Re: Why did you choose W7 over Android ?
I always encourage people to use a device and see if they like it before committing to it... that's why carriers give you 30 days to decide, afterall. However, after a year with the EVO, I can say I'm happy being back on a Microsoft platform.
I'm already running Mango on my Arrive, and I can say it's the fastest experience I've ever had with a smartphone. The screen animations are neat but not obnoxious and don't slow the phone down. They serve as a nice replacement for the "hour glass" wait state. Everything is extremely smooth too... no lag and no rapid-scroll issues. This is also the most stable experience I've had... I have yet to experience any crashes or random reboots. Also, I'm an Exchange and Windows Live user, so the integration I have to Windows Live services is fantastic. I save things to email or SkyDrive, and it's all accessible to me. However, it's not just Windows Live and Exchange that are well supported... even using ActiveSync support for Gmail makes it much simpler than what Android offers. Facebook integration in WP7 is the best end-user experience for FB on any device (including the PC). The Live Tiles, as others have mentioned, and notifications mechanism is much nicer than most devices (although I actually liked the Android notification system). In fact, the only criticism I have after a month of use is the same I had in the beginning... I want more device choices, because I want the HD7S (or similar style) on Sprint instead of the Arrive.
As for why I left Android, well, mostly the consistency and stability. I got tired of needing to root it to really feel like I had a functional experience. I got tired of "force close" messages all the time and having to manage my running tasks. I got tired of the fact that every Android phone is a completely different experience than other Android devices... even with the same OEM. As a system admin needing to support my users, it's very frustrating to have to take someone's device and fumble through it to fix an issue they're having. This is one area that WP7 and even the iPhone (it sickens me to praise it) beat Android hands-down... consistency. I liked Android, because it was very technical and flexible and could do anything... BUT, you have to be a technical person to enjoy it. I have users at work that like it, but don't even come close to really using half of what it offers, and they struggle with it until they get used to it. I also got tired of updates breaking more than they fixed... ie. Gingerbread on the EVO breaking notifications and the usability of SWYPE and Voice-to-Text recording.
WP7, in my opinion and experience, is perfect for people who just want an easy-to-use experience that works.
So before you decide... ask yourself... what do you use your device for? Does the platform you're looking at meet those requirements? What's the learning curve?
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Last edited by GoodThings2Life; 08-07-2011 at 10:16 AM.
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