What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Because of eric12341 :D well 90% lol, anyways I'm starting to get interested in WP7 as well. So far I've only owned the TP2 and played with android on it. I've had an evo (no service) before and played with it as a mini-tablet as well. I have an ipad for the iOS experience. So that's my background of the 3 OSes.

Anyways what about the WP7 sold you guys? Playing with it in the store and watching it on youtube, the live tiles aren't just selling me on the whole WP7 so I'm hoping there is more to it than some tiles. I know about the social media/facebook integration but I don't have those so that's also a moot point for me. Is there anything else to look forward to in WP7? All I could find online that reviews WP7 mostly just talks about these two points and I'm hoping there is more to it than this for me to consider WP7. The main things selling me on Android are the apps (I know WP7 just needs time for that but I don't have "time" to wait since I can switch later on anyways)

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The keyboard and resposivness are cool but i hate metro. I just cant get passed it. Also remember there is zero customization or themes. You get what you see.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Here's some confessionals, most notably the one by @dtrush, I'm sure @DavidinCT,@GoodThings2Life,@deadwrong03 and @steveo70 will have some input as well.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Whoops forgot the link and the edit post isn't working so here it is http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/general-wi...e-users-2.html

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

i got your pm eric :D

From the description of how you use the phone, it really sounds like it may not be suited for me mainly because I dont use the phone for those things. It maybe I've just not had a "smart" phone experience but I don't need to look up movies on my phone nor scan bar codes. I don't have a facebook account (well I do but don't use it) so I don't need to chat on there. I can see your point about the tiles maybe, sounds like something I'd have to try for myself

sounds like i wont be able say if i'll like it or not without trying it so if I do see a cheap wp7 phone somewhere I'll grab at it, worst case is i don't like it and then I'll put it back on craigslist or somewhere and sell it for what I got it for lol.

thanks for the input, now if only economics of a new phone fall into a price range i can agree with just to be testing it

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

edit.. looks as others have posted ahead of mine. Sorry Steelers game was on. @eric12341 is correct and don't forget @Dr.8820 eric. I love WP7. Not a "fanboy" just a fan of what works for me.

Very well put. I'm positive you will get some great varied responses. First and foremost, trying it out in person was a great 1st step. It is butter smooth and "just" works. I enjoyed working on and customizing WinMo for optimal performance but now there is no need unless you want a personalized OS. As an art major I appreciate this but I prefer the Metro "less is more" look. After all the hours I spent flashing previous WinMo devices I now get tired of the wife wanting me to "fix" her EVO3D. I also have more time to create my own original artwork. With the Chevron unlocker, most things I missed are available such as the homebrew "folders" XAP for centralizing multiple like apps to a live tile.
As far as apps go, what kind of apps do you want? The wife likes "flavor of the month" apps she can share with other Android users 'til it gets old and goes away a month later. I have all the major apps I need. 8tracks, Board Express (for PPCGeeks), Cloud Muzik (homebrew Google Music XAP), Evernote (desktop compatible), Metro Browser (XDA) to play most online videos, Netflix, Screen Capture (another fine "homebrew" XAP, Tune In, Foodspotting (avid culinary frequenter), and Home Depot ( my employers app). Other apps are built into the OS already. Bing maps, scout, scanner (for QR codes, barcodes, language translation), Music (replaces Shazam), and Tell Me voice recognition (works very good for hands free texting and other basic phone controls. I also sideloaded Tango on my Arrive (my new Titian will be here soon and integrated so I can video call my niece and nephew {IPhone users} w/out a mirror, LOL. VERY IMPORTANT)
I only play a few games for time wasting, and have found a some great independent games that are fun, addictive, and free. Haven't personally tried any XBox games. This too will be a personal preference.
I too do not really get into Facebook, but it is nice to have it embedded into the OS for when I do use it. The onscreen keyboard is also very good when I use Facebook or text. This is welcomed coming from the Mogul/TP/TP2/ and Arrive (some great keyboards). Battery life is also insane. Lastly for now, I like having the 25gb cloud for pic storage ect to keep memory free for other things. This is just "off the cuff" for now.
Lastly, having Office built into the OS is also very nice and expected from a Windows device.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Well, I've basically written what I have over an over at why I like WP7. All I can say is you need to run one for a week or so to "get it" and then you'll start to see why the interface is really the only way to go. This definitely applies if you're wanting to get things done with the phone and not just fart around with it because there's nothing else to do.

