Nokia's taken over the maps/navigation experience. It's great, their data is good and their turn-by-turn is well implemented. I like the default email app, but it's definitely a bit feature-light when it comes to handling gmail specific tasks like tagging. Messaging is good -- no iMessage, obviously -- but it has a nifty feature that integrates messaging across mulitple protocols for your contact, so you can easily switch between texts and FB messages without changing apps. The calendar... it implements Outlook's featureset, but honestly isn't too great at it. My calendar needs are very simple, so I use it anyway... Chronos is available as a very well regarded alternative, though.
As far as handsets go, the 925 is an updated Lumia 920. I haven't seen one in person, but the changes include a thinner, more flattened chassis and even better camera performance. The former is cool, I guess (personally I love how the 920 feels in the hand)... the latter is mindboggling, because the Lumia 920's camera was already ridiculous.
If you want to just dip your feet in and see how it goes, you could try to snag a Lumia 521. It's for T-Mobile and aimed at being the most budget phone possible. Like, so budget that Walmart sells it for $130 as a prepaid phone. It's apparently not a bad phone. Windows Phones universally have pretty great performance, and the specs underlying the phone aren't too bad for the price. The main area they skimped appears to be the screen.
Dehumanized on
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
The whole metro system is based around the tasks you want to do, rather than the apps you want to use. Like, in ios or android you use an app to im someone, another app to email something, and a third app to text someone. Where as in metro it's more a case of composing a message and then choosing to send it as an email with this attachment, or a text message with an embedded picture.
My Google Nexus is coming to the end of it's contract and is showing it's age so it's upgrade time. I've previously had an iPhone and have no desire to go back so the next logical choice is to have a look at Windows Phone 8. I'm using Windows 8 at work and at home so am expecting the move to be fairly easy. I've done a little bit of research and it looks like the Nokia 925 is the new king of the hill, at least here in the UK, are any other handsets as good/better?
So... any recommendations, advice, things to steer clear of etc? I enjoyed all the rooting stuff with Android but think I'm over that for a while. Things I need in a phone are :
- Needs to be a decent telephone (unlike the iPhone I had).
- Quick and responsive.
- Twitter/Facebook/Google+/ Some games but I am not much of a gamer on the phone.
- Multiple email accounts, Gmail and Exchange.
- Decent notifications that happen straight away.
- Bluetooth stream music and phone calls to my car stereo.
- Quick updates for OS.
I'm still on a an older WP7 - the ever-gorgeous cyan Lumia 800 - but I keep up enough with WP8 that I should be able to help.
So... any recommendations, advice, things to steer clear of etc?
Nokia's your best bet for manufacturer, since they put out a lot of good, exclusive apps and their hardware design is top-notch. HTC phones look and feel good, but seem to suffer from some issues with build quality.
- Needs to be a decent telephone (unlike the iPhone I had).
My phone's a bit quiet actually, but I guess it depends on the model. I don't make or receive many calls, though, so can't comment on the dialler, UI, etc.
- Quick and responsive.
Every Windows Phone, even the lowly Lumia 520 and HTC 8S.
- Twitter/Facebook/Google+/ Some games but I am not much of a gamer on the phone.
You'd be good on all counts, except for G+. Might be some decent 3rd-party apps available for it but, if there are, I haven't heard them mentioned.
- Multiple email accounts, Gmail and Exchange.
Handles this well, allows each account to be pinned as a separate live tile. Gmail might be a little flakey, though, since they've dropped (or are dropping) support for EAS - Microsoft's sync protocol - so you'd be stuck with the IMAP fallback until WP gets the promised support for Cal/Card/WhateverDAV.
- Decent notifications that happen straight away.
App dependent, I think. If the notifications are coming from a push server you should get them immediately, but local background apps only run periodically and so won't emit a notification until WP gives them a chance to do so. Also, bear in mind that there's no unified notification centre, so if live tiles and basic indicators on the lock screen aren't sufficient for you, you might be disappointed.
- Bluetooth stream music and phone calls to my car stereo.
