Team-BHP - The Windows Phone Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san (Post 3099754)

Can you elaborate on the points where the 520 felt more exciting than the iP5? I was thinking if I should move to a Lumia 920. I have a HTC HD7 (WP 7.8) as well which I find quite basic compared to iOS.

Not sure about WP7.8,but i have been using iOS since 2010,started off with iOS 3 and now on iOS6,i have not seen any major changes,yes features have been added,but overall UI experience still remains the same,wanted to upgrade my iPhone 3GS in Jan to a Lumia 920,but everyone was against purchasing it,so i ended up with iPhone 5.

I am not a sucker for applications,just the basic one's work for me,so i dont mind the major drawback of WP8.The UI may not be new to you since you have been using WP7.8,so you can try out the iPhone 5 instead of Lumia 920.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay4587 (Post 3099912)

Thank you! I have an iPhone 4S and my wife is using the 5. HD7 is our backup phone. By the end of the month I have the option to trade-in the 4S and go for a new phone. Been hearing good feedback on Lumia 920, so was thinking about it. In WP, I find some of the basic applications (e.g.; Facebook) a bit lacking compared to iOS. Anyway, I will weigh the options for the next few weeks and decide – either to go for a new phone, or take my wife’s iP5 and get her a Note 2 or Galaxy S4.

Quote:

Originally Posted by manson (Post 3100759)

Checked out the Lumia 720 earlier in the evening, and I can't understand what the executive who froze on the Ram was thinking. Come on man, to think of it Nokia has finally come up with an extremely balance phone besides the low ram.
I have been pitching between the 720 and the Xperia ZL for a while now, and I would not have to think any further had the 720 been loaded with adequate ram.

Take a look at the Xperia SP for 25.5K. It has a dual core krait processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP cam, 4.6" 1280X768 screen, 8GB internal memory + storage and a pretty decent 2370mAH battery.

The ZL is a very good option as well if your looking at something high end. The SP is an all rounder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 3100773)

I check out the SP, it was priced at 26,990 here. The ZL in my opinion looks and feels a full class above. Is it possibly to access the static IP for our CCTV surveillance systems (2 sets x 13 cameras each) on the 720?
Also, what offline maps can I use for navigation on the Android? Are these accurate for searching street addresses?

Wife uses iOS, me uses Android. When my 3GS went kaput on the charging front, thought of getting a Windows mobile. After a visit Croma yesterday and having a nice feel of all Lumia phone, shortlisted the 720. Unfortunately they had only the display piece. Left with a heavy heart.
On my way back, wifey suggested to hit Univercell. It was already 9.30, but they were doing brisk business atleast with couple of customers. Went straight away and asked for the 720 and voila it was available. Hit a bargain, final price was 17900 which includes a Philips head set too.
Paid with 0% EMI for 6 months. Did a micro sim cut for my wifey sim and hit back home.
First impression, the screen is buttery smooth and no lag whatsoever.
The UI and all are pretty new and I am still finding a better way to sync\add music photos to it. Tried the windows phone app, but it sync only from iTunes library.
Any suggestions, BTW I am using the Mac.

Overall impression, second time felt value for money.

The wife has been using the 520 for about 2 weeks now.
So far, the experience has been a mixed bag.

The Good Stuff:
1. Very easy to use phone. Simple interface.
2. Quite light and can be used with one hand.
3. Fairly decent screen for a phone worth 10k.
4. Excellent GPS & Navigation software. Works like a breeze in Chennai.
5. No need of 3G for using navigation & GPS.

The Bad Stuff:
1. Absolutely unacceptable battery life. A full charge lasts less than 24 hours if 3G is on.:Frustrati
2. Phone heats up too much when streaming data through 3G. After a while it gets too hot to touch.
3. App support is severely limited.
4. No toggles/shortcuts for any settings.
5. Severely limited customization options.
6. Touch response, especially while typing, is not accurate. Feels clumsy after using an iPhone.
7. Limited Multi-Tasking.
8. Limited screen standby options.
9. No email attachment capability for documents.
10. No Notification Center.
11. No Folders.
12. Lack of sync-ed bookmarks.
13. No Phone search.