If you like games, spending time customizing your phone, trying out hundreds of useless apps just to say you did you should stick with Android or iOS. If you want to be cool like all the others because of the sea of useless "apps" then Android and iOS are the ticket! If you enjoy clearing out your text messages because your phone gets slow Android will rock your socks off:headbang:

If you want to have awesome functionality, integration and speed WP7 is the way to go with zero slow down EVER. Most of the popular apps are on WP7 now and the sparse apps excuse is no longer an issue.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Very well said @dtrush w/out my long wind. lol

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

The only things I use for my phone on a regular basis is using it as a phone/gps/calender/alarm/ap news (or some other news app)/weather by gps. Outside of those 6 things, I just like playing with apps but not enough to keep them.

So I'd need a offline gps (I bought the garmin sd card but eric said WM apps wont run in WP7) and I don't know if WP7 has a offline gps. With android I can cache the map so this isn't a problem there. The reason I need offline is because I go to places I know I dont get reception and don't want to be left without a gps because of no data. Basically I go out fishing/into woods where I'm no where near any people/cell towers. And like i told eric in pm, I bought a garminfone that I'll test on tmobile :) I know it's an old phone but I have garmin units and I just trust them

I like the calendar of WM and WP7 seems to have similar design so I got no problems here.

I couldn't find any weather info for WP7 though, not like HTC sense's weather tab anyways. Or a GPS weather radar (I don't need the radar part but just need the temperature at my current location)

I use g-alarm for my alarm clock and would like something with same functions in WP7

Ap News I'm not concerned with, WP7 is bound to have some news app or another

Anyhow aside from those few things, weather/gps/alarm I really dont use my phone for much else. The android port fills my need for apps to play with. So are there alternatives to those things in WP7? Like I said before I'm sure it'll get there in time but I just don't want to buy a phone just to wait for it. I rather they be in place before buying the phone.

edit: the cloud storage I use dropbox/sugarsync on my tp2 so I get the same as if it had windows skydrive. I remember a app for WM for it somewhere but never found it and stuck with dropbox

basically I'm a biology student that goes out to collect samples from where there's no other human life so I need to know my way around there (gps) and weather for preparation. The alarm for keeping me on schedule/waking me at odd times. And because I'm away from cell service for most of the time that I'm out, all the connected things in WP7 become kind of not connected.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

That's exactly why I just dropped Sprint for AT&T. Being an avid hunter I got tired of roaming back home w/sketchy service and got a Titan for .01. I too needed GPS, weather, wind conditions. Finally decided carrier was more important, bonus was the free Titan for switching over. Not sure regarding GAlarm. Never needed. Yes calendar is great. There is an offline maps app offered, I personally couldn't get to download (waited too late 'til service was limited). Too late now and can't complain nor recommend and won't need it now since switching carrier. The weather Channel app/live tile (w/radar) is nice.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

hm well if those things are present in WP7, I'll definitely keep my eyes out for an HD7 that's a little below $150 on craigslist. I know that's a long shot, but if I'm going to play with it, the $30 prepaid cost is going to play a factor in how much this WP7 experiment will cost me lol because I don't want to spend $200 for a month's time of Wp7 since I'd be paying sprint as well. Well sero doesn't cost much but still cost is cost.

I saw the arrive on sprint.com for 99 the other day.

IF I liked wp7 I would have def gotten that.
It may not be 4g but it would still require a upgrade to sero premium + data.

I asked many many times with at least a dozen reps on the sprint chat.
So it def would put you at 50 bucks a month rather then the nice ol 30

If you take a look at it, keep in mind that Sprint changed the trial period to only 14 days so if you buy the phone you will only have 14 days to test it out.

And seeing as how you are on sero you already know you pretty much have to buy a phone online if you want to keep sero since not even a corporate sprint store can access a sero account.
...that gives you about 6 days to actually test it out since it takes like 4 days to get to you and you'd have to send it back if you decide against it.

I think they told me I Might be able to take it in to a store and trade it an equal valued device.. but they don't refund online purchases

Sent from my PG86100

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

well for me personally im big on facebook and the facebook integration is amazing.

I also come from Windows Mobile 6.5 HTC Touch Pro 2 i loved the phone but the lag and lack of newer apps was frustrating. With WP7 it seems microsoft is supporting this alot better. Updates are better, better games and everything.