Music streaming works fine for me, and so does a little bluetooth headset I've got. You might need to do a little research on this to see exactly what bluetooth standard your car expects to work with.
- Quick updates for OS.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
My Google Nexus is coming to the end of it's contract and is showing it's age so it's upgrade time. I've previously had an iPhone and have no desire to go back so the next logical choice is to have a look at Windows Phone 8. I'm using Windows 8 at work and at home so am expecting the move to be fairly easy. I've done a little bit of research and it looks like the Nokia 925 is the new king of the hill, at least here in the UK, are any other handsets as good/better?
So... any recommendations, advice, things to steer clear of etc? I enjoyed all the rooting stuff with Android but think I'm over that for a while. Things I need in a phone are :
- Needs to be a decent telephone (unlike the iPhone I had).
- Quick and responsive.
- Twitter/Facebook/Google+/ Some games but I am not much of a gamer on the phone.
- Multiple email accounts, Gmail and Exchange.
- Decent notifications that happen straight away.
- Bluetooth stream music and phone calls to my car stereo.
- Quick updates for OS.
Any and all help will be appreciated.
If you can wait a few weeks Nokia are showing off its new flagship Windows 8 phone, with all signs and leaks pointing to the fabled 41 megapixel pureview camera. The 925 is great but really just looks like a stopgap phone and in some ways the 920 is a better phone (32 GB storage standard, Polycarb build that makes it like a tank for durability).
Really any of the Nokia Lumia 92X (920, 925, 928 so far) phones are great. If you want something smaller, lean towards the HTC 8X. It's got a delightful form factor, but unfortuntely HTC doesn't support it with nearly as many hardware manufacturer specific apps as Nokia does.
Thanks for the help. I'm not sure I'm really that bothered about having a 41megapixel camera so am wondering if it is worth waiting for the the next Nokia. Decisions decisions!
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
Anyone have any experience with the HTC 8X? I'm thinking of switching over (a new phone every 3 years--not too unreasonable). My smartphone is still my primary MP3 player, so I'm curious as to how it handles that (my Venue Pro, for its quality, has a mediocre digital amplifier it seems). I don't really mind it having no expansion slot, I think I'm going to put my 32 GB MicroSD into my Surface Pro.
EDIT: I'm surprised to hear about the complaints on build quality for HTC--any company that churns out that many different phone models is going to be variable (including Nokia, most definitely), but all the HTC Windows Phones seem to be described as having very good build quality compared counterparts.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
I have an 8X. It doesn't get a lot of use as I work from home, but I like it. No hardware issues that I'm aware of. The biggest thing is that, aside from a lot of big name apps, it's a completely different ecosystem than iOS and Android. It's really evident in the game department.
I have an 8X. It doesn't get a lot of use as I work from home, but I like it. No hardware issues that I'm aware of. The biggest thing is that, aside from a lot of big name apps, it's a completely different ecosystem than iOS and Android. It's really evident in the game department.
I've got WP 7.8 on my Dell Venue Pro, so I know what to expect for WP8 (I've also had some hands-on time with it). So I'm most interested in the actual quality of the hardware.
...
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
Yes, I have 2010 Pro at home, so I use OneNote, and my android phone connects, but it says I can only do so many tabs and it will lock.
I'm thinking Nokia will be the way to go. Thanks for help.
Edit:
Now if Quicken will just admit there is a Windows phone and stop pretending there isn't.
Anyone have any experience with the HTC 8X? I'm thinking of switching over (a new phone every 3 years--not too unreasonable). My smartphone is still my primary MP3 player, so I'm curious as to how it handles that (my Venue Pro, for its quality, has a mediocre digital amplifier it seems). I don't really mind it having no expansion slot, I think I'm going to put my 32 GB MicroSD into my Surface Pro.
EDIT: I'm surprised to hear about the complaints on build quality for HTC--any company that churns out that many different phone models is going to be variable (including Nokia, most definitely), but all the HTC Windows Phones seem to be described as having very good build quality compared counterparts.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
The 8X is pretty good, fairly well built if a little underwhelmed, there is nothing really unique as a phone to set it above the market average. I would say for the exclusive apps like Nokia Drive I would look more towards the Nokia range of Windows 8 Phones even the lower spec ones.
