Surface Phone

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Understandable. Personally, I checked and every single app that I actually use is present. I don't use a lot of apps. This whole thing started with Surface Pro 4, so maybe I just need to wait for the love affair to be over and return to all-Apple ecosystem. Then again, complicating a life is just so much fun

Then I would go for it. It has a great camera, and the UI is very smooth. Battery life is very good. The build quality isn't the best though, it does make some noises if you squeeze it.

 

[iMi]

Then I would go for it. It has a great camera, and the UI is very smooth. Battery life is very good. The build quality isn't the best though, it does make some noises if you squeeze it.

So, here's a little glitch - Apple Watch. It will be useless with Lumia. Apple Pay I could live without. Apple Music, easy switch to Groove, but the Watch is a pain point.

 

[Michael Goff]

If you want something now why not a new Note 5 for probably the same money as 950XL. The plus is it's pen based for working in OneNote like on your Surface Pro 4. Makes for a better companion to Surface Pro 4 than 950XL.

The 950XL will also be getting software updates quickly.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

So, here's a little glitch - Apple Watch. It will be useless with Lumia. Apple Pay I could live without. Apple Music, easy switch to Groove, but the Watch is a pain point.

Yea, that sucks. You would end up having to get a watch that works with WP.

 

[sracer]

But Belfiore is the face of Windows Phone while Panay is the face of Surface line and still around.

Correct. Belfiore's departure was the public cue that Windows Phone was to be wound down. Panay has adjusted the focus of the Surface line to be less ambitious (with the Surface Phone crossover being the casualty of that focus shift).

 

[mi7chy]

That's hard to believe that Microsoft would abandon a viable solution that will gain them a top 2 mobile position. Guess we will see.

 

[Michael Goff]

After the recent Anniversary Update problems, I'm rethinking my stance.

 

[iMi]

Well, I decided to pass on the Lumia 950XL but will keep my eyes open for the Surface Phone. The Lumia doesn't support WiFi calling or Visual Voicemail on T-Mobile. There is also no support on any carrier for the dual sim card version. Those are basic features that should be present.

Let's see what they come up with on the Surface Phone. For now, I'll be keeping my iPhone 6 for another year...

 

[Jasmynp]

Is anyone interested in the rumored Surface Phone?

I am ready to try something new and after getting the surface pro 4, I've been thinking about the Lumia 950XL and they are going for $399 right now. But I think I'll wait to see if Microsoft releases the Surface Phone. This could be interesting.

Any Lumia 950XL users here? How is W10 Mobile?

I'm interested. I don't have a windows phone but was very interested in continuum when it came out. I can't do Windows on laptops/desktops at all, but love the live tiles and the potential it has on Windows 10 mobile.

 

[Three141]

Is anyone interested in the rumored Surface Phone?

I am ready to try something new and after getting the surface pro 4, I've been thinking about the Lumia 950XL and they are going for $399 right now. But I think I'll wait to see if Microsoft releases the Surface Phone. This could be interesting.

Any Lumia 950XL users here? How is W10 Mobile?

I don't know how I missed this thread!

Yes, I am waiting for the Surface phone but I'm only giving big M until this year to release the phone.
When the 950xl was released it was a big disappointment and right from the bat the rumours basically said this was a 'release anything' device but next years Surface phone will make good.

I have a Surface pro 2 and the Lumia 1520, if you are thinking of getting a windows device to trial it and don't mind the bulk of the 1520, I would recommend you get that phone as it was a last hoorah device and they threw the kitchen sink at it, plus you should be able to get a good deal on a refurbished one.

I want to stay in the Microsoft eco-system but now I've got a interest in wearables it looks like I'm out as the MS band does not cut it for me.

PC
Surface pro 4 or 5

Leisure:
Ipad pro + Apple TV + ITunes

Phones + wearables
if the Surface phone does not work out then i'm looking at
either apple watch 2 + big iPhone, Note 7 and Gear 3 or Motorolla Z and new moto 360

 

[maflynn]

MS had an opportunity to bring a third platform to the market years ago, they blew it, and no amount of rebranding is going undo the mistakes they made. Plus it seems Nadella is more interested in services, so any surface phone will be half hearted imo.

