Just played with a WP7 phone, what a treat!

[shortylickens]

You have to use Bing to search unless you mod your registry. You don't have to use WL, but it will limit your use due to the market, but it doesn't even need to be used as your default mail provider.

See that right there is a problem for me. Google already has a shitload of services and all under one account. I can email, document uploading and work, picture albums calendar, and more all from one account and its all directly connected to my Android phone. I can also make To Do lists in my Gmail account but I dunno if Android can directly access it. I think I have to use a 3rd party app. BUT, I can now upload pictures directly to my Picasa albums from the phone, as of the last update.

And theres even more shit which I dont care about. How long until Microsoft can copy and best all of that?

 

[Yuriman]

i really liked wp7 when i tried it at the att store, its very slick and fast. also most wp7 phones are cheaper than high end android phones so android doesnt really have a price advantage. if they had w7 on verizon i probably would have gotten one already. ms is much more experienced and skillful than google and in the long run windows is going to be a much better product than android

I'm not arguing pro- or anti- WP7, but Microsoft is either subsidizing their phones (selling at a loss) or the phone manufacturers are, if they're cheaper than Android devices running a free OS. Cheaper than free = at a loss. They wont stay cheaper forever.

 

[dougp]

See that right there is a problem for me. Google already has a shitload of services and all under one account. I can email, document uploading and work, picture albums calendar, and more all from one account and its all directly connected to my Android phone. I can also make To Do lists in my Gmail account but I dunno if Android can directly access it. I think I have to use a 3rd party app. BUT, I can now upload pictures directly to my Picasa albums from the phone, as of the last update.

And theres even more shit which I dont care about. How long until Microsoft can copy and best all of that?

The use an Android device. For you, it seems that simple. I use my google account primarily on my Quantum, but I've had a live ID for years because of my xbox but it doesn't even get in the way.

 

[Deeko]

See that right there is a problem for me. Google already has a shitload of services and all under one account. I can email, document uploading and work, picture albums calendar, and more all from one account and its all directly connected to my Android phone. I can also make To Do lists in my Gmail account but I dunno if Android can directly access it. I think I have to use a 3rd party app. BUT, I can now upload pictures directly to my Picasa albums from the phone, as of the last update.

And theres even more shit which I dont care about. How long until Microsoft can copy and best all of that?

I'm pretty sure you can do all of that with Windows Live...in fact, I'm pretty sure even WM 6.5 was hooked up to those Live services. Not exactly earth-shattering.

 

[dougp]

I'm pretty sure you can do all of that with Windows Live...in fact, I'm pretty sure even WM 6.5 was hooked up to those Live services. Not exactly earth-shattering.

Honestly, I don't know many people that utilize Google's services outside of Gmail, and even then, most people still continue to use Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL. It's really a picky argument about those types of features - when my Dad asked why he had to use a Live account, I told him it was for purchases in the Marketplace and Zune and he only needed it for that. He was upset about the no contacts with his ISP email, but it's POP. I had him setup gmail because my step-mom already had an account.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I like the default messaging client, but there's no profiling what-so-ever. The only phones on the market to compete with that is anything Android based.

no distinct alerting profiles for different levels of severity is not going to cut it in the IT world.

 

[dougp]

no distinct alerting profiles for different levels of severity is not going to cut it in the IT world.

Then stick with BB. I've used all the devices I've listed without "distinct alerting profiles" for years in the IT world.

 

[SAWYER]

I agree, I had a focus to toy with for awhile and loved it. Wp7 is my favorite phone os now and it will onlky get btter

 

[RedRooster]

I can't wait until WP7 marketplace has all the internet radio apps I need. I will so be jumping ship from my iPhone, without a doubt. But until that pesky marketplace gets built up, I don't know if I could switch away yet.

 

[dougp]

I can't wait until WP7 marketplace has all the internet radio apps I need. I will so be jumping ship from my iPhone, without a doubt. But until that pesky marketplace gets built up, I don't know if I could switch away yet.

I'm not sure Pandora will ever make it's way to WP7. Though, I've always believe Slacker is much better and you also have Last.fm and Zune Pass.

