Develop Bugs

Is anyone else coming "from" Android...?

I currently have the HTC EVO....and love the phone with a passion, but I don't love how basic the UI/Animations are on the phone and screen changes. It is super fast, but like all phones...it has it's buggy moments too. With the EVO I can change my UI with "home" apps like Launcher Pro which are more pleasing on the eye then the standard sense it comes with....but still lacks the smoothness and super graceful animations that WP7 comes with. The flipping tiles are just an example of some of the animations I am talking about.
Now I know that WP7 has it's short comings...but so did Android at it's launch as well as IOS, but overall it's a solid phone and super fast as well. WP7 will grow as the months and years pass, just as android did with 1.5, 2.1 and 2.2
I had to sit and think if I could do with out some of the better features the EVO has over the HD7, which is the phone I am wanting to switch to.
1. Do without the front VGA camera on the EVO (yes)
2. Do without the "8" megapixel back camera and go down to an "5" (yes)
3. Do without changing how my screen looks every bloody week, lol (yes)
4. Do without the 100,000 apps that are currently in the Android Market place (yes - as I only use several)
I guess the only thing I will really miss is the good friends I have with Androids that I play "android" games with online like wordfeud.
Am I alone in coming from what I think/thought was the best thing that ever happed to smartphone? Are there more people like me, that are switching from Android to WP7....or am I crazy insane and should stick with what I have because it truly is the best of the best?
I just wish Android could be gorgeous and sexy in it's UI as WP7 is!

I moved from a HTC Legend to a HD7. The main thing i miss is the google integration. Mainly google talk & google latitude both of which I used everyday.
Hopefully they will become available for WP7 in time.
Apart from that i'm happy i made the move. The OS is very different from android and really challenges developers to create visually engaging apps. Already lots of apps are available that weren't at launch and as the USA launch approaches I reckon the number of apps will be 2x-3x in time for xmas easily.
I love the UI and it's simplicity and simple but great animations. It really is a solid OS and although on paper it doesnt stack up against android, on a day to day practical level its perfect.

well it is all really a personal preference. I have been using WM since 5.0 (motorola Q) and had the omnia 1 and now the omnia 2. I don't really like android so I will be going to WP7 once it hits Verizon. But obviously you like the droid, but have some reservations. The question is does the lack of FULL multi-tasking, no copy/paste (until Jan) and things of that nature bother you? Obviously you have thought about those other things, so think on these, if they bother you then stick with the DROID, if not give WP7 a shot. As to whether Android is the "best of the best" that is a matter of opinion, no matter what anyone here says, so ask yourself, do YOU think android is better?

Thanks bean_ian and Omega RA....I have thought about the "no" full multi tasking and "no" copy and paste (until jan), and decided I can totally live without those & the other minor shortcomings mentioned a slew of times through out the internet and review websites.
The EVO is superior to the HD7 in many ways....but HANDS DOWN WP7 kills Android in how beautiful, simple, and easy to use the UI is! To me that is what I am buying the phone for, as I mainly use it to surf the net (for info on the go)...HUGE twitter head here, and I use Facebook alot too.
I like pretty, I will not lie...lol. Both phones, the EVO & HD7 are gorgeous body wise, but I want the VERY same when I power it on too.

I went from blackberry with the 8700, to the iphone 2g, to the iphone 3g, to the nexus one, and now to the HD7.
I have experienced all the ball-games in town and I am excited to try out the rookie.
If I dislike it, I will just go back to Android with a Tegra 2 powered phone.

Yes, I've just bought my HD7 and I'm selling my Desire.
Will use it as a gap inbetween Android 2.2 and Android 3.0 whenever that decides to come out. Let's see if the HD7 is enough to persuade me to stay with WP7 instead of selling it in about 6 months for a Android 3.0 phone..

brummiesteven said:
Yes, I've just bought my HD7 and I'm selling my Desire.
Will use it as a gap inbetween Android 2.2 and Android 3.0 whenever that decides to come out. Let's see if the HD7 is enough to persuade me to stay with WP7 instead of selling it in about 6 months for a Android 3.0 phone..
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So you are definetly happy with it "hands down" over Android 2.2? I believe I will be...but like other peoples opinion having had android.

I had a Nexus One and before that a HTC Magic.

asbessette said:
It is super fast,
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asbessette said:
but still lacks the smoothness and super graceful animations that WP7 comes with.
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Could you clarify? You seem to be contradicting yourself...?
Which animations are you on about?

AdrianK said:
Could you clarify? You seem to be contradicting yourself...?
Which animations are you on about?
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He is refering to WP7 being fast and Android though good, not as fast.

AdrianK said:
Could you clarify? You seem to be contradicting yourself...?
Which animations are you on about?
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The EVO is superfast, no doubt, 1Ghz Snap Dragon and all....but every phone regardless of "snapdragon" or not, has it's moments of buggyness.
NOT SAYING that WP7 or the HD7 will be bugless...it too has a super quick 1Ghz SnapDragon, and I'm sure will have it's glitches on the rare occasions. Point being (I guess) would be that the EVO/Android 2.2's speed is certainly "not" a factor or reason that I should to keep it, and not move to WP7.
Some animations include...the screen rotation, with android the screen just turns with no animation - BAM it's turned. With WP7 it turns fast but has a little animated wobble/bounce to it, as it settles into it's new position (very quick one so it's not obtrusive, but a nice touch) - small potatoes to most, but these little touches count to me.
Also the tiles flipping out when you touch a specific tile to "go into" that hub....the tiles fly away, and when coming back to the home screen the tiles flip back in a smooth beautiful way.
There are others, through out the phone that are seen in the slew of videos on the UI found on youtube.
There is just no real nice....smooth animation to Android. Some "home" replacements give it a try, like Launcher Pro....but it's still choppy at best.