I realize that many of the limitations I've listed above are not phone related, but OS related. But nonetheless, they are limitations which impact the usability of the overall product by a huge amount! Come on Microsoft, I can't set a background of my choice as a wallpaper? I can set a background only for the standby screen? What is this? Page 1 from the handbook of left winged dictatorship?

IMO, Windows Phone 8 has many miles to go before it can lock horns with the likes of iOS & Android. The experience is so much less awesome than I was expecting.

My answers in bold - these are my personal observations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourav9385 (Post 3101181)

The Bad Stuff:
1. Absolutely unacceptable battery life. A full charge lasts less than 24 hours if 3G is on.:Frustrati
A. Not sure of 520, I would say most smart phones don't last more than 24 hours. (on moderate to heavy usage)

2. Phone heats up too much when streaming data through 3G. After a while it gets too hot to touch.
A. Again not sure about 520, my wife's 620 works well though. However, I would like to add that, I've seen many phones heating up with 3G on constantly. My suggestion: Turn off 3G while not in use.

3. App support is severely limited.
A. Agreed, but many of the good apps are available, of course games are far limited. WP not yet there for gamers.

4. No toggles/shortcuts for any settings.
A. Try "ConnectivityShortcuts" app. Not exactly as in Android, but is handy.
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-in/st...b-b897bff25a2c

5. Severely limited customization options.
A. Not sure of the exact customization you are looking for. However, most customizations are limited to Android alone.

6. Touch response, especially while typing, is not accurate. Feels clumsy after using an iPhone.
A. 620 works very well, have tried 820 and 920 as well - they work flawlessly - on par with iPhone.

7. Limited Multi-Tasking.
A. Yes.

8. Limited screen standby options.
A. Not sure what that means, but there are many apps which can be used on lock screen - if that's what you were referring to.

9. No email attachment capability for documents.
A. Havent tried attaching documents. But, i think it should be possible.

10. No Notification Center.
A. Not yet.. common MS! But Unification app is good, however, its of little use now.
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-in/st...8-14917ce2c7b7

11. No Folders.
A. Not sure why folders for in WP8.

12. Lack of sync-ed bookmarks.
A. Try UC Browser. (not sure if it syncs though)

13. No Phone search.
A. :(

You can now store maps on SD card clap:

Quote:

New: Maps can be now stored on SD card instead of phone memory, which comes handy when you have lots of map data to store. Use the switch to change the location you want to manage and download to or delete maps from that location. By doing this, all your Maps apps, like HERE Drive+, HERE Maps and any 3rd party ones will now use the Maps on SD card.

http://betalabs.nokia.com/trials/Storage-Check

Quote:

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser (Post 3103945)

You can now store maps on SD card clap:

http://betalabs.nokia.com/trials/Storage-Check

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourav9385 (Post 3101181)

The Good Stuff:
4. Excellent GPS & Navigation software. Works like a breeze in Chennai.
5. No need of 3G for using navigation & GPS.

Since my question got drowned in the din of excited new Lumia buyers, let me repeat:

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha1 (Post 3098061)

How good are the Nokia maps in India?
I am trying to compare them with Google maps on my desktop web browser, and Nokia map (takes me to here.com) really falls short ...

What is so excellent about Nokia map software, when there are no locations marked in their maps?

Also the state road network marked on Google maps is more detailed and accurate.

I am aware that one can use the google maps on Lumia ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha1 (Post 3104355)

Since my question got drowned in the din of excited new Lumia buyers, let me repeat:

What is so excellent about Nokia map software, when there are no locations marked in their maps?

Also the state road network marked on Google maps is more detailed and accurate.

I am aware that one can use the google maps on Lumia ...

Nokia maps are the best offline maps you can get with navigation(not talking about HERE maps but HERE Drive) with probably free lifetime updates