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I'm hoping to take the plunge and buy an HTC Desire when they are available. To date I have used both WinMob and iPhone extensively.
One area of concern to me is the quality of the 3rd party apps available from the Android Market Place. I've searched at length for them and always come up short. Being used to the iPhone App Store, I am worried that the Android apps are not up to the same standard.
Can anyone point me to a resource which I can browse/search for Android apps, without first needing to own an actual phone in order to see??
As an example, the HTC Desire has an electronic compass built in. Now, with the iPhone, you get a built-in beautiful compass app with which to use the sensor. From what I can see, an app is not included with the Android phones, and my searches to date for an Android compass app have only come up with some frankly appalling ugly basic compass apps, and one which looks roughly photographic, but doesnt show any flair.
So, where is the good stuff, and can I browse it from my PC? I keep hearing of 20,000 apps, but my searches turn up lists of perhaps 10 (mostly poor) apps.
not sure if you could view all apps without actually having an android phone, but here is a very useful website about Android Market
http://androidfeeder.com/
Update: using this site you can search Android Apps/Games http://www.androlib.com/, this one too http://www.cyrket.com/m/android/
Update: and here is a list of ultimate free apps for android http://techpp.com/2009/11/10/ultimate-list-of-free-android-apps-part-1/
http://www.cyrket.com/search?q=compass&market=android
Compass Pro (Free) looks a lot like the iPhone version.
When you got the desire, you can try every app for 24hours and if you dont like the app, get your money back!
Thanks for all the suggestions. But I must say that the suggested sites are the ones I had already found, and to be frank, they are a cacophony of disjointed information, poor screen shots, and distraction.
I'm sure there are some software gems in there, but the sites seem to be determined to hide them.
The ultimate free apps pointer is the best list I have seen so far. Many of the sites dont even seem to bother offering a decent screen shot, if any at all.
The-Nazgul said:
When you got the desire, you can try every app for 24hours and if you dont like the app, get your money back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I didn't know this! That's very handy
I was worried that I'd purchase an app to find it doesn't work or isn't what was expected.
Also, try this site:
www.appbrain.com
Just be aware that most of these sites just reflect the information from the Android Market (accessed by your phone) onto a web page. This is not new or different information than what you would see in the market from your device - just copied in a slightly different package on the web.
Once difference with App Brain is you can choose not to see some of the spam apps. Also, with App Brain you can select apps from the website that you want to install - then, later open the App Brain app on your device and sync the apps - which will install the apps you selected on the web to your device using the Android Market interface. Works pretty well.
Neat. I will check that out.
TVM
XDAgeek said:
I'm hoping to take the plunge and buy an HTC Desire when they are available. To date I have used both WinMob and iPhone extensively.
One area of concern to me is the quality of the 3rd party apps available from the Android Market Place. I've searched at length for them and always come up short. Being used to the iPhone App Store, I am worried that the Android apps are not up to the same standard.
Can anyone point me to a resource which I can browse/search for Android apps, without first needing to own an actual phone in order to see??
As an example, the HTC Desire has an electronic compass built in. Now, with the iPhone, you get a built-in beautiful compass app with which to use the sensor. From what I can see, an app is not included with the Android phones, and my searches to date for an Android compass app have only come up with some frankly appalling ugly basic compass apps, and one which looks roughly photographic, but doesnt show any flair.
So, where is the good stuff, and can I browse it from my PC? I keep hearing of 20,000 apps, but my searches turn up lists of perhaps 10 (mostly poor) apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being absolutely honest - the standard of some identical apps is MUCH higher on the iPhone. I was checking out a friend's iPhone last night, and the RAC Traffic app is so much nicer. A little (fruit-machine type) roller to select the geographic area you want, as opposed to a crappy flat pop-up Android menu, and when you toggle between the map view/traffic update view, the iPhone version has an animation like you're folding back a page, whereas Android's is just a standard instant screen change. Oh, and the Android one doesn't always work properly. It is obvious that a lot more effort went into the iPhone version... I am getting serious envy over that...
There are also apps from big players who just don't even bother with Android versions. I know we keep saying "That will change as Android gains market-share", but how long is it going to take? I don't want those apps in 2yrs time, I want them NOW!
Having said that, the iPhone is locked down, you can barely customise it, and you have to put up with Apple's sh**. Still. I wish I could have iPhone apps on Android, that would be the best of both worlds.
I myself have owned Iphone 3gs, Hd2 and Hero and now waiting for delivery of Desire. To be honest For apps there is no comparison between Iphone and Andriod apps, iphone wins every time.
If apps are the major issue for you then don't buy desire, as you will be slightly dissappointed in lack of quality apps in comparison to the Iphone. But what it lacks in apps it certainly makes up in every other way.