The windows mobile market is dead, and MS was the cause.

 

[iMi]

MS had an opportunity to bring a third platform to the market years ago, they blew it, and no amount of rebranding is going undo the mistakes they made. Plus it seems Nadella is more interested in services, so any surface phone will be half hearted imo.

The windows mobile market is dead, and MS was the cause.

Well stated.

I cannot believe just how far behind Microsoft is relative to iOS and Android. The irony is that only a few years ago the Mac was the app stricken ecosystem. I remember running OS 9 or early OS X back in early 2000's and having literally zero of the popular, and in some cases, necessary apps on the computer. Microsoft would in fact tell us all how they were the ecosystem with all the apps!

Fast forward to today and they are the underdog and in a major way. Incredible failure on their part. But, I wouldn't give up on them just yet. Windows 10 is very new. It would be interesting to know how many iOS or OS X applications were in existence during the first 1-2 years of the operating system's life. Universal apps hold a solid promise and Microsoft is making it easier and easier to port iOS and Android apps to the platform.

Time will tell... In the mean time, I have to go pack up the Lumia 950XL and get it ready for UPS return pick up.

 

[Michael Goff]

MS had an opportunity to bring a third platform to the market years ago, they blew it, and no amount of rebranding is going undo the mistakes they made. Plus it seems Nadella is more interested in services, so any surface phone will be half hearted imo.

The windows mobile market is dead, and MS was the cause.

Yeah, kind of starting to become frustrated at the direction Nadella is taking Microsoft.

 

[iMi]

Then I would go for it. It has a great camera, and the UI is very smooth. Battery life is very good. The build quality isn't the best though, it does make some noises if you squeeze it.

I found the build quality very solid. No noise when squeezed. Rock solid. Maybe Microsoft made some updates. Apps on the other hand are a problem. Some of the apps I though were available turned out to be PC only. A couple I use rarely are missing completely and some are so poorly built they are sad.

Not sure what I'll end up doing. Some things are much better than iPhone and iOS. Some very useful functionality is missing. Camera is so good I may just keep it because of it.

 

[spinedoc77]

MS had an opportunity to bring a third platform to the market years ago, they blew it, and no amount of rebranding is going undo the mistakes they made. Plus it seems Nadella is more interested in services, so any surface phone will be half hearted imo.

The windows mobile market is dead, and MS was the cause.

Yep, exactly. My confusion is why Microsoft keeps leading on their loyal customers, the very few left on their mobile platform. They keep promising that windows mobile is one of their priorities, but they continue to make moves which ensure it's complete demise. The surface phone won't save windows mobile and will end up just another hardware milestone with no apps and poor support. The odd thing is that if MS is pinning their hopes on the surface phone then it should have been fast tracked with a huge marketing push. With every single day windows mobile's coffin is getting buried deeper and deeper in the ground, time is (really was) of the essence, yet there isn't even the faintest hint of a surface phone or even new hardware from MS. They wasted all this time to fix windows 10, which really just amounted to fixing their blunder of throwing away all the tablet functionality of windows 8.1.

 

[maflynn]

My confusion is why Microsoft keeps leading on their loyal customers

Agreed, I had a windows phone that was promised to have the win10 mobile, but they then broke that promise, there were a number of windows phone models that they promised would make the cut.

I wasn't upset as others, because it was a secondary phone. Its now collecting dust.

 

[Michael Goff]

Yep, exactly. My confusion is why Microsoft keeps leading on their loyal customers, the very few left on their mobile platform. They keep promising that windows mobile is one of their priorities, but they continue to make moves which ensure it's complete demise. The surface phone won't save windows mobile and will end up just another hardware milestone with no apps and poor support. The odd thing is that if MS is pinning their hopes on the surface phone then it should have been fast tracked with a huge marketing push. With every single day windows mobile's coffin is getting buried deeper and deeper in the ground, time is (really was) of the essence, yet there isn't even the faintest hint of a surface phone or even new hardware from MS. They wasted all this time to fix windows 10, which really just amounted to fixing their blunder of throwing away all the tablet functionality of windows 8.1.

