WinMo 7 vs Android?

[heyitsericc]

I know the results are going to be biased a bit since I'm on a "Android" forum.

What do you think of the upcoming WinMo 7. The commercials make me really want to sell my HTC Legend for a Samsung Focus. With the tiles, hubs, and other nice stuff. Also, the delay of 2.2 update got me pretty pissed about Android.

 

[PinkMirrorKirby]

Windows Phone 7 does look nice with a slick interface, but you have to bear with the almost same walled garden as Apple, Windows Phone 7 is a less controlled wall garden compared to Apple.

 

[heyitsericc]

You mean how the iPhone is useless without jailbreaking? And even then smells of poop compared to the Android?

 

[PinkMirrorKirby]

Well, you are better off with Windows Phone 7 than iOS if you prefer these two OS.

However, I still prefer Android for it's wide array of customizations without hacking the OS first.

 

[Martimus]

Personally I think it's too soon to tell.

Win Phone 7 has potential but I think they've got a long way to go in order to get back into the mainstream of smartphones. Certain aspects of Win Phone 7 look good but other aspects look cheesey as all get out...

 

[dan330]

i think....

they had a long time to get this right
they have the skills to get this right

they have 1 shot to get this right.. if fail... they will drop to far to climb back out of the hole they dug for themselves..

 

[jroc]

I like the commercials, they're funny....lol

My feeling about Android vs. WP7 are the last 3 posts...

 

[ashykat]

Well, you are better off with Windows Phone 7 than iOS if you prefer these two OS.

However, I still prefer Android for it's wide array of customizations without hacking the OS first.

I disagree at this point, only because WP7 is way to immature at this point to compete on a lot of fronts. Yes there will be a good amount of apps at launch, but nothing compared to Android or iOS. There's no multitasking or fast app switching. Given iOS' multitasking solution is not as good as Android or webOS, it's better than the non-existant implementation from WP7. No copy and paste (I realize this has been promised to arrive in early 2011, but as of now, it's not there), no custom ringtones, etc. I think WP7 could be a very great platform, but in its current iteration I cannot say it's better than iOS.

 

[PinkMirrorKirby]

Well, I don't like how iOS locks down most of the stuff, it seems Windows Phone 7 is almost the same, except it is a bit less tight lock down compared to iOS..

However, iOS and Android had a lot of apps so currently iOS and Android is a great choice if you want apps.

 

[MJM128]

First let me state that it's way to soon to tell. Sure you can be an "early adopter" but those generally get screwed. It's the price of being an early adopter. There's no proof that updates won't go arry.

-The other aspect is people think this whole "hubs, tiles, and minimalism" is so attractive and going to save them so much time! To me it looks crappy. If that's why you're buying the phone, you can get an android phone and just theme it...Sure it might not be as polished as it, but those things really aren't features.

-WP7 really doesn't have much going for it, no multitasking, no copy+paste, the same problem as android with the lack of apps in terms of competing with iOS.

-No custom ringtones? WTF!?!?

-There aren't really ANY high end WP7 devices. They all have like snapdragons...wtf?

-It's just way to soon to tell. But Microsoft has been failing for so long...how do we know this will be any different?

 

[Drhyde]

I disagree at this point, only because WP7 is way to immature at this point to compete on a lot of fronts. Yes there will be a good amount of apps at launch, but nothing compared to Android or iOS. There's no multitasking or fast app switching. Given iOS' multitasking solution is not as good as Android or webOS, it's better than the non-existant implementation from WP7. No copy and paste (I realize this has been promised to arrive in early 2011, but as of now, it's not there), no custom ringtones, etc. I think WP7 could be a very great platform, but in its current iteration I cannot say it's better than iOS.

With those kinds of weaknesses, it's even worse that iOS. At least iOS can do all of the things mentioned. The minimalist look may appeal to some, but I feel that it's actually too oversimplified. I'm not sold on it. Is it a better OS than Android? Not by a long shot. iOS? Perhaps, but we'll have to see if MS adds in a lot of the missing features in 2011. Just like Android took some time to get up and running (about 2 years), I expect the same with MS, but they have about half as much time as Android. I give them a year or so to work out the weaknesses. Microsoft has been in the OS business a long time so they have no excuse for slow poking around with a weak mobile OS.

On the positive side, the WP7 hardware that has been coming out has been very slick. Excellent specs (on par with high end Android and iPhone 4) and very beautiful hardware design. I wish Android had some of the hardware that WP7 is getting.

 

[PinkMirrorKirby]

-WP7 really doesn't have much going for it, no multitasking, no copy+paste, the same problem as android with the lack of apps in terms of competing with iOS.

I don't agree with Android having lack of apps compared to iOS.

Android Market is growing rapidly now since Android had a larger market share worldwide.

And most of the apps on App Store had a counterpart in the Android Market, so there are almost no lack of apps.

 

[dan330]

With those kinds of weaknesses, it's even worse that iOS. At least iOS can do all of the things mentioned. The minimalist look may appeal to some, but I feel that it's actually too oversimplified. I'm not sold on it. Is it a better OS than Android? Not by a long shot. iOS? Perhaps, but we'll have to see if MS adds in a lot of the missing features in 2011. Just like Android took some time to get up and running (about 2 years), I expect the same with MS, but they have about half as much time as Android. I give them a year or so to work out the weaknesses. Microsoft has been in the OS business a long time so they have no excuse for slow poking around with a weak mobile OS.