Yea I'm migrating from android. Moto Cliq with 2.1 upgrade. Android is nice, but I sick of all the sluggishness.

diablos991 said:
I went from blackberry with the 8700, to the iphone 2g, to the iphone 3g, to the nexus one, and now to the HD7.
I have experienced all the ball-games in town and I am excited to try out the rookie.
If I dislike it, I will just go back to Android with a Tegra 2 powered phone.
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"Android with a Tegra 2 powered phone"
I heard its going to kick everything butt out of the park. I have heard a plathora of new features that its going to come out with. I just hope to do release it to market FAST.

im planning on switching as well... android is great but its looking like the next windows mobile: clunky / inconsistant UI, no guidelines on hardware or updates making it go out of control with fragmentation (different processor arquitectures, speed, screen sizes, shapes, resolutions, etc.) makes it a mess to develop for without p!ssing a few people off because of incompatbility issues, OEM's still release 1. 6 devices today, and most are currently upgrading to 2.1 (wtf? ? isnt 2. 2 the current? ?) multiple app stores, really? poor quality apps when it comes to asthetics and function compared to iOS
AND THIS IS COMING FROM AND ANDROID USER AND LOVER **sorry but thats how i see it**
WP7 really interests me since microsoft will keep tight control on hardware and software thus giving us apple-like experience, and android-like hardware choice. i also loved how they provided all drivers for the snapdragon chip as a supported processor making it use its full potential since its tighter integrated with the OS unlike android where its like a one-OS-fits-all where the lack of optimization can make the strongest cpu fall short of the snapdragon (just like apple makes theirs so silky smooth with slower cpu's than ours) xbox live integration, and great developer interest also makes me sure that it will be a success. just needs time to grow but im willing to evolve with them...

im switching but not 100% since im stock with sprint(which i can cancel) so im on a nexus one on tmo running cyano nightly 226 and ive never seen android running this fast before, cyano really killed with 226 ..anyway im not a big fan of big phones like evo(which i own lol) and tmo is offering the hd7 same size...so i might give att a try with the surround or samsung

Really glad to hear other peoples reasons for leaving the all mighty Android and switching to WP7....definetly enlightening!
I started this post because I felt in my head that I might be trying to talk myself out of switching, with all the MS haters pointing out all the minor lacking issues WP7 has...albeit, it'll all be fixed in time.
I truly want a beautiful experience when I use my phone, not just a beautiful phone being pulled out of my pocket.
I am 100% certain that I will be switching carriers and phones on November 8th when T-Mobile gets the HD7...and selling my HTC EVO. "IF" and when Android comes out with a UI that has great animation and is not so basic looking, I might be back!

I am trying to fully understand this:
A major reason for you liking WP7 is the transitions?
To each his/her own but if you got sick of changing your UI screens I believe you will eventually get really sick of the screen transitions. That was the first thing when I saw the demo that I was praying that I could turn off when I got sick of it.
I am having a hard time accepting all of the initial shortcomings the more I am seeing the end result of these shortcomings. I love the hub style screens but I am not sure if it is enough.
I may end up choosing an Android phone. Maybe the rugged Defy.

nicksti said:
I am trying to fully understand this:
A major reason for you liking WP7 is the transitions?
To each his/her own but if you got sick of changing your UI screens I believe you will eventually get really sick of the screen transitions. That was the first thing when I saw the demo that I was praying that I could turn off when I got sick of it.
I am having a hard time accepting all of the initial shortcomings the more I am seeing the end result of these shortcomings. I love the hub style screens but I am not sure if it is enough.
I may end up choosing an Android phone. Maybe the rugged Defy.
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Yes, the major reason I like WP7 over Android is the Animated transitions "throughout" the phone (not just the screen transistions) and the SMOOTH operations and function of the apps! That is just the major reason....the hubbs that have several apps combined into them is another reason, saving me time.
The functionality/smoothness of the Android UI is far from up to par with iOS and WP7...although Android crushes both is other areas, like the ability to change something. Although I like the ability to change how my home screen looks from day to day or hour to hour...at the end of the week, I'm still longing for a beautiful experience when I USE my phone, or do what I need to do on my phones OS.

krjcook said:
Yea I'm migrating from android. Moto Cliq with 2.1 upgrade. Android is nice, but I sick of all the sluggishness.
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Are you blaming Android for the sluggishness or the fact that the Cliq has a ~530MHz processor in a 1GHz world?
I'm switching to Linux because Windows 7 is just too sluggish on my PIII 900MHz.
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Personally, I won't be making the switch, but that's neither here nor there.
Most every carrier will give you a return period. It's not like you actually risk losing anything (as long as you take care of the phone). Give it a try for your two weeks (or whatever your carrier allows) and see how you like it.
Two weeks is long enough to determine if you love it or if you find the transitions to be annoying as hell when being used.
At about a week and a half, I would try going back to the Android phone for a day or two. If you're annoyed as hell by the Android phone, then keep the WP7.
If you find yourself relieved to be back with the Android phone, keep it.
If it's about even, then think to the future. Is the Android phone likely to get an upgrade (either officially or through a 3rd party ROM)? Is the WP7 likely to continue to get upgraded?
Make a pro/con for each phone & decide which one you'll ultimately be happier with.
For me, the cons for WP7 are too many, but for YOU, it might be reversed.
Ultimately, what fits you better is what you want to determine & the best way to figure that out is to compare/contrast through actual use.
I've seen a LOT of phones demo'd that have super smooth animations, but in actual use, they suck horribly once things are installed on teh phone. Since the WP7 can't multitask, this isn't likely to be such a big deal, but it might be. Actual use is really the only way to know.

