Microsoft still commited to Windows 10 Mobile despite what sensationalist journalists are saying

[Humbug]

On 3/31/2017 at 1:48 PM, AluminiumTech said:

Windows 10 Mobile works fine for millions of people around the world.....

 

It's intuitive, fast and sleek looking. Apart from app issues (which are being fixed), what is wrong with it?

Windows 10 Mobile is indeed fast, and it works well. And it has a good UI, phones do not slow down... I could go on.

 

But.... If you are in the market today for a high end smart phone what options do you have? There is so little to choose from, and none of it is recent. Whereas Apple keeps updating their range, and android has so many choices that anybody can find a piece of hardware that they like.

[Phate.exe]

On 3/31/2017 at 10:22 AM, hey_yo_ said:

I once lusted for the Lumia 1020 in bumblebee yellow.

 

 

Right now, the fate of Windows 10 Mobile is a dark horse. 

Like this one?  I loved mine, although it just didn't quite have enough under the hood to run that godlike camera.  In full-manual mode it would take some damn impressive photos, and the low-light performance was great, but get bent if you want to leave the thing in automatic mode, and the shot-to-shot time was terrible.  But when you got it right, you got it SO right.  Also:  The microphones in it are seriously good, so any videos you take with it have great audio that doesn't clip out on loud bassy sounds like a car's exhaust note.

The 950 (non-XL) I replaced it with is better in almost every way, and even if it can't quite match the image quality the 1020 is capable of, it exceeds it much more easily and often.

 

I miss the shape of it though.  With the Mozo backplate, my 950 feels/looks like a Note 4/5, which is great, but I loved the feel of a polycarbonate nokia.  I'm actually working on a cover/backplate to attempt to replicate that feel on the 950.

[captain_to_fire]

3 minutes ago, Phate.exe said:

Like this one?  I loved mine, although it just didn't quite have enough under the hood to run that godlike camera.  In full-manual mode it would take some damn impressive photos, and the low-light performance was great, but get bent if you want to leave the thing in automatic mode, and the shot-to-shot time was terrible.  But when you got it right, you got it SO right.  Also:  The microphones in it are seriously good, so any videos you take with it have great audio that doesn't clip out on loud bassy sounds like a car's exhaust note.

The 950 (non-XL) I replaced it with is better in almost every way, and even if it can't quite match the image quality the 1020 is capable of, it exceeds it much more easily and often.

 

[Trik'Stari]

It's a shit platform.

 

Just say no people. Every smartphone I have ever had, has been Windows 10 (except my Voyager).

 

And it's shit. Just don't buy it.

[GoodBytes]

1 hour ago, Trik'Stari said:

It's a shit platform.

 

Just say no people. Every smartphone I have ever had, has been Windows 10 (except my Voyager).

 

And it's shit. Just don't buy it.

 

1- Windows 10 is not on phones.

2- Windows 10 Mobile phones is about year and half old... so by "Every phone", you really mean 1, assuming that you have 1.

[Nowak]

31 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

And:

1- Windows 10 is not on phones.

2- Windows 10 Mobile phones is about year and half old... so by "Every phone", you really mean 1, assuming that you have 1.

He has a HTC One M8 Windows iirc, which is still on WP8.1 and is likely never getting Windows 10 Mobile.

[WindirBear]

windows mobile, when you need a smart phone to only make phone calls and send text messages 

[vorticalbox]

21 minutes ago, WindirBear said:

windows mobile, when you need a smart phone to only make phone calls and send text messages 

there is an app for pretty much every major things, not snap chat though. Android and iOS may boast a "larger app count" but most of these apps are copies and clones or other applications.

[LAwLz]

17 minutes ago, vorticalbox said:

there is an app for pretty much every major things, not snap chat though. Android and iOS may boast a "larger app count" but most of these apps are copies and clones or other applications.

I disagree. Just look though the list of top apps for iOS and Android. The majority of them do not exist for WP. In some cases they do, in some WP has a knockoff version (which is often worse), but a lot of them do not exist at all.

[vorticalbox]

14 minutes ago, LAwLz said:

I disagree. Just look though the list of top apps for iOS and Android. The majority of them do not exist for WP. In some cases they do, in some WP has a knockoff version (which is often worse), but a lot of them do not exist at all.

if you open the Top Apps on android and take the first 12 apps, windows phone has 8/12 of them so where people get "there are no apps" alludes me. They aren't know offs they are made by the same developers and the android apps and sure "some" aren't quite the same I can tell you that Facebook, messenger, twitter and whats app are not.