The interface is better, it offers more seamless integration of your contacts from all of your various lists and address books - be they Skype, Twitter, your phone book, Facebook - and knits them together for a more intelligent experience. Multi tasking, optical pad, internet browsing better experience etc the list goes on and on.
That is why I choose to go with Desire and got rid of my Iphone 3GS, let's hope I'm not dissappointed.
riz157 said:
I myself have owned Iphone 3gs, Hd2 and Hero and now waiting for delivery of Desire. To be honest For apps there is no comparison between Iphone and Andriod apps, iphone wins every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now.. Recent research has shown that more than 50% of the iphone developers is planning to develop for android too, so with a bit of luck and some patience, the level of quality will be improving.
Hi Everyone,
I am seriously thinking about switching over to the Desire and Android but I have absolutely no clue about Android and my experience is only with Palm OS and WinMo.
Can anyone out there give me their experiences and advice about switching over to Android. How is it different from WinMo. How difficult is it to get apps (this is one reason I am hesitating, I have so many WinMo apps).
Is it an easy system to use, etc. I would welcome any feedback you have. Thanks!!!
Before the Desire, my last 3 devices were Windows Mobile (ie, Touch Dual, Touch Diamond, Touch Pro2).
The jump to Android has been a godsend for me. I no longer have to worry about RAM usage. Everything is finger optimized and there's plenty of eye-candy. Performance has been top notched. This last statement may vary from user to user but my Desire has been able to do everything my Touch Pro2 can do; it just does everything faster and prettier.
There are several things that Windows Mobile has over Android at this moment though. So you should put these into consideration.
-Exchange support. You can sync email, contacts, and calendar in Android. But not notes and tasks. (There's no native notes and tasks applications)
-Microsoft Office. You can view Office files but you'll need to spend some money if you want the ability to edit. (Docs-to-go cost me USD10 and it's quite worth it.)
Thanks for the initial thoughts. It helps.
How are the apps out there for Android? Are they limited because it is a new OS or is there a wide range?
Do you happen to know what Navi programs are compatible?
I have recently switched over from a touch hd and i have to say i am loving the desire and android. It's very obviously better adapted to finger use and a smartphone, it's faster (much faster) and doesn't have the erratic behaviour, winmo sometimes can offer.
The apps market makes it really easy to find apps (i believe there are 30.000apps on the official market plus some others out there on the web) and they are easy to install, keep updated on thier own and always offer high quality intergation with the os (say goodbye to low res icons for your apps).
Just as an example, i can tell you (and i'm sure it's the same for you) that with winmo, with every rom i included fixes, tweaks and programs that did the things my phone wouldn't allow (automatic locking, screen off in calls, perfomance boost, etc etc) and sice android, i have installed no fixes at all (and havn't needed any!!!)
As far as navigation goes there are many competent navigation programs; i'm using copilot wich has radars and works very well, sygic is also quite satisfying, i believe igo amigo is also ready for the desire's resolution now and unless i'm mistaken, i think tom tom might be floating around (and thet's only to state some, n-drive and others are also available).
On the whole, i'm very pleased with the change, apart from a better os, better screen (beautiful colours) and very senistive with good multitouch, in my case i'm glad to have the harware buttons back (touch hd is resistive buttons), very nice form factor and overall good use.
Well, before you do here are some voices of unhappiness from WinMo users.
Some of their complaints are not valid but one of them may be a deal breaker for you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=667055
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=667265
Read my Sig
Best choice I've ever made, infinitely better than the hd2
Would recommend the desire to anyone
First Android phone and I'm loving it so much
Android is my favorite, after symbian
But im using my android phone only 1 week so my thaughts can change !
Read my Sig
Best choice I've ever made, infinitely better than the hd2
Would recommend the desire to anyone
First Android phone and I'm loving it so much
Thanks everyone, for your continued help and experiences. It makes my decision easier.
For you WinMo users out there, how expensive was replacing your apps on Android. For me this is one thing that I am finding difficult to let go of, even though it doesnt seem like a lasting excuse. I guess at some point you have to do it.
Can someone give me the address of the apps store. Does anyone know what the payment methods are? I am not a big fan of credit cards. Are there alternatives?
Thanks. my decision is coming a lot closer.
Hi ohyeahar,
I had a quick question about Syncing. You said that Outlook Calendar syncs. Do you know if all of the tweaks that you can make in Outlook such as categories and the notes field, does that also sync?
For me that is an important factor because of work. I think I can live without the tasks and notes (plus, who knows, maybe some future app will take care of that).
I think my questions are almost over and after watching a few review videos, I am also thinking that I am going to abandon WinMo forever, and take the Droid HTC Desire plunge.