The UI is very fluid damn near nonexistant compared to the tp2 and phones are coming out now with front facing cameras as well. I love the live tiles and the overall feel of the os. its better than looking at page after page of icons that android and iphone provide. The battery life is great i can get through a whole work day and some change using the phone without putting it on a charger and dont have to worry about multitasking and apps force closing (android) in the background.

If you've used the iphone think of that fluidity in the os with a different approach with the tiles. its only been out for a year but it can only get better from here and so far we've seen that with the mango update and the front facing phones now providing us with video chatting.

the zune music player is amazing better than the iphones imo better ui for music and being able to simply hit the volume rocker to bring up the volume and skip and go back to tracks in any app or screen that your on on the phone . id say try it out in a store or use ur 14 day trial try it out at least it combines alot of stuff into one and with alot of things u dont need a app because its built into the phone like finding near by restaurants, price scanners, things to do just hit the bing search button and the phone does the rest no apps needed ive had wp7 since june and i would never switch to android that os is too problematic imo

He won't have a full 14 days tho.
With sero if you buy the phone instore, you loose your account. I tried 4 different stores, all corporate stores mind you, and none could even touch my account. One of the managers even called the customer service about it and their answer was "what's a sero??"

Customers with sero have to jump through loops or we loose the account.
My only option was to order online.
And that takes up 4 days just waiting for the order.

And the stores can't accept returns from an online purchase. A manager told me that all they can do is exchange the phone for one of equally value.
nd being that the arrive is currently the only wp7 phone on sprint and its value is at 99 dollars, the options for exchange is nonexistent to say the least.

I went with the EVO 3D, and as my first android device I am very happy with it.
The only issues I have had thus far is just learning how to make mods.
It's a PAIN.

But I think its worth it because in working on something no one has done yet and I have an idea that many experienced modders have told me they have never seen done before.

Personally.. I wouldn't get a Wp7. But I'm not here to change your mind about it.

There's plenty of people who fight for their phones.
Eric for his wp7, gten for his samsungs.
Hell.. I would have fought for the tp2 if that phone came out tomorrow. But its out dated and i moved on to what many windows mobile users call the dark side with android.
But hell.. it beats iPhone :D

Sent from my PG86100

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Sorry, I didn't read all but instead of loosing your SERO account it must be updated to the SERO premium which adds free any mobile to mobile as opposed to sprint to spring and gps for $10 extra. $20 extra if you go 4g. I figured that the $10 was well worth the hassle of having to deal with my tp2 anymore.



On topic semi-rant: I didn't feel like going to an evo like everyone in my fam did so I took a gamble with wp7. I was victorious as the phone is virtually lag free and actually works. I know that some may be sick of seeing this but that is the only way to explain it.

The TP2 felt like a 160 hp vehicle pulling a 5000 lbs body while my arrive feels like a 200 hp car pulling a VW bug.

I know that it has to be upgraded to sero premium plus data to work with newer phone. The problem is that no employee in any sprint store has access to sero accounts in store.

The only ones that do are account specialists online.

I talked to reps at atleast 4 different corporate sprint stores and NONE of them or their managers could access my account simply because they do not have the permissions to from their computers.

One even made a phone call to sprint clarinet serivces and they couldn't access my account.

The only ones that can are online.
And when I wanted to buy my EVO they couldn't accsess my account instore so they wanted me to pay retail price for the phone rather then upgrade cause they couldn't update my account to say I used the upgrade price.

They also tried to tell me that they wanted me to upgrade to a regular simply everything.g plane rather then the sero premium plus data because they didn't have that as an option on their instore computers.

So yes, loose.
I know what I am talking about here, I fought sprint for 3 months prior to buying my current phone.
He has to do everything online if he wants to keep his sero

Sent from my PG86100

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If i could install alternative ui's id buy wp7. I hate metro.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

...but will you actually be using the phone or just staring @ the metro tiles on the home screen...:scratch:

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

that's unfortunate aedon. They just make a call here at my store and all is well.

Lucky you LOL. Ever since sprint ate Nextel me and my mother have had to do everything VIA interwebz

Sent from my PG86100 on the PPCGeeks App

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Im big into themeing so wp7 is a no go for me.

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I'm definitely not trying to convert you, but since you bought it up, how much of your modding do you see when you actually use your phone....? This is what makes WP7 great...don't get me wrong, a custom taskbar or battery icons would be nice...but you don't really pay attention to any of that when you're just using the phone AND it works :).

