Windows based cell phones, do you own one? What can you tell me?

Haha, had a fellow SDer send me this way because I bring up my WP7 ALL the time. I have helped a couple of randoms with questions about them even. I would sooo work in a cell phone store if they could pay me $70k a year, haha. But they won't, so me plugging a phone will just remain a hobby.

I have owned a WP7 since November of 2010 and will be getting WP8 this winter. Absolutely love my phone. I bought it for the Games (Xbox Live achievements!!!) and stayed for the functionality.

Quote from brbubba : WP7 was a failure because MS failed to convince consumers that it was worth their time, an obvious lack of apps for the platform and MS basically gimped any WP7 phone out of the gate by saying they wouldn't be getting WP8 on them. This combined with mediocre hardware and a lack of carriers adopting the phones and you can see why it failed. Although I don't see WP8 breaking this trend.

Yea...there are some common misconceptions about Windows Phone and that is a big one... "It is a failure". It is the fastest growing marketplace, the fastest growing adoption rate of any smartphone. The sides to that though...they are moving a TON more units then iOS/Android did when they were young because Smartphones are more popular...but, flip side to that is people already own phones so it is hard to make a dent in that Market Share number.

And mediocre hardware? All the critics close to WP7 talk about how HTC/Samsung just copy their major Android phone and release it with WP7...so, if WP7 has mediocre hardware, and they have the same hardware as Android...Android has mediocre hardware too.

Quote from 420 : One major issue that has hindered the sales of Windows-based phones is a lack of 3rd party support. Virtually everyone offers apps for iOS and Android, from the Bronx Zoo to Starbucks, and yet comparatively few companies offer Windows equivalents. For that reason alone, I wouldn't even consider a Windows-based phone.

That also is a bit annoying too.."But there aren't any apps". I once had someone on this very board say they would not get a Windows Phone because there was not a Pizza Hut app...PIZZA HUT! Really people??? Worst part is...Windows Phone actually does have a Pizza Hut app

Any app you will ever need is in the marketplace. OK, so there isn't an app for the Bronx Zoo...do you really need one? But that leads to another good point, in the Columbus Zoo (rated one of the best Zoo's in America), all the Animal placards have QR Codes. No app needed, pull up the camera and you are filled with information about the monkey du jour. Windows Phone does QR better than any platform out there.

Apps will be a thing of the past in a year or two except for Games. Any tech site that is worth it's beans is going to put it's effort into ONE HTML5 project and instantly create something that EVERY platform can access. Example 1: Grooveshark [engadget.com](music streaming)

I also said "Except for games" because to get an immersed experience you will need a full install of an app...and with Windows Phone you are talking XBOX Games. As they start to roll out games for your PC and Xbox that you can also play from your phone, a completely new experience that you can't get anywhere else.

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Anyway, damn, that got long... But, I would highly recommend waiting about two months if you can. Start of November should hark the release of the new phones, and they are going to be incredible. Check out the Nokia Lumia 920. It's camera is unrivaled, plus it has a better screen than anything else on the market to date! If you don't care about the latest and greatest, you can get a Nokia Lumia 900 now for $50 at AT&T or Free (Walmart had a deal)...that will be a great phone.

I would expect to get Dates for the Windows Phone 8 releases within a week or two. I think they haven't told us yet because they are waiting on info about iPhone 5.

Quote from Curtieson : <blah blah blah... obsessive fellating of MS> Anyway, damn, that got long... But, I would highly recommend waiting about two months if you can. Start of November should hark the release of the new phones, and they are going to be incredible. Check out the Nokia Lumia 920. It's camera is unrivaled, plus it has a better screen than anything else on the market to date! If you don't care about the latest and greatest, you can get a Nokia Lumia 900 now for $50 at AT&T or Free (Walmart had a deal)...that will be a great phone. I would expect to get Dates for the Windows Phone 8 releases within a week or two. I think they haven't told us yet because they are waiting on info about iPhone 5.

Ok chief, gotta slow you down before you start to trigger your gag reflex. Commendable job i'd say, but let's replace some of the sensational editorializing with some fact checking.