Thanks for all of your comments and support.
I destroyed my HTC HD2 by shutting the back door of my estate on it. It craked the screen and smashed the camera, and it was the best thing that could have happened. I went for the Desire, and it makes the HD2 on winmo look like a calculator. Android is excellent, and will NEVER go back to Winmo. Put android on an HD2 and that might be nice.
I switched 2 weeks ago (from an oldish WinMo phone) and it was dead easy. Android with htc sense on top has some real parallels to WinMo with add-ons like SPB shell etc - except it's blindingly faster. Barely opened the user manual.
A few confusions over how the phone handles different contacts and phone lists but worked those out. Really great keyboard that does a fine job of correcting for 'big thumb syndrome'. Fabulous screen and so easy to add and remove apps directly onto the phone. Intelligent handling of WiFi when it's in range and 3G when it's not. Web browser is a dream - have had to train myself to use it rather than automatically going to a laptop given past experience with WinMo.
Seven home screens and I only use 5 'cos everything is so easily accesible from the built-in functions. One of those five only has family photos on it and one has the pretty but rather silly weather application (one area where I still use Windows - I look out of them).
Don't really feel like adding a lot of apps 'cos it does most things. Have added and paid for Nitrodesk Touchdown to get reliable sync with Exchange Server at work (email, contacts, calendar, tasks but no notes). Also added a note taker app for free (Note Everything) and Bubble (because my childish sense of humour enjoys seeing a £400 spirit level in action). Some concern that the memory may get filled up because you can't (yet) install apps to the SD card.
A few niggles but none major
- Exchange Active Sync (the native one) doesn't work with my office server, hence the Touchdown app
- Could do with an improved ability to put shortcuts to groups of contacts on the home screen
- HTC Sync (equivalent to Activesync) seems problematic. However, I suspect I won't be connecting by cable much anymore
- It's all a teensy bit too tied to Google (inevitably!). I am not a gmail fan and don't really want to sync outlook to gmail then down to the phone but am still having to do that for contacts since Touchdown contacts are not properly recognised
To date I would say 9.9/10 and when a few wrinkles get ironed out 9.95!
Hi Alex Bush,
thanks a million for the feedback. it makes my decision much easier.
Just how does the sync work with Outlook? Does it work, or is it difficult? I rely on Outlook for work so it is a must. I have all of my contacts, calendar dates in there,plus I use it both for my work & private accounts.
I hope it isn't a problem because that would be the killer for switching over.
I did it! after 8 years of windows mobile and pocket pc. Windows phone 7 series presentations made me betray the abandoned win mo and switch to Android.
support for Exchange and office viewers are better than in win mo.
performance and quality of applications are excellent.
one warning:
Be careful to choose the right device. Exchange calendar sync is not there by default!
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Thx Rdy2go
What can you tell me about syncing the HTC Desire with Outlook (most importantly calendar,, contacts). I dont use Exchange because I work for a small company and I retrieve my email through Outlook via Pop3. However, I rely heavily on Outlook and Office for my work.
Cpt_Chaos said:
Hi Everyone,
I am seriously thinking about switching over to the Desire and Android but I have absolutely no clue about Android and my experience is only with Palm OS and WinMo.
Can anyone out there give me their experiences and advice about switching over to Android. How is it different from WinMo. How difficult is it to get apps (this is one reason I am hesitating, I have so many WinMo apps).
Is it an easy system to use, etc. I would welcome any feedback you have. Thanks!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went from a Touch Diamond to the Desire. I was actually laughing while I was using it. Some people say that the advantage of WinMo is that it's like having Windows with you all the time. It's the exact opposite. It's bad, because it's like having Windows with you all the time. I would randomly freeze for no reason; you needed a stylus to click on crappy little boxes/menus ported from 1024x768 dev environment; the alarm clock was a joke (you needed to hunt around to turn it off - very annoying when it's 6am and you're trying to avoid waking the family; clearly it never occured to anyone at Microsoft that you might want a `Cancel`,`Snooze` choice in big buttons.
The main difference is that WinMo looks like it was designed by people who don't have to use it unless they're paid to (like my experience of Windows generally), whereas Android looks like it's designed by people who want to use it, and who make it as easy and intuitive as possible. The Desire is the best phone I've ever had, and every iPhone user I've shown it to has said that the new iPhone had better be good or they're going to consider getting an Android phone too.
Disadvantages: sometimes apps use images rather than text, and I have no idea what the image is supposed to mean. An example is Google Maps. When you are looking for directions you see an icon of a car, a bigger car and a person walking. I'm pretty sure the middle one isn't alternative directions for people who are driving a bigger car. If only text was used instead, perhaps I'd know what it meant; as it is I'm going to have to google for it. There have been a few other examples (the 'Power' widget, for instance).
