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Mobile OS switch experience.

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I bounce from OS to OS, I'd had at least 2 phones of every OS. Even Symbian and whatever Sony Ericsson use to use before Android. I swore off Android after I bought the Nexus 4, but the more I play with friends HTC One's I'm on the verge of switching back. The phone build + the latest Sense are so nice.
 
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I went Android (20+Phones) to iPhone 5 to Lumia WP8 back to Android.

Felt like trying out other O/S's

Thoughts -

1) Android is for me without a doubt.

2) iOS runs very well but at same time way too many things annoy me compared to Android. Small screens also annoy me. Overall though, I can see how its quite easy and how people like it.

3) Windows Phone 8 is very fast and fluid, seems very lightweight. Biggest issue here is simply the lack of quality apps. To this day it still doesn't have instagram or Google Drive, just 2 of many missing apps. Yes there is web based, both both suck compared to the Apps.

I feel the majority of folks who tinker with PC's will probably also like to tinker with Android. My 2 Cents
 
Windows CE-iOS-Android-QNX, lots of back & forth over the years.

So much easier now that the major apps are available in Android & iOS, I use both daily.
 
pm said:
It took me about two to three weeks when I moved from the iPhone to Android before I was totally comfortable. Now I can bounce back and forth from one to the other without really caring much.
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Went from original iPhone to iPhone 4 and then switched over to a Galaxy Skyrocket (now using an SIII and waiting for my Note 3 to arrive)....took about a week to get used to it....remember being estatic about having the ability to swap batteries.

When I use a friend's iphone (google, maps, etc), it amazes me how small the screen is (and I don't have my Note yet) and I always try to swype on it...LOL
 
I started on windows mobile with a blackjack. Then got an iphone 3g and then a 4. Switched to android after that with a razr hd maxx. During my time with the iphone I also got an ipad 2 but sold a year and a half later. Now I am full android with the razr maxx hd running CM10.2 and the new Nexus 7 (2013). As it stands won't be going back to ios as I prefer a phone bigger than 4in now and ipads are overpriced for what you get since all the apps I use are available on android.
 
iOS is fine if you want to live within the confines, and if you're an Apple household, otherwise, there isn't much "there" in terms of flexibility.
 
I'm a rare duck: I use Android, iOS and Windows Phone on a regular basis these days. All three have their advantages, but the iPhone 5 is my main phone. Here's why:

- Camera, camera, camera. I don't think a lot of Android users realize how bad many of their cameras are, even those that are supposed to be top-tier (see: One, GS4). The iPhone 5 (and certainly 5s) has virtually no settings, but it has a knack for getting just the right color accuracy, sharpness and focus. Yes, the Lumia 1020 I also use takes better photos in some circumstances, but it's 1. big and 2. does some things oddly (color balance, macros).

- App priority and quality. Android's catching up, but the rule of thumb remains that you have to use iOS to get the best apps as soon as they're available. Android has more flexibility, but you rarely see apps that are absolute platform sellers -- that is, they use an Android feature so well that it's an incentive to switch.

- Siri. Hey, don't laugh, it works very well for certain tasks. I much prefer the iOS approach to reminders and timers than Android's. Google Now is great for general voice searches, especially on a Moto X, but Siri seems to excel at task-driven commands.
 
I switched from Android to WP7 and now WP8.

Was pretty easy. Have access to Google contacts, calendar, gmail, voice, gtalk etc. Though I have basically weaned myself off Google in general.

Calling, browsing, texting, IM'ing, check FB/T occasionally, maps/navigation, search (especially local), voice commands, Office/OneNote, Kindle books, music (old Zune Pass with 10 keepers ftw), games etc.

And the camera! On my old Trophy this was a liability, but with my 928 I don't even use our P&S anymore. Plus the onboard editing capabilities mean I can get my pictures cleaned up and shared however I want to.

Oh and Skydrive.


IF IF IF I was tightly integrated into Goofle or Apple ecosystem though, this could be a problem. Otherwise, it's fine. A few minutes of research will usually find a quality third party app for any missing must-have apps.
 
I switched to ios with an iphone4... two weeks with it and I was back on android. i still support my dads iphone 4s and deal with it almost daily. I will never go back to ios. suffocating is about the right description for it.

I really want a windows phone, but I cannot and will not buy a phone that has a sealed battery and would only get a nokia. on top of that, I am now heavily invested in android and it would be too hard to make the move.
 
Commodus said:
I'm a rare duck: I use Android, iOS and Windows Phone on a regular basis these days. All three have their advantages, but the iPhone 5 is my main phone. Here's why:

- Camera, camera, camera. I don't think a lot of Android users realize how bad many of their cameras are, even those that are supposed to be top-tier (see: One, GS4). The iPhone 5 (and certainly 5s) has virtually no settings, but it has a knack for getting just the right color accuracy, sharpness and focus. Yes, the Lumia 1020 I also use takes better photos in some circumstances, but it's 1. big and 2. does some things oddly (color balance, macros).