Anyone have any experience with the HTC 8X? I'm thinking of switching over (a new phone every 3 years--not too unreasonable). My smartphone is still my primary MP3 player, so I'm curious as to how it handles that (my Venue Pro, for its quality, has a mediocre digital amplifier it seems). I don't really mind it having no expansion slot, I think I'm going to put my 32 GB MicroSD into my Surface Pro.
EDIT: I'm surprised to hear about the complaints on build quality for HTC--any company that churns out that many different phone models is going to be variable (including Nokia, most definitely), but all the HTC Windows Phones seem to be described as having very good build quality compared counterparts.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
The 8X is pretty good, fairly well built if a little underwhelmed, there is nothing really unique as a phone to set it above the market average. I would say for the exclusive apps like Nokia Drive I would look more towards the Nokia range of Windows 8 Phones even the lower spec ones.
Interesting--generally, I don't follow manufacturer-specific apps (I'm more interested in the ecosystem as a whole, like everyone else), but Nokia Drive is popular (and available on HTC 8X depending on who your carrier is apparently). I've been using Turn by Turn Navigation for years, and have been quite fond of it. Nokia's offering (within my price point) are kind of weak on T-Mobile at the moment, but it wouldn't hurt to check again.
Anyone have any experience with the HTC 8X? I'm thinking of switching over (a new phone every 3 years--not too unreasonable). My smartphone is still my primary MP3 player, so I'm curious as to how it handles that (my Venue Pro, for its quality, has a mediocre digital amplifier it seems). I don't really mind it having no expansion slot, I think I'm going to put my 32 GB MicroSD into my Surface Pro.
EDIT: I'm surprised to hear about the complaints on build quality for HTC--any company that churns out that many different phone models is going to be variable (including Nokia, most definitely), but all the HTC Windows Phones seem to be described as having very good build quality compared counterparts.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
The 8X is pretty good, fairly well built if a little underwhelmed, there is nothing really unique as a phone to set it above the market average. I would say for the exclusive apps like Nokia Drive I would look more towards the Nokia range of Windows 8 Phones even the lower spec ones.
Interesting--generally, I don't follow manufacturer-specific apps (I'm more interested in the ecosystem as a whole, like everyone else), but Nokia Drive is popular (and available on HTC 8X depending on who your carrier is apparently). I've been using Turn by Turn Navigation for years, and have been quite fond of it. Nokia's offering (within my price point) are kind of weak on T-Mobile at the moment, but it wouldn't hurt to check again.
It's really weird how the US does phone contracts and still having carrier specific models (like that Lumia 521). The UK carriers though still locking phones down have nearly got rid of that trend. The 8X seems the best choice then yeah its a fine phone, for me when the 2 phones were released in the UK the Nokia Lumia 920 and the 8X, the Nokia for me was heads and above the more unique, interesting and felt built like a tank. I love the wireless charging, the glove friendly touch screen, the camera etc.
Yeah, Nokia's offering on T-Mobile is the Lumia 521 which, as far as I can tell, is so far behind the HTC 8X it's laughable--but it is an economy model. Whoever's decision it was, it's not going to change any time soon unfortunately. As far as I understand, even if you get right format (in my case, GSM), you won't get anything above edge--otherwise I would have picked up an HTC 7 Pro to use on my network.
Yeah, the draw of the Lumia 521 is that it can be sold for about $130 unsubsidized. T-Mobile should have the Lumia 925 soon, though, which is a fine Lumia 920 variant. Rumored launch date is July 17.
On the exact opposite end, I suspect a new Lumia 925 is going to be well out of my budget unless an amazing new second job lands in my lap.
I don't mind admitting that I'm more excited about the 925 than the 920, in large part because of the minor-ish aesthetic revisions.