[Kobathor]

On 3/31/2017 at 3:31 AM, AluminiumTech said:

• Discord
• Google Drive (+ accompanying Google Docs style apps, also not a deal breaker) for schoolwork
• Google Classroom (this would be a nice bonus but not a deal breaker)
• YouTube (not an issue since there are plenty of third party clients.
• Twitch (not a deal breaker, if it's not there then I won't use it and if it is then I might)

Awesome, Microsoft's most ambitious mobile platform doesn't have an official YouTube app.

I find it kinda disappointing that Windows Phone seems like it's for business people more than anything. Simply because of the lack of social media and media consumption apps. 

Wanna snapchat your buddy? Sucks, you've got a Windows Phone. Watch a stream? Well, you're stuck using your browser (which SUCKS compared to the app on mobile.) I don't use Discord on mobile so I don't care about that, but it really should have an app. Google Drive and Google Classroom are really funny to me- since Google apps are so big, you'd expect Google to make apps for Windows Phone, but they don't. 

It seems to me that, while Microsoft may be committed to Windows Phone, nobody else is. A nice OS with bad app support is not something I would want to use, no matter how pretty the tiles are (which I can get on Android anyways.) I don't think Microsoft is looking to end support for Windows Phone any time soon, but lots of app developers are.

 

I think the reason that nothing is a deal-breaker for you is because you just REALLY love Windows Phone (or Microsoft in general, very likely) and will support it with all you've got. Good for you and all, but most people simply don't care enough to support such an anemic platform.

[vorticalbox]

1 minute ago, Kobathor said:

Awesome, Microsoft's most ambitious mobile platform doesn't have an official YouTube app.

I find it kinda disappointing that Windows Phone seems like it's for business people more than anything. Simply because of the lack of social media and media consumption apps. 

Wanna snapchat your buddy? Sucks, you've got a Windows Phone. Watch a stream? Well, you're stuck using your browser (which SUCKS compared to the app on mobile.) I don't use Discord on mobile so I don't care about that, but it really should have an app. Google Drive and Google Classroom are really funny to me- since Google apps are so big, you'd expect Google to make apps for Windows Phone, but they don't. 

It seems to me that, while Microsoft may be committed to Windows Phone, nobody else is. A nice OS with bad app support is not something I would want to use, no matter how pretty the tiles are (which I can get on Android anyways.) I don't think Microsoft is looking to end support for Windows Phone any time soon, but lots of app developers are.

 

I think the reason that nothing is a deal-breaker for you is because you just REALLY love Windows Phone (or Microsoft in general, very likely) and will support it with all you've got. Good for you and all, but most people simply don't care enough to support such an anemic platform.

I don't see it surping at all the that Google hasn't made and gapp for windows on the flip side Microsoft has opened up there office applications, messaging (Skype) and email to both iOS and Android. Skype can send text messages and if you sign into both the phone and PC with the same account you can send and receive texts on your PC. 

[GoodBytes]

1 hour ago, Kobathor said:

Awesome, Microsoft's most ambitious mobile platform doesn't have an official YouTube app.

I find it kinda disappointing that Windows Phone seems like it's for business people more than anything. Simply because of the lack of social media and media consumption apps. 

Wanna snapchat your buddy? Sucks, you've got a Windows Phone. Watch a stream? Well, you're stuck using your browser (which SUCKS compared to the app on mobile.) I don't use Discord on mobile so I don't care about that, but it really should have an app. Google Drive and Google Classroom are really funny to me- since Google apps are so big, you'd expect Google to make apps for Windows Phone, but they don't.

Let's be honest. Snapchat is a just a fad app from teen, they'll switch something else in the future. And it is was already mentioned.

 

As for the lack of Google app. Yes, beside those. But unlike Android and iOS, you have Edge, a "full web browser". And yes, the saving grace of the OS. Website appears as they do on your PC. YouTube, for example, appears the same as Chrome on your PC. Not only appears, but everything works as it does on your PC. From video quality control, to even being able to upload and edit your videos from YouTube website. Everything works, and appears properly.  I can upload, video and download files on Google Drive as well. The phone has File Explorer as you would expect from Windows to have. You can even use Google version of Office on your web browser, if you really want to. But yes, the best experience is if you switch ecosystems to the phone you use, and this is not exclusive to Windows Phone. If you have an iPhone, the get the best experience, it is to switch to Apple ecosystem, not being "in between" or strictly be on another OS ecosystem (Google, for example).