Another negative point is when you install apps from the market, you agree that they can access this or that feature (phone number, gps, contact list etc). You accept everything or don't install it. I don't see why a game needs my phone number; I should be able to choose to install it but to block access to some features.
The battery lasts 12 hours if you actually use the phone (maps, email, surfing, reading PDFs etc). The standby time is amusingly quoted at 300+ hours. This is meaningless. That's not to say that it's inaccurate; it's just a little like saying that your car can last 20 years on one tank of petrol if you don't actually drive it anywhere. I'm sure manufacturers crank their devices to be on some insanely low power standby when they are literally just listening for phone calls and texts, which I guess is great if you `just want a phone` but if you're considering getting a Desire then that's not you!
The market doesn't make it very easy to explore new apps. You can choose categories, and click Free or Paid, but if you search you'll get a mixture from both. Also, however you look you'll end up scrolling down some massive list of hundreds of apps. It's annoying to find 40 crap apps by the same person; each one a book of quotes by some non-entity, or yet another set of cartoon characters turned into a "jigsaw puzzle" - there's no proper google search where you can add/remove terms with +,- etc. You'll end up searching for apps on a real computer, and just using the market to actually download it after searching for the app name (or using a QR code if one is available)
But ignore my criticisms and get the Desire. You won't regret it.
I sync using Outlook Anywhere service from Exchange servers not the desktop.
so I don't really know the answer...
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
After all I read in forums, reviews, saw on youtube and added actually newspages to my information range.
I am sadly have to say, that I will use my HD some month longer. It was a hard decission, but consider the following:
the desire is one of the first "real" android designs... together with the "test flagship" N1.
Samsung anounced super-amoled displays in upcomming smartphone, which compensating the "sun light vulnability" of amoled. snapdragon dual-core was anounced in januar and will be produced maybe in late summer. but still without considering snapdragon development: apple brings the 4g out ...round about july... I hate apple.. but what makes it so delicious is, that other manufacturers will try "to beat it down". this summer will be a king of the hill in the smartphonesector...everyone wants to be there... and everyone has the technology to do so.
android is rising to consumer market... 2.2 rumored.
the waiting will be pretty hard... but hell... I am curious what will be out in late summer.
a "desire" with super amoled is what I am waiting for... and maybe bigger ROM.
till then, I'll stay with my few, but quality build appz for winmo. the ones I will miss on android as long as everyone thinks, the reason for android ist because of the free appz.
as long as this doesn't change... there won't be many highquality appz for android.
oh and btw: I hate HTC sense too.. nearly the same amount as apple. wheres the point if I have on android the same "mobileshell" as on winmo?
sad thing these uniformations. (yeayeah, I know, I can change it)
Thanks everyone,
I guess I will be ordering my new Desire in 2 weeks. I guess it will be time to take the plunge and jump the WinMo ship.
Cpt_Chaos said:
Thanks everyone,
I guess I will be ordering my new Desire in 2 weeks. I guess it will be time to take the plunge and jump the WinMo ship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ordering mine soon.....just searching for the best deals at min
Hello guys. I had for more than half year a HD2, before that I had an iPhone for more than 2 years, and since 3 days I am a proud owner of a Desire. And I wanted to share my thoughts about it.
1. Comparing the general design of HD2 and Desire - the later feels more solid in your hands. This rubbery feeling of the back cover gives you more grip. In my opinion the build quality is better than the HD2. The bigger screen of HD2 was huge point to impress your friends, but it was too wide for use as a phone. Too big for everyday use.
2. Comparing the screens - the screen of the Desire looks awesome. AMOLED actually rules. Forget about it's not readable in direct sun light. If you enable the auto brightness, it's more than readable outside. Even in a hot day like yesterday (more than 35 degrees Celsius) and very bright sun shining, there was no problem to read whatever you want. And those 16M colors - maaan those home screens looks nice.
3. Comparing the OSs - that's actually the reason I ditched the HD2. After more than 3 days of use, I can say that I love Android. It's everything that I wanted. Windows Mobile was one ugly son of b**tch. Every single 3th party application looked like a windows 3.1. I don't want to go back to 1995, I want a good looking GUI.
The idea of home screens and widgets is brilliant. Customizing was one of things I loved with Windows Mobile, but the beautifully widgets, the nicely done icons of the applications and the awesome AMOLED screen - rules them all. The slogan of Apple "We have an app for everything" (or was everybody) should not be an advertisement. They have an app for everything, but most of the time you use 10% of the functionality of the app. Why not have a widget of that app, that only covers those 10 percent. It's more practical, fast and easy to use.
