[Closed] Window's Phones-Advice needed

I like mine. I have the Lumia 820. Got it when it first came out. I am due an upgrade soon and will either be keeping this one or getting another windows phone.

I too have the Lumia 820. My contract is up next month & I'm not sure I'll even bother upgrading, the phone is that good IMO.
The system is very intuitive and stable, the camera and apps are really good - better than I can use if I'm honest.
Wouldn't go back to Android, its really clunky by comparison.

Thanks for the comments guys,sounds promising 🙂

I've got the 1020 love it great camera this is my 2nd Windows phone

I've got the 520 very good phone I will be upgrading to the 920 soon

I find windows phones the easiest to use.
Very similar to an iPhone but with a back button and the ability to swap batteries.
Ultimately I went android as Windows dropped the Scrabble app.I'm surprised that there isn't a full compliment of Windows apps. Sort that out and I will be back.

Had a 930 since it was launched. Had the 920 before and I rate them both highly. Great camera, really like the UI and contrary to popular beliefs has lots of apps. Most of the popular ones are available and the only one I am missing is a banking app.

Oh and its not going to bend in your pocket because like most Nokia phones its solidly built. 😀

I had an 820 for about 8 months - hated it, some nice features, but lack of mainstream apps was the killer for me.
Was very clunky compared to the iPhone or Galaxy offerings

I think my 520 is excellent - it's a basic model but I see no reason to upgrade. Lack of apps is a shame though.

Got a 920, love it. Great camera, works well and plenty of apps if you like that sort of thing. Don't understand the claim that there are not enough apps, looking on the apps store there is an abundance. The standard maps software is superb as is the sat nav.

If you can live with the meagre selection and quality of apps, they're not bad at all. I couldn't though.

Don't understand the claim that there are not enough apps

Well, no Strava!

My Lumia 800 is bomb proof. Even I, in my cack handed fumbling, have not bust it yet.

Thank goodness there is no strava!

hi,

i have a lumia 625, the only negatives for me is the crap screen, camera, and the keyboard is crap, maybe its me but after nearly 6 months of usage i still cant type a text message in one go without full stops appearing or spelling words wrong. i used to have an S5 and the keyboard was way better, then again it could be the crap screen? im no expert.

but im guessing the one you want will be better in all departments.

ref apps, they are lacking a bit but nothing too much to worry about, ebay is fine but autotrader can crash quite alot.

oh it does hang a little bit aswell and you have to reboot it, maybe twice a week.

I've had a 920 for approx the last year. Bought to replace an iPhone 4 (couldn't bring myself to spend £500+ on another one....).

I've found the email to much quicker than the iPhone (using Outlook) but I've never gotten used to the keyboard.

I thought it was borked the other week (screen would go blank during a call, but it turned out to be only dirt on the sensor/ screen protector and was easy fixed, phew). Camera is decent enough too.

Can't really be bothered with apps (other than weather). So not fussed on that score.

Pretty pleased with it over all though and not bad for £200.

I have the 930 and it is simply the best phone I have owned. I have used WP since v7 but have owned android phones and have spent plenty of time with iOS and personally think WP beats them both.

The app deficit is nowhere near what it was, nearly all the major apps are there and there are some excellent games. If you run Windows 8 the integration is excellent between the two.

As others have said also the 930 is built like a tank, the screen is very very nice and it has an excellent camera. Battery life under the very latest build (I run the dev preview versions so am usually a couple of releases ahead) is coming on for 2 days and I am a reasonably heavy user.

Had a 930 for two months after 2 years with a 920.

It is a great phone, superb camera, great Office integration, OneDrive, and loads of apps. Plus top class Nokia sat nav and maps

Get one

820 here, nearly up for renewal.

Dislike - crap camera. No Strava or Spotify. I find the Sat Nav crap.

Like - Android just isn't as slick or fast. Apple is way more pricey and does nothing better.

the keyboard is crap, maybe its me but after nearly 6 months of usage i still cant type a text message in one go without full stops appearing or spelling words wrong

Latest Windows Phone 8.1 includes a swype-style keyboard which (for me) works really well on a Lumia 620 (which has a relatively small screen).