Unrivaled camera? It's arguably slightly better than the cameras on current phones but i'd say the difference is negligible. As for the display, under what circumstances could you possible classify it as the best? It's surely not the largest nor does it sport the highest pixel density.

Quote from godfather927 : Ok chief, gotta slow you down before you start to trigger your gag reflex. Commendable job i'd say, but let's replace some of the sensational editorializing with some fact checking. Unrivaled camera? It's arguably slightly better than the cameras on current phones but i'd say the difference is negligible. As for the display, under what circumstances could you possible classify it as the best? It's surely not the largest nor does it sport the highest pixel density.

Compared to the iPhone (assuming this test is on the up and up) I'd say the difference is not negligble in low light scenarios.

Full article.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/20...ew-camera/

Quote from Curtieson : Yea...there are some common misconceptions about Windows Phone and that is a big one... "It is a failure". It is the fastest growing marketplace, the fastest growing adoption rate of any smartphone. The sides to that though...they are moving a TON more units then iOS/Android did when they were young because Smartphones are more popular...but, flip side to that is people already own phones so it is hard to make a dent in that Market Share number. And mediocre hardware? All the critics close to WP7 talk about how HTC/Samsung just copy their major Android phone and release it with WP7...so, if WP7 has mediocre hardware, and they have the same hardware as Android...Android has mediocre hardware too.

That's pure BS. Both the iPhone and Android had faster adoption rates. PROOF [guardian.co.uk]

You also have to realize that the numbers MS is touting are not true sales figures. They always quote the "shipped to partners" figure which does not equate to actual consumer sales. Meanwhile Google reports activated handsets, which are an obviously better indicator of sales.

This IDC report paints a better picture. Report [idc.com]. So yes we see WP growth, but not a whole hell of a lot. WP7 was a failure because it didn't command any real market share. If it commanded at least 6-10% of marketshare we could potentially say it was a success. Furthermore their tight relationship with Nokia doesn't help MS in the PR department because Nokia is in a nose dive. And the farther they sink the worse it looks for WP and MS.

Most of Android is running on mediocre hardware, but a big sales factor and "ooh and aah" factor is sexy hardware like the Galaxy S3. Nokia is trying to do that with their recently announced WP8 phones, but already I'm getting the sense that people are yawning. Although the final verdict on WP8 is still out and I do think that MS' market share will increase on the fact that RIM is sinking so fast alone. The question becomes can they surpass RIM to take the 3rd spot on the totem pole. If they can, I think WP8 has a chance, however, if we are still seeing 6% numbers or below come next year, it's not going to bode well.

Quote from webdoggy : Compared to the iPhone (assuming this test is on the up and up) I'd say the difference is not negligble in low light scenarios. Full article. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/20...ew-camera/

Nokia has always been a leader when it comes to the camera in cell phones, so I'm happy to see they are trying to retake that crown. Honestly though, it's a bit premature to compare it to the iPhone 4S when the iPhone 5 announcement is in 5 days which would be a fair fight.

Quote from webdoggy : Compared to the iPhone (assuming this test is on the up and up) I'd say the difference is not negligble in low light scenarios. Full article. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/20...ew-camera/

Granted, the iPhone is a year older so a more comparable test would be to the iPhone 5 if/when it's released later this month, but that article does show that the camera on the 920 is pretty sweet.

Quote from Curtieson : That also is a bit annoying too.."But there aren't any apps". I once had someone on this very board say they would not get a Windows Phone because there was not a Pizza Hut app...PIZZA HUT! Really people??? Worst part is...Windows Phone actually does have a Pizza Hut app Any app you will ever need is in the marketplace. OK, so there isn't an app for the Bronx Zoo...do you really need one? But that leads to another good point, in the Columbus Zoo (rated one of the best Zoo's in America), all the Animal placards have QR Codes. No app needed, pull up the camera and you are filled with information about the monkey du jour. Windows Phone does QR better than any platform out there. Apps will be a thing of the past in a year or two except for Games. Any tech site that is worth it's beans is going to put it's effort into ONE HTML5 project and instantly create something that EVERY platform can access. Example 1: Grooveshark [engadget.com](music streaming) I also said "Except for games" because to get an immersed experience you will need a full install of an app...and with Windows Phone you are talking XBOX Games. As they start to roll out games for your PC and Xbox that you can also play from your phone, a completely new experience that you can't get anywhere else.