Not to be an ass, but they've made is abundantly clear to me that they just don't care about their loyal fan base. If there were more they might, but it's obvious to me they've decided that there just aren't enough people for them to give a crap.

 

[spinedoc77]

Not to be an ass, but they've made is abundantly clear to me that they just don't care about their loyal fan base. If there were more they might, but it's obvious to me they've decided that there just aren't enough people for them to give a crap.

Oh I completely agree with you, but they seem to have had this attitude even when they had a decent amount of customers and were actually on the rise.

 

[Michael Goff]

Oh I completely agree with you, but they seem to have had this attitude even when they had a decent amount of customers and were actually on the rise.

Disagree. Ballmer was good for the loyal fans.

 

[spinedoc77]

Disagree. Ballmer was good for the loyal fans.

Yeah besides totally missing the mobile revolution Ballmer was great. When I say MS has had this attitude it's since nadella took over. He's more of a cloud person and it doesn't seem he takes mobile seriously at all.

 

[Michael Goff]

Yeah besides totally missing the mobile revolution Ballmer was great. When I say MS has had this attitude it's since nadella took over. He's more of a cloud person and it doesn't seem he takes mobile seriously at all.

Not to mention the entire internal QA team for Windows was fired. He's bad for desktop Windows too.

 

[iMi]

After a few days with the Lumia 950XL which has so much to love about it, I have to agree. Windows Mobile is simply underserved by both Microsoft and the developers. Hope this will change because the platform is fantastic.

 

[Michael Goff]

After a few days with the Lumia 950XL which has so much to love about it, I have to agree. Windows Mobile is simply underserved by both Microsoft and the developers. Hope this will change because the platform is fantastic.

Supposedly Redstone 2 is focused on Mobile. So Spring 2017 is when they say they'll care. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[iMi]

Supposedly Redstone 2 is focused on Mobile. So Spring 2017 is when they say they'll care. I'll believe it when I see it.

There were several features missing that are supposedly "coming soon" and while the device is awesome and I absolutely love the camera, it feels half-baked.

NFC - Support from the banks I use "coming soon"
Apps - More UWA apps "coming soon"
Boarding Passes - "coming soon"
The list goes on...

There is no doubt a lot of promise with Windows 10 but the focus just isn't there. Microsoft claims that converting apps from iOS is now a simple process. Why not offer a free service to convert popular existing apps. Microsoft could easily set a criteria for the developer to qualify - 100,000 or more downloads on iOS or Android, for example, and we port the app for you free of charge. They would make the revenue from the expanding Windows 10 Mobile install base and would recoup that investment in no time. The app gap would narrow and Windows 10 would become a viable third option.

Until this happens, I am returning the Lumia 950XL. I guess I'll be returning "soon."

 

[Michael Goff]

There were several features missing that are supposedly "coming soon" and while the device is awesome and I absolutely love the camera, it feels half-baked.

NFC - Support from the banks I use "coming soon"
Apps - More UWA apps "coming soon"
Boarding Passes - "coming soon"
The list goes on...

There is no doubt a lot of promise with Windows 10 but the focus just isn't there. Microsoft claims that converting apps from iOS is now a simple process. Why not offer a free service to convert popular existing apps. Microsoft could easily set a criteria for the developer to qualify - 100,000 or more downloads on iOS or Android, for example, and we port the app for you free of charge. They would make the revenue from the expanding Windows 10 Mobile install base and would recoup that investment in no time. The app gap would narrow and Windows 10 would become a viable third option.

Until this happens, I am returning the Lumia 950XL. I guess I'll be returning "soon."

It is free.

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bridges/ios