I've been using my Lumia for a couple of years and actually like the way the whole thing works. I'm not a big app user, but don't feel I've made any major compromises in not having an Android or iOS device.

With regards to the keyboard, Windows 8.1 has the swipe keyboard built in - you just trace out the words. I find it works very well.

I rock a 520. Cheap, but gets the job done and only cost £50 if you break them.

I'm off the 2 year contract crap and now pay £50 for the phone and £12 a month mobile instead of 24x£30

"swipe keyboard"...

right i may show myself up totally here....

wtf are you talking about??? 😥

(im 99% sure i have the 8.1 )

wtf....

found it, just keep your finger on the screen and,... well... swipe holy sh*t thats easier!!

hangs head in shame....

I switched to a Lumia 1020 about a week ago from Android, very happy so far.

Literally the only app I can't find a Windows version for is Strava, and to be honest I never used it on the phone anyway as I've got a Garmin.

Needless to say the camera on the 1020 is very good.

@FD-Spotify is now available. Just search the store

More generally Cortana is superb too. Really very useful. All my work appointments are invites from work's systems which drop into my calendar. As I have the postcodes in the location field Cortana will let me know, taking current traffic into account, when I need to leave and offer to drop me into the sat nav to get me there.

Someone texts you with a date in it. Tap the date and it takes you straight to the calendar to make the appointment.

Voice recognition is spot on too as are contextual reminders. For eg I can ask Cortana to remind me to ask my mum something next time I speak to her. Then, when I next text or call her that reminder pops up. Or, you could ask her to remind you to pick something up next time you're in Tesco. Hey presto, next time you're in any Tesco store she reminds you.

Really is excellent stuff and just that bit more versatile than Siri or Google Now (yes I have used all three).

Lumia 920 here. Got it at launch, so coming up to two years for me. Currently its on contract with T-Mobile. Like that phone that much, im keeping it and moving over to GiffGaff.

Love my 920. Well built, get the official gel case for it. Android looks awful and crude now.

We use the family room stuff in our house - dead useful.

Who needs Strava when you can have Striver?!

I've got a Lumia 1020, had an iphone for work and a personal android phone previously and much prefer the interface etc.

The only missing app which I can't find a workaround for is Viewranger or similar for OS mapping, there's nothing out there.

Danny, cheers, was still premium only when I last checked.

Already have a strava link through my Mio gps but found striver today. Personally prefer Endomondo so that's easy with W8.1.

@IvanD. Have a look at NaviComputer. Closest I've found to an OS maps solution.

Cheers for that, downloaded and it looks good - I'll have a play with it and see how it goes.

I'm on my third one started with a Lumia 800, which I dropped and smashed on some cobbles, bought a 520 as a stopgap whilst it got repaired but carried on using it and have recently upgraded to a Lumia 925.

Have to use a Iphone for for work and hate it in comparison, I think out of Android ,IOS and Win phone the iphones keyboard is the worst to use and the predictive text/word substitution is very annoying.

I certainly won't be changing from Win phone.

Another 1020 here, after an 800 something or other. I love the speed of the thing, the camera is awesome, the new functionality of the operating system is brilliant. Gorilla glass is phenomenal, the last one had one scratch in three years of pocket abuse, no protector, and the new one is still unblemished despite sharing a pocket with my house keys and a pocket in my osprey pack.
For me its way better than apple. The only thing that I haven't found as easy as on an apple product is getting music onto the phone but for me it's not a big issue.

@nickh-dead easy. Plug your phone in, open it like you would a USB stick or memory card. Go to the music folder and drag and drop. Much easier than pissing around with iTunes.

I have a Lumia 930 - really rate it though a bit chunky. Stunning camera.

Strava emulator = Baika

The only missing app which I can't find a workaround for is Viewranger or similar for OS mapping, there's nothing out there.

