting contacts from your old device to the new one, that however may be a USA thing not a world thing.

[Sazar]

Originally Posted by Zero

There are quite a few changes but most of them are minor. I personally wouldn't consider it a significant overall change in the user experience.

Here's a good side by side comparison:

http://pocketnow.com/2012/10/30/wind...dows-phone-7-5

You can't see all the changes on the surface, and the video demonstrates as much. It is only looking at whether or not there were any visual differences.

The integration of a lot of items is much tighter and much cleaner than WP7.x and that is where separation starts occurring.

WP7.8 seems to be a lot closer, but I haven't messed around with it.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Sazar

You can't see all the changes on the surface, and the video demonstrates as much. It is only looking at whether or not there were any visual differences.

The integration of a lot of items is much tighter and much cleaner than WP7.x and that is where separation starts occurring.

WP7.8 seems to be a lot closer, but I haven't messed around with it.

The usage conventions are the same, the GUI is 98% similar, I don't know of any novel features that really change the user experience. You still can't truly customize the UI, you don't have a flexible file management system, there are certain nagging annoyances like only being able to text numbers labeled as mobile, and so on that are the same from the first generation of WP phones. That's why I don't think (imo) WP8 is a significant change over WP7.5.

The point is academic either way, since we both agree that Android -> WP is not a step in the "more usability" direction.

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by Zero

The usage conventions are the same, the GUI is 98% similar, I don't know of any novel features that really change the user experience. You still can't truly customize the UI, you don't have a flexible file management system, there are certain nagging annoyances like only being able to text numbers labeled as mobile, and so on that are the same from the first generation of WP phones. That's why I don't think (imo) WP8 is a significant change over WP7.5.

The point is academic either way, since we both agree that Android -> WP is not a step in the "more usability" direction.

that really depends on how you define usability.
Something like customization, the multisized tiles make a huge difference over the 2 size tiles of 7.5

Plus the few extra colors available for the tiles themselves. I still wish the background could be something else OTHER than black or white (like a photo), but its not a big deal. In the end i use the device as it was meant to be, just glance and go.

File management i can agree with but its not a dealbreaker. Im not sure how it works in WP8 since they opened it up some due to the SD card support, but sometimes i wish i knew where some of the stuff i downloaded were put (mainly just PDF's or documents). I dislike the zune/itunes way of syncing stuff (itunes is far worse, but still i'd rather drag/drop). But if you open the adobe reader, the files list is there anyways so that doesnt matter. You open office/onenote/whatever and again the files are just listed there. I mean how it deals with skydrive is pretty much good enough for me (except for the fact i dont think you can move stuff around from the phone).

Again i dont use my phone other than texting, calling, browsing internet and occasional games.

Plus i have a Lumia 710 with WP7.8, which is more or less just a startscreen enhancement (due to me having a tmobile branded phone, flashed bootloader for SIM removal ad having to manually update it TO 7.8 (seems like Tmobile is not offering 7.8)...im starting to think i would be better off having a full unlocked or Canadian carrier branded phone. Im having some MMS issues now...and the network setup app doesnt seem to be remedying it) Plus the new startscreen is making my phone screen size feel much too small now.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Apocalypsee

For WP8 choices, there is a couple that fits my budget that is Nokia Lumia 620 and HTC 8S, I could go for 820 but I don't think the differences would be big on WP8 in terms of performance. For Android there is plenty of options; Sony Xperia J, Ion, S, SL, HTC Sensation XE, XL and something within that price range. If I go 2nd hand market I could even get HTC One X and Galaxy Note 1.

Out of all those, price being equal I would probably pick the One X.

Thanks everyone for your impression of WP8, and thank you zero for the WP7.5 and WP8 comparison Can WP8 sync with Google contacts (GMail)?

Google contacts can be imported like this

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-ca/ho...-windows-phone

Not sure if there is auto sync.

[ZaP911]

Check out the LG Optimus L9, it should be within your price range. Battery is ridiculously good for the price (2150 mAh vs 1300 mAh for the Lumia).