- App priority and quality. Android's catching up, but the rule of thumb remains that you have to use iOS to get the best apps as soon as they're available. Android has more flexibility, but you rarely see apps that are absolute platform sellers -- that is, they use an Android feature so well that it's an incentive to switch.

- Siri. Hey, don't laugh, it works very well for certain tasks. I much prefer the iOS approach to reminders and timers than Android's. Google Now is great for general voice searches, especially on a Moto X, but Siri seems to excel at task-driven commands.
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Agree about the Siri , but the Camera and App Quality I don't.

App Quality in my opinion is just as good as Apple. This was once a valid argument but anything I ever need to do, I can most of the time find what I need with Android.

As far as the Camera, you are right, the iOS camera app is simplistic as they come, and in decent and good light, the iPhones produce solid imagery. That being said, Android phones are certainly capable of great shots too. I just changed up phones again, but recently had an iphone 5 and HTC one in my pocession at same time, and I found overall the HTC One got more usable photo's in more conditions compared to the iphone 5. In great light the iphone 5 was better for sure... but decent or low light the HTC One gave me usable pictures more often than not compared to the iphone. Video quality was certainly comparable, the HTC One has a very high bit rate and shoots videos great.

HTC One X, One S, One X+, One, Galaxy S4, S3, Mega, Note II, G2 are all capable of taking photo's that will satisfy most, since most simply use them for Social Media sharing or generalized photo taking. The iphone camera is in my opinion, not good enough to warrant going iOS over Android on its own.
 
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bigystyle84 said:
3) Windows Phone 8 is very fast and fluid, seems very lightweight. Biggest issue here is simply the lack of quality apps. To this day it still doesn't have instagram or Google Drive, just 2 of many missing apps. Yes there is web based, both both suck compared to the Apps.
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The several Instagram apps aren't enough, including at least one signed off on by Instageam itself?

(I still don't understand the charm in ensuring your photos are shitty looking, but to each their own)

SkyDrive works great, and has apps for iOS and Android (as well as the desktop).
 
notposting said:
The several Instagram apps aren't enough, including at least one signed off on by Instageam itself?

(I still don't understand the charm in ensuring your photos are shitty looking, but to each their own)

SkyDrive works great, and has apps for iOS and Android (as well as the desktop).
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There's even a Google drive app. I've found there's generally one or two good third party apps for popular services on WP.
 
notposting said:
The several Instagram apps aren't enough, including at least one signed off on by Instageam itself?

(I still don't understand the charm in ensuring your photos are shitty looking, but to each their own)

SkyDrive works great, and has apps for iOS and Android (as well as the desktop).
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I like it for following famous people like Twitter... athletes, etc.

Do these apps offer the filter s for uploading?

Pretty popular Official apps to be missing. Were just 2 examples I pulled off top of my head. Lots more on top of it. SiriusXm another one I use daily. No banking apps for my banks. No Candy Crush Sega, no Tapatalk, Google Music, haha. Etc

Does the YouTube app allow Full HD yet?


I have 125GB on Drive. Its my backup of everything. Nit switching
 
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bigystyle84 said:
That fully integrates into a drive in the O/S like Android?

Does it work with editing documents?

Really asking honestly.
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No integration but it does editing fine. It works well enough for me since I rarely use the integration feature on Android anyway.

The Instagram clients do everything you'd expect, but I never used them.


Red Storm said:
Also is it an official app? If not, why would you give your Google account credentials to a random 3rd party?
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It's not official, I thought it was pretty standard knowledge that Google refuses to release apps beyond Search for WP/Win8. The login doesn't work any different than the other twenty million services that integrate with Google all over the web.
 
There's plenty of missing WP apps. Complaining about the lack of Google services is like complaining about the lack of Apple services on Android. Google will likely never support WP unless it becomes significantly more popular.

Tapatalk is available now and there is a HD YouTube player as well.
 
RandomFool said:
There's plenty of missing WP apps. Complaining about the lack of Google services is like complaining about the lack of Apple services on Android. Google will likely never support WP unless it becomes significantly more popular.

Tapatalk is available now and there is a HD YouTube player as well.
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I'm not bashing WP8, so please don't take it that way.

I use Google Services on a Daily basis at both work and home, so having a phone that best incorporates this is key for me.

At the same time, I'm sure there are LOTS of WP8 users who complain. Remember Apple has Chrome, Drive, Google Maps, etc - All official apps. I know WP8 user base is small in comparison, but these Official Apps are a huge miss in my books. I don't want to fall back on 3rd party apps with missing functionality.

Just my view. I gave WP8 an honest try. I see no point in buying into the Ecosystem. Just my opinion.
 
bigystyle84 said:
I'm not bashing WP8, so please don't take it that way.

I use Google Services on a Daily basis at both work and home, so having a phone that best incorporates this is key for me.

At the same time, I'm sure there are LOTS of WP8 users who complain. Remember Apple has Chrome, Drive, Google Maps, etc - All official apps. I know WP8 user base is small in comparison, but these Official Apps are a huge miss in my books. I don't want to fall back on 3rd party apps with missing functionality.