I had a play around on the 925 today, and to be honest here, it feels a little flimsy built (the back plastic doesn't feel flush with the metal edges), but otherwise, it feels just that little bit sharper than the 920 performance wise, the camera as well feels a whole lot better. For me though the removal of the wireless charging (it needs an extra backplate case) is such a shame, Nokia should be pushing this feature a little more.
I'm not for wireless charging myself, but I can see the attraction.
I wasn't until I used it. I sanded down the underside of my nightstand to about 3/8ths of an inch and mounted the wireless charger to the underside. Now I just plop my phone on my nightstand and bam, invisible charger.
It's a real shame T-Mobile dropped the 810 from their lineup. It was a great phone and the one I was probably going to go for when it came time for upgrading but alas it's gone.
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
It's a real shame T-Mobile dropped the 810 from their lineup. It was a great phone and the one I was probably going to go for when it came time for upgrading but alas it's gone.
I'm not for wireless charging myself, but I can see the attraction.
I wasn't until I used it. I sanded down the underside of my nightstand to about 3/8ths of an inch and mounted the wireless charger to the underside. Now I just plop my phone on my nightstand and bam, invisible charger.
How's the heat production? I also don't like having to stop charging my phone to use it at my desk, so that usually rules out wireless charging.
Synthesis on
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
I'm not for wireless charging myself, but I can see the attraction.
I wasn't until I used it. I sanded down the underside of my nightstand to about 3/8ths of an inch and mounted the wireless charger to the underside. Now I just plop my phone on my nightstand and bam, invisible charger.
How's the heat production? I also don't like having to stop charging my phone to use it at my desk, so that usually rules out wireless charging.
There isn't any heat production, at least not at a level that is noticeable. As far as I'm concerned its magic.
I haven't done any furniture mods, but I've got two wireless charging plates... one at my desk at work, one on my nightstand at home. The only times that I ever have to use the miniUSB port on the phone are when I'm moving files to/from my computer. I never leave work with anything less than 100% charge.
And yeah, no discernible heat from wireless charging.
Interesting. A lot of wireless charging results in a lot of heat, but it's good to they've addressed that.
I don't do wireless charging because I do wireless sync--in WP, cutting the power immediately deactivates wireless sync, and I like to use my mobile as a home phone as well. Plugging it into a cable isn't that hard either.
The last time I plugged my WP into my PC was to force-update it--I can't remember the last time I did it to actually move files, between my music and podcasts, I'd have to do that every day.
Why would you need to plug your phone into the PC on a daily basis? The only time I ever have to is if I want to add a bunch of new music to the phone... photos and videos are synced automatically whenever I'm on wifi (which happens to be all the time that I'm on wireless charging). I haven't subscribed to any podcasts in a long time, but doesn't WP automatically handle those subscriptions, too?
Because I don't want to go through my mobile bandwidth on things I can just as easily get from my home network? Because I want a convenient way to shuffle pictures sent to my PC along with ones I take with my phone? Because of my friends' podcasts at WUGA which aren't hosted on the Zune Podcast store, and I want to sync them? Because downloading podcasts off Wifi, for me personally, is way faster than 3G?
Why wouldn't you want to use free wireless syncing multiple times a day, and save all your mobile bandwidth for Last.fm, Youtube or anything else when you are actually out in the world? I already said, my WP is my primary media device--awesome wireless syncing means I don't need to pay a cent more to my provider or worry about throttling.
Wireless syncing is awesome, hands down. And using wireless charging doesn't exclude it--it just means you can't move your phone while it's charging. I just don't want to have it interrupted every time I use my phone just because it's charging.
I think the difference between you and me is that I use my phone as a phone for maybe 20 minutes a month, tops. So, "I want to move my phone around to make a call while I'm sitting at my desk" just isn't a thing for me. Further, were I to need to, it'd never interrupt any syncing tasks because they'd already have been done in the first 5 minutes of me setting the phone down on the charging plate.
I think the difference between you and me is that I use my phone as a phone for maybe 20 minutes a month, tops. So, "I want to move my phone around to make a call while I'm sitting at my desk" just isn't a thing for me.
