Windows Phone 7

[DouchGod]

Anyone else starting to like the look of the Windows 7 phones, the live tiles look great the glanceable concept like being able to check if a flight is going to be delayed by the tile colour is brilliant. The hubs are also great and I love the Bing search integration in the mango update.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/13/this-is-windows-phone-next-developers-take-notes-video/

I love my iPhone 4 but I do often think that without jailbreaking my device it would look quite bland. Apple really need to do a UI overhaul in my option.

I want to be able to check rss feeds, tweets and email from my lockscreen without a third party addon. I want to be able to skin my UI....... O and lets not get started on push notifications, the current system "Just Works" but it looks really outdated.

I hope that at WWDC2011 apple just blows us away, but I want to be impressed with a better UI and not just features that should of always been there.

Now please don't start calling me a troll don't get me wrong I love my iPhone but I can't help feeling that ios is lacking at the moment. With webOS and Windows Phone 7 apple are going to have to step it up a bit.

 

[sorepheet]

I agree. All the more reason a slight delay in iPhone refresh cycle can only mean that iOS 5 will have more time to bake and thus mean iPhone 5 w/ iOS 5 will be on track to wow us again. I JB only because I unlock. I'd love to see Apple continue to borrow form 3rd party tweaks and Cydia offerings and have them natively in iOS. Just a matter of waiting for Apple to catch up to the JB scene. We got Folders, Wallpapers, an App Store, txt message character count and other tweaks all after it was already offered via JB community. I'm really hoping iOS 5 is a complete overhaul

 

[bigjnyc]

If you feel that strongly about it then just jailbreak. with the new dreamboard and the OS7 theme you can turn your iphone into a windows phone. down to the customizable tiles and everything.

check this out:

http://modmyi.com/forums/iphone-4-new-skins-themes-launches/758750-dreamboard-os7-release-free.html

I know alot of people are reluctant to jailbreak but if you really love your iPhone and feel that strongly about the UI needing a change why not? just saying


PS: with all the step by step tutorials out there and youtube walk throughs its extremely easy even if you aren't tech-savvy

 

[DouchGod]

My iPhone is jailbroken. I had that theme awhile ago but it kept constantly asking me to donate does it still do that?

My post was about having to jailbreak to add features that should already be there.

 

[maflynn]

I wouldn't say I'm tempted but rather intrigued. I think MS has put together a great OS. I'm not entirely sold on the UI, but generally I think they saw the positives in android and iOS and created a powerful and modern mobile OS.

I think it may be too little too late, especially as they've failed to gain traction. they have the patience and money to work on increasing the marketshare and I think once Nokia starts rolling out win7 phones, they have the potential to turn things around.

Since I just got my iPhone 4 a couple of months ago, I'm content with what I have. For me, itunes, apple apps, using the iPhone and its integration makes the most sense - I'm fully enmeshed in the apple ecosystem. I think the lack of apps, and lack of integration are the two largest factors for me to not consider a win7 phone.

 

[DavidMc]

I carry a Sprint HTC Arrive for work and do enjoy Windows Phone 7. The UI is quick and easy with the live tiles. However once you slide to the left you are presented with a nice long list of programs that you need to scroll through. Sure you can add to the main screen as a live tile but that will just make that a long list to scroll through as well. This phone released with the NoDo update so it has cut and paste and the other updates that were part of that update. Their Marketplace seems to be growing well but I also don't spend much on apps since it is a work phone and I tend to change them like socks. It is a nice change from all the Android phones I have carried for work but right now it would not be enough to make me want to move away from my personal iPhone 4

 

[Small White Car]

I agree. All the more reason a slight delay in iPhone refresh cycle can only mean that iOS 5 will have more time to bake and thus mean iPhone 5 w/ iOS 5 will be on track to wow us again.

Based on what?

I think Apple will take advantage of an iPhone 5 delay and use it as an opportunity to disconnect iOS updates from iPhone updates. I expect we'll see iOS 5 before the iPhone 5 this year.

As for the Windows phones, people are kidding themselves if they think Apple will do anything like that. Microsoft and Google both want you to think of the OS...to notice the OS...to actually use the OS itself. That's the part that they make and they have to make you notice which OS you're using. If you couldn't tell the difference between an Android and a Windows Phone then you'd have zero loyalty. They have to make you notice it.