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I create my own themes and try to theme the entire phone. As i said if there were other UI alternatives id probably try one. I just dont like metro.

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Something good on the horizon http://www.wpcentral.com/native-code...one-developers

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Thanks man. This looks promising for sure. :)

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

A wp7 custom rom:

NextGen+ custom ROM for HD7 brings performance and new features | wpcentral | Windows Phone News, Forums, and Reviews

Not for me tho as the stock rom has been good to me, has all the features I need.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

OK, here's my perspective, and I hope it makes sense for you...

1. GPS -- Garmin has an official GPS application for $30 that allows "smart" offline storage (meaning it will store maps for your routes/locations + surrounding areas). It's a very fast, accurate application with great reviews (including one from myself). Maps are downloaded on demand, so they're always up-to-date.

2. Calendar -- Yeah, from what you're saying I'd totally agree with you. WP7 also synchronizes Tasks from both Windows Live and Exchange, if that matters to you.

3. Weather -- I use Weather Live! which includes GPS-based location updates, and its Live Tile updates as frequently as an hour or as infrequently as once a day. I think it was like $2 for the ad-free version.

4. Alarms -- I've never used G-Alarm, but WP7 has a built-in alarm function that I've been using for my alarm for the past 6 months without missing a beat. Can you elaborate on the specific requirements?

5. News -- There are multiple news aggregators, so again, no problem there.

6. Apps -- I don't feel you'll have any trouble finding plenty of apps to play with and most have a "trial" mode that allows you to "buy" much more easily than what I've seen on Android.

7. Storage -- SkyDrive support is really nice for photo/video/document synchronization, but there are a few different Dropbox apps as well (no official one, but a few of the ones that are on marketplace have good reviews). I do, however, discourage the use of Dropbox due to very serious privacy concerns they've had in recent months and have failed to address. You can read about those here.

As for the ultimate question of why is Windows Phone 7 for you... I can't put it any simpler than the way Engadget described the experience:

"Aesthetically speaking, we sometimes think of Android as a house that you build yourself: the base materials are relatively neutral, but there's plenty of scope for personalization in the way you fit them together. Meanwhile, iOS is like somebody else's house, built by a super-creative person with strong opinions who really doesn't care if you love it or hate it. So what about Windows Phone? Well, it too feels like a house built by somebody else -- but this time it's the handiwork of someone who's primary goal is to make you happy."

I'm an Android guy but wp7 looks nice. I used it for a couple Weeks before the mango update and it was nice. I tried it for a little bit after mango update and wp7 os is very smooth and sleek. If a nice phone comes out for Sprint I will definitely look into it. Especially with all this carrier iq stuff. It looks like wp7 phones aren't that into it.

Sent from my HTC EvO 3D... On The Now Network

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

Hey, it's not Apple!

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

@yankees45us just look for a cheap HD7 on Craigslist or eBay and then get on one of those cheap T-Mobile monthly4G plans. U can then keep it concurrently with ur sprint phone, but u'll have 2 phones to carry tho.

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

@aedon - regarding SERO, if you are currently on SERO (not a SERO lookalike), you 'should' be able to dial *2 on your phone to get directly to the folks who can access SERO accounts. Also, if you log into your sprint account and use the contact us link to send them an Email, it should get sent directly to the folks who can access your SERO account. (I've tried both and it worked each time).

Regarding purchasing a device, yes, a store usually can't do that (well, technically, they can, but they have to call the Sprint team that supports SERO and they don't want to spend time doing that).
You can call telesales, or you can also go to a local store like bestbuy (unlike radioshack, BB reps often will spend the time calling the sprint Sero team). The easiest option would be to purchase the phone and don't have them activate it. You get home and activate it on your own (that's what I did for my EVO 4G - but went to BB only AFTER changing from SERO to SERO-P. The $10 surcharge for 4G got added on when I activated).
My friends have instead ordered the device at bestbuy.com and had it shipped to their residence un-activated and then, they activated it at home.

Back to the topic of the post (OP) though :)
I'm also waiting to see what WP7 can do... (waiting on my Lumia 800 to be delivered). Eager to develop apps for WP7 - but want to see how well it works in real life first!

Re: What part of WP7 do you guys like? Sell me on WP7 :P
 

I posted a link on another forum, and basically, I can not get past some of the limitation on WP7. Perhaps I am not up to speed. The link is here. http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/general-wi...ml#post2172747