Yeah, windows mobile did have MyPhone, but compared with google way of syncing you "priceless" information - maan google is years ahead. Before I had a dozen of word documents and when I update them in my phone, I had to manually copy them to the home pc or the office one. But what happens when I update the same document on my phone and then on my pc and try to merge them... conflict. Now with Google Docs, the moment I update my documents, they are already updated on internet and I can access them from wherever pc or mac I want. The only draw back is that I can't seem to find a good spreadsheet editor to edit the online Google Docs Spreadsheet on my phone, but probably I will.
The Calendar sync also works great - you have a web calendar with all your appointments.
The Google market - wow there are a lot of great free apps. BTW, google, please enable paid apps in Bulgaria, pleeeease.
Google Goggles rules. I am a developer and I still can't understand how it works. Those google developers really know what they are doing.
I loved my iGO navigation software on the HD2, because it has a very precise maps for my country and I was worry if I am able to find a good navigation software for the Desire. Actually I found MOTONAV, an extension of the iGO that can work the the maps of the general iGO, and actually it is better experience than the HD2.
...more to come...
Sorry for the messy story, but I just wrote whatever thoughts came into my mind about the new phone and probably the it's a little bit hard to read.
I really do not miss my HD2, even a bit. I can't even think of one thing that the HD2 is better. Not one.... maybe internet tethering, but that won't be a problem when Froyo comes.
I came from the HD2 as well and I think I made the right choice too.
Wifi tethering is fully working on Eclair Android 2.1 as well. Have a look here. No need to wait for Froyo.
Edit : and regarding paid apps, search for Market Enabler.
I recently jumped the ship from iOS to Android, and being dissapointed by the "Android-Experience" (Overall esthetics, User-friendliness, etc etc..), I was considering changing to WP7. Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Thanks in advance.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
I dont want to spam, but i am a Android Xperia Neo (2.3) and a WP7 Mango (with the HTC Trophy user) and i recomend you to see this video I made up youtube.com/watch?v=NNo13-LUlHo (if it inst allowed than i will remove the link). Well i prefer WP7 because of its estability and interface and smoothness. Sorry for my bad english
Jay_uk1185 said:
For me its about the user interface and the stability. To give you an idea - I have an iPad and was an iPhone user from the first until the 3GS. I then used a Nexus One for 18 months.
Windows phone offers a better interface than iOS in that it puts emphasis on the information rather than pointless Chrome and interface elements like buttons etc. Its the only mobile OS thats actually innovative in its approach to displaying info.
In terms of stability it knocks the socks off of android because the thing actually does what it says it will all of the time. With Android i always feel like its hit and miss.
However what i will say is that the quality and the reach of the apps needs to improve. now Ms has sorted out the multi tasking and notifications service with Mango it will take some decent competitive apps to keep me here as i have been flirting with Android again recently. ( for example the Twitter app has no notifications, birdsong aint bad but only polls every 5 minutes).
Hope this help!
Jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
Kim
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will be on to a winner with WP7 to be honest. It certainly presents the information in a far better and more innovative way than any of the competition and certainly works far more reliably.
The only caveat is that up until you have Mango - the live tile updates are terribly unreliable. (These are the widget-type tiles on the start screen)
Jay
WP7 is pleasure to use but is at an earlier stage in its life than ios or android, it has the potential to be a leading smart phones but I'd wait a few weeks to see if mango manages to push us to the forefront ?
Yeah, I was gonna wait a month or two to see how Android fares with me, and then eventually jump ship ... again
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
yup can't go wrong with wp7 everything is much faster and cleaner while android and iOS are just offering specs and graphics, wp7 is offering real usability and features.
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
day2die said:
Pro:
The performance is superb. No Android phone (even with dual-core) can match Windows Phone's. Apps rarely crash and rarely lags.
The whole WP OS UI carries a unified theme and even 3rd party apps seem to use the same theme.
The OS itself is very integrated. Many features that come build in to the WP OS are separate apps on other platform.
Con:
Lack of customization. You don't like how the WP OS looks? Too bad.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OS's look is the first reason I'd move to wp. The integration astounded me, we're only seeing it appear in iOS 5 (I'm a beta tester), and as for Android ...
I'd heard of the hardware stability, that'd be a definite plus+. Can't wait to try it out !
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
I look at WP7 as having the best of both iOS and Android.
On one hand you have the Android approach of different handset makers and a choice in hardware. Like Apple, Microsoft is showing tight control over the OS. So between two WP7 handsets you aren't going to see a huge difference in terms of how the OS performs. The biggest problem I have had with Android in the past is how the user experience is vastly different between two phones, especially when hardware manufacturers start skinning the OS.