I wonder how many tiles you can get on there before it gets ridiculous

Why I switched from Android to WP7

I'm new to this forum, but have lurked for a while now. A lot of insightful posts, good debate, and professionalism by almost everyone. It's great as I definitely learn a lot from reading them.
Anyways, to the topic at hand. I'm an owner of an HD7 and an HTC G2 (Desire Z overseas). My G2 for a few months was my daily driver, after I sold my Vibrant and purchased it mainly for the HSPA+, however the physical keyboard was a nice add on as well. I went ahead and rooted the device, installed Visionary temp root, and overclocked to 1.2ghz (found it to be my sweet spot, as I've had freezes with 1.4 and won't even bother trying anything higher). The phone is lighting fast, I installed LauncherPro first thing first, customized the home screen to my exact liking, hooked it up to my Exchange account, and basically turned it into my perfect Android device.
Ever since I sold my 3gs and purchased an HTC Hero (GSM), I fell back in love with Android. I had originally bought the G1 in October 2008 when it was released in the states and grew into the Android ecosystem. I switched to iOS only because the 3gs was released, but I ended up going back. One of the main reasons why I enjoy Android so much is because it has a variety to choose from in regards to everything you can do with the phone. There isn't a thing that isn't possible with the OS and you have to appreciate it's willingness to allow anyone to make that happen. It isn't a system that's shoved down our throats, although I have always been against the OS being on so many devices.
Around a month ago, I started doing some research on WP7. I wasn't familiar with WM6.5 or any other Microsoft phone. All I knew was that you can flash Android on an HD2. The more research I did, the more I began to find myself interested in it, it looked smooth, very fluid, and if there is one thing I missed from my 3gs experience that even with the G2 overclocked I don't have is fluidity. The OS looked solid, and I think it's a bit understating when you claim consumers don't care about that. If anything, the GUI is one of the most important features on an OS, and no matter what the processer or device of an Android ran phone, the device is generally still slow and stuttery. Granted you can fiddle with the settings, mess with animation, change the speed of certain things within' the UI etc. etc. Still, it lacks in that department and the fragmentation of the operating system doesn't help. Also, another issue I have with Android are the keyboards. Yes, all of them. I still can't use swype as imo the learning curve isn't as simple as they make it seem and even using Smart Keyboard (great customer service by the dev btw) as my G2's daily driver still proves to be faulty. Lets not even get started on the stock keyboard. The only one that seems to work the best are the 4'3 inch devices, because the screen is so big. It worked well on my previous Vibrant, but still stuttery. Of course my G2 has a physical keyboard so you would think this would be a moot point. A lot of times I don't even use the physical keyboard for whatever reason.
With enough research, I decided on purchasing an HD7. I don't like buying phone's on contract so I decided to find one on craigslist. I realized a day before the Nexus S was released here that there were quite a few firesales on craigslist. Probably due to the fact that people with TMobile wanted to sell their device to purchase the N-S. At least that's what I assumed, considering I was able to buy a great condition HD7 for $250. To no surprise, he was selling to contribute to the Nexus. At first I was skeptical, didn't know much about the OS besides what I saw on youtube, and I was a little weary of the screen because I read that the colors are a bit faded. Regardless, the phone grew on me. The screen is beautiful for all it's detractors and the colors are fine to me. I'd argue that the Vibrant (and specifically screens with Super Amoled) tend to have an awkward blue tint/hue that becomes quite annoying when you begin to notice it more and more. The whites look blue, the blacks look blue, I understand the hue of the actual screen is blue, still doesn't make up for it. The only problem I have with the HD7 is portraying blacks, as it tends to ghost when you scroll and the smaller letters get skewed. Also there seems to be purple borders on the tiles when you scroll with a black background. For this reason, I changed it to white and found no problem. Aside from that minor issue (that doesn't bother me now because I enjoy the white more anyway), the OS is an absolute monster.
Where do I begin? The positives -
-Keyboard - I'm sorry, but there is NO better keyboard on the market today. Windows Phone 7 is far superior due to the sizes of various screens. IOS has a dandy keyboard but it's either too small on a 3.5 inch display (beautiful retina though, can't deny that), or too big on an iPAD. I've already explained my stance on Android keyboards, and I think it isn't even a close margin. The WP7 keyboard hands down is the most user friendly in the market today. Oh and spellcheck is fantastic as well.
-UI - Most fluid UI in the market today
-Exchange support/outlook/syncing w/calendar/contacts - Fantastic. Don't get me wrong, Android does this well, but for some reason, it's just more enjoyable on the fluid and buttery smooth Metro UI.
-Email - The email client on WP7 is awesome. The pinch zoom in an email box on a 4.3 inch display is smooth and a fantastic experience. Same can be said for the pinch and zoom on IE. I know it re-renders words while Android doesn't, but the 5 finger multi-touch support and amazing scrolling makes it a notch above the Android browser, which with any processor, still has laggy pinch and zoom.
-Netflix - Again, goes back to watching Netflix on demand on a 4 inch or 4.3 inch display. No other phone can boast about that feat. (I know iOS has Netflix)
-Web surfing - See email. Again, smooth like butter. Granted there are random rendering issues and freezes here and there, it's still a great experience being able to scroll and move along as smoothly as it does on such a big screen.
So now I was left with a decision to make. Do I use the HD7 or the G2 as my daily driver? Both have their advantages, and ultimately, I looked at which one had the least amount of disadvantages, and it came down to the HD7. As a daily driver, I mainly use my phone to text, email, check my work email, calendar, and surf the web occassionally. In all those fronts, it works better then the G2. In terms of games and such, the WP7 market is still going, but I have to give the edge to the Android Market simply because it's more well estabilished. I also like the fact that I can download directly from a website like say Gameloft. Gives you the chance to work outside of a walled ecosystem. You have to remember, Microsoft is in this for the long haul. There is no such thing as late in the market. The market constantly grows and if a revolutionary product is released, people will be intrigued by it. Tickle Me Elmo wasn't late in the market, the Wii wasn't late in the market, and automobile companies who are now currently building the future of cars aren't late in the market. There is no such thing, the future is always now, and innovation will constantly be showcased for the masses to witness and endulge themselves with.
If we all stuck to the theory that 4 months of being public is enough time to doom a company, then we're more behind then I thought. They aren't investing millions upon millions of dollars in a company that they're going to give up on in 4 months. Updates will come, fixes will be sent, the product will flow, you must give it some time. To this day, for all it's glory, Android still hasn't managed to update the ever infamous lag in their UI. No matter what device, dual core or not, it's just too fragmented and the GUI is in desperate need of change. I'm not demoting Android by any means, it is in fact a great great OS and one that has ultimately changed the game. But to dismiss a new innovation with as much promise as WP7 is silly. To those who have differing opinions, to you I say just try one out for a little while. If it was capable of growing on me (a self admitted Android fan), then I see no reason why the normal consumer wouldn't be able to feel the same way.

