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Anyone make the transition from Android to WP?

J

JACKHAMMER

Platinum Member
So I got a Nokia 710 for doing the WP challenge with my old Optimus V . My current phone is a Sensation - am I nuts for thinking about making this switch?


I have had a total of 4 Android handsets, and while they are getting better with every iteration, I am still unconvinced. The fragmentation irritates me, the ROMs that always have something broken irritate me, and and that lack of smoothness can get on my nerves at times.

It seems that WP fixes many of these issues, but damn the software catalog just sucks. I am not a phone junkie, so the lack of widgets and things don't really bother me. But, I use Google Voice all the time, and the android integration is good - has anybody used the mobile web interface? Is it passable? They are a couple of apps on the market place, but none of them look great. I need to be able to send and recieves texts from the phone using my google voice number.

My most commonly used apps are email (I am sure WP has a decent one), Words with Friends, Tapatalk, and the browser (how is IE 9?). Should I be OK?
 
Not nuts at all, I'm a month or 2 away from going from an EVO to a Lumia 900. Android's a decent OS, but there's nothing outside of the $$$ I've dropped in the Market that's making me not want to go WP. When I went from iPhone to Android, I lost a ton of $$$ in apps, and the same will happen when I go WP. But, this time I'm safe as Windows app store thingy absolutely blows and I don't think I'd even be able to find many apps I want to buy.
 
If Verizon had an LTE Windows Phone when I bought my Rezound I wouldn't have had a second thought about switching.
 
JACKHAMMER said:
So I got a Nokia 710 for doing the WP challenge with my old Optimus V . My current phone is a Sensation - am I nuts for thinking about making this switch?


I have had a total of 4 Android handsets, and while they are getting better with every iteration, I am still unconvinced. The fragmentation irritates me, the ROMs that always have something broken irritate me, and and that lack of smoothness can get on my nerves at times.
Click to expand...

Unconvinced? Android holds 2/3rd of the current market share, remember. Fragmentation only exists in the heads of fan boys, it doesn't effect the average user at all. The whole fragmentation myth has been beaten into the ground so many times its annoying to hear it brought up still.

Custom builds are fun to play with, but these are after market modifications. They do not represent the whole of Android devices. Quite of a few are far better than the manufacturer stock firmware though. Like the Thunderbolt, custom rom required to not be a paperweight. Playing around with custom builds is something you will lose moving to WP7 regardless.

Smoothness? High end Android devices are very smooth though not quite as smooth as WP7 or iDevices. But home screen fluidity isn't a measure of performance either. My Macbook Air's desktop environment is very smooth compared to my SnB i5 W7 machine, but the W7 desktop can handle any game I throw at it at maximum detail settings. The Macbook Air can't handle games from 10 years ago due to the HD3000 Intel IGP. You'll experience similar if you use WP7 for gaming, the Adreno 200 & 205 GPUs they use are extremely dated now.

I wouldn't count the Optimus V as representative of Android devices either, it was always a low end device and priced accordingly.

My most commonly used apps are email (I am sure WP has a decent one), Words with Friends, Tapatalk, and the browser (how is IE 9?). Should I be OK?
Click to expand...

If that's all you're using your smart phone for, you're most likely going to be satisfied with WP7. People who use their smartphone's full range of capabilities aren't satisfied with WP7's limitations, dated hardware, and limited software catalog.
 
Bateluer said:
Unconvinced? Android holds 2/3rd of the current market share, remember. Fragmentation only exists in the heads of fan boys, it doesn't effect the average user at all. The whole fragmentation myth has been beaten into the ground so many times its annoying to hear it brought up still.

Custom builds are fun to play with, but these are after market modifications. They do not represent the whole of Android devices. Quite of a few are far better than the manufacturer stock firmware though. Like the Thunderbolt, custom rom required to not be a paperweight. Playing around with custom builds is something you will lose moving to WP7 regardless.

Smoothness? High end Android devices are very smooth though not quite as smooth as WP7 or iDevices. But home screen fluidity isn't a measure of performance either. My Macbook Air's desktop environment is very smooth compared to my SnB i5 W7 machine, but the W7 desktop can handle any game I throw at it at maximum detail settings. The Macbook Air can't handle games from 10 years ago due to the HD3000 Intel IGP. You'll experience similar if you use WP7 for gaming, the Adreno 200 & 205 GPUs they use are extremely dated now.

I wouldn't count the Optimus V as representative of Android devices either, it was always a low end device and priced accordingly.



If that's all you're using your smart phone for, you're most likely going to be satisfied with WP7. People who use their smartphone's full range of capabilities aren't satisfied with WP7's limitations, dated hardware, and limited software catalog.
Click to expand...

Sigh... I knew someone was going to post this. So let's start from the top.