On the positive side, the WP7 hardware that has been coming out has been very slick. Excellent specs (on par with high end Android and iPhone 4) and very beautiful hardware design. I wish Android had some of the hardware that WP7 is getting.

i disagree with you... they do not need 2 yrs like android to get up and running! They have had many versions of phone OS for years... this is version 7!!!!!!! Android was first released 2 years ago!

hardware spec is high.. because from all the past windows phone OS.. it is very hardware hungry (not efficient).. so that it dont look laggy and slow. Android can run on half the hardware spec.

 

[dan330]

I like the commercials, they're funny....lol

My feeling about Android vs. WP7 are the last 3 posts...

speaking about their commercials...
getting you off your phone and back to life..

something like that....
sounds to me....that the phones will be...
boring
not as useful
not as fun
not as engaging
so.. that you dont spend to much time on them.

i think it is a silly slogan

 

[MJM128]

I don't agree with Android having lack of apps compared to iOS.

Android Market is growing rapidly now since Android had a larger market share worldwide.

And most of the apps on App Store had a counterpart in the Android Market, so there are almost no lack of apps.

First, I meant comparing it to when android launched compared to iOS at the time. And secondly there still are apps that are on iOS that either better or simply....just there. I mean there are plenty of alternatives, but examples are like facebook for android vs iphone, or simply popular developers not going over to android. For some people it matters, to others (like me) android is what I want, and I don't care other than game apps what apps iOS has.

 

[Drhyde]

i disagree with you... they do not need 2 yrs like android to get up and running! They have had many versions of phone OS for years... this is version 7!!!!!!! Android was first released 2 years ago!

hardware spec is high.. because from all the past windows phone OS.. it is very hardware hungry (not efficient).. so that it dont look laggy and slow. Android can run on half the hardware spec.

I think you misinterpret me. Android took 2 years from Cupcake to Froyo to become a stable OS. The earlier versions were quite buggy (especially 1.5 and 1.6). What I mean with WP7 is that it isn't a reiteration of 6.5. MS went back to scratch to try and tackle what was wrong with 6.5 and earlier. They are already off to a bad start with no copy/paste, etc. and if they want to compete with the current mobile OS market, they need to iron things out quickly.

A better analogy is to think how buggy and performance weak XP was when it first came out. By the time SP3 was released, it had reached a point of stability and reliability that most businesses didn't want to upgrade when the next version came out (and some still haven't).

While Windows is a hardware hungry OS, by setting a precedent on the minimum specs, they can avoid weak performing phones. This is a problem with Android as many handset makers crank out low end Android phones that can't adequately demonstrate the true potential of the OS. This in turn leads to bad experiences (as well as handset makers still churning out older versions of Android furthering fragmentation issues) and will likely drive new users away.

However, from the overall appearance of the OS and the lack of multitasking, one would wonder why MS needs such high end specs since it doesn't seem like it would be very CPU intensive. My only guess would be the first "service pack" for WP7 will implement many of these key missing features as the release had been delayed for so long that MS realized they need to release an incomplete OS rather than wait while Android completely overwhelms the mobile market.

 

[iavswn]

It looks nice but its all Microsoft stuff, yuck.

 

[bmckenzie90]

The interface looks like a boxed-up rip-off of Android's "Slide-Screen". I highly doubt customization of the interface of ANY kind will be allowed (we all knows what a hassle it is to mod their computer OS's, just like Apple). The apps will be limited to what is approved by Microsoft. Windows OS's have always poorly utilized hardware, something that Apple does extremely well (which is why their OS and iOS run so flawlessly).

I think the funniest thing is that Microsoft released the Kin phone, the ultimate "tie your life to your phone" device, based solely on the idea of being glued to your phone. Now that that has failed, they're releasing a phone that will "save us from our phones". Hahaha.

It seems like they're going an easy route. Windows 7 Phone is seemingly intended to keep people from spending time on their phones. So.... if we don't want to spend time on our phones, we don't need apps, customization, and heck if it doesn't work well, we'll just use it less! ...which is the point!! ...right!?

I think it's a joke. The only think I like is the highly integrated home screen, which I can achieve on my android with just as many limitations as I'm sure the W7P will have.

 

[heyitsericc]

It looks nice but its all Microsoft stuff, yuck.

Say whattt? The XBox 360 man...

 

[A.Nonymous]

To me it's an unproven OS at this point. It could be a huge, gigantic hit or it could be an epic fail. At this point we don't know. I would wait.

 

[Martimus]

To me it's an unproven OS at this point. It could be a huge, gigantic hit or it could be an epic fail. At this point we don't know. I would wait.

Exactly! Win Phone 7 is a brand new OS. It's not an evolution of Win Mo 6.5... they scrapped that and started new. As for hardware, the phones look to be running with Snapdragons which aren't exactly slow processors. Many Android phones are currently running equivalent processors.

I'm gonna bide my time with Win Phone 7. While I have no desire to own one, it might just surprise us with it's integration to Zune and XBox. Microsoft has a history of pulling rabbits out of hats. Of course anyone remembering Microsoft Bob knows that they've also tanked a few products too. I think I'm going to "wait and see"...

 

[iavswn]

Say whattt? The XBox 360 man...

The phone is not built for geeks its an entry level phone, its for those without smart phones who want to start using smart phones. For those who want a smart phone that is simple and clean.

 

[iavswn]

Say whattt? The XBox 360 man...

It does not exist on verizon either so what's the point? Even if its a nice phone you'll still be getting crappy service.

 

[iavswn]

Say whattt? The XBox 360 man...

Not to forget too, it has windows, IE, etc.. native, all of which have been very, very buggy and insecure over the years.

 

[lordofthereef]

My biggest red flag with Win 7 Phone is that it is not launching with copy and paste. In this day and age how can you afford to try and compete without such a necesary utility? I am aware other OS's didn't launch with this feature. Had Win 7 Phone launched alongside them I might be a little more forgiving.