i will have to agree, like you said i admit i am a big big big fan of android os. but i just bought htc surround recently and UI is amazing on this new WP7 phones. people just need to give it some time, thats all

I am also a fan of android, but as someone running a small business, needed something that would not soak up my time messing about with rooting and tweaking. wP7 just does the business for me in a slick and professional way. Sure, there are missing features (document sync to skydrive mostly for me) but the positives outweigh any negatives for me

I used to be a big android fan, and I'm still thinking about getting an atrix, but with android you always have to ask yourself, what is the point of all that great hardware if the OS isn't optimized for it.
I've had a Vibrant and an N1. I LOVED my N1, and I wish I still had one, but I quietly ran out of things I wanted to do with it. I couldn't find a single music player I liked and I quickly ran out of games I wanted to play.
To me, fluidity and music are by far the most 2 important aspects of a smartphone. WP7 and a Zune Pass do this better than any other option.

So many people say NO to wp7 with sevral words;
Sevral people say YES to wp7 with so many words.
Very interesting!

Totally agree with everything the OP has said. Android just isn't a next-gen phone OS IMHO.

Great post by OP.
It's possible to see positives in both, while preferring to use one over the other.

Reflexx1 said:
Great post by OP.
It's possible to see positives in both, while preferring to use one over the other.
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I need to print this out and:
1/. Go back to the ATT store where I met that d-bag rep referenced here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=924802
2/. Give this to my buddy who is about to purchase a Nexus S as his first smartphone.
Perfect post about WP7 IMHO.

I think it's a great post. It just goes to show that it doesn't matter which OS is better, or newer/older, or hot at the time. It comes down to what works for you, the person that actually has to use the phone on a day to day basis.

How Would You Rank Windows Phone 7 With The iPhone & Android?

with the death of windows mobile, cdma launch of wp7, and the iphone coming to verizon it opens alot of options for people like me who are due for an upgrade. Besides the lag and freezes i thoroughly enjoyed the freedom i had with Windows Mobile being able to download music on the go in rar files/zip files and everything and update my library on the go all without the use of a computer and being able to use my phone in mass storage mode on computers and things i know at the moment wp7 is limited in comparison and there are other platforms out there but im primarily interested in wp7.
But i was wondering with the promising upgrades coming and your experience with wp7 thus far how would u rank wp7 iphone and android? what are the pros and cons of each platform in comparison to each other?
im 90% confident im upgrading to wp7 but i would like to hear more input from people who have used the other platforms more thoroughly than I have.

ios is a kids OS. It's jumbled, it's boring, there's no hardware selection, and the only reason to get it is the app selection. Android is also ugly, jumbled, though you can tinker more on it than any OS that's currently in the land of the living. The lag is what most kills android. WP7 as a whole is awesome. It is missing a few features necessary to some people but for the most part it's blowing smoke. Most of them are unimportant features people accentuate on aside from GPS. I have all the faith in the world that by this time next year WP7 will be right up there.

WP7 is a lot better better than iOS and Android IMO. I do like that Android is open like WinMo was, but that opens it up for being more buggy, laggy, etc. iOS and WP7 are similar in their fluidity, but WP7 just looks and flows better. It's very, very smoothe feeling. Even though the app selection is smaller, it still provides the basic ones everyone uses and has a lot of really good games that aren't available on other platforms.