1. I am no fanboy. I have had iOS devices, android devices, and even webOS devices. Whether you like it or not, fragmentation is an issue. That is the reason it keeps coming up. I am the average user and it effects me. There are features in ICS (and to a certain extent Sense 4.0) that I am waiting to get, and may never receive. Fragmentation is no myth. FWIW I just had a friend buy his 1st Android handset a month ago (Behold II, which TMOUS was happy to charge him $$ for) on 1.5. He can't even play words w/ friends. Pretty sure fragmentation effects him too.

2. I shouldn't have to turn to ROM makers to make the phone more useable than the manufacturer. And yes, it is nice that it is an option.

3. I have a Sensation, a flagship phone from last summer. It is not smooth. Yes, I am sure it plays games nicer than some - but I don't play games on my phone other than simple crap like scrabble and the occasional angry birds. My Sensation constantly has to reload the Sense launcher because it runs out of RAM by using programs. This is not smooth, and is incredibly irritating. Imagine waiting 10 seconds almost everytime you go from browsing the web to the homescreen. I need a phone to be able to do simple functions seamlessly.

4. Since when does market share equal quality? McD's has a huge market share, but I think it's safe to say that it isn't the best restaurant around.

5. I am aware and worried about the limitations of WP7, hence this thread. This is why I was asking for folks experiences in making the jump. Apparently, you missed this in my first post. As for users who "use a smart phones full range of ablilites" ... You're right I don't game on my device, nor do I watch movies. I have better options for both of those. I use a smart phone for work. I communicate with it, after all that is what a phone is - a communication device. There are plenty of people willing to sacrifice poor performance as a communication device for a media consumption device, I am not one of them.
 
I've been using the Nokia 710 for a couple of weeks after switching to T Mobile prepaid from AT&T...

My previous phone was the Samsung Galaxy S (AT&T Captivate). It is one of the most actively supported phones out there, and I have been running ICS on it for about a month.

So far I am really enjoying the WP experience. I just wish T-Mobile had a higher spec Windows Phone. The 710 is nice, but I would rather have the Nokia Lumia 900 with the bigger screen and better camera.
 
I'm sorry but complaining that not all Android phones can run all Android apps is like complaining that all Windows PCs can't run all Windows applications. It's absolutely silly
 
JACKHAMMER said:
Sigh... I knew someone was going to post this. So let's start from the top.

1. I am no fanboy. I have had iOS devices, android devices, and even webOS devices. Whether you like it or not, fragmentation is an issue. That is the reason it keeps coming up. I am the average user and it effects me. There are features in ICS (and to a certain extent Sense 4.0) that I am waiting to get, and may never receive. Fragmentation is no myth. FWIW I just had a friend buy his 1st Android handset a month ago (Behold II, which TMOUS was happy to charge him $$ for) on 1.5. He can't even play words w/ friends. Pretty sure fragmentation effects him too.
Click to expand...

Fragmentation is a myth. The Behold II is 4 years old. Any 2.2 device, devices made from 2010 on, can run nearly any application in the Play Store. I fully expect the fragmentation myth to come up again and again, and I'm more than happy to keep shooting it down. 🙂


dguy6789 said:
I'm sorry but complaining that not all Android phones can run all Android apps is like complaining that all Windows PCs can't run all Windows applications. It's absolutely silly
Click to expand...

Inserting ^ here because its relevant. How dare you suggest that an Intel HD3000 IGP should be able to run Battlefield 3. 😛

2. I shouldn't have to turn to ROM makers to make the phone more useable than the manufacturer. And yes, it is nice that it is an option.
Click to expand...

Agreed, its annoying to have to go Community Developers to de-bloat and de-skin a phone. With WP7, you won't have to deal with much carrier bloat or different skins for every manufacturer. If you like Metro, thats a plus. If you dislike Metro, you're SOL.

3. I have a Sensation, a flagship phone from last summer. It is not smooth. Yes, I am sure it plays games nicer than some - but I don't play games on my phone other than simple crap like scrabble and the occasional angry birds. My Sensation constantly has to reload the Sense launcher because it runs out of RAM by using programs. This is not smooth, and is incredibly irritating. Imagine waiting 10 seconds almost everytime you go from browsing the web to the homescreen. I need a phone to be able to do simple functions seamlessly.
Click to expand...

Thats from Sense. I went through that frustration when I first go the Thunderbolt. Install ADW or Go Launcher and that vanishes. But, there were never any application problems, all apps ran without a hitch on Sense, CM or any other rom I tried. Sense is a horribly bloated monstrosity. Even HTC acknowledged it and promised to address it with Sense 4. See if they deliver when more of the HTC One variants get into consumer hands.

4. Since when does market share equal quality? McD's has a huge market share, but I think it's safe to say that it isn't the best restaurant around.
Click to expand...