You honestly can't go wrong with WP7, especially with the Mango update around the corner.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Would it be possible for someone to list the major pros & cons of WP7, 'cos I haven't been able to try it out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
CSMR said:
What type of user: "consumer" or business or both?
Your level of computer skills: basic or proficient?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
User: both, private/business 30%/70%
Computer skills are rather mediocre in the ms/linux world, I'm more of an os x guy.
Sent via my magical HTC Wildfire S.
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
EDIT: Just a little correction to the person who mentioned Chrome. WP7 does indeed have the "Chrome" element of the UI. The Status Bar at the top that auto hides is Chrome & so is the Menu Bar. It just auto hides & in some apps, isn't there at all (aka fullscreen mode).
drkfngthdragnlrd said:
Pros:
WP7 is fast & stable
Does what it does very well
You can get in & get out fast
Integration
No "real" need for flashing custom ROM's
The UI is clean & easy to read
Cons:
If you're like me & like "hacking" your device, Mango killed Homebrew (Hopefully we'll find ways around this)
Customization (If you like the UI exactly as is, not an issue for you)
Lack of choices in certain functionality
3rd party apps are a bit immature
In the end I suggest going to your local carrier's store & playing with a display model or if a friend has one play with it. The best thing about WP7 is it's performance. Someone said that touching the screen is like touching the pixels. This is a very good analogy, because what ever you do (in most cases), the device reacts to your inputs almost instantaneously. You can't really see any lag except in maybe some 3rd party apps & especially homebrew, but with homebrew, that's performance issues of the hacks currently being used. The last couple days I've been playing with my ex's Android & it feels so slow. Granted it's a cheap no name $50 Metro PCS one, but still. When I try to scroll throw the apps list, it takes a few seconds for my touch inputs to actually be displayed. The screen has a delay of input of scroll to it actually scroll. Everything I try to do takes so long to do.
Than again, I don't understand why she even has an Android device or smartphone in general. She never setup a Google account, which i had to do to access the market for an app for her. She wants to record a couple voicemails. So, I installed a call recorder app for her. She never setup her home screen. It has 5 "tabs" or what ever their called on Android & she only has the stock icons on the main tab & a music player on another. Nothing else setup.
As for 3rd party apps on WP7, yes they're a bit lacking, but I hardly ever use any. I have a few games & 3rd party apps installed, but most of what I do is handled by the core WP7 functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u earned a thanks from me. I do believe that th apps will get better once the mango ones hit the marketplace. I rarely use them tho as like yourself almost everything I do can be done in the OS on its own
I am on mango, here is my list:
Pros:
Smoothness
The live tiles (I know it sounds like the windows phone catchphase but mango upped the info and style of them and made them a powerful tool)
Social network intergation (having the people and messaging hubs allow you to do 80% of the stuff that you do on it I.E. Facebook and having the cache locally instead of waiting for an app to pull it live from the site.
Search and bing vision, audio, local scout (having it all at your fingertip)
Tellme! The voice command is awesome and I sometimes use it to show off =)
Metro UI, simple and clean and easy to look at
IE it is the smoothest browser around, no checkering
Cons:
Customization
Playing app catchup (mango should fix it and see a lot of ports from iOS and android very soon)
Video scrubbing
No way to bring back toast notications
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
hardcoreplur said:
The biggest thing is once you start use wp7, it grows on you and you find ways to do what you want and most of the time it is a better way than on any other device.
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Click to collapse
This is probably one of the best descriptions I've heard about WP7 & couldn't be more true. While WP7 is not perfect. It does indeed grow on your & 99% of what you need to to you can figure out how to do in some ingenious ways. It is a beautiful thought out OS.
omnomnomkimiiee said:
Notifications aren't a problem, I don't really use them. What really interested me was how all the "essential" stuff seemed accessible really easily, and that the whole GUI is clean/optimised.
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Click to collapse
GUI and the essential smart-phone stuff (email, calendar, contacts, social media integration) work really well. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!
Bad things you'll discovered compared to iOS is lack or apps, and lack of google maps and other google services. Remember WP7 uses Bing, which is very USA-centric, and Microsoft keep regions very cut off from each other. So if you do live in France as your avatar suggests, you may find several features (such as maps and local scout) don't work, and the French app store may be pretty sparse (and no you won't be allowed to access the UK or US one).
I 2nd that. WP7 as far as services go is a worse experience outside the US, & something you should look into before making a decision.
Many people complains about the need for Zune Sync instead USB Mass Storage. I am the opposite one - I like this better. Why?
You are sure, that the phone will play the music or movie (converting 1.5 hours long movie took 3 minutes on my PC).
Also, when you are watching movie on phone, then close it somewhere during the movie, sync the phone to PC and open the movie in PC (through Zune), it will continue where you left off - that is something that without Zune Sync can't be done.
