Windows Phone 8, or stick with Android?

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Neil

Neil

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Joined
Oct 21, 2007
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Does anyone here use it, or more specifically, own either one of these phones?

Nokia Lumia 920

lumia920_2330131b.jpg


or the HTC 8X?

HTC_Windows_Phone__2382378b.jpg


I'm nearly out of contract, and I'm contemplating going down the Windows Phone 8 route. I'm not a massive app user, so the comparative lack of apps compared to Android is not that much of an issue. The interface looks great - miles ahead of iOS (which has seen better days), and more original than Android. Anyone have any experiences of either?

If I were to stick with Android, I'm sorely tempted by a Google Nexus 4 direct from Google with no contract. It seems to be getting rave reviews too, and runs 'pure' Android Jelly bean, unlike other smartphones (I also have a Nexus 7 tablet with Jelly bean on, which is fab).
Other contenders are the Galaxy Note (too big?), or the Sony Xperia Z, when it is released.

Any other thoughts?

(And no, I don't want an iPhone 5. It's miles behind the competition now).
 
Considered BlackBerry's new Z10? Just as swish as Windows Phone 8 and another underdog if you want to stand out from the blur of iOS and Android users.

5


Of particular interest is the "hub" which gives you a consolidated view of all your inbound/outbound communications; i.e. your emails, text messages, Facebook and twitter updates, LinkedIn etc all in a single realtime stream.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/blackberry-z10-1128348/review" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
My father-in-law just ordered the new note, they get pretty good reviews but are big size wise.

As for Windows 8 devices, I can only comment based on my very limited W8 tablet experience but it does appear to be very slick.
 
If I were going to get a Win8 phone, I'd get the HTC - the Nokia is too fat, it looks ridiculous.
 
evilrob said:
Considered BlackBerry's new Z10? Just as swish as Windows Phone 8 and another underdog if you want to stand out from the blur of iOS and Android users.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've read Tech Radar's review - I've never been an early adopter though. Couple that to the fact that unless this phone succeeds, BlackBerry really is in the sh*t too.
 
Have you seen the Sony Xperia Z is being bundled with some £300 headphones if you preorder:
http://campaigns.sonymobile.com/preorder/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is the one that's supposedly waterproof as well, isn't it?
 
Yup, that's the one. I'm still awaiting Tech Radar's review - they're usually pretty comprehensive.

Android wise, it's probably either this or the Nexus 4.
 
I think it may well be the best smartphone there is right now. Full HD screen, 13Mb decent camera, waterproof, quad-core 1.5ghz processor and 2gb ram, thin and light, looks good, Android familiarity - and a cracking set of cans if you get in quick. Not sure what else you could possibly want!

http://www.stuff.tv/review/sony-xperia-z" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
i have the 920 neil, very happy with it. As 'Head of Design' at a 500 year old school i have to know my stuff and having a geeky background in engineering and design i have managed to try pretty much everything and i always come back to nokia!

1st of all they always seem to get the basics right; good battery, top end specs, very easy to use, built very well and incredibly strong....i have had nokia business / smart phones for 10 years, had a go on everything else that crosses my path and NOTHING has tempted me away

i won't touch apple with a barge pole; expensive, rubbish, wont network, upgrades make your life harder(!!)...i can go on..AND ON AND ON!!!! (anyone wants to challenge me on apple vs pc go for it...im currently researching why we shouldnt implimenting 1000 ipads...i have done a LOT of research and haven't found naff all to support apple...bring it!!!)

sony; in my experience VERY good...dont seem to last as long as other kit...its as if they want you to buy a new one!!

android in general seem to be very good but not as easy to use as a nokia and can be a bit glitchy from time to time

windows phones are still a little new but already andriod apps outnumber apple apps and samsung alone outsell the iphone, windows are the future i reckon
 
jacko said:
anyone wants to challenge me on apple vs pc go for it...im currently researching why we shouldnt implimenting 1000 ipads...i have done a LOT of research and haven't found naff all to support apple...bring it!!!)
Click to expand...
I use an Apple laptop. In fact I've been using Apple computers since alongside PCs since 1997 and until 2006 when I could run Windows through virtualisation at practically native speeds on the Mac. My PCs have been both built myself and bought ready-made (from reputable companies like Dell, HP, Fujitsu-Siemens and Samsung).