 

[Deeko]

I'm not sure Pandora will ever make it's way to WP7. Though, I've always believe Slacker is much better and you also have Last.fm and Zune Pass.

Eh, Pandora will probably get there eventually, but as you said, Slacker and Last.fm are decent substitutes.

 

[preslove]

I'm not sure Pandora will ever make it's way to WP7. Though, I've always believe Slacker is much better and you also have Last.fm and Zune Pass.

Why do you say that?

Also, which internet radio apps does WP7 have so far? That's a pretty important thing for me.

 

[RedRooster]

None of those are free in Canada, I don't think. Slacker for sure charges, and I used last.fm months ago and it cost $3 a month, and still is. Presumably would be the same on the phone.
I need the M1Live app and maybe ChoiceRadio. For free obviously.

 

[Deeko]

Why do you say that?

Also, which internet radio apps does WP7 have so far? That's a pretty important thing for me.

Slacker, iheartradio, Last.fm are at the top of the "music/video" category. Is there a particular one you're looking for (other than Pandora, which we've already covered)?

 

[Munky]

No shit it is significantly better - it has what, a 3 year head start? The catch is, WP7 apps are getting there very quickly. Since we're early adopters, we are stuck with the growing pains. I'm not sure how many remember the early days of the iPhone 3G, but it sucked when it came to apps. Took a good year to get quality apps.

*yawn* Old argument. Copy and past is coming March 7th or 8th. As for true multitasking, no thanks. I didn't have it on iOS (and I think Apple's implementation should be considered the best) and when I went to Android, you notice significant battery life decreases. I'll take the iOS "app hibernation" over anything on the market. Yes, there will be apps that need backgrounding like a messaging client or Slacker - but letting my game run while everything is off? No thanks.

File tree view? Why? iOS doesn't implement it. Hell, by default, most Android phones don't have it. Outside of power users, it has no real use. Most people just rely on a media navigation app for their pictures, music and videos.

And most people prefer the sound of piddling bit-rate mp3 over a high quality original, what's your point? Unlike "most people", some of us actually do prefer multi-tasking and a file browser over thousands of useless apps, half of which are targeted at people who wouldn't know what a browser bookmark is.

 

[dougp]

And most people prefer the sound of piddling bit-rate mp3 over a high quality original, what's your point? Unlike "most people", some of us actually do prefer multi-tasking and a file browser over thousands of useless apps, half of which are targeted at people who wouldn't know what a browser bookmark is.

Except this phone is obviously not geared towards that type of user. It's been obvious from the start, BEFORE the phones came out, when MS stated that there would be no file browser. The rest of the features they said would come in the future, which they are.

 

[finbarqs]

you know, people talk about using old hardware, but really, the end user experience isn't really affected. I mean, what's the point of having superior internals if everything runs perfectly already? Better Battery life is the only thing I can think of. If the games that come out on WP7 is more than sufficient for the power it has, then I don't really see a point in going for a dual core CPU or GPU unless it saves battery.

 

[chocobosandwich]

I'm surprised most of the tech blogs I've read or skimmed over never really criticized WP7 for no-show features that should have been standard on a 1.0 release and like to praise the stark blue GUI, which really turns off a lot of people in the consumer market who aren't "professionals". Things like copy/paste, multitasking, vampire data and power drain, non-working microSD cards or lack of a slot, unexciting app base, etc. In fact, coming from WinMo, they are getting a slap on the wrist for most shortcomings. This is microsoft, the biggest OS company in the world. From windows ce to winmo1-6, they are far from newbies, and WP7 was rumored to be in develop for how long? I've seen more flak thrown at Bada, Symbian, Android, etc. who really all have more legitimate reasons to be behind during their initial release (Symbian has a whole legacy fleet to account for) so it is more than disappointing that WP7 is starting out with baby steps like the rest even though its been cooking for so long.