I use Zune for listening to music anyway. Just drag & drop the music on icon of your phone and once you connect it, it synces all the changes and adds music and what not.
And major PRO for WP7 is the UI. Best UI around. UI designed for phone from beginning, that is not just rows and columns of icons.
I've been with Sprint for almost 9 years now, and before my Evo 4G in 2010 all I had were the old Nextel i95's...so needless to say I'm at a complete loss with WP7. I tinkered and tailored with Android ROM's for years now and have loved a lot about the OS...but I just couldn't pass up this deal for the Lumia 900 on AT&T. I'm beyond satisfied after having set everything up and loving how tightly knit and integrated a lot of the features are. But I still have some questions:
1) Can i screen capture with the stock rom? I don't want to have to unlock this phone (That was one of the reasons I left Android, you needed to unlock to do ANYTHING)
2) Are there any apps beyond the 3 that use a double tile? Is this a setting somewhere that I'm missing on? Kinda like resizing widgets?
3) Are there different themes, beyond the color switching pallete, that can be used with WP7? And while we're at it, is there a different lockscreen or anything else that can be done from it besides unlocking it? (Such as unlocking to text, email, custom app?)
4) What's up with the notifications disappearing after a while before I get a chance to check em? Is there a way to check them besides going to their respective clients to see what I missed?
5) Can you guys point me towards some alternative apps or settings to replace some of the stock feaures?
6) Besides having to login to AT&T all the time, is there a different way to monitor my data usage? A simple app perhaps?
7) Oh and how could I forget....do I have to go all the way to the settings every time to see what the percentage on my battery is? I found a couple threads saying that you have to unlock the phone for this feature but I refuse to believe that something this simple needs a workaround like that.
Thanks in advance guys, loving this OS and looking forward to some of the changes.
1) Unfortunately not. Most screen captures you see on the net are done using the development software.
2) Tiles sizes are determined by the developers. I wish there was a way of making them single or double too.
3) The colours are the only customisation you can do right now without unlocking the device other than changing the lock screen. The lockscreen I like, as it unlocks to the "desktop" when there is no notifications but if you unlock it as a notification happens then it will take you the application required to see the notification.
Also for some awesome lock screens go to the deviantart website.
4) This is my one and only gripe with WP7. Having said that after unlocking the notication is either facebook or twitter (the only ones not shown on the home screen) and both of those show on my "ME" tile. So really if I want to see anything I missed I go to the "ME" tile and slide across to notifications.
5) What stock features do you need help with?
6) Im not on AT&T and my phone provider has an app to do this so I would be contacting AT&T about this.
7) They do not show a % because its not very accurate I think. This is something I at first hated but I don't care that much any more. This is not like my Samsung Galaxy II which wouldn't last a day. I usually get over a days use out of my Lumia so I don't have to look all the time and be worried. When the love heart goes on the battery I know its getting low but still I have HOURS left.
In terms of number 5 I just meant is there an alternate keyboard, browser, gallery, search feature/marketplace etc. Not that I have a problem with any of these (although I do miss haptic feedback on my keyboard) I just wanted to know if there were alternatives.
EDIT: I do have a problem with ONE of those things I mentioned. The marketplace...it seems too cluttered and feels like the phone is always zoomed in with the way everything looks...but that looks like it was done on purpose.
You.can get two off your list with a Developer unlocked device. Think of it this way. Nokia is giving you a $100 credit because of the data issue. Use it to purchase a legitimate Dev key from Microsoft. Can sideload apps, and also develop with it.
1) can do it with homebrew Screen Capturer app.
2) Only Microsoft or OEMs can develop double wide tiles.
3) Need to have an interop unlocked device to add colors, etc. More involved than dev unlocked and not yet available for the L900.
6) The AT&T myAT&T app will give you the info you need. Nokia is also releasing a data tracking app. Coming soon.
7) Homebrew Battery Meter app. Updates a Live Tile every 10 minutes. Pretty accurate. Good history charts.
Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express
There are a few other browsers and such but they are all just front ends for the existing apps supplied with the device. There is also a few marketplace apps which you might find better. I use AppTastic every now and then purely as it shows what's on sale. There might be an app which I don't think is worth $5 or $6 after the trial but would happily purchase to support the developers for a few bucks.
iiDeadSeriousii said:
In terms of number 5 I just meant is there an alternate keyboard, browser, gallery, search feature/marketplace etc. Not that I have a problem with any of these (although I do miss haptic feedback on my keyboard) I just wanted to know if there were alternatives.