Prior to getting a Mac in 1997, I was a staunch PC man from DOS, through Windows 3.11 (I held off earlier versions of Windows as I was a command-line fan), 95, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7 and now 8. Been using computers generally since the ZX81, progressing through Dragon 32, Commodore 64, Sam Coupe, Atari ST, Amiga, 8086, 286, 386, 486SX and DX, Pentium I, Cyrix 686, AMD Athlon, Pentium II, III, IV, Core Solo, Core Duo and Core i5 and i7. When I was at school, I used to build bespoke PCs for people who saw my advert in the Friday-Ad. Due to the volume of computers I built over a 5 year period, I have little interest in that any more and just want to buy it and have it work off the shelf, and when it stops working I get rid of it and get a new one because I haven't got time to troubleshoot and dick about like I used to (unless it's obvious - like a dead hard drive); my profession dictates I need a working computer at all times.

The point being that I can 'do' computers - I can build them, I can service them, and I can program them.

With that in mind, I can tell you I've had twice as many PCs in the same period I've had Apple computers due to varying levels of failure; by contrast, my last Apple laptop lasted 6 years before I replaced it (not because it wasn't working, but because I was in the USA and took advantage of the exchange rates). I've still got a Power Mac G5 from 2003 which works as well as it did the day I bought it. I have experienced no need to reformat or repair any of my Apple computers, nor have I experienced any downtime due to faults, or lost any work due to 'quirks'. I cannot say the same about my PCs.

So in terms of total amount spent and billable hours lost due to PC maintenance and Windows randomness-related issues, in my experience my Apple computers offer massively better value for money, despite the comparatively high upfront cost, and a more consistent, reliable computing experience.

However... even I have to agree that no-one needs an iPad! :-D
 
My eldest runs an EE store - she says the most returned phones are the ones running the windows software as people can't get on with it.
 
Neil said:
Other contenders are the Galaxy Note (too big?)
Click to expand...

I have the Note 2.

Bear in mind I am not a great user of the phone for voice calls, so its function is as a mini-tablet, one that can easily be pocketed.

It runs Jelly Bean and is all-round superb. For me the single best feature apart from its solid reliability is the ability to scribble little notes with the stylus. I never thought I'd use it, yet I do all the time.

evilrob said:
in my experience my Apple computers offer massively better value for money,
Click to expand...

The polar opposite of my experience, signing the repair and maintenance bills for studio Macs since the late 1980s. But it's a discussion not worth entering into, nothing will ever change the entrenched positions of the fanbois and the haterz.
 
I don't know about windows 8 but i have the Nokia lumia 800 with windows 7 on and its by far the best phone i have ever owned and i have had android, and iphone.

however it does depend on what you want to do with it... the windows market place is smaller than android (although i generally find what i want or similar).

I find the layout of windows phone very slick and easy to use. My opinion the Lumia (might be biased) my 800 is a solid trooper the gf android is messing up all the time... me with windows .. no problem...

plus you get near field charging COOOL...

I will be getting a windows phone again ... and probably a Nokia when my contract on this runs out. (Beware though customization is limited on windows phone 7 ... not sure about 8 )....

my advice get yourself to a shop and have a play... thats how i got hooked...
 
i got the lumia 820,and im liking it,does everything the desire hd did without crashing everyday,also can be used as a controller for xbox360 on the home screen
 
XIIVVX said:
evilrob said:
in my experience my Apple computers offer massively better value for money,
Click to expand...

The polar opposite of my experience, signing the repair and maintenance bills for studio Macs since the late 1980s. But it's a discussion not worth entering into, nothing will ever change the entrenched positions of the fanbois and the haterz.
Click to expand...
I think you missed the point of that post; that whole pro-Apple monologue was merely a setup for the 'no-one needs an iPad' punchline. i.e. not even an unashamed Apple fan could justify an educational outfit spunking a load of budget on toys, that could go towards the Sports programme or actual Musical Instruments you have to learn how to play.

Edit (to keep Ben happy): Or some bunsen burners, conical flasks and goggles for the Science department.
 
I still have and use my old faithfull Sony W800 phone and have a nokia C3 only because it has a full qwerty and worked out at £1.70 per month for oodles of minutes, texts and internet, the internet I don't use and I may text up to 5 times a month. I wish they just did a simple calls package then I could get it cheaper :lol:

All these new fangled phones are a total waste of cash to me when all I want a phone for is to phone people or be phoned on it. Can't see the point of paying 10 or 20 times what I pay a month just to have the latest 'in' phones anymore. The years of caring what other people think of me are long gone :lol:
 
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