The other problem is because all the WP7 launch devices have been largely identical, there is very little to differentiate between them. If WP7 is aiming for standards and tight hardware control and design, I don't see the point in having companies like Samsung, LG, or HTC flesh out a lateral-only spanning handset fleet with no bulletpoints on any of them. Are they aiming at consumers, or business? Because businesses want uniformity like what they have with HP/Palm or RIM devices, or even the iPhone. And consumers want pizazz, and pizazz is definitely not how I would describe a WP7 phone.

Only 2 million WP7 phones COMBINED from ALL the manufacturers were SHIPPED not sold last quarter. This coming after news that MS has already committed billions in marketing and developing the phone. I definitely haven't seem any commercials or real buzz beyond the initial weeks surrounding the November release. For comparison's sake, the samsung wave, the first Bada phone, had already sold over a million units by itself in the two months after release. Bada, for those not in the know, is only really a side-project aimed at cheap smartphones for developing countries and comes with an almost non-existent marketing department and probably small development team in comparison to something like WP7. People bought the Wave because of the colorful graphics, the unique look and size, and the screen. Oh, and it already had copy/paste! I don't deny that WP7 is probably the superior OS compared to Bada (it better be with all the time and money), but if no consumer wants your spartan phones or spartan UI, you won't succeed in the long run.

 

[TheStu]

I'm surprised most of the tech blogs I've read or skimmed over never really criticized WP7 for no-show features that should have been standard on a 1.0 release and like to praise the stark blue GUI, which really turns off a lot of people in the consumer market who aren't "professionals". Things like copy/paste, multitasking, vampire data and power drain, non-working microSD cards or lack of a slot, unexciting app base, etc. In fact, coming from WinMo, they are getting a slap on the wrist for most shortcomings. This is microsoft, the biggest OS company in the world. From windows ce to winmo1-6, they are far from newbies, and WP7 was rumored to be in develop for how long? I've seen more flak thrown at Bada, Symbian, Android, etc. who really all have more legitimate reasons to be behind during their initial release (Symbian has a whole legacy fleet to account for) so it is more than disappointing that WP7 is starting out with baby steps like the rest even though its been cooking for so long.

The other problem is because all the WP7 launch devices have been largely identical, there is very little to differentiate between them. If WP7 is aiming for standards and tight hardware control and design, I don't see the point in having companies like Samsung, LG, or HTC flesh out a lateral-only spanning handset fleet with no bulletpoints on any of them. Are they aiming at consumers, or business? Because businesses want uniformity like what they have with HP/Palm or RIM devices, or even the iPhone. And consumers want pizazz, and pizazz is definitely not how I would describe a WP7 phone.

Only 2 million WP7 phones COMBINED from ALL the manufacturers were SHIPPED not sold last quarter. This coming after news that MS has already committed billions in marketing and developing the phone. I definitely haven't seem any commercials or real buzz beyond the initial weeks surrounding the November release. For comparison's sake, the samsung wave, the first Bada phone, had already sold over a million units by itself in the two months after release. Bada, for those not in the know, is only really a side-project aimed at cheap smartphones for developing countries and comes with an almost non-existent marketing department and probably small development team in comparison to something like WP7. People bought the Wave because of the colorful graphics, the unique look and size, and the screen. Oh, and it already had copy/paste! I don't deny that WP7 is probably the superior OS compared to Bada (it better be with all the time and money), but if no consumer wants your spartan phones or spartan UI, you won't succeed in the long run.

iOS 1.0 didn't have copy/paste, apps, or a MicroSD card slot. Also, I don't think there is anyone in the consumer space (aside from you) that has remarked on the Metro UI as being marketed to 'professionals'.

You are just rehashing old stuff here.

 

[dougp]

iOS 1.0 didn't have copy/paste, apps, or a MicroSD card slot. Also, I don't think there is anyone in the consumer space (aside from you) that has remarked on the Metro UI as being marketed to 'professionals'.

You are just rehashing old stuff here.

That's why I didn't even bother to respond. Complaining launch hardware is too alike? Not a bad thing ... but all the OS flaws the claimed reviewers didn't point out, but they in fact did.

 

[TheStu]

That's why I didn't even bother to respond. Complaining launch hardware is too alike? Not a bad thing ... but all the OS flaws the claimed reviewers didn't point out, but they in fact did.