McD's is on par with other fast food restaurants, they aren't competing with top tier restaurants. 😛 Good products will generate positive press on their own, but WP7 is a dead product. Even MS is focusing on W8 devices now.

5. I am aware and worried about the limitations of WP7, hence this thread. This is why I was asking for folks experiences in making the jump. Apparently, you missed this in my first post. As for users who "use a smart phones full range of ablilites" ... You're right I don't game on my device, nor do I watch movies. I have better options for both of those. I use a smart phone for work. I communicate with it, after all that is what a phone is - a communication device. There are plenty of people willing to sacrifice poor performance as a communication device for a media consumption device, I am not one of them.
Click to expand...

No, I didn't miss your point. I acknowledged it, corrected some of your misinformation, discussed WP7's strengths and weaknesses, and ended with my opinion. My Nexus is a communications device, and thats primarily what I use it for. It also handle fitness tracking(MotoACTV!), daily planning, videos, gaming, and other tasks. I wouldn't be able to do a fraction of these things on a WP7 device. With these limitations, I could accomplish the same tasks on a feature phone that I could on a WP7 phone, minus the data plan.
 
Ok, ok. We get it. Some of you really like Android and are aghast that someone could have gripes with it. The OP isn't really asking you to correct his opinions on Android. He's asking if its feasible to switch from Android to WP7. I'm going out on a limb here, but I assume most of you arguing with him haven't done that.
 
OP, since you have both in hand, run through the apps that you use the most for Android, and see if you can replace them on WP7, and then decide from there. And again, you have both, run WP7 only for a couple weeks, see if it takes.
 
Well, there's no Words With Friends for WP7 yet. Otherwise, I think you'd be happy with it. IE on WP7 is actually really solid. Seems a bit faster than most of the Android browsers I've tried.
 
Thanks to those who have chimed in. It wasn't my intention to create a shit storm about Android vs. Whatever. I get that some of you can't fathom making this jump, but I have been on android for years and have come to the conclusion that I simply don't like it that much. I want to make a switch, I know there will be some growing pains during that switch, I just wanted input from people who have done it to see if they regret it. As I know WP is bound to have some shortfalls too.

Bat. I realize the behold 2 is an ancient phone, its not that I am expecting to run all apps. But the guys carrier sold it to him as a new android phone. Last time I checked I couldn't go to Dell and buy a 4 year old pc, but that is what happens all the time becuase of these douchbag carriers. With as fast as android updates, the fragmentation only compounds this fact. Plus , your right, sense is crap as is most of the other bloated, fragmented, manufacurer skins and launchers. This is one thing that I think Google got right with the nexus, and Microsoft got right with WP, disallowing that garbage.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2 Beta-5
 
I did. If I ever change, as things stand now, it would be to iOS. The browser is fine. They seem to be doing a good job of steadily fixing the big things, and the little things. Remember it launched fall of 2010, only 3 real revisions so far (and the 3rd just hit). If the rumors are true, W8 apps will be easily ported (and vice-versa) so the app store should come on strong. Hardware deficiencies will be shot down by then as well (high screen resolutions, multi core, full SD-card usage, NFC support, etc). The email app is nice, few tweaks still need to be made (more options on forwarding quoting for one) especially with the ability to link different inboxes together. If it is just Google Voice for texting I think Go Voice should work.

I am using the Trophy which is more or less Droid Incredible level hardware. Still have a remaining NE2 upgrade that I haven't used yet. Hopefully Verizon gets some decent hardware out, and waiting until WP8 (Apollo) to do so is just going to piss me off.
 
Sell the Lumia and Sensation and pick up a GSM Galaxy Nexus or a Exynos powered Galaxy S2. That way you get a smooth experience without having to settle for second rate hardware and a limited ecosystem.

Unlike HTC Samsung knows how to make a smooth and polished Android device.
 
smartpatrol said:
http://penny-arcade.com/

LOL looks like Gabe from Penny Arcade gave up on Windows Phone. He liked the OS itself more than iOS or Android, but ended up going back to iPhone for the apps.
Click to expand...

That doesn't surprise me. Most popular apps seem to target both iOS and Android at this point but very few of them get WP7 ports. Microsoft's marketshare is still falling so there isn't much incentive for developers to rethink their plans either.
 
I had both iOS and Android before switching, and if you're up for the challenge of getting by without every single app you can think of you'll be fine. That was the awesome part of the other two, just think of any website or store or whatever and there was most likely an app.
But it forces you to try different apps which are still quite good, and the MS integration is really good. I love the XBox app and Live games on the phone.
The Lumia is going to have most of the big features like tethering and navigation anyways, so you won't be missing much.
It's worth a shot!
 