HTML5 won't be finalized until the 2nd quarter of 2014 so while it likely will change the entire game at some point thereafter, that's irrelevant to someone purchasing a phone now. Currently though, the App Store and Android Market offer five times as many apps as the Windows Phone Store. In terms of what is offered, iOS and Android apps are generally more mature, in my experience, than Windows apps. Whether that's of any value is, as I said before, up to the individual. I'm not tied to any particular OS so if Windows continues to gain support as it has been, then I'll surely consider it for my next upgrade in a couple years.

Quote from godfather927 : Granted, the iPhone is a year older so a more comparable test would be to the iPhone 5 if/when it's released later this month, but that article does show that the camera on the 920 is pretty sweet.

Yeah and we just got a release date on that Nokia phone as Nov. 2. So the iPhone 5 will very likely ship before the 920.

Quote from brbubba : Nokia has always been a leader when it comes to the camera in cell phones, so I'm happy to see they are trying to retake that crown. Honestly though, it's a bit premature to compare it to the iPhone 4S when the iPhone 5 announcement is in 5 days which would be a fair fight.

Fair enough, but looking at that article, which compares more than just the iPhone, it is pretty impressive. The iPhone 5 may take similar or even better pictures, but I guess I'm just pointing out that it is more than a negligible difference compared to current phones.

Quote from godfather927 : Granted, the iPhone is a year older so a more comparable test would be to the iPhone 5 if/when it's released later this month, but that article does show that the camera on the 920 is pretty sweet.

Very true. Will be interesting to see what Apple puts out. I'm sure it won't disappoint.

Quote from webdoggy : Very true. Will be interesting to see what Apple puts out. I'm sure it won't disappoint.

I'm not holding my breath. I'm ordering one just because the GF wants one and already destroyed her iPhone 4, but I'm not convinced that they will be putting out anything revolutionary. I've been wrong before though.

Quote from godfather927 : Unrivaled camera? It's arguably slightly better than the cameras on current phones but i'd say the difference is negligible. As for the display, under what circumstances could you possible classify it as the best? It's surely not the largest nor does it sport the highest pixel density. **Combo**Granted, the iPhone is a year older so a more comparable test would be to the iPhone 5 if/when it's released later this month, but that article does show that the camera on the 920 is pretty sweet.

Webdoggy showed the results that have come out with the Camera. It will go toe to toe with anything out there. Yes, the current iPhone is a year old, but it is the only current offering. They also have comparisons of the 920 v. the S3, and the S3 does even more poorly than the 4S.

As for the screen comments. It has a higher ppi than anything Apple has released (920 = 331 vs. 4S = 326) and the other measurable fact is that (somehow) they changed it so you can use the screen with gloves on [bing.com]. That can not be done with anything on the market.

Quote from brbubba : That's pure BS. Both the iPhone and Android had faster adoption rates. PROOF [guardian.co.uk]

BS? No... biased number manipulation? Yes, basically.

Even on your posted numbers through Q4 WP7 was ahead of both of them. Those numbers are confusing though...1st, there is no Green in the legend, and 2nd, 9000 whats? 3000 Cogs?

Quote from brbubba : This IDC report paints a better picture. Report [idc.com]. So yes we see WP growth, but not a whole hell of a lot. WP7 was a failure because it didn't command any real market share. If it commanded at least 6-10% of marketshare we could potentially say it was a success. Furthermore their tight relationship with Nokia doesn't help MS in the PR department because Nokia is in a nose dive. And the farther they sink the worse it looks for WP and MS.

