All Things Windows Phone - Apps, Phones, and Discussion

I would like a realtime battery level on the homescreen not updated over 30-60mins, also a quick way to turn wifi on/off without having to go though menu`s

John.

 

The new notification center has quick-toggles for stuff like wifi, very much like what my Galaxy S3 has (in both function and aesthetic design): https://plus.google.com/+Engadget/posts/XXm8eKUqo5P#+Engadget/posts/XXm8eKUqo5P

 

BIG news for Windows Phone OEM support: Windows Phone will now be free for all smartphones (and Windows will be free for tablets under 9"). I don't think Android licenses are truly free thanks to Microsoft patent licenses, so WP8.1 may be the cheapest way for OEMs to sell phones. I could see a lot of OEMs switching their entry-level and midrange devices to WP8.1 as a result.

Windows to be free on 9” and smaller tablets, also on IoT devices | Ars Technica

 

What do people think of WP8.1's wallpaper-on-the-tiles look, and the new lock screen? Images courtesy of Brighthand's writeup: Microsoft Reveals Windows Phone 8.1 with Cortana Digital Assistant

 

I for one love the new image tiles (because more options are always better) Plus with a solid black picture and black back ground the screens of some phones should take nearly 0 power so that's a big plus to

The new lock screen not as much but I'm assuming that's not going to be the only configuration for it or at least hoping that is the case. But if so 8.1 is bringing so much to the table that I can easily forgive an odd lock screen

 

Diagonal theme is straight outta Zune. I like the tiles.

Just need a worthy handset. 930? Not sure.

 

Watch the video in the link below of the new Samsung S5 from 3M40S

Video: Don't hammer the back of your Samsung S5 or this will happen | Metro News

John.

 

You can teach Windows Phone 8.1 to cuss

Now that's what I'm ducking talking about! :thumbsup:

 

I guess it doesn't help that all Samsung devices as of late have had paper-thin pieces of flexible plastic on the back.

If you need any evidence (if the way Apple does it is too obtuse for you) that carpet-bombing marketing works, you only need to reconcile what Samsung's selling handset-wise vs their popularity. I just wonder at what point they went wrong, since I really liked the Omnia 7 for example.

 

Signs of life on the Windows Phone scene! The HTC One (M8) for Windows is coming to Verizon this fall.



EDIT: Just realized that the image displayed on that phone is the EXACT screenshot used to reveal Windows Phone 8.1, right down to the time of 3:31. That's...odd.

 

'Tis a mock-up:

 

Ugh, never mind. A rumor of a high-end WP device from a company whose name doesn't rhyme with Blokia, but with no photographic proof...I'll believe this one when I see more evidence.

 

So... anyone still using a Windows Phone still? 8.1 really is a fantastic update ...

 

Wouldn't trade it for anything else.

 

As someone who was previously into Windows Phone, but no longer is, I think part of WP's growth problem is that it no longer has unique differentiators from Android and iOS, which offer better developer support and a more certain future for users.

Windows Phone used to mean the best performance on inexpensive hardware. A couple years ago, there was at least a perception that cheap Android devices were laggy nightmares to use. WP offered a far superior user experience at the $200-or-lower price point. However, companies like Motorola and Xiaomi have done a lot with the user experience on inexpensive Android phones, so this isn't an obvious advantage of WP anymore.

Windows Phone used to mean the best cameras on a smartphone. However, Apple and Samsung in particular have made great strides in improving their cameras, and the real-world results from their flagships look pretty darned good.

Windows Phone used to mean a bold, modern (no pun intended) design language. However, with iOS 7 and with Google's Material Design, WP's competitors have caught up (and in my opinion, Material Design has leapfrogged Metro on the design language front). WP still looks good, of course, but its design language is not the competitive advantage it used to be.

If Windows Phone is ever going to gain traction in the US market, it needs to have some aspect where it's substantially better than iOS and Android. Being a perfectly competent phone OS--and it is--isn't enough to gain traction when its two better-established competitors also are, and have a level of developer support that WP doesn't have (for example, WP lacks the 16-bit Final Fantasy games, XCOM (either one), Baldur's Gate, etc).

 

I'd even argue with 'perfectly competent' at this stage. The OS has too many user roadblocks which can be (and are) handled smarter in different ways by iOS and Android.

I still like the core of the OS and the baked in apps, which still ranks among the least 'get in my way' experiences among the OS's. The problem is that even in these aspects Android isn't really any worse if you substitute best-of-class third party apps (though iOS is worse IMO) and that's more than compensated for by the other merits of the competing OS - and crucially, the moment you start using a Windows Phone as a real smartphone, not a hopped-up featurephone, the whole thing now falls apart. Third party app quality is pretty dire and the Store is full of junk - yes, iOS and Play Store are also filled with junk but you actually have to go and look for them, not have them served up front and centre like the Windows Store.

I bought the 930 (and dumped it), but to be honest there hasn't been a single WP handset I was actually interested in buying since the 1020. The M8 might be the Great Hope for some WP afficionados but I definitely wasn't interested in a zero-effort recycling of a phone designed for another OS.

 

So I jumped over to Cricket Wireless on my Lumia 820. I ran speed test and my download speed is 4.5MB while the upload is 1.5MB. Does this seem about right? I think I saw on the Microsoft website that the 820 is 4G. Is that true? Thanks for the help.

 

For £90 and it`s not bad looking for a basic phone.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/microsoft-lumia-535-review-budget-5530443

John.