If you got a landline, that's fine. I have one too, it came free with my ISP. I never use it because it's not 1995, but it's there.
I use my phone as a phone--and everything else. Otherwise I wouldn't have dropped a considerable sum for a WP a few years ago. I couldn't have justified it.
EDIT: Everyone texting me now makes it even harder--I'm known for quick responses, last thing I need to worry about is every text I get breaking sync when I answer it. SMS, how I loath thee.
I guess I'm still confused why you'd need to spend so much time syncing -- it's usually a very quick process for me because I'm only syncing things that've changed since I last set the phone down.
I don't have a landline, I just don't use the phone to talk. Picking up and setting the phone down to text has never caused me to not sync something that I needed sync'd.
I really don't understand why you need it to constantly be syncing all the time? Why isn't letting it sync while you sleep a valid option here?
Because I don't leave my PC on when I'm sleeping? Or not using it for a few hours? Wireless syncing still takes time (when you sync as much stuff as I do), don't like it being interrupted just because I'm using my phone as an actual phone. Crazy, I know.
In retrospect, leaving my PC on all day would do the trick (not counting stuff sent to me over Skydrive that doesn't come while I'm sleeping). I just feel it's kind...well, wasteful.
I guess I'm still confused why you'd need to spend so much time syncing -- it's usually a very quick process for me because I'm only syncing things that've changed since I last set the phone down.
I don't have a landline, I just don't use the phone to talk. Picking up and setting the phone down to text has never caused me to not sync something that I needed sync'd.
Unplugging your phone while it's on wireless syncing--or removing it from a charging pad--cuts wireless syncing, then resets the timer (according to Microsoft, about 10 minutes, though it's frequently less).
You'd have to replace it very quickly to keep the sync from being cut and then restarting on that particular file. I don't text that fast, I guess you do a lot faster than me. Or you pick it up, answer a message, set it down and the sync has ended--and it just resumes later. Whatever works--I never understood why you'd need to have 100% charge on your phone at all times, but I haven't had my WP die on me after spending a day or longer away from the charger. But I also can't imagine using my phone as a phone for only 20 minutes a month.
EDIT: It would be nice if Microsoft brought back the ability to manually trigger wireless sync, as on the Zune HD. Quick test reveals that wireless sync ends (complete with a little message) as soon as you unplug a WP.
Synthesis on
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Apothe0sisHave you ever questioned the nature of your reality?Registered Userregular
Can you even wireless sync with WP8 and the latest windows phone sync tool?
Posts
As far as handsets go, the 925 is an updated Lumia 920. I haven't seen one in person, but the changes include a thinner, more flattened chassis and even better camera performance. The former is cool, I guess (personally I love how the 920 feels in the hand)... the latter is mindboggling, because the Lumia 920's camera was already ridiculous.
If you want to just dip your feet in and see how it goes, you could try to snag a Lumia 521. It's for T-Mobile and aimed at being the most budget phone possible. Like, so budget that Walmart sells it for $130 as a prepaid phone. It's apparently not a bad phone. Windows Phones universally have pretty great performance, and the specs underlying the phone aren't too bad for the price. The main area they skimped appears to be the screen.
So... any recommendations, advice, things to steer clear of etc? I enjoyed all the rooting stuff with Android but think I'm over that for a while. Things I need in a phone are :
- Needs to be a decent telephone (unlike the iPhone I had).
- Quick and responsive.
- Twitter/Facebook/Google+/ Some games but I am not much of a gamer on the phone.
- Multiple email accounts, Gmail and Exchange.
- Decent notifications that happen straight away.
- Bluetooth stream music and phone calls to my car stereo.
- Quick updates for OS.
Any and all help will be appreciated.
Nokia's your best bet for manufacturer, since they put out a lot of good, exclusive apps and their hardware design is top-notch. HTC phones look and feel good, but seem to suffer from some issues with build quality.
My phone's a bit quiet actually, but I guess it depends on the model. I don't make or receive many calls, though, so can't comment on the dialler, UI, etc.
Every Windows Phone, even the lowly Lumia 520 and HTC 8S.
