I Am Thinking of Joining The Droid-side

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo) 04/30/2016 at 12:40 • Filed to: Phones, Rants, Overshare

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UPDATE: I am going to stay with MS and get another 830. I do not use my Android phone enough to convince me to switch and deal with Android over W10M.

As few of you know, I am a huge Windows Phone/Windows 10 Mobile fan. I ordered a Lumia 920 the day they were available. I stuck with it through three handsets; two warranty returns for battery/heat issues. I replaced my most recent 920 with a Lumia 830, and gave the 920 to a friend and it is still working just fine.

I updated my 830 from Windows Phone 8.1 to W10Mobile. I have lived with the appalling compatibility of Kinja with Mobile Edge; trust me it’s nearly impossible to use Gawker Media sites on my phone. I have lived with the rather good, but still not the same third-party Destiny inventory manager app. I have put up with numerous flaws because I truly do love the way W10M works as an OS. I love the Live Tiles. I love how easily you can access all you apps. And I especially love how Cortana will read my texts aloud automatically when I have my phone paired to my GTI, and let me dictate a reply and send it for me.

But, despite my best efforts, I have dropped my 830 only a few times, but it has been enough to effect physical operation of the phone. The proximity and day light sensor does not work any more. So my screen does not adjust to ambient light, and when I make a phone call the screen locks immediately which is not helpful if I still need to access the phone. I will have trouble with connectivity to the cellular network randomly. I cannot double-tap to wake up anymore. And I am growing weary of how terrible it is trying to interact with Oppo from my phone.

I can solve a number of these issues with a different OS- though kinja is beyond fixing. I am bored with iOS and won’t even consider an iPhone. I do think the Nexus 5X is a handsome device, but I am no fan of Android. Google has made strides to make it look more appealing, but I find my Live Tiles far more pleasing to look at. That said, I am stuck with a choice. Replace my 830 for a new one (less $) and get a case this time, you idiot. Or get a 5X (much more $) and deal with Android, knowing a lot of stuff will work.

What I do not want to lose is the audible readout of my texts, and the ability to dictate a reply. Does AndroidAuto allow for such action? I have AA and CarPlay installed on GTI already.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:12

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Just do it.

You’ll never look back, other than to wonder why you didn’t switch sooner.

Nibby > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:13

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DO IT

also... expandable storage!!!

Where have all the lightweights gone? > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:14

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Make the move. You can always install Cortana on your Android phone if that’s what you’re into.

djmt1 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:14

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Live tiles are available on Android.

KatzManDu > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:18

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Save your shekels and purchase a phone outright that is unlocked and ready to go; get some off-brand from China. It sounds crazy, but that’s what I did. For the down-payment on a phone that’s on a contract you own the handset outright, and then are only paying for service each month. Much better for your budget in the long-term.

Vítor > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:25

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I got a LG G4 after my Lumia 930 decided to go kaput (since Microsoft decided to simply mot sell the 950 family in Brazil) and even though I miss the W10M looks (do it right and it’s the best looking OS by far) and the MS native apps, I’m doing just fine with Android. Installed the Arrow Launcher (which is from Microsoft), Next Lock Screen (also from Microsoft), Cortana and the MSN apps to make it less boring looking and closer to Windows Mobile, and the official apps are in most cases quite better. With exception of YouTube, which on Android is much worse than MyTube on W10.

jimz > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:30

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both Android Auto and CarPlay will read texts and allow dictation.

but I just went back to Windows Phone (8.1) after several months of using an iPhone. I simply prefer the WP user interface, and CarPlay was nice but I can live without it. The dealbreaker for me was that I had almost 70 GB of music on the phone, and it gradually lost more and more album art. Then one day, all of the music just disappeared. Literally, it vanished. opening the Music app showed nothing on the phone, and connecting to iTunes showed only 12 GB of storage was used. To me, data loss like that is a total deal-breaker.

I’ve been in the Android world a few times and was always disappointed. usually due to short battery life. Android simply does not do enough to keep apps from misbehaving. The last one I had was a Nexus 5, and the battery life was criminal. With the iPhone, if I unplugged in the morning, by the time I got home from work it had about 80% charge remaining. The HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S Neo I had were about the same. In comparison the Nexus 5 was nearly always down to 25% or so. To me that’s disgusting, especially when I usually hadn’t been doing much of anything with the phone during the day. Oftentimes I’d look at the battery usage statistics, and some app I hadn’t even launched that day just up and decided to torch my battery in the background.

so now I have a Lumia 735 and even though it’s a lower mid-range phone I’m much happier.

nermal > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:39

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I’m on my 3rd version of the Nexus phone. No reason to switch anytime soon. Cheapest no-contract option, and no bloatware either.