 

While I have not used YouTube app since the past year, and unaware of it's improvement. I prefer to use the web site over the app. In fact, I find using the web site to be easier and better to navigate than their app.

 

But yes. No one is saying "zOMG, you have Android/iOS you have to switch Windows Phone, no matter what you need or are!" Heck, you can't even do that between Android and iOS. Each phone has a target market. For example, if you love modding stuff, or max customization, obviously iOS and Windows powered phone is not for you.

 

Quote

It seems to me that, while Microsoft may be committed to Windows Phone, nobody else is. A nice OS with bad app support is not something I would want to use, no matter how pretty the tiles are (which I can get on Android anyways.) I don't think Microsoft is looking to end support for Windows Phone any time soon, but lots of app developers are.

Lyft just launched their Windows 10 / Windows 10 Mobile app. Uber still updates theirs as well. 

 

Quote

I think the reason that nothing is a deal-breaker for you is because you just REALLY love Windows Phone (or Microsoft in general, very likely) and will support it with all you've got. Good for you and all, but most people simply don't care enough to support such an anemic platform.

Not really. Heck I have my complains on the platform and company direction and questioning their commitment level. The platform has many good things that justify its users. Most people that switch from Windows phone to Android or iOS, all (of this group) don't do it in a heart beat. They all have great things to say about the platform, and all recognized great things that the platform has that they admit will miss a lot. Beside the keyboard, I have yet to see Blackberry users say anything great about the OS, they just switch and not even looking back for 1 nano-second.

 

Like I said, I had an Android phone, and I switch to Windows 10 Mobile, because I like to make opinions on things by myself, I had the opportunity to get a fancy phone for free, I wanted to experience the platform, in the idea of: being part of as growing market share, or be canceled in the future. You can read my past big post where I go more in details, and explain how the lack of app wasn't a barrier for me, allowing me to do this switch. And, I was surprised by the mass miss information being carried, and how the phone does have great ideas. If I could fuse Windows 10 Mobile with Android, it would be, I think, a truly ground breaking phone OS.

 

[bigneo]

1 hour ago, Kobathor said:

Wanna snapchat your buddy? Sucks, you've got a Windows Phone.

1

Remember how fun it was and still is to face swap using snapchat with someone and have a big laugh. All that other nasty snaps that goes between friends.

 

You scan your face without even thinking twice and they have your biometric data. They have your nasty snaps "that gets deleted" too.

 

I bet you wish you have used windows phone for these reasons  - I do

[Nowak]

According to this, none of Microsoft's executives use Windows Phone anymore, instead using iOS and Android.

 

 

"Commitment".

[Kobathor]

30 minutes ago, bigneo said:

Remember how fun it was and still is to face swap using snapchat with someone and have a big laugh. All that other nasty snaps that goes between friends.

 

You scan your face without even thinking twice and they have your biometric data. They have your nasty snaps "that gets deleted" too.

 

I bet you wish you have used windows phone for these reasons  - I do

Shit, I forgot to get my tinfoil hat from the Windows store!

[Kobathor]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

Let's be honest. Snapchat is a just a fad app from teen, they'll switch something else in the future. And it is was already mentioned.

Everything is a fad. But fads are important for the growth of platforms. I bet if Snapchat was iPhone only and was still this big, more people would be using iPhones (not a drastic number, since iPhones are expensive, but still more.) Snapchat has been a fad for a while, and I think the reason you discount it is because you do not use it. I use Snapchat, and it's great fun. I wouldn't die without it, but it's "important" enough for me to not consider Windows Phone. but Snapchat is just one example.

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

-web browser & YouTube app-

(GOOGLE) It's a solution for sure, but not nearly as elegant as a dedicated app. 

As for YouTube, I feel that it's an important app. If you have YouTube Red, you can play videos with the screen off (totally should be free.. but whatever.) You can download videos, ect, but only on the app. You can also cast to a Chromecast from the app.

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

Lyft just launched their Windows 10 / Windows 10 Mobile app. Uber still updates theirs as well. 

Cool! Now let's see some other apps. Again, I'm not against W10 Mobile, it's just that right now it's not widely supported by the apps that people want.