Just my view. I gave WP8 an honest try. I see no point in buying into the Ecosystem. Just my opinion.
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I totally agree, lack of Google services and a few key apps is why I'm currently using a GNex over my 920. I like to make sure people know it's not as awful as some people make it out to be.

There's a lot of things I like about WP, but I still don't recommend it to friends looking to replace a smart phone. I've found I don't use that many apps and the third party replacements generally fill my needs. That's probably not true for a lot of people, especially on here.

If MS can get their shit together they'll have one hell of an OS but so far they've been pretty consistently a year behind everyone else in terms of specs, features, updates.
 
The first smartphone I picked from my text phone the LG EnV2, was the HTC 8X.

First and foremost, the in my opinion, cleanest and easiest on the eyes interface. One look and I seen what I needed to see. Android and iPhones are too busy and have many navigation levels for various things, even with organization from what I observed.

The swipe to the all encompassing list of apps has it in alphabetical order and is searchable (like a certain start menu somewhere else...)

Gmail, Facebook, Phone contacts all meshed together nicely without any third party or additional effort other inputing in login credentials and authorizing the device with the service.

With the default map app, and Internet Explorer, it was at basic and internet communication connectivity and information reference ready to go out of the box.

Document viewing was adequate. But, the default PDF reader won't let you access the documents that is supposedly downloaded in the local phone folders and there is not an on board file navigator to your personal files of any type, but the Office integration, especially with OneNote, I find to be good.

Internet Explorer is limited to 6 tabs, and the history of past webpages is not tied to each tab, but as a part of the overall "back" button history. So one has to be careful in navigating. That maybe a bit awkward for some out there.

Native Remote Desktop without additional client software on the PC end is another big reason why I went with the Windows Phone. Though, I had to use a third party ConnectMe app. I did not want to have to deal with something like Splashtop ever again.

Skydrive syncing and integration is very nice (though syncing from the phone can take a bit of a while depending). I have never made use of Dropbox, but I don't think I would need it after having Skydrive.

Still, at this point, I am not that tied to a phone ecosystem. I can be persuaded for an Android Phone if it offered seamless, no additional work with Remote Desktop running, Office, and obviously it can Gmail integrate. All on a just as an eye pleasing interface with pertinent information forefront. I do not need customized backgrounds and customized icons - I am not looking at the phone menu for long anyways.

It would be nice though, if my next phone still tied well with my PC and Tablet PC.

Also, I do not need an "Official" Youtube app. Internet Explorer on the phone is more than adequate. For viewing and commenting that is. Uploading is another story.
 
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Like a lot of others, I'm Android all the way. I now expect my phone to be a small desktop computer in my pocket. I expect its functions to aspire to be a full sized computer, not just be a cop out 'mobile' version of what it should be. I want it's limits to only be what's not technically possible, not what some company/guru has decided I shouldn't be able to do.

Android is the only platform that fills that role for me.

I like iOS for what it is- but if I have to use my wife's iPhone 5 for too long I start to get frustrated with it. It's a more limited user experience than I prefer, although granted a polished and expertly-presented limited experience.

Android is geek-rough around the edges, whereas iOS is 'corporate' slick and safe.

End of the day for me, geek rough around the edges ends up getting the job done, and corporate slick feels safe for my parents, but doesn't cut it for me. I'd have too hard a time switching to ever consider iOS for daily use, though I enjoy messing around with just about any tech device.

Windows phone completely underwhelms me- it'll likely never be a consideration for me unless it just becomes *exactly* Windows. (And a more usable version of Windows than the current Metro side of 8 which to me is crap incarnate, so really, I mean a complete re-think of Windows in the [hopefully way better] post Ballmer era)
 
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Zaap said:
Like a lot of others, I'm Android all the way. I now expect my phone to be a small desktop computer in my pocket. I expect its functions to aspire to be a full sized computer, not just be a cop out 'mobile' version of what it should be. I want it's limits to only be what's not technically possible, not what some company/guru has decided I shouldn't be able to do.

Android is the only platform that fills that role for me.

I like iOS for what it is- but if I have to use my wife's iPhone 5 for too long I start to get frustrated with it. It's a more limited user experience than I prefer, although granted a polished and expertly-presented limited experience.

Android is geek-rough around the edges, whereas iOS is 'corporate' slick and safe.

End of the day for me, geek rough around the edges ends up getting the job done, and corporate slick feels safe for my parents, but doesn't cut it for me. I'd have too hard a time switching to ever consider iOS for daily use, though I enjoy messing around with just about any tech device.

Windows phone completely underwhelms me- it'll likely never be a consideration for me unless it just becomes *exactly* Windows. (And a more usable version of Windows than the current Metro side of 8 which to me is crap incarnate, so really, I mean a complete re-think of Windows in the [hopefully way better] post Ballmer era)
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All of this. Awesome post.
 
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