You'd be good on all counts, except for G+. Might be some decent 3rd-party apps available for it but, if there are, I haven't heard them mentioned.
Handles this well, allows each account to be pinned as a separate live tile. Gmail might be a little flakey, though, since they've dropped (or are dropping) support for EAS - Microsoft's sync protocol - so you'd be stuck with the IMAP fallback until WP gets the promised support for Cal/Card/WhateverDAV.
App dependent, I think. If the notifications are coming from a push server you should get them immediately, but local background apps only run periodically and so won't emit a notification until WP gives them a chance to do so. Also, bear in mind that there's no unified notification centre, so if live tiles and basic indicators on the lock screen aren't sufficient for you, you might be disappointed.
Music streaming works fine for me, and so does a little bluetooth headset I've got. You might need to do a little research on this to see exactly what bluetooth standard your car expects to work with.
OS updates are regular, but not exactly fast. Nokia's had firmware updates soon after launch that have squashed bugs and improved the camera, so you shouldn't need to worry about long-term instability at least.
Hope that helps!
As great as the 920/925/928 may be, I'm actually thinking of going for a much-cheaper 620 as my next phone. My tablet's taken over many of my phone's duties now, and most of those flagship-phone advantages are a bit moot when I just use it as a glorified MP3 player!
If you can wait a few weeks Nokia are showing off its new flagship Windows 8 phone, with all signs and leaks pointing to the fabled 41 megapixel pureview camera. The 925 is great but really just looks like a stopgap phone and in some ways the 920 is a better phone (32 GB storage standard, Polycarb build that makes it like a tank for durability).
So, I understand you to say Nokia doesn't leave you behind when the OS gets improvements, unlike my droid X2, which is stuck in an outdated OS (android)? I am looking to migrate to Windows phone, I use PC everywhere else, and want integration with Outlook i use at home (live account) as well as my skydrive onenote so I have my notes at home or on the go, or public computer. Android implication of onenote isn't great. Office is not great either.
On the office side, I have pro at home, does the phone work with this? Does it cost extra to be able to work with all of office? Thanks in advance for help. Oh, and I will need two of these, and don't game really (stupid simple games at bus stop). So not to expensive is nice, but as I have no pro camera, a good camera for me and my girl is nice.
EDIT: I'm surprised to hear about the complaints on build quality for HTC--any company that churns out that many different phone models is going to be variable (including Nokia, most definitely), but all the HTC Windows Phones seem to be described as having very good build quality compared counterparts.
All WP come with a version of Office free that integrates into Skydrive (which versions with Office 2010 integrate with closely), if that's what you're asking.
I've got WP 7.8 on my Dell Venue Pro, so I know what to expect for WP8 (I've also had some hands-on time with it). So I'm most interested in the actual quality of the hardware.
Yes, I have 2010 Pro at home, so I use OneNote, and my android phone connects, but it says I can only do so many tabs and it will lock.
I'm thinking Nokia will be the way to go. Thanks for help.
Edit:
Now if Quicken will just admit there is a Windows phone and stop pretending there isn't.
The 8X is pretty good, fairly well built if a little underwhelmed, there is nothing really unique as a phone to set it above the market average. I would say for the exclusive apps like Nokia Drive I would look more towards the Nokia range of Windows 8 Phones even the lower spec ones.
Interesting--generally, I don't follow manufacturer-specific apps (I'm more interested in the ecosystem as a whole, like everyone else), but Nokia Drive is popular (and available on HTC 8X depending on who your carrier is apparently). I've been using Turn by Turn Navigation for years, and have been quite fond of it. Nokia's offering (within my price point) are kind of weak on T-Mobile at the moment, but it wouldn't hurt to check again.
It's really weird how the US does phone contracts and still having carrier specific models (like that Lumia 521). The UK carriers though still locking phones down have nearly got rid of that trend. The 8X seems the best choice then yeah its a fine phone, for me when the 2 phones were released in the UK the Nokia Lumia 920 and the 8X, the Nokia for me was heads and above the more unique, interesting and felt built like a tank. I love the wireless charging, the glove friendly touch screen, the camera etc.