EDIT: I do have a problem with ONE of those things I mentioned. The marketplace...it seems too cluttered and feels like the phone is always zoomed in with the way everything looks...but that looks like it was done on purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, there are alot of the things that are different. Can't/Won't say if its better because thats a personal choice. I've grown to love the look and feel now. So has my daughter...but my son hates it. I gave them both 2 weeks to like it or I would buy them their next phone. My daughter converted...my son did not, and did not want new phone. But, with that said, there are some things I miss from Android....not much, but some. I do wish Live Tiles were a touch more customizable. I wish I could have some more color schemes instead of the just the current ones. I'd love to have a Black/White and/or Grey/white combination of colors also.
Otherwise....its a matter of just trying and getting used to it. I think it took my daughter 3 days to get used to the tiles and groupings of the hubs and what they are designed for. Her original list of must haves went away....
Thanks for all the help guys, yea I figured that most of my complaints/issues could only be solved with an unlock phone but I figured I'd ask. I've got another question, do apps auto update or do I need to manually check em every time?
Your marketplace tile will have a number on it showing the number of updates available. So no you never need to go check but you do need to initiate the update manually when you see that there is some waiting for update.
Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.
iiDeadSeriousii said:
Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dont know if someone mentioned this, but you're in the droid mentality right now. Like Apple, alot of the framework is locked down. Even with sideloads, alot of the framework is not available. HTC Hub is one of those. MS did not want that kind of screen and they don't allow it. WP is based on Live Tiles and they are sticking with it...for now.
You can change the lock screen pic by going to settings and Lock+Wallpaper. You can change the timeing settings and the picture. If you have a picture you want to use, go to your pictures hub and simply long press on the pic, use as wallpaper is an option.
But mostly, do not expect alot of hack/modding on these phones. For the most part, most of Windows phones, were Android phones at 1 time...ie the Samsung focus line. HD7 was the HD2 line which has been successfully ported to Android and WP7. If you want android type functionality in terms of look and feel...probably not gonna get it here. Of course, I could be wrong....but...who knows.
iiDeadSeriousii said:
Again thanks guys for getting me started with the phone. Just a few more questions:
1) Is there a way to set a tile to immediately turn on/off either Bluetooth or Wifi? Or am I stuck with the default settings tile?
2) Can I save a setting where I don't have to download my pictures every time I open an email? I used to just pit "Always show pictures" on the Android GMail client.
3) I've looked and looked and still cant find a tile to just show battery. Can someone link me to an official one that I don't have to side load?
4) Is the app Bandwidth the only app for network speed test? Its kinda glitchy for me.
5) Is there a way to get that HTC Hub on this Lumia or is that another thing where I gotta unlock the phone? I really like the look of it.
6) Someone mentioned that you can change the lockscreen, or at the very least the wallpaper, how do you do that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have answers for all of these, but here's a few (and fwiw I agree
with alodar1). But before I begin, not sure if you're aware of the Marketplace online (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/marketplace) - might make searching easier as you're starting out.
1) "Settings Tile" is 1 such app (I don't use these, so I can't recommend which one to install, but I've seen this one recommended... *shrug*) http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/102014a6-156e-4604-8f1a-2a86e4edf191
2 & 3 don't know, sorry
4) TestMyNet works decent: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/a25ec139-fc33-4571-9425-cf031a3312bb
5) No, sorry (I had it and never really used it...)
6) Answered above =)
You may also want to check out 'AppFlow' (http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/apps/578ef361-c265-46b7-b6f4-63cbd7fbefe0) or some similar application recommendation app.
alodar1 said:
Dont know if someone mentioned this, but you're in the droid mentality right now. Like Apple, alot of the framework is locked down. Even with sideloads, alot of the framework is not available. HTC Hub is one of those. MS did not want that kind of screen and they don't allow it. WP is based on Live Tiles and they are sticking with it...for now.
You can change the lock screen pic by going to settings and Lock+Wallpaper. You can change the timeing settings and the picture. If you have a picture you want to use, go to your pictures hub and simply long press on the pic, use as wallpaper is an option.
But mostly, do not expect alot of hack/modding on these phones. For the most part, most of Windows phones, were Android phones at 1 time...ie the Samsung focus line. HD7 was the HD2 line which has been successfully ported to Android and WP7. If you want android type functionality in terms of look and feel...probably not gonna get it here. Of course, I could be wrong....but...who knows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I realize I still kinda am in that mentality. It's just there's so many little things I took for granted that I never realized were there until this happened. I love this platform so far though, I have no major complaints, just small issues with it. But thanks for the tip, yea I know about the HD2 cause the first thing my brother did when he got that a couple years ago was have me put Gingerbread on it lol. I'll stick with what I've got for now tho, this is a ridiculously smooth experience and if I've gotta make some sacrifices, oh well. I still get everything done that I want throughout the day...I just wished some apps were better supported.