I jumped from my Palm Pre to the HTC EVO in November 2010 after deciding against waiting for Sprint to get a WP7 device. That was the best decision and I don't regret it one bit. WP7 has been in the market for over a year and it still doesn't have an app catalog that would satisfy me. Mango update was impressive but not enough to entice me.

I've invested too much into the android ecosystem to consider WP7 again.
 
After reading most of the posts, I heartily agree with Batelaurer.

Another thing is, I am entirely unconvinced that anyone thinks of switching from Android due to software issues. The root of MOST switching is out of hardware issues.

For smart people, anyways. Technical idiots have no idea how to finesse Android.
 
iahk said:
I jumped from my Palm Pre to the HTC EVO in November 2010 after deciding against waiting for Sprint to get a WP7 device. That was the best decision and I don't regret it one bit. WP7 has been in the market for over a year and it still doesn't have an app catalog that would satisfy me. Mango update was impressive but not enough to entice me.

I've invested too much into the android ecosystem to consider WP7 again.
Click to expand...

The pie-in-the-sky dream I have is that since most people have Windows computers, they will buy Windows 8 apps that will also work on Windows Phone 8, making that transition much easier.
 
Mxster said:
After reading most of the posts, I heartily agree with Batelaurer.

Another thing is, I am entirely unconvinced that anyone thinks of switching from Android due to software issues. The root of MOST switching is out of hardware issues.

For smart people, anyways. Technical idiots have no idea how to finesse Android.
Click to expand...

I just switched from ICS to an iPhone, and well, I'm dying to go back to Android for the integration of every application alone.

I would have tried out a WP on VZW if they had something else other than the Trophy. Seriously, one WP in a year. MS and VZW need to team up badly. Yeah, MS scorched VZW when they released the Kin, but I think they realized what they did to VZW and where there position is and they know they can't really afford to do that and need to make all the right moves.


Anyway, I think the one thing you'll miss when you go to Windows Phone is that... well, first of all, you'll notice it doesn't feel complete. It feels like a great experience, but from what I recall, there are still a few things missing. Also, if you liked your integration (and correct me if I'm wrong), but WP doesn't offer you integration like Android does. That is to say, if you download Dropbox, Box.net, or whatever else, and let's say you go to send a file to one of those services via the "share" button in Android, those services are listed. In iOS, you have to go directly to that app (box.net, dropbox, etc..) to accomplish that task. It's just something that really irked me on iOS, and I'm near positive you don't have that integration. Sure, you get integration with MS products, but you won't get that to other services you use.

Correct me if I'm wrong about any of that last paragraph, but I feel integration from 3rd parties is Android's strongest suit. iOS has a huge 3rd party catalogue. WP7 has an amazing fluid and original OS that's going to get better with time (hopefully).

It's extremely funny to think about Windows Phone, iOS, and Android in terms of where they started to where they are now. iOS is essentially the same OS from 5 years ago except it has the App Store, a few new features such as notification centre and Siri, and just hardware upgrades. Android goes from different look to different look to improved look, new features (free built in Google Map Nav, NFC standard in the latest OS, universal OS - tablets and phones). I'm wondering where WP7 will go. It seems like it's exactly like iOS in the sense that it's a simple OS to use, and there's really not much more to add to it visually except to introduce a couple new features here and there like Apple has done.

In all honesty, I'm concerned about the future of WP just because of how long it's been out, and how the consumers will react to it come this holiday season or next holiday season. I feel as though iOS is going to get a slight face lift eventually, and if consumers keep 'seeing' WP7/Windows 8, they may look at it and say, "oh, that's been around for a while now. It looks the same as last year. No need to try it." Bah. There's so many things to type right now that I can't even stand it, and I'm way too tired to even try.

Anyway, I got off topic. I think the transition will be easy, and at the same time, you'll be wondering if it was the right move because you'll notice WP isn't as polished as it will be in a couple of months.

That is all.
 
Moving to WP7, you should expect a lot less apps, but the OS has a lot of native app solution support. This helps a little bit, but if apps are important to you may want to take a gander at what they have to offer.

I don't have a WP7, but what I do like about it is that its fast and it has a lot of functions baked right into the OS instead of having to download another app.
 
You have the phone already. Just use it for youself and see how it goes. If you like it: great. If not: sell it. I just got my raincheck today so in a week or 2, I will join you as WP7 newbies.
 
Pretty Cool said:
You have the phone already. Just use it for youself and see how it goes. If you like it: great. If not: sell it. I just got my raincheck today so in a week or 2, I will join you as WP7 newbies.
Click to expand...

This. I don't know about other carriers, but with VZW it's simple to activate a phone via their website. If you decide Android is better (and I'm not sure how you could come to any other conclusion) you can reactivate the other phone after a week or so.
 
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