Android is great in that its really powerful and feature rich. You can do a lot of tinkering with it. However, it feels like somebody's senior project and does not feel like a polished OS. Lots of lag and other anomalies that make using it sometimes less than ideal. However, it does work, and it had excellent Google integration not to mention the very handy tethering/wifi hotspot.
iOS is a very polished product which works excellently with its hardware, and has an insane amount of added functionality by way of their huge developer base/apps. To set up the homescreens ect in a way that doesn't seem meant for a toddler, you need to jailbreak. However, its not difficult to do (although the overall feel still feels a little fischer price to me). And with apple there is a one size fits all mentality. One phone model updated yearly. And, like Android, this OS is based on the 1990's desktop style which moved into handsets by way of Palm quite a while ago.
wp7 Metro UI is quite amazing and an evolution in how you can and will use your handset in a more efficient and intuitive way (imo). It is highly polished and very responsive with some extremely high quality apps (a trend which will continue). Much higher than Android, and some even higher than iOS.
However, the OS is severely crippled in deeper functionality at this point. The email & music players are the best out there as is the metro UI in general, but the settings available to you are pretty limited and there are big things missing like smart dialing and socket support. Given time to add more features this OS will be hard to beat. Most of the necessary features are in the OS and work fine, but you may find a few things hard to live without.
So basically wp7 UI is top notch and much more pleasant to use (I'd say webOS is second), and given another year should be pretty close in functionality to the rest of the platforms. When that time comes, the choice is simple: wp7 given the same power and features has a much better UI while still having choice in hardware.
Me? I have used them all. Using a wp7 device now, and its really hard to go back to my Android, even with the added functionality simply because wp7 UI is so beautiful, and Android is...well....not. I just hope some of my needed functionality comes sooner rather than later.

If you're used to the freedom of WM6 and being able to use your phone as a computer replacement, then you'll regret going to WP7 which is like a glorified feature phone compared to WM6 or Android . Let's see... no sockets API, no file system, no multi-tasking until maybe even early 2012, no real customization of any aspect of the UI / core functionality.
Install the Zune software and check out what apps are available. If you can live with those choices then you'll probably love the phone. But if you're used to the power and flexibility of WM6 then I suspect you'd be happier with Android. Which, despite the rabid hate from the WP7 fanboys here (ahem, z33dev33l), is not even remotely near as bad as they would have you believe provided you're running a high end device with 2.2+.
My wife loves WP7 because it's simple and straight forward. I hate it because it doesn't do anything I need it to and the lack of multitasking makes it feel way slower than it really is if you use a lot of 3rd party apps. It's the same old story. Different strokes for different folks. Try them both and use whatever works for you .

radeon_x said:
the power and flexibility of WM6
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lol
Good one.

sure haven't said:
lol
Good one.
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Hey, I didn't say anything about speed or stability.

radeon_x said:
Hey, I didn't say anything about speed or stability.
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2 things both android and WM are completely lacking.

I've used PocketPC/WindowsMobile devices for years, enjoyed them and found them most useful. I loved my Touch Diamond - great device. When I first saw my friend/co-worker's G1 I was underwhelmed by the look of Android. A year later I have a Galaxy S and love it - but Android 2.2.1 doesn't look that much different than what I saw on the G1. The iPhone is a non-issue for me. Yes, very polished but I just cannot buy into it for a few reasons (I have had a few iPods in the past but grew tired of them).
After some time and consideration of the pro's and con's I decided to give WP7 a chance. Besides, the Focus is essentially a Galaxy S with WP7 instead of Android. I absolutely love it. It is so refined aesthetically that it makes Android look amateurish - I still like Android though. Just have to wait for proper GPS and Lexicomp to make my WP7 complete.
El Mono

radeon_x said:
Hey, I didn't say anything about speed or stability.
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Haha very true.

I'd rank WP7 1st in UI and smoothness, last in functionality and features.

z33dev33l said:
ios is a kids OS. It's jumbled, it's boring, there's no hardware selection, and the only reason to get it is the app selection. Android is also ugly, jumbled, though you can tinker more on it than any OS that's currently in the land of the living. The lag is what most kills android. WP7 as a whole is awesome. It is missing a few features necessary to some people but for the most part it's blowing smoke. Most of them are unimportant features people accentuate on aside from GPS. I have all the faith in the world that by this time next year WP7 will be right up there.
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So ios is a kids' os, but at this point wp7 isn't, yet ios, does much more than wp7 is doing now, and probably will do for the rest of this year?

makoute said:
So ios is a kids' os, but at this point wp7 isn't, yet ios, does much more than wp7 is doing now, and probably will do for the rest of this year?
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I'd say the look & feel are very childlike, but the functionality is not.

z33dev33l said:
2 things both android and WM are completely lacking.
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With your signature, I'm not sure how anyone can take you seriously any more...
Anyway, I will say this: When you look at WM6 or Android, I think the old saying applies: With great power comes great responsibility. On both of these platforms there's no question that the user can hugely affect stability and speed by installing crappy software or changing the wrong settings. So I can understand how they can get such a bad rap as being slow and unstable. In reality, any reasonably tech savvy person can maintain a very smooth and stable Android device that is still very customized. That's a fact based on my observations, so argue all you want but it won't make a difference .
With WP7 and un-jailbroken iPhones, they're pretty hard to mess up and thy're more likely to have consistent performance no matter what you install or what you do to them. In the perfect world, someone could achieve a platform that accomplishes both goals, for now you have to choose what matters most to you and accept the fact that you can't have your cake and eat it too.

I, too, was torn between WP7 and Android, but it became a pretty clear choice once I realized what I was looking at. My old Tilt was powerful and flexible, but such a pain to use that it was just a really expensive cell phone as I stopped using all the "smart" features. I fancy myself a tinkerer, but when I'm honest with myself, I just don't have time for that any more. So while Android was looking attractive for a bit, I knew I needed something butter-smooth that just worked. I fell in love with Metro when it was unveiled a year ago, and it's just as pretty, intuitive, and functional now that I've got it in my hand.
So, unless you're a power user who needs socket-what-have-you on the Android, Windows Phone 7 should fit the bill and meet your needs - in style. (Can't comment on iPhones; I'm probably the only graphic designer in the world who loathes Macs.)
Also, pick a cross-platform app (Yelp, IMDB, or ANYthing) and read the reviews; the WP7 version of the app is always hailed as the "best" version of the app compared to the Android and iOS versions.