But Apple wants you to ignore the OS. They want it to be invisible. Apple wants you to think of the iPhone as a beautiful little glass window that shows you a world of apps. Hell, they even made the 'phone' part of the iPhone look like an app. If anything was going to look different it would be that. But even it just gets a little green square. The philosophy is that you've got a pocket full of candy-colored squares...you pick which one to use, but they're all the same as far as the phone is concerned. Making iOS more like Windows' phone OS is pretty much the opposite of what Apple wants to do.

Basically, Microsoft wants you to think this:
I'm using an app in the Windows OS.

Apple wants you to think this:
I'm using an app in an iPhone.

Everything they've done has made it clear that Apple is not interested in making you think:
I'm using an app in iOS in an iPhone.

Now, keep in mind that I do think Apple will improve the notification system. I don't think widgets are impossible either. But you need to look at these things as peripheral bonus features. Apple will be, and that's why you'll never see an iOS design that reminds you of either Windows or Android.

 

[kalsta]

I had my first play with Windows Phone 7 a month or so ago, and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. The GUI is beautiful. I really didn't expect such elegant graphic design from Microsoft.

Having said that, would I consider switching? No. Besides the obvious issue of apps, the iOS UI is attractive and functional. It may not make quite as bold a statement as WP7 UI, but that's a long way from being a compelling reason to switch. If I want to look at cutting edge design I can thumb through a design magazine.

I also have my doubts about how practical the WP7 interface is once you're over the cool design and just want to get things done. I think I'd have to use it for a week or two before I could have a strong opinion on that.

But I'm still really impressed by Microsoft for what they've done with this phone, and I don't think I've EVER said that about Microsoft before.

 

[rjohnstone]

I did the WP7 route for about 3 weeks.
The was before the NoDo update.
Loved the UI, there were too many issues with the phone itself. I had the Focus.
Samsung SAMOLED displays are really nice, gorgeous in fact, but the rest of the phone sucked.
Their idea of mixing NAND with a MicroSD card to create a larger system partition is stupid. Caused a lot of freezing and crashing when you crossed that that threshold.
Granted Samsung was the only vendor to do this, so I'm sure the HTC models didn't suffer from this idiotic design choice.

I disagree with SWC's assertion about how MS wants people to perceive their OS. They want people to people to know they are using a Windows Phone.
The OS and the phone are to be one in their eyes. Much like Apple does with the iPhone.
But I fear it will be the vendors that screw it up. MS can't control the hardware beyond what they code into the OS, nothing is really preventing the vendors from adding their own tweaks.
Some are already doing it (Samsung Focus is a prime example).

 

[bigjnyc]

My iPhone is jailbroken. I had that theme awhile ago but it kept constantly asking me to donate does it still do that?

My post was about having to jailbreak to add features that should already be there.

If you get Dreamboard 1.1 and the latest release of OS7 in the link I provided it shouldnt ask you for donations and it works very well. I think it was extremely buggy before. There's also a link in that first post to a thread with tons of different tiles that you can use.

 

[Maziar]

The overall speed and responsiveness of the OS is good but I personally don't like the metro UI much

 

[Krevnik]

Their idea of mixing NAND with a MicroSD card to create a larger system partition is stupid. Caused a lot of freezing and crashing when you crossed that that threshold.

Samsung did screw up big time here. From what I can gather, Microsoft intended this scenario to be supported. But for the carriers, not the customer. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because there was demand to be able to compete with stuff like the iPhone which has 3 different capacities.

The HTC HD7 also has a slot, but it's harder to get access to.

If I could sell a Focus with 8GB, 16GB, 24GB or 40GB, that gives my sales people a means to upsell into larger capacities. But if the SD slot is exposed like in the Focus, that means people will put stuff in there which won't work. If you can produce NAND chips that perform well enough, you can produce an SD card that performs just as well. The catch is that OEMs usually will buy these up for user-inaccessible storage slots in their devices.

http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010...micro-sd-and-windows-phone-storage-expansion/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/17/windows-phone-7s-microsd-mess-the-full-story-and-how-nokia-ca/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2450831

 

[wordoflife]

I admit, the WP7 UI is rather nice and speedy, but it does not come near the features of Androids. I would probably get an Android over WP7. It looks alright, but doesn't seem that efficient. In the commercials, Microsoft makes WP7 a phone that is easy to glance which will give you all your information in one look, but I don't see that happening. Those tiles aren't that extraordinary.