I found this too. I've been trying a 1020 for the last month which has the same camera as my old Symbian 808 PV. Have to say I miss a few things in terms of functionality compared to the old (now obsolete!) OS, notably HDMI output, FM transmitter and the ability to turn off 3G network to save battery, and simple things like a hardware torch light. I don't like this trend towards sealed batteries either, I can take charged spares for the 808 and change them around during mountain trips. Currently got the SIM back in the 808 as the 1020 camera is so slow to load up and between shots. Ahhh the good old days!

I emailed Viewranger and they said there will be a WP version, they just can't say when, until then I'm sticking with Symbian. Strava on the other hand have pretty much ruled it out.

I can take charged spares for the 808 and change them around during mountain trips.

External batteries are now excellent and cheap as chips, if that's what you need.

Strava on the other hand have pretty much ruled it out.

That's easy to work around though - see above. ISTR you can even sync from Endomondo to Strava. Great news that Viewranger are planning it down the line though.

1020 camera is so slow to load up and between shots

There are many camera apps on WP so you could try different ones..?

Ok I may have been imagining the endomondo-strava link.

So - Striver or Baika?

EDIT oh.. blimey.. www.tapiriik.com is pretty slick - if it works.. I'll let you know when I go for a run later 🙂

I have windows 8.1 work phone and really like it due its simplicity and use of tiles to show data. E.g. share prices and next bus times etc.

I works very well as a work phone.

I wouldn't for a second consider it as my main phone though as the app market is terrible...really terrible.

Hardly any apps in comparison. Needs sorting & couple years of maturity before I consider switching!

I don't think the app market is really terrible. I've got everything I thought of getting - as above, only Viewranger is missing that I might use, but I never used it on Android anyway 🙂

Re Endomondo - apparently, low power usage is only available for £3.99/mo. Every mo. FFs.. holding my battery to ransom to get quite a lot of money out of me.. right.. uninstall...

molgrips, I will let the numbers do the talking:

Android apps – ~1.2 million
iOS apps – ~1.2 million
Windows Phone apps – ~245,000

I've just ordered a Nokia Lumia 735, my first smart phone (unless you count a BlackBerry or iPod touch). Should be here in 5 days, really quite excited. 🙂

molgrips, I will let the numbers do the talking:

I wouldn't. You've no idea how much of that is pure dross. And I'm including Windows phone there - there might be a couple of hundred useful apps in almost 1/4m. As for Android, well there seems to be an enormous number of stupid puppy related crap purely as a vehicle for your kids to inadvertently make in-app purchases....

There was an article in the i newspaper last week (i think) about how the app market has reached saturation point. Basically, it was claiming that most people only use about 8 after market apps and the rest is just passing interest. Once you have the apps you need on your handset then most people don't even bother looking any more apparently.
Certainly, I've found no shortage of the relevant apps in the windows store - but also a shed load of apps apparently aimed at vacuous teenagers!

It really depends on your usage and needs. I tried and utterly failed to find a decent podcast app despite trying several and spending money on the recommended ones. All I want is automatic downloads and to behave properly when streaming over Bluetooth in the car. Lots of basic hobbyist projects, all terrible for daily use.

Of the app makers who support all 3 platforms (usually people selling a service - Dropbox, lastpass, etc) the WP version would be consistently worse than iOS and Android.

Microsoft chased quantity over quality to try to flesh out their appstore because they were so late to the party. It's full of dross submitted to claim the $100 on offer - no quality (or even copyright) filtering going on.

There's only two viable app platforms these days - if out of the box WP is to your liking and the 3rd party stuff is OK for you then you'll be quite happy. Just don't check out the competition.

you'll be quite happy. Just don't check out the competition

No, do. My last phone was Android, and I still like WP8. It was a close call though, I almost got one of those waterproof Xperias.

You can turn the 3g signal on a Windows Phone off, it's in the settings.

Very happy with my windows phone. The only app I would like but doesn't exist is one to use my old memory map maps but navicomputer is filling in fine. I've had android and iPhone so know what the competition is. WP works really well for me but then I use windows at home and work so the integration suits me. Quoting how many million apps each OS has is irrelevant as you only want a select few, just make sure your needs are covered.