I've always felt that Android is what Windows Mobile would have been if Microsoft had really been serious about it. The two OS's are way more similar than most people are willing to admit. The fact is, if you love WM then you will love Android. Android is the polished cousin of WM.
At its heart, iOS is also very similar to WM, just very highly polished and very locked down. I love the breadth of apps on iOS, and I love my iPod Touch, but the iPhone isn't for me.
I've been very pleasantly surprised by WP7. While WM=Android=iOS, WP7 is totally different. I'm a bit disappointed that it's locked down like iOS, but I totally relate to the Metro interface. I have no regrets with my Samsung Focus, it's a great phone.

My posts are going to sound like broken records but I think people are being overly critical of Windows Phone.
Look how long it took the iPhone to get C&P. It took Android many iterations to get to where it is at now. Android did not start with Bluetooth file transfer, OTA updates, or radio in their first handset.
The problem may be that people went from an established OS in WinMo to Windows Phone expecting it to be upgraded in the areas where it was lacking. Windows Phone was a complete overhaul and rewrite.
Windows Phone will get there. Just do your research and you will get the phone that suits you best. Do not buy a phone banking on future updates and you will save yourself lots of frustration.

I went from WM6 to Android, and it really is the best upgrade if you liked the openness of WM6. It might not come with the polished feel that iPhone and WP7 have, but that's offset by the many choices that you can have.
I can't judge WP7 yet because we haven't seen quite what it can do yet, but regarding iPhones compared to Android: the iPhone is great for if you want to use exactly what apple wants you to (i.e. SMS, keyboard, homescreens, etc.) and if you don't mind not being able to customise. It has a much better selection of apps/games, but more paid than free (although this is slowly changing)
Android comes with customisation, and more possible features (because even the app store in iPhone has restrictions on what apps you can get) but can be unstable or a bit slower because of the customising and multi-tasking (I know iPhone does that too now, but still not on the same level). You can change the keyboard layout, the homescreen (even to match the UI of iPhone or WP7, or something totally different) and all sorts of customised ROMs!
All in all, it's a personal choice. I think WP7 is a good idea if you think the apps and the UI are worth it. It's more of a risk because we haven't seen how well it'll last and catch on. Android is great for if you want the freedom to change anything you want (keyboards, homescreens, etc.). iPhone is great for if you want that stability, and a system that's definitely got the developers' support.

darkwater13 said:
I went from WM6 to Android, and it really is the best upgrade if you liked the openness of WM6. It might not come with the polished feel that iPhone and WP7 have, but that's offset by the many choices that you can have.
I can't judge WP7 yet because we haven't seen quite what it can do yet, but regarding iPhones compared to Android: the iPhone is great for if you want to use exactly what apple wants you to (i.e. SMS, keyboard, homescreens, etc.) and if you don't mind not being able to customise. It has a much better selection of apps/games, but more paid than free (although this is slowly changing)
Android comes with customisation, and more possible features (because even the app store in iPhone has restrictions on what apps you can get) but can be unstable or a bit slower because of the customising and multi-tasking (I know iPhone does that too now, but still not on the same level). You can change the keyboard layout, the homescreen (even to match the UI of iPhone or WP7, or something totally different) and all sorts of customised ROMs!
All in all, it's a personal choice. I think WP7 is a good idea if you think the apps and the UI are worth it. It's more of a risk because we haven't seen how well it'll last and catch on. Android is great for if you want the freedom to change anything you want (keyboards, homescreens, etc.). iPhone is great for if you want that stability, and a system that's definitely got the developers' support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have HD2, so i had WM 6.5, Android for 6 months and now wp7. I liked the Android customization. Sense, non-sense, changing widgets home-screens... But the true is i prefer the wp7 as it is. I dont feel the need to tweek it and changed it. I never got a 'tweeked' customized experience as good as wp7. And the simplicity of Metro is just great.

radeon_x said:
With your signature, I'm not sure how anyone can take you seriously any more...
Anyway, I will say this: When you look at WM6 or Android, I think the old saying applies: With great power comes great responsibility. On both of these platforms there's no question that the user can hugely affect stability and speed by installing crappy software or changing the wrong settings. So I can understand how they can get such a bad rap as being slow and unstable. In reality, any reasonably tech savvy person can maintain a very smooth and stable Android device that is still very customized. That's a fact based on my observations, so argue all you want but it won't make a difference .
With WP7 and un-jailbroken iPhones, they're pretty hard to mess up and thy're more likely to have consistent performance no matter what you install or what you do to them. In the perfect world, someone could achieve a platform that accomplishes both goals, for now you have to choose what matters most to you and accept the fact that you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's got to be hard to completely crap on a phone that for it's time had the best specs out but Samsung did it and did it quite thoroughly.

Dinc 2 ice cream sandwich

What feature are you looking forward to the most? I've played around with the devs super rom and I've got to say it feels on like its on a whole other level than gingerbread. I'm looking forward to see how the face unlock goes.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

dlln147 said:
What feature are you looking forward to the most? I've played around with the devs super rom and I've got to say it feels on like its on a whole other level than gingerbread. I'm looking forward to see how the face unlock goes.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm honestly excited obviously for vanilla ICS, but what I'm really excited about is what HTC is gonna do with sense 4.0 (as stated in another thread). They haven't failed to amaze yet (at least those who are sense fans) and I can't see how they'd let anyone down on the new functionalities of ICS.