MUSASHI66 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 12:42

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You won’t find a bigger windows fan than I am (well, maybe, if you try), but anything windows Mobile just doesn’t cut it. They had some amazing ideas and a cool approach, but the lack of apps killed it for me - and I don’t even use that many.

I’ve been through many high end Android phones, now I am on iPhone 6+S. While both of these OSs have their issues, they are not as bad as Windows Mobile.

Buy a Nexus and don’t look back.

duurtlang > KatzManDu 04/29/2016 at 12:52

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I did the same thing. My Xiaomi is being shipped from Hong Kong as we speak. €190, including shipping, a cover and customs insurance (they’ll pay me back whatever I get charged by customs). It’s going to replace a Galaxy Nexus from 2011. I wish it also got the replace my shitty company phone (iphone), but no such luck.

My girlfriend has been using a China phone for a while now and is very satisfied with it.

KatzManDu > duurtlang 04/29/2016 at 12:59

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I’ve had mixed luck with the Blackview V9 and would get a different brand in the future, but dual SIM is useful. The first one I got was DoA, and then I got a working one. I won’t order through PandaWill again, need to find a new crack agent.

duurtlang > KatzManDu 04/29/2016 at 13:06

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I’m using ibuygou at the moment. Only placed the order yesterday, so I can’t tell you anything useful about my experience... yet.

Anyone interested, use this facebook post in Polish to harvest discount coupons. And no, I don’t speak Polish.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > KatzManDu 04/29/2016 at 13:42

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Both my 830 and the potential Nexus would be unlocked. I am well aware of the BS that is contracts for phones.

The 830 is currently <$200 new, unlocked on Amazon. The Nexus I would get from Google unlocked for $400.

RallyWrench > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 13:45

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I hope you don’t expect Kinja to work on it. Granted, mine is a couple of years old, but this place has always had awful glitches on mobile.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 04/29/2016 at 13:46

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I have an Android at work; Moto G LTE on Android L. I hate it. It’s a terrible phone and I despise the OS. Marshmallow looks better at least, but there are numerous things about the way Android works that I dislike. I feel like the entire OS makes one jump through hoops when I can do the same thing more easily on WM, despite WM being a live-beta-test and mostly broken.

And I also still find WM more visually pleasing than Android, which is important if you have to look at it constantly.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > MUSASHI66 04/29/2016 at 13:48

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I also have an MS Surface Pro 3. So, I’m a bit of a fan, yes.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Where have all the lightweights gone? 04/29/2016 at 13:49

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Can you make Cortana the default voice assistant on an Android device? I have it on my work phone and I cannot find where to do that.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > djmt1 04/29/2016 at 13:49

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How? I can live with that.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 13:49

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Maybe try an iPhone if you want easy. I like the huge amount of customizability with android. I couldn’t imagine being forced to do something one way.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > RallyWrench 04/29/2016 at 13:53

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When typing a reply, does your phone suddenly stop accepting text input and reload the webpage?

Do you get full-screen ads without any option to close them popping up when you visit the Gawker main page?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Nibby 04/29/2016 at 13:53

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The 830 has a microSD card slot. The 5X does not, that I am aware of.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > jimz 04/29/2016 at 13:54

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Everyone knocks WM, but for its flaws, it is a very good OS.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. 04/29/2016 at 13:55

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I won’t even consider an iPhone. Been there. Bored.

MUSASHI66 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 13:56

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I had a Surface RT, sold it after 2 weeks. Way too many reboots, battery standby was appalling, and I couldn’t even find an app to play all my video files. I thought it would be great for watching movies on a plane and reading a book later - but I could no even get Google Play Books on it.

I was given a Pro 3 at work - I think it had W8 or W8.1, maybe even W10. It has stupid high resolution for a 12" screen -I hated using it undocked. When docked, DPI settings would be different than when undocked - I had to swap the DPI settings and restart every time I took it with me (on daily bases). Gave it back, got a Latitude E5500, couldn’t be happier.

jimz > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:00

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being as late as they were getting WP7 out, then re-setting twice has really crippled any interest in the platform.

jimz > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:02

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Kinja sucks bad enough on IE on WP8.1. It’ sucks somewhat less on iOS, but even on an iPad it’s pretty bad. I can’t paste anything into a reply field on mobile Safari without it scrolling all the way back to the top of the page.

jimz > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:04

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they’re not really “live tiles,” they’re widgets which look like live tiles. to me these are half-baked, hacky junk.