I'm a serial phone swapper. I'm currently running an iPhone 4s, Sony xperia ultra z which is the biggest phone out there I think and a Nokia 1320. All got their strengths but the one I feel most at home on is the Nokia. ( says he typing on the Sony ( it's water proof and I'm in the bath :-)) app store wise there is less gumpf on windows but you do need a little imaginative thinking sometimes to get the app you want. Still well worth it IMHO and a lot of reviews you see nowadays extoll WP.

yourguitarhero - Member

You can turn the 3g signal on a Windows Phone off, it's in the settings.

I couldn't find it on this one, I think it is model specific. I can turn off 4G but not 3G. Forcing 2G is handy as keeping a weak 3G signal alive is a fair power drain, so I'm led to believe. Little things though, it's not a massive deal.

The WP browser is a bit rubbish compared to safari or chrome (or ff or dolphin) and there are no alternatives

But then I'm not one for browsing much on a phone

EDIT: I should actually look before opening my mouth, some appeared to have surfaced since last I looked

I've been using a 1020 for just over 6 months. Previously was an avid Android user. The OS takes some getting used to and o miss the Google integration I had, but I have a Nexus tablet for that.

The OS is fast and consistent, I found Android would start to lag and get buggy after a few months use. The camera is outstanding but it is slow to start and saving images takes a while so you have to be patient.

Some of the APS aren't as functional us as the Android and iOS versions.

The 930 is meant to be a great phone and you'll probably love it.

Got a basic 520. Happy with it. Does everything I need. Not interested in having strava or anything like that on it. Mind you I came to this from blackberry, so anything would be an improvement...

So, my new Nokia 735 has arrived, very impressed so far. One of the best bits is just being able to drag and drop music from my computer (no iTunes). Screen is great (4.7", 1280x720, 316ppi) phone wasn't that expensive (£189 from the Windows store). It's intuitive to use and I'm looking forward to using it more.

@llama - IE 11 is actually very good. Tabbed browsing, swipe left and right to go back forward, much much faster with dynamic search text in the address bar and much better compatibility with complex websites.

UC Browser is an excellent alternative and Opera have their Mini browser in beta - works pretty well too.

Maxthon is another good option. Again nice and slick.

Generally though I stick with IE (note I am running WP 8.1 Update One Cyan so a couple releases ahead of the mainstream).

Ok, so there are all these new browser apps for window phone. Apparently I'm still using the original browser although ive had the Nokia Black & 8.1 updates, what will I notice if I install such an app?

Generally though I stick with IE (note I am running WP 8.1 Update One Cyan so a couple releases ahead of the mainstream).

The app argument is generally guff, yes the IOS and Android platforms have more ,but its generally more variations on the same theme such as 50 variations on Instagram.

And for comparison I have a Iphone for work which is jailbroken with Cydia on as well, and I still prefer my Lumia 925 and the Windows OS.

930 is a top phone and forgot to mention wireless charging which is great. Love the live tiles and the ability to resize them and the extra row. Here maps are excellent and offline maps are free inc using it as a SatNav provided you've downloaded the maps.

Excellent integration with onedrive as well to back everything up and for sharing.

had a Lumia 800 which finally died this summer after being dropped once too many times.

Really liked it apart from slightly limited app selection, but what really swung it was the SatNav, especially as it didn't need a phone signal or even a SIM card to work (invaluable for not rinsing your data when abroad) . Bit gutted that I might have to buy a real satnav now...

I've got a Lumia 930 in stealth orange. Looks really classy, especially the brushed alminium band around the edge. The only minor complaint is it is not as convenient for 1 handed operation as my last phone (a lumia 920). Other than that it's a classy phone, works well and has a good range of apps. I use the app of WPcentral to keep track of new apps and developents!

Doris5000 - the cheapest Lumia 520 or 530s are actually better specced than the 800 - I upgraded after they didn't move the 800 to Windowns Phone 8.

They have all the same features really, including the Sat Nav and cost about £60 new