Lumia 920

[Red Storm]

Windows 8 and WinRT share the same app store but not every app is available for WinRT (90% are though and most will eventually. There wasn't really any time to test RT apps on a real device until it launched). You write the app once then check the box for both stores.

WP8 is based off of the NT kernel like Win8/WinRT but it's a different app store. Supposedly, 70% of the code can be shared between apps on Win8/WinRT and apps on WP8. If this is true, I could see both of the app stores exploding as writing three apps wouldn't be much more work than writing one and you get that soon to be giant Win8 user base.

Wait, they are two completely different app stores?

Yikes, that is going to really hinder growth.

 

[Deeko]

I used WP7.5 enough and I can tell you the app ecosystem isn't there. It isn't even close. In fact I have so few apps on my Windows Phone I don't bother. On Android I have a BUNCH of apps. I would say the selection is there but the quality isn't. iOS apps are still a step above. I think once you use iOS, you will realize your reliance on mobile apps. When you come back to Android, you go "Wait why don't they have an app for that?" OR "Cool same app... wtf why is it so broken and outdated looking?" On Windows Phone you go "WTF there's no app? Oh well I don't need it anyway." It's a defeatist attitude. You learn to live your life without a certain function and then now you tell everyone you don't need an app.

Seriously. Once I sat around for a banquet for 3 hours and I tried to download games on my phone. WTF was I playing? Trash like a basketball game? Kinda ridiculous.

I have an iPod Touch, and while I do indeed have a lot of apps/games downloaded to it, I very rarely use them. The only apps on my iPod that I regularly used because they weren't on my Windows Phone were Chase Mobile (which is there now) and Words With Friends, which is coming. When there is an app missing, there is often an alternative that does the job just as well, too. For example...you may not be able to get Nike Running, but I heard there's an app called DeekFit Sprint that may be even better

The exception is games, iOS certainly has a lot more of the high end games than WP, but frankly, no matter how good the quality of the game, I'm of the opinion that the vast, vast majority of smartphone games are just not fun. With a few exceptions for simple games (like the Fruit Ninjas of the world), touch controls are just not sufficient for any sort of real gaming....give me something like a Vita or DS, or nothing at all So to me at least, the comparative lack of games is meaningless.

 

[vi edit]

Kids games/education are a HUGE miss for WP. That's a market that iOS just destroys anyone else. I must be one of the only people in this thread that has young kids and cares about that

I like being able to hand my phone over to my kid for 5 or 10 minutes while I'm waiting to get through a checkout or waiting for a long time to get seated at a restaurant. Plus at home we like to use some of the letter tracing, puzzle, and word games to work on spelling and reading. Can't find hardly anything similar to those in in the WP market. There's a bunch of Seasame Street ones, but they are mostly cheesy read along book things.

 

[vi edit]

Oh...and I have to say, if you want a paying market look no further than suburbanite 20-30 somethings who will gladly pay $1 for 20 minutes of pacification of their children.

 

[darkewaffle]

Doesn't it have a built in "kids corner" or something?

 

[dagamer34]

Kids games/education are a HUGE miss for WP. That's a market that iOS just destroys anyone else. I must be one of the only people in this thread that has young kids and cares about that

I like being able to hand my phone over to my kid for 5 or 10 minutes while I'm waiting to get through a checkout or waiting for a long time to get seated at a restaurant. Plus at home we like to use some of the letter tracing, puzzle, and word games to work on spelling and reading. Can't find hardly anything similar to those in in the WP market. There's a bunch of Seasame Street ones, but they are mostly cheesy read along book things.

Games in general will get a huge boost in Windows Phone 8. No more XNA, just pure DirectX.

 

[vi edit]

Kids Corner is a "profile" for a lack of better terms that you can lock down and select apps, games, movies, ect to display in it. It's not content in itself. Simply a restricted portal to host them.

 

[VashHT]

Yeah I can't comment on kids with wp, they played up kid's corner quite a bit but having that doesn't mean much if there aren't many apps for kids.

As for other games there are enough to keep me entertained, I'm pissed that they got rid of some of my favorites from WP7 like the harvest and tentacles.

 

[darkewaffle]

Aren't WP7 apps compatible with WP8 I thought? So wouldn't they still be available?

 

[vi edit]

Aren't WP7 apps compatible with WP8 I thought? So wouldn't they still be available?

Some apps can't support the new higher resolutions of the new devices. Or at least that's what they tell me when I click on the 'more info' when it says I can't download them. Others are just yanked from the market and unavailable.