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

-your opinion on wp-

My comment wasn't directed towards you, it was directed towards AluminiumTech. He adores W10 Mobile more than anybody I know.

[dalekphalm]

4 hours ago, Kobathor said:

Awesome, Microsoft's most ambitious mobile platform doesn't have an official YouTube app.

I find it kinda disappointing that Windows Phone seems like it's for business people more than anything. Simply because of the lack of social media and media consumption apps. 

Wanna snapchat your buddy? Sucks, you've got a Windows Phone. Watch a stream? Well, you're stuck using your browser (which SUCKS compared to the app on mobile.) I don't use Discord on mobile so I don't care about that, but it really should have an app. Google Drive and Google Classroom are really funny to me- since Google apps are so big, you'd expect Google to make apps for Windows Phone, but they don't. 

It seems to me that, while Microsoft may be committed to Windows Phone, nobody else is. A nice OS with bad app support is not something I would want to use, no matter how pretty the tiles are (which I can get on Android anyways.) I don't think Microsoft is looking to end support for Windows Phone any time soon, but lots of app developers are.

 

I think the reason that nothing is a deal-breaker for you is because you just REALLY love Windows Phone (or Microsoft in general, very likely) and will support it with all you've got. Good for you and all, but most people simply don't care enough to support such an anemic platform.

To be fair, Windows 10 Mobile will probably NEVER get a first party Youtube or Google Services set of apps.

 

Why? Because Google are the reason they don't currently have any, nor have they for ages.

 

Google flat out refuses to make apps for Windows 10 Mobile. They also keep interfering whenever Microsoft tries to make a kickass YouTube app themselves. They've had the API blocked on them by Google multiple times now.

 

Google won't make the app, but also blocks the third party Microsoft App.

 

There are of course other Third Party Apps, some of which are (in some people's opinion) superior to the first party App. Many people seem to like MetroTube as one of the best ones.

 

I get that lack of Google integration is annoying, but getting Google to actually do it is going to be very difficult - unlike random App Devs, they don't need (or want) Microsoft's money to port the apps over to Windows 10 Mobile.

[Drak3]

2 hours ago, Daring said:

According to this, none of Microsoft's executives use Windows Phone anymore, instead using iOS and Android.

 

 

"Commitment".

The personal choice of phone doesn't actually have that much of a reflection on the commitment of one's own similar product.

It could be out of pride, and a showing that they acknowledge other competition as viable substitutes. It could be principal, or it could be that while it's not their cup of tea, they want to offer options for those not satisfied with other options.

[zMeul]

12 minutes ago, Drak3 said:

The personal choice

no, it means that what they design and ship is not meeting their requirements for what they design and ship 

 

it's like a restaurant owner goes across the street to eat - you know something ain't right with his services

[patrick3027]

It's funny they claim the platform isn't dead while it's virtually impossible to buy one anywhere. 

 

They released their latest mid-range phone a year ago and their latest flagship 1.5 years ago. 

 

(And before someone starts talking about the HP phablet, you can't buy one in most countries worldwide.)

[Aphexxis]

Ughh FaceBook messenger no longer works on my Phone.. it uses WP 8.1 and can't be upgraded.. WP is a joke.. like intel, as soon as MS move on they fuck their loyal older customers over.

[dalekphalm]

15 minutes ago, Aphexxis said:

Ughh FaceBook messenger no longer works on my Phone.. it uses WP 8.1 and can't be upgraded.. WP is a joke.. like intel, as soon as MS move on they fuck their loyal older customers over.

What phone do you use?

[Aphexxis]

7 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

What phone do you use?

Nokia Luma something.

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, Aphexxis said:

Nokia Lumia something.

Can you find out? Most Lumia phones can be upgraded to Windows 10 Mobile. Some of the phones that didn't get the upgrade didn't meet the minimum requirements.

 

According to the Microsoft specs, there are only 6 SoC chips that are compatible.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/commercialize/design/minimum/minimum-hardware-requirements-overview

 

Specific variants of the Snapdragon:

208

210

617

808

810

and 820

 

EDIT: that above list is native support only (Eg: Devices that come pre-loaded with Win 10 Mobile)

 

There are another 2-3 dozen supported SoC's in Table 6 of the above link.

 

I had a Nokia Lumia 830 that came with 8.1 and upgraded to 10. It was pretty good for a while, but the hardware got a little old, and Win 10 Mobile was very buggy at the time. I personally replaced it with an iPhone 6s 128GB.