Spec comparison:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3...&idPhone2=5147

[Apocalypsee]

Originally Posted by ZaP911

Check out the LG Optimus L9, it should be within your price range. Battery is ridiculously good for the price (2150 mAh vs 1300 mAh for the Lumia).

Spec comparison:
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3...&idPhone2=5147

Sadly that phone isn't available in Malaysia.

Anyhow I went to the shop. During testing a few phones, I spotted an Atrix 2 which gone for cheap, cheaper than HTC 8s and only slightly more expensive than Lumia 620. I grab that without thinking much. The screen, although missing the superAMOLED deep black, offers much clearer text because it don't use PenTile matrix. Hardware wise its the same as my Droid Razr only slightly heavier so I'm a happy camper

[Maverick123w]

You can download launchers and apps that replicate 85% of what you get with wp8 in android. I was a huge fan of wp7/7.5 but wp8 was a big let down for me.

Also the fact that they didn't launch with any killer hardware was a big negative for me. Lumia 920 was about as close as it got and it was a giant heavy phone with a mediocre daylight camera, and it only launched on AT&T and I refuse to pay for service on a sub-par network.

[ASCI Blue]

Just proves that Android is a cheap copy of everything!

The HTC 8x is pretty nice, but aside that Microsoft determines the guts of the phone not the manufacturers. Less hardware deviance makes things far easier to develop for.

[Maverick123w]

Originally Posted by ASCI Blue

Just proves that Android is a cheap copy of everything!

The HTC 8x is pretty nice, but aside that Microsoft determines the guts of the phone not the manufacturers. Less hardware deviance makes things far easier to develop for.

The 8x, while incredibly comfortable to hold, has absolutely horrible buttons. Almost unusable imo. Next to no play and it's hard to know if you've actually pushed the unlock button or not.

[ASCI Blue]

Interesting, I opted for the 822 cause it cost me a penny (amazon had a bitchin' sale). I handled a dummy 8x but the buttons were all fixed and I decided against it cause it didn't have expandable memory.

[Maverick123w]

Originally Posted by ASCI Blue

Interesting, I opted for the 822 cause it cost me a penny (amazon had a bitchin' sale). I handled a dummy 8x but the buttons were all fixed and I decided against it cause it didn't have expandable memory.

I think the 822 is a better device overall. I almost went with it, but the S3 was the same price and I'm happy to say that I made the right choice for me.

[ASCI Blue]

I just really wanted to try a WP device, I loved my Droid 2 R2D2. I was kind of irate when I got my shiny black 822 and learned that The Harvest wasn't WP8 compatible. So far it's been a great phone, durable, comfortable to hold, and the screen imo is loads better than the older LCD on the D2.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by ASCI Blue

The Harvest wasn't WP8 compatible.

whaaaaaaaat... That's the only game I purchased from Windows Market. Only works on 7.5/7.8??

[daPhoenix]

Buy Lumia or I'll punch you in the tit.

Thank you.

[ASCI Blue]

Originally Posted by Zero

whaaaaaaaat... That's the only game I purchased from Windows Market. Only works on 7.5/7.8??

That is correct, doesn't show in the market for WP8. I've seen mixed statements about it's actual functionality, some people claim to have gotten it working on WP8 after jumping through hoops and direct phone to phone transfer but if you were to get a WP8 phone now, log on to the market, you won't find it and that I know for sure.

[wc326]

i read that in HOngkong.

if you buy samsung ativ S , samsung will gift you a win 8 desktop OS Disk or cdkey,

[Apocalypsee]

My newly bought Atrix 2 been serving me well. My hate towards pentile matrix display is justified because on this the sharpness looks amazing, much MUCH better than the grainy pentile when viewing small text.

But seriously, after trying WP8 smoothness, not even JellyBean is as smooth although it did headed to the right direction. Maybe next months when I got my full salary that I can get a better WP8. I'm aiming for Lumia 820. Android phones just bores me right now. I don't fancy flashing custom ROM anymore I just like everything bog standard that works out of the box.