I'm interested in sense ICS as well. Some sense Roms are a hit or miss to me so I'm excited to see how it would turn out.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

dlln147 said:
What feature are you looking forward to the most? I've played around with the devs super rom and I've got to say it feels on like its on a whole other level than gingerbread. I'm looking forward to see how the face unlock goes.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't wait for asop vanilla ICS. I've been trying out the early dev mods and ICS is really impressive.

I'm incredibly excited about it. I really love the changes to the notification bar and the multi task app manager.

Im excited to brag about running ics at work... All the bigshots with "better" phones than me will turn green with envy!

OFish202 said:
Im excited to brag about running ics at work... All the bigshots with "better" phones than me will turn green with envy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone is pretty good compared to top phones out now though.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

dlln147 said:
This phone is pretty good compared to top phones out now though.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree... It's gonna be better with some ice loving...
Sent from my ADR6350 using xda premium

OFish202 said:
I agree... It's gonna be better with some ice loving...
Sent from my ADR6350 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This runs smoother than my friends Droid 3. ICS is only going to make it better.
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA App

Plus... It doesnt look like we are talking on a calculator... The size is very managable.

Movie studio is going to be awesome. I hate to say this but the iPhone is leaps and bounds ahead of android when it comes to video. This will level the playing field for sure.
[Sent from my INC2]

3UR0TR45H said:
Movie studio is going to be awesome. I hate to say this but the iPhone is leaps and bounds ahead of android when it comes to video. This will level the playing field for sure.
[Sent from my INC2]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm excited about this too. Once I saw the demo for it I went nuts.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

3UR0TR45H said:
Movie studio is going to be awesome. I hate to say this but the iPhone is leaps and bounds ahead of android when it comes to video. This will level the playing field for sure.
[Sent from my INC2]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's movie studio really going to do? I would personally never use my smartphone for editing more than a pic in photoshop express, much less try to touch up video.
For multi-format playback, I use MX Player with the Arm v7 codec for hardware acceleration. There is nothing that I've found that it can't play.

vrgelinas said:
What's movie studio really going to do? I would personally never use my smartphone for editing more than a pic in photoshop express, much less try to touch up video.
For multi-format playback, I use MX Player with the Arm v7 codec for hardware acceleration. There is nothing that I've found that it can't play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not so much about that as being able to touch up videos on the go. I consider imovie to be one of the top features on the iPhone and this will satisfy that need. It will basically turn the camcorder from a fun little gadget to a usable and valuable tool!
[Sent from my INC2]

Am I the only one who's really not terribly impressed with ICS? Actually pretty unimpressed overall? Of course, I want to clarify that by saying that I'm referring to the actual OS, not the current port to our phone. The guys working on that have done am amazing job.
But for the actual OS, I'm just not seeing what's so groundbreaking. I think the only feature I see that's actually nice is the auto-creation of folders. Aside from that, everything else is either ho-hum, or catch-up features.
-Scrollable and realizable widgets have existed on alternate launchers forever now. Nice to finally have them natively, but not terribly exciting.
-New app drawer layout is OK, but again, nothing groundbreaking. Moving all the widgets inside the drawer seems more inefficient than long-pressing on a home screen, especially if you have to scroll through several pages of widgets to locate your desired one.
-Face Unlock is a nice trick, but again, inefficient (or downright useless) for those who don't secure their phones in the first place. A quick flick of the thumb is hard to top as far as speed and ease go.
-NFC? Well, our phone doesn't have it to begin with, but even if it did, it's usefulness is pretty limited for the foreseeable future. How many times do you really transfer files between Android phones?
-The new UI, personally, I find pretty ugly. It's almost a total lack of any style, it's all lines and solid boxes. I suppose that's a style in itself, but I can't say it's a terribly pleasing one.
-The new search widget is now plastered on the top of every home screen, can only be removed by disabling the Google Search app, and upon doing so, you still can't reclaim the space used by the widget for icons or other widgets. I barely search on my phone enough to justify the current widget being placed on a single home screen, so to have one permanently on every screen is a PITA.
-The new camera features are nice, but at the end of the day, it's a camera phone. If I'm looking to take real photos, I'll use a real camera.
I don't know, the more useable the devs get their port, the more I've had a chance to play with ICS, and the more I'm convinced that, far from eliminating the need for carrier overlays, in my opinion, ICS actually makes them more valuable and necessary than they are today.
I honestly hate to say this, because I had been very much looking forward to it, but to me, the new UI just feels extremely unfinished and unimaginative, and the OS overall doesn't seem to break any new ground whatsoever.

I can't see HTC being able to do much with the ICS. Their brand recognition seems to rely on that huge weather clock and that general layout of sense that they have been using on every phone now. I can't see a lot of these "signature" stuff translating well into ICS, since most of it relies heavily on the gingerbread rom, which ICS seems to diverge quite a lot from.

PharmCAT said:
I can't see HTC being able to do much with the ICS. Their brand recognition seems to rely on that huge weather clock and that general layout of sense that they have been using on every phone now. I can't see a lot of these "signature" stuff translating well into ICS, since most of it relies heavily on the gingerbread rom, which ICS seems to diverge quite a lot from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I follow you. They can still build all their widgets for ICS, they can still replace the launcher with a Rosie'd version - a big phone button at the bottom with web and customize buttons on either side, and they can still skin the overall UI - the notification bar, icons, etc.
I just don't see how ICS, in any way, eliminates or negates the value manufacturers see in their overlays. And as the new UI aesthetics is unarguably more "love it or hate it" than previous versions of Android, I actually see overlays being even more attractive to the average consumer who might be comparing an Android phone to an iPhone.