I am just glad that we finally have a set update date.

 

[chocobosandwich]

I know some of you diehards are ignorant of the facts. But really, no one in the industry is rooting for WP7 right now and its track record isn't so good for how big and gamechanging its supposed to be. You keep on saying 1.0 software is suppose to be like this. It is 2011. The iOS was released 5 years ago. Android for 2-3 years. Bada under a year and had copy/paste at launch. The multitasking in QNX for Blackberrys is also amazing to look at and will come shortly. The standard has risen dramatically in the smartphone world as well as expectations and the industry has matured and passed that early phase. Releasing a half-baked OS and saying that it is okay to be comparable to the iOS..five years ago...is ridiculous in this competitive environment. They should have cooked it for a good six more months with all the functionality they promised already integrated, so that the launch isn't squandered, as well building that app base more fully. You don't release something like Vista and say oh it is 1.0 software and fixing the driver issues can come later. Oh wait, they did, and got a lot of flak for it. Maybe WP8 will be their version of Win7? MS had no competition in the desktop space so they could do as they pleased. The mobile space has tons of contenders right now.

Here are some news stories from MWC to further prove the point.

"there were a bunch of things that we believed about Microsoft that ended up not being true, mostly about what functionality it would have in what period of time"

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/motorola-exec-nearly-rules-out-windows-phone-completely-laments/

"Verizon CTO Tony Melone has gone on record out at Mobile World Congress this week saying that he's skeptical Micosoft has the capability to meet its lofty volume goals for Windows Phone -- a little odd, considering that Verizon is on the verge of launching its first Windows Phone 7 model."

http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/verizon-cto-we-dont-need-the-nokia-microsoft-partnership-an/


Do I have anything against Microsoft? No I don't. My OS has been windows xp for ages and I have an Xbox. But it is delusional to think it will succeed at its current pace, like how Nokia had floundered with Symbian and Meego because they were slow. What did they announce at MWC, Kinect integration and IE9? That's it? Also, don't forget they reportedly spent almost a billion dollars in the Kin department before scrapping it after only a few months of release. WP7 has always left a bad taste in my mouth, not because I don't like it, but because no one seems to be commenting about all the signs pointing to another Titanic about to hit an iceberg and sink.

 

[Deeko]

Ignorant to the facts - followed by saying iOS came out 5 years ago (it was announced 4 years ago, released just under 3.5 years ago, that's a big difference).

Android didn't have their act together until 2.1, which only just came out a year ago, people tend to forget that. For as much as people rail on copy and paste, iOS didn't have it until last year, and even now Android's implementation isn't great.

Anyway, you have to realize the double edged sword. Before WP7 came out, the naysayers were gnashing their teeth that Microsoft was too slow, Microsoft needs to be in the marketplace now, the market is getting saturated, its getting too late, etc. Now they released under the strategy that they might not be quite at feature-parity with everyone else, but that what they do, they'd do well. They accomplished that - and then there are people like you kicking and screaming that they should have waiting to release at all. There's literally no winning with people that want to find a negative no matter what.

Also, regarding Verizon, you have to realize that that's just how they are. They said over and over that they didn't need the iPhone because they sold so many Android phones, and now suddenly its their baby. I can assure you once there are WP7 devices on the Verizon shelves (which, by the way, will launch with C&P), they will change their tune, and quickly.

They announced multitasking, IE9, and Kinect integration. You honestly don't think those are big announcements? That this year we'll get the addition of one of the most-missed features on the platform, as well as a huge improvement to the already solid browser?

Frankly, if someone feels the need to go to lengths to defend themselves as not being a Microsoft hater, when no one was accusing them as such, says something. Are you trying to convince yourself or us?

 

[darkewaffle]

Amidst all the talk is there any official date regarding WP7 coming to other carriers yet?

 

[dougp]

Amidst all the talk is there any official date regarding WP7 coming to other carriers yet?

Supposedly 3/8 when the NoDo update goes out, it will be including CDMA support at the OS level.