It is your use of "failure"...the iPhone 2G sold for sh*t...and iOS took off when the 3G came out. Was the iPhone 2G a complete failure since they barely moved any inventory? Apparently, yes, it was a complete failure. If that is what we are going by and the bar we are trying to obtain, then yes...WP7 was also a complete failure. But, more Lumia's have sold then iPhone 2Gs.

I would also disagree with your Nokia thoughts. Ask 100 people on the street, how many do you think will be able to tell you Nokia is trading for $2? Maybe 1? Maybe 2? The tight relationship with Nokia will pay off huge...the 900 was selling well until WP8 was announced, and the fact that when WP7.8 was announced and sales halted bodes well for WP8 and the 920 also.

Nokia is a name, I'd bet 75% of American's owned a Nokia in the 90s/00s and loved it (# was completely pulled out of my butt). They are solid, and when Nokia DOES make a mistake, they own up to it, apologize and make it worth your time. Unlike Apple that gives you a $2 case if you reply in 14 days, else they tell you to "hold it differently"...

Quote from brbubba : Most of Android is running on mediocre hardware, but a big sales factor and "ooh and aah" factor is sexy hardware like the Galaxy S3. Nokia is trying to do that with their recently announced WP8 phones, but already I'm getting the sense that people are yawning. Although the final verdict on WP8 is still out and I do think that MS' market share will increase on the fact that RIM is sinking so fast alone. The question becomes can they surpass RIM to take the 3rd spot on the totem pole. If they can, I think WP8 has a chance, however, if we are still seeing 6% numbers or below come next year, it's not going to bode well.

I saw something that said 22% of Androids were running 4.X...that is it... A big sales factor of their 50%+ market share is NOT the S3, it is the $25 or Free option.

But you mention the S3, just like the Samsung Ativ...or the S2, like the Focus S, or the S1 (Captivate on AT&T) which was the Samsung Focus. Samsung sells androids because they just give them more attention because they were cheaper to produce. A little $1 Billion court case might get them leaning a little more to WP8...

I talk 920 since that is what I would want...the 820 will be that $50 hand set that could steal away some of the small sales.

Last I saw, WP was above RIM in the USA and the "Top 8 Markets" for Marketshare. Link [wmpoweruser.com]

Quote from 420 : HTML5 won't be finalized until the 2nd quarter of 2014 so while it likely will change the entire game at some point thereafter, that's irrelevant to someone purchasing a phone now. Currently though, the App Store and Android Market offer five times as many apps as the Windows Phone Store. In terms of what is offered, iOS and Android apps are generally more mature, in my experience, than Windows apps. Whether that's of any value is, as I said before, up to the individual. I'm not tied to any particular OS so if Windows continues to gain support as it has been, then I'll surely consider it for my next upgrade in a couple years.

Not if the person is saying to themselves "I want an iPhone now because I will buy a bunch of apps and then when I upgrade I'll have to either stay iPhone or buy them all again." Put yes, most apps that come to WP are designed for iOS and ported...it does get annoying.

And yes...we know the numbers...600,000 Android and 100,000 Windows Phone. Now, to the Android owners...have you used all 600k? Have you used 600? Have you used 60?!? It doesn't matter there are millions of apps because most of them suck anyway [goes for ANY OS]. Even when MS puts out a "We reached 100k!!!" thing it just makes me thing of:

((L x G) / ([Angle]A°)) / (M / W) = T.M.I. (south park reference for penis measurement...)

Again MS does not like to lose..they sit back and then act. it's soon going to be a Windows 8 world.
Apple and Android will be scrambling... yet none have the inherent infrastructure of MS.

This is going to be fun to watch.

Quote from Curtieson : As for the screen comments. It has a higher ppi than anything Apple has released (920 = 331 vs. 4S = 326) and the other measurable fact is that (somehow) they changed it so you can use the screen with gloves on [bing.com]. That can not be done with anything on the market.

The Rezound has a higher ppi and the S3 has a larger display. As for the tech behind the touchscreen, it's done with EMF sensors which don't require you to actually touch the screen like you have to with capacitive senors. I still wouldn't say that justifies your claim that it's the "best display on the market."