Moving from Android ecosystem to Windows?

[BigShow]

Guys, after years of paying through the arse for features on flagship phones I NEVER really use, I've decided to jack it in, buy a decent mid-range phone out right and go on a sim only contract.

I was looking at getting a Lumia 735 but I've never used the Windows OS before. Is it rubbish?

I'm worried there won't be apps for Google Play, YouTube, Gmail etc. Is it worth switching or should I stick with Android? I've been using Android phones for so long now I think I'm hopelessly embedded.

Ta!

[orac]

the built in email client is fine the most part and can use gmail no problem. google put a block on app a proper youtube app for the windows phone but the mobile site works fine. google and windows don't get on too well.

I don't use google play, never have and a quick search in the store shows just one app for it for £1.99

I ma still use a lumia 525 and the OS is just fine. the one things that I will say though is cortana drinks battery for a past time. with here active which requires location service to be switched on and a net connection I went from charging once every 24 hours to 2 sometimes 3 time a day - needless to say I have switched her off now. but the voice recognition she comes with is fantastic and can even understand my fairly thick Devonshire accent.

It maybe worth popping along to a local phone dealer and asking if you can try and have a look around the OS to get the feel of things before you make a final decision.

here's window online app store thingy that maybe useful for you to figure out if you can the apps you want.
https://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/search#q=top+free&s=Store
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Current rides - 2016 Triumph Street Triple Rx, 1994 Suzuki Bandit 400 VM, TGB 204 Classic 125cc
"with nothing left to lose, there is everything to gain. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

[P.]

[Baffler186]

I have the 925, great phone, and I like Windows on it. yes 3rd party YouTube is not quite as good, but you get used to it's failings.

However, the best of the 3rd party e-bay apps is still pretty poor. You can't load up saved searches (i.e if you've saved a search on a PC as "bikes 50 miles", when you try to load it up it will just put the title of the search in the search bar).

Apart from that all other apps are fine, more and more of the big ones are coming out, and if there's no app there's always the website
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[iooi]

Look at the apps you use and then look on the windows app store and see if they are there as well....

If you do mobile banking. You may not be a happy bunny....
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Sabs]

If you've been buying flagship phones, why not just keep the one you've got?
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Theory in the bag, Mod 1 passed 28/3/2014, Mod 2 passed 9/4/2014 - Let loose
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[BigShow]

I think I'll check out the available apps first as others suggested. I can probably live with some 3rd party apps. But the main one I need is Google Play music and it looks like they have that.

Sounds like the hardware is good but the software and apps are a bit sub standard still?

Might end up sticking with android at this rate, just easier.

[BigShow]

[P.]

[flikers]

Will I get e-murdered for mentioning iPhones?

[P.]

[iooi]

[BigShow]

[dydey90]

[prawny1]

I wouldn't call £130 cheap for a 3/4 years old phone with no warranty.
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[covent.gardens]

My dad picked up some kind of Lumia shit. We tried to plug the WINDOWS phone in to a WINDOWS PC to download the pictures and you couldn't. The model he had, after googling, well it turned out that you needed to install some cumbersome bloated software (MS Zune) in order to connect to it. The software was buggy shit.

I was pretty disgusted that you could not plug a windows phone in to a windows PC and have it just connect, like you can an Android... I mean what the fuck?

It's probably changed now, but it put me off forever...

[orac]

[cagiva gezzer]

Work supplied one last year. Nokia 5XX.
In relation to the above, I had that as well. IT installed various software and gave up in the end. Turned out that the PC thought it was a camera when connected, so I had to change it in the device manager.

Work rolled them out as the blackberry server was getting old/ expensive/ unstable. The new windows server fell over alot to start within until it got updated. Work also rolled them out because they are cheap, and this shows.

Basic, lacks functionality. Un-intuitive, backwards. Horrid operating system which you can't believe is so castrated. Stab the screen and hope it does something.

Good point
Would last for days on the battery. Mainly because it was such a horrid user experience touching it I shunned it and left it in the bag.

Excellent integration into Outlook calendar.

I didn't even try to use it for pleasure or on the internet. I would not wish one on anyone, but one mate loves his (cheap / basic).

Never used an iphone, but i'll stick with Android.

We called them "shokias" at work as they are shockingly bad.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[goto10]

[BigShow]

So after much deliberating I got the Lumia 735 in Kawasaki Green.
But I've kept hold of my S4 for now...just in case.

I've only had it for 1 day, impressions so far are mainly positive. The design is ace, it's a really nice looking bit of kit. I love the simplicity of the live tile interface thing and I've had no problems setting it all up the way I want it. The screen is great, speakers are loud, browsing is smooth (but missing Chrome). So far I've hit no brick walls. Also the keyboard is very accurate. I bunged a 32gb SD card in to boost the memory as it only comes with 8gb out the box. Also it interfaced with my Windows laptop fine.

I've managed to download all the apps I need with the exception of Google play music, however I just switched to Spotify instead so its no big deal. There was an app in the store for it but I don't want a 3rd party to have my login credentials. There is a serious lack of apps in general in the store though. If I used my phone for more tasks I'd probably be struggling at the moment. In fact that's the only real downside so far, there's no apps.


TL;DR Bought Lumia 735, so far so good

[BigShow]

[orac]

so the direct opposite of what most have been saying so far then?

windows phones have been heavily criticised for ages mostly due to there late entry to the market and the presumption that they aren't as good because they are different from what people are used to.

but I would still avoid cortana, don't how long your battery lasts but she ran through mine in no time.
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Current rides - 2016 Triumph Street Triple Rx, 1994 Suzuki Bandit 400 VM, TGB 204 Classic 125cc
"with nothing left to lose, there is everything to gain. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog"

[Polarbear]

I've just gone from Samsung to Sony due to my S4 not bouncing too well and not wanting to pay £500 for a good smart phone.

I bought a Sony Experia Z2 and am still getting used to it but seems OK. Less playing with android skins that Samsung, nearer nexus which I quite like.

I do like android so didn't look at windows phones
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[BigShow]

I think Cortana is switched on at the moment, but I haven't actually used it. I've been streaming Podcasts and music since I got into the office at 8am, screen on medium brightness and I'm down to 81% battery. After 4 hours of constant use, my S4 would probably be down in the 40's by now, I used to have to charge it twice a day.

The change to Windows has been much easier than I thought, it's been seamless. There's a pre-installed app on the phone that transfers all your contacts and texts etc. over from your old phone using Bluetooth. I'm not sure any more that the bad rep they have is entirely justified. Apart from the App situation, they have to sort that out its dire.

[b422063]