I don't mind admitting that I'm more excited about the 925 than the 920, in large part because of the minor-ish aesthetic revisions.
I had a play around on the 925 today, and to be honest here, it feels a little flimsy built (the back plastic doesn't feel flush with the metal edges), but otherwise, it feels just that little bit sharper than the 920 performance wise, the camera as well feels a whole lot better. For me though the removal of the wireless charging (it needs an extra backplate case) is such a shame, Nokia should be pushing this feature a little more.
I wasn't until I used it. I sanded down the underside of my nightstand to about 3/8ths of an inch and mounted the wireless charger to the underside. Now I just plop my phone on my nightstand and bam, invisible charger.
Unupgradeability is a real bitch.
How's the heat production? I also don't like having to stop charging my phone to use it at my desk, so that usually rules out wireless charging.
There isn't any heat production, at least not at a level that is noticeable. As far as I'm concerned its magic.
And yeah, no discernible heat from wireless charging.
I don't do wireless charging because I do wireless sync--in WP, cutting the power immediately deactivates wireless sync, and I like to use my mobile as a home phone as well. Plugging it into a cable isn't that hard either.
The last time I plugged my WP into my PC was to force-update it--I can't remember the last time I did it to actually move files, between my music and podcasts, I'd have to do that every day.
In a perfect world, we will have charging pants pockets so I don't even have to do that anymore.
I have tried it. That's how I know about the heat.
The real inconvenience is plugging into my PC, and not a convenience place, on a daily basis--not to mention taking up a USB port.
EDIT: On Android phones before I returned to the US, I should elaborate.
Why wouldn't you want to use free wireless syncing multiple times a day, and save all your mobile bandwidth for Last.fm, Youtube or anything else when you are actually out in the world? I already said, my WP is my primary media device--awesome wireless syncing means I don't need to pay a cent more to my provider or worry about throttling.
Wireless syncing is awesome, hands down. And using wireless charging doesn't exclude it--it just means you can't move your phone while it's charging. I just don't want to have it interrupted every time I use my phone just because it's charging.
If you got a landline, that's fine. I have one too, it came free with my ISP. I never use it because it's not 1995, but it's there.
I use my phone as a phone--and everything else. Otherwise I wouldn't have dropped a considerable sum for a WP a few years ago. I couldn't have justified it.
EDIT: Everyone texting me now makes it even harder--I'm known for quick responses, last thing I need to worry about is every text I get breaking sync when I answer it. SMS, how I loath thee.
I don't have a landline, I just don't use the phone to talk. Picking up and setting the phone down to text has never caused me to not sync something that I needed sync'd.
Because I don't leave my PC on when I'm sleeping? Or not using it for a few hours? Wireless syncing still takes time (when you sync as much stuff as I do), don't like it being interrupted just because I'm using my phone as an actual phone. Crazy, I know.
In retrospect, leaving my PC on all day would do the trick (not counting stuff sent to me over Skydrive that doesn't come while I'm sleeping). I just feel it's kind...well, wasteful.
Unplugging your phone while it's on wireless syncing--or removing it from a charging pad--cuts wireless syncing, then resets the timer (according to Microsoft, about 10 minutes, though it's frequently less).
You'd have to replace it very quickly to keep the sync from being cut and then restarting on that particular file. I don't text that fast, I guess you do a lot faster than me. Or you pick it up, answer a message, set it down and the sync has ended--and it just resumes later. Whatever works--I never understood why you'd need to have 100% charge on your phone at all times, but I haven't had my WP die on me after spending a day or longer away from the charger. But I also can't imagine using my phone as a phone for only 20 minutes a month.
EDIT: It would be nice if Microsoft brought back the ability to manually trigger wireless sync, as on the Zune HD. Quick test reveals that wireless sync ends (complete with a little message) as soon as you unplug a WP.
Thanks for making me spend an hour scratching my head.
http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-pulls-here-drive-and-transit-apps-due-installation-issues