ChrisDDD said:
Am I the only one who's really not terribly impressed with ICS? Actually pretty unimpressed overall? Of course, I want to clarify that by saying that I'm referring to the actual OS, not the current port to our phone. The guys working on that have done am amazing job.
But for the actual OS, I'm just not seeing what's so groundbreaking. I think the only feature I see that's actually nice is the auto-creation of folders. Aside from that, everything else is either ho-hum, or catch-up features.
-Scrollable and realizable widgets have existed on alternate launchers forever now. Nice to finally have them natively, but not terribly exciting.
-New app drawer layout is OK, but again, nothing groundbreaking. Moving all the widgets inside the drawer seems more inefficient than long-pressing on a home screen, especially if you have to scroll through several pages of widgets to locate your desired one.
-Face Unlock is a nice trick, but again, inefficient (or downright useless) for those who don't secure their phones in the first place. A quick flick of the thumb is hard to top as far as speed and ease go.
-NFC? Well, our phone doesn't have it to begin with, but even if it did, it's usefulness is pretty limited for the foreseeable future. How many times do you really transfer files between Android phones?
-The new UI, personally, I find pretty ugly. It's almost a total lack of any style, it's all lines and solid boxes. I suppose that's a style in itself, but I can't say it's a terribly pleasing one.
-The new search widget is now plastered on the top of every home screen, can only be removed by disabling the Google Search app, and upon doing so, you still can't reclaim the space used by the widget for icons or other widgets. I barely search on my phone enough to justify the current widget being placed on a single home screen, so to have one permanently on every screen is a PITA.
-The new camera features are nice, but at the end of the day, it's a camera phone. If I'm looking to take real photos, I'll use a real camera.
I don't know, the more useable the devs get their port, the more I've had a chance to play with ICS, and the more I'm convinced that, far from eliminating the need for carrier overlays, in my opinion, ICS actually makes them more valuable and necessary than they are today.
I honestly hate to say this, because I had been very much looking forward to it, but to me, the new UI just feels extremely unfinished and unimaginative, and the OS overall doesn't seem to break any new ground whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Word! So glad you wrote this. I've been thinking the same thing, but just didn't have the courage to say it!

3UR0TR45H said:
It's not so much about that as being able to touch up videos on the go. I consider imovie to be one of the top features on the iPhone and this will satisfy that need. It will basically turn the camcorder from a fun little gadget to a usable and valuable tool!
[Sent from my INC2]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't wait for this feature. With the birth of a baby girl, I plan on using the camcorder feature quite a bit!

Congrats bro

WP On A Galaxy Note Is Awesome...

Using L7 to replicate my beloved Metro. The extra space is phenomenal for the interface.

I used to do it with my Galaxy S. launcher, sms app, twitter app... everything I could find on metro, I would use.
Then I got the Lumia and believe me, there's no styling on Android that will ever make it resemble the actual thing. It's way more than just a theme.

guilhermedsx said:
I used to do it with my Galaxy S. launcher, sms app, twitter app... everything I could find on metro, I would use.
Then I got the Lumia and believe me, there's no styling on Android that will ever make it resemble the actual thing. It's way more than just a theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with everything you said.
Launchers aren't a good representation of another OS, specially not WP7.

Obviously a launcher can't reproduce an ecosystem...however I'm pretty sure that this fall we'll be able to see some huge Apollo device with an HD screen, basically a WP Note. I doubt that Samsung will drop the ball on that after Win8 and Apollo launch, assuming that it will look promising. Oh well, just wait and see
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

DarkSeL said:
I agree with everything you said.
Launchers aren't a good representation of another OS, specially not WP7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It actually is. You should try both out at the same time. Aside from metro not carrying through all the L7 apps, its very similar.

ohgood said:
Aside from metro not carrying through all the L7 apps, its very similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, I know but that's what WP UI is all about IMHO...
Also the way everything is rendered is quite different, apparently Android and WP run in a very different way. What I really like about the WP UI is how everything "flows" in a very natural way, and how the apps (at least most of em) feel like melting into the OS when you open or close them. It feels kinda like a "living being" more than a software thing, if you get what I mean. I'm not really talking about fluidity here, because probably a GS3 is more fluid and operates way faster than any WP device, it's the whole experience as it's packed that gives you overall a different, warmer feeling. That's what I think out of my broken mind at least

ohgood said:
It actually is. You should try both out at the same time. Aside from metro not carrying through all the L7 apps, its very similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the people tile and its cool animations all the time? Can you pin specific people to the screen? do their tiles animate? Does the gallery app keep changing pictures?
Or is it just a frozen picture of WP7?

DarkSeL said:
Do you have the people tile and its cool animations all the time? Can you pin specific people to the screen? do their tiles animate? Does the gallery app keep changing pictures?
Or is it just a frozen picture of WP7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of that does work, yes. But for myself, right now, I need to use Android. This is a nice reminder of one of my favorite OS and a proof of concept on a high resolution large screen WP seriously rocks.

vnvman said:
Heh, I know but that's what WP UI is all about IMHO...
Also the way everything is rendered is quite different, apparently Android and WP run in a very different way. What I really like about the WP UI is how everything "flows" in a very natural way, and how the apps (at least most of em) feel like melting into the OS when you open or close them. It feels kinda like a "living being" more than a software thing, if you get what I mean. I'm not really talking about fluidity here, because probably a GS3 is more fluid and operates way faster than any WP device, it's the whole experience as it's packed that gives you overall a different, warmer feeling. That's what I think out of my broken mind at least
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, got it. guess it depends on just how deep into the UI / app interactions one goes. on the surface, very similar. as soon as an app is opened, they fall apart in similarities.
then again, alllll the apps are different on android/ios.