RallyWrench > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:06

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I never visit the Gawker main page, but yes to the text problems. The ads on the Jalopnik main page are super annoying, often take up the whole page, and it often crashes loading them, or opens an ad when I click on a post. Also can’t insert images into replies or posts, the page crashes constantly, notifications load over the existing page so they’re unreadable (I have to be within a post for them to load correctly), the header bar moves to the right randomly, Search isn’t even available, and the stupid Facebook and Twitter icons at the bottom of the page make scrolling impossible sometimes,

djmt1 > jimz 04/29/2016 at 14:08

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Nope. They’re live tiles. Many people including Microsoft themselves have made Windows Phone like launchers for Android.

djmt1 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:10

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You can download many Windows Phone launchers (iOS too) for Android. Microsoft themselves made one but I doubt it is still supported.

just-a-scratch > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:16

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I read this thread with some interest as a fellow WP user. The small number of available applications isn’t so much a problem as the lack of support in random places. For instance, many web pages are not made to play well with the phone. It’s frustrating because the phone has so many good features and has been very reliable.

It looks like an Android is in my future because I hate Apple/ITunes with a fiery passion.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > RallyWrench 04/29/2016 at 14:16

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This is very good to know.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > djmt1 04/29/2016 at 14:30

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I searched a bit, but am not finding much. Most are as JimZ described and not fully Live Tiles, but shortcuts to apps that have to be assigned before they work. I did not see anything about Live Tiles from MS. I already use the Arrow launcher on my Moto G and it’s boring but works.

Nibby > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:32

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Wanna know what else has a microSD slot ;)

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LG G4 :P

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > MUSASHI66 04/29/2016 at 14:33

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My SP3 has never had any resolution issues. I dock my at work and use it home and it’s fine. My headphone jack doesn’t work properly, so right now I can only get sound with something plugged in, but I can live with that.

I do get a random issue where the clock loses time and won’t connect to the time server.

But, using W8.1 and now 10 on it has been just fine for the most part.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Nibby 04/29/2016 at 14:34

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I don’t like that phone. Too big, and I find it ugly.

RallyWrench > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:35

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As I said, mine is a couple of years old, so it may not apply to newer versions. I’m getting a new phone in a couple of months when my upgrade is due so I’m curious to see how it works then.

MUSASHI66 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:47

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I don’t think it is a Surface issue - it is an OS issue. It fails to change the DPI settings based on the monitor it displays on. When docked, my screen would look normal, and when I undock, DPI would make everything look fuzzy.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 14:58

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I believe you can. What is your work phone?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > MUSASHI66 04/29/2016 at 15:07

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That’s very strange. Though, I am reading that MS has had numerous quality control issues with their Surface products and software.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Where have all the lightweights gone? 04/29/2016 at 15:07

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Moto G LTE on Android 5/L

MUSASHI66 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/29/2016 at 15:25

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I had that on my Latitude and my coworker had it on his as well. ON Latitudes, you fixed it once and it stayed, but it didn’t on Surfaces.

This new Surface laptop is pretty cool though.

C62030 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/30/2016 at 13:03

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I used a Lumia 520 for nearly three years. It was indestructible. I eventually got a Moto X for the apps and the storage, but I still think WP is just as good as Android.

anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq > jimz 04/30/2016 at 15:16

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I have a Nexus 5 right now and I agree, the battery life is absolute trash. It can’t even make it through a day, I have to obsessively turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even cell radios and apps just so I can make it home without a completely dead battery.

Otherwise it’s good.

Still beats any other phone in design IMO.

jimz > anon-sxmcyecofnu1eocpqsk9iq 04/30/2016 at 15:22

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that’s what really pissed me off about it. Every other aspect about it was great. Beautiful display, comfortable to hold, clean and simple design, and UI/performance was great. the “range anxiety” just totally soured me on it. I even tried a number of other ROMs and they were all more or less the same.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 04/30/2016 at 15:23

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My blackberry just died so I got a galaxy express from the AT&T store so I could make phone calls again. Its neat but I miss a physical kb...

EdZ > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 05/02/2016 at 17:14

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WP OS is functionally better than iOS and Android. But, like you, I had to consider moving to Android for functional apps and I bought an S7. After about a month, I really miss the OS, GUI and fairly solid operational feel of WP. But, I have found the “WP8.1 Launcher” for Android and I have the WP GUI on my S7 now and its killer. I also found Microsoft apps for OneDrive, Cortana, Bing, Office and Outlook. You can still have Cortana set up reminders, appointments, texts and calls.

There’s also a Microsoft Next lock screen that I recommend. And, for Live Tiles, the WP8.1 Launcher offers “Widgets” that give you live pics on your Contacts icon, live rolling pics of your photos and live weather information from MyRadar app. I really cannot understand why ApplePhone and GooglePhone users aren’t clamoring for Live Tiles. Perhaps because they’ve never had them.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > EdZ 05/02/2016 at 17:41

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I went ahead and got myself another 830. If I had more funds, I would have liked to give tweaking Android a try, but that is a lot of time and effort which I don’t want to spend either.

So, I will live with the hot mess that W10Mobile for a while longer. I like where it is headed and am willing to put up with it until it gets there. For now anyway.

Ask me in a year or so and I might have a different answer.