 

[dime21]

With webOS and Windows Phone 7 apple are going to have to step it up a bit.

No way. Windows Turd 7 is going to end up only on Nokias, while everyone else adopts Android. I'm giving a hard look at some of the new Android phones to replace my aging 3GS. Android is really starting to mature and become highly polished. Early on it was loaded with features, but lacked the polish of iOS. Now it's caught up. When you add in the free Dev kit and wide open App Store, it becomes particularly attractive. The immature and rushed-to-market Windows Buttloaf Seven however, is not even on my radar.

 

[Consultant]

Windows 7 phone is 'supposed' to be great:
http://gizmodo.com/#!5791744/windows-phone-7-you-were-supposed-to-be-great-so-what-happened

 

[ucfgrad93]

I don't like Windows Phone 7. I would rather have my iPhone or an Android phone.

 

[rjohnstone]

Samsung did screw up big time here. From what I can gather, Microsoft intended this scenario to be supported. But for the carriers, not the customer. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because there was demand to be able to compete with stuff like the iPhone which has 3 different capacities.

The HTC HD7 also has a slot, but it's harder to get access to.

If I could sell a Focus with 8GB, 16GB, 24GB or 40GB, that gives my sales people a means to upsell into larger capacities. But if the SD slot is exposed like in the Focus, that means people will put stuff in there which won't work. If you can produce NAND chips that perform well enough, you can produce an SD card that performs just as well. The catch is that OEMs usually will buy these up for user-inaccessible storage slots in their devices.

http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2010...micro-sd-and-windows-phone-storage-expansion/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/17/windows-phone-7s-microsd-mess-the-full-story-and-how-nokia-ca/

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2450831

Yep... this is where MS and the hardware manufacturers need to tighten things up and seriously standardize the slot and its intended use.
I see the economy in doing it this way. They just need to control it better.

Samsung essentially 'effed themselves with their move.

 

[ajohnson253]

The UI caught my eye. So the Next time I stopped into AT&T I tried it out for a few minutes. A rep walked out to me and told me a lot of iPhone 4 owners tried it out and ended up coming back a week later to return it and they all went back to their iPhones. The rep was a focus user and was interested in the 4 it was funny. After playing with the focus for the little time I did. I just enjoyed how the apps are easily laid out for iOS rather than a huge long list. I like how they went for something different though.

 

[Certinfy]

Never really thought anything of it but then my gf has a phone running Windows Phone 7 and I kind of fell in love with it, looks really nice!

 

[rjohnstone]

The UI caught my eye. So the Next time I stopped into AT&T I tried it out for a few minutes. A rep walked out to me and told me a lot of iPhone 4 owners tried it out and ended up coming back a week later to return it and they all went back to their iPhones. The rep was a focus user and was interested in the 4 it was funny. After playing with the focus for the little time I did. I just enjoyed how the apps are easily laid out for iOS rather than a huge long list. I like how they went for something different though.

Be wary of the demo WP7 phones in AT&T stores.
They aren't running the full OS.
They are loaded with demo ROM's that perform differently that the actual retail phones.
Not saying it's good or bad, just not 100% accurate.

The funny part is idiots actually steal these and then get pissed when they can't get them out of "demo mode".
There are guys on XDA at least once a week asking for retail images for their WP7 phones. (none exist yet)
If you see a WP7 phone for sale with no battery cover, or an aftermarket one and it's running a demo, it's stolen.

 

[gimmeiphone]

I thought the wp7 dev kits free too? Can't say I agree with the android being good and polished, even the new dual core androids have been getting a bad rap, even the new htc sensation was choppy scrolling and laggy in the hands on videos. I personally think that wp7 looks promising, a lot more so than the iPhone did when it was at the same point in it's release, I remember how bleak
iPhone was with the half a page of apps lol Really annoys me when ppl say things like ooh wp7 doesn't even have copy and paste blah blah, do ppl actually remember how long it took apple to implement this? And frickin landscape texting, all in all I'll be keeping my eye in wp7 in the coming months as I'm growing quite bored of iOS hoping ios5 will bring some big changes