 

[VashHT]

That's what I thought too but they aren't showing up. I downloaded them pretty recently too onto my 900 so I'll check to see if they're still on the market there. Another app I was looking for was adobe's pdf reader which also is missing on wp8 and was a little better than the new pdf reader by MS.

 

[lkailburn]

Is there a way to manually check for app updates in the store or it only auto checks? I noticed someone else posted there was an update for the nokia drive and the nokia music, and when I look at the nokia music app i see it has a new icon, but when i go into the store it doesn't show i have any updates

Still learning..

-Luke

 

[vi edit]

Just a list of some apps that I use anywhere from daily to frequently that I can't get...

- 1st party Sonos controller for my Sonos system (there's a home cooked one that's $10)
- Yahoo! Fantasy app.
- Currently the ESPN Fantasy app is unavailable, and when it's back it's a Nokia exclusive
- Citrix Receiver
- What's On (a TV guide thing)
- Pandora (although I use Slacker more often and pay for it)
- A little bit of clipboard
- Denon receiver controller (the home brew one doesn't work)

And then there's whole pile of kid's stuff I've already mentioned. There's a lot missing and I'm hardly a "power user".

 

[Bacstar]

If anyone bought the Moshi screen protectors that AT&T sell and have a problem with it sticking, return it. Just brought mine in to get a new one, and they said it seems to be a defect, and they pulled them off the shelves and are giving everyone who comes in a refund.

 

[vi edit]

Honestly after seeing some of the "abuse" videos testing out the 920 I'm not worried about a screen protector. One of them had the screen being used as a hammer to drive a nail. Other times it was assaulted with keys and a huge kitchen knife. It walked away with just a flesh wound.

This thing is build like a friggen tank.

 

[blurredvision]

Is there a way to manually check for app updates in the store or it only auto checks? I noticed someone else posted there was an update for the nokia drive and the nokia music, and when I look at the nokia music app i see it has a new icon, but when i go into the store it doesn't show i have any updates

Still learning..

-Luke

I have never seen a way to manually force an app update check. If I remember correctly, I was presented with the Nokia Drive and Music updates the first night with my phone.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Honestly reading some of the weird design decisions and missing features and apps makes windows phone 8 sound like it isn't remotely competitive with Android and iOS.

 

[Deeko]

I have never seen a way to manually force an app update check. If I remember correctly, I was presented with the Nokia Drive and Music updates the first night with my phone.

I don't know of a way to check for updates, but if you know there IS an update but you haven't gotten the notification, open the app in the marketplace, click "share", then click back...when you go back to the app page, it should let you update.

 

[Deeko]

*note that the above works in WP7.5. I can't vouch for if it works in 8.

 

[vi edit]

Honestly reading some of the weird design decisions and missing features and apps makes windows phone 8 sound like it isn't remotely competitive with Android and iOS.

If I could get a live tile skinned version of Android I think I'd be pretty happy.

I have a love/hate relationship with the OS. I really, really do like the live tile setup of the home screen, the fluidity of navigation, the "people hub" function, and the way you can pin deeply embedded parts of the OS into the home screen. But there are just so many glaring missing elements of basic UI and function (hardware and application wise) that it just feels like a largely unfinished product.

It just really needs another 6 months of testing with real users and then 6 months of development to narrow some of the gaps I listed above. Toss in a year of adoption with app developers during that time and it might be a very competitive product. Right now it's just not.

 

[Phobic9]

Finally got my Lumia 920 today and it's definitely a different feel from my Galaxy Nexus. I'm a tinkerer by heart so the fact that I can't or don't really have to tinker with WP8 makes me feel odd for now. I'm definitely going to miss Google Maps + Nav but Nokia Drive could work in a pinch. I've been one for minimalism on my Android phones but WP8 takes this to a whole new level.

I also have a Nexus 4 coming though so I suppose I could always use that if I want to use Android.

 

[vi edit]

Nokia Drive could work in a pinch. I've been one for minimalism on my Android phones but WP8 takes this to a whole new level.

Make sure you go in to the settings and download the "American Turn by Turn" voices. By default they are not installed (WTF?).

 

[Phobic9]

Make sure you go in to the settings and download the "American Turn by Turn" voices. By default they are not installed (WTF?).

Thanks for the tip. Nothing like feeling like a complete noob again.

I'm really missing spotify right now. I'm using a trial for Xbox music but it seems to be more of a pain to navigate when it comes to adding songs and albums. ]

This is the main way I listen to music in my car so any tips would be appreciated.

 

[vi edit]

Try slacker. It's a nice app. Has a lot of stations and the ability to cache local content(both stations and whole albums). I lived off of that App on iOS.

 

[vi edit]

There's also Nokia music. That has offline caching.