The Windows Phone 7.5 Review, A Month-Long Experience

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I've owned a few different Androids and iPhones, but honestly am much happier with my Windows Phone. I started with a Samsung Focus a few months ago, now have a Lumia 800, and both have been great. Sure there aren't as many fart apps, but I find WP7 does everything I want it to - only better/faster/easier than iOS or Android. The other thing that's nice is having someone ask me what kind of phone I have again... that hasn't happened since I got my first iPhone before everyone bought one...
 
Switching between apps is too slow. In wm2003, I can just click an icon on the top of the screen, and the app pops up instantly.
 
Honestly, WP7 looks like a solid platform. But to the company of Microsoft, WP7 is causing them to shoot themselves in the foot. Metro UI is great, but that needs to stay mobile. Not be brought, through Windows 8, to the desktops.

As for Android, iOS, and WP7. I love Android with all the roms you can flash to, that's not for everyone and try new things. I think iOS has a huge platform, apps and all. It's reliable no doubt and it's simple for people who don't worry about roms and stuff like that. WP7 looks like it'll be a solid challenge. It's fast, simple and I'd expect it to grow even more.
 
For as much as I enjoy win8, using it on my phone just looks weak. I think I would just be reminded of how limited my phone is compared to my pc.
Something like... "My brain sees the lil blue tiles and alot of them are missing!"

 
Yes, app switching is appalling. Apps often forget where they are when you switch back to them.

Search is also bad. Apart from being forced to use Bing instead of Google, it's difficult to search sub-areas of the phone. When you want to search for something on the phone, it keeps taking you back to Bing for a web-wide search.

While the Lumia 800 seemed to get out the door OK, the Lumia 900 launch seems like a disaster, with defective phones and people getting their data connections cutting in and out. Nokia's share price has just gone into freefall. Can it survive?

Windows Phone 8 is also soon to be released, and it won't work on current Lumias.
 
A few more notes about Mango...

1) The ENG key on the keyboard will only appear if you have more than one language selected under the keyboard settings menu.
2) On the camera mode, you can scroll between the live camera feed and the last photos you took; in essence, you can have both on screen at the same time. I suspect this isn't just a Nokia thing.
3) If you tap the left-hand edge of an e-mail in the list, it will invoke the select function.
4) Office can explore Excel, Word and PowerPoint, however it cannot create documents for the latter.
5) I can't believe you missed this one, unless it's not an issue on your end... the Toms site glitches to hell and nearly crashes the phone!!! This was present on the 8500 update as well as on the current 12070 update on the Lumia 800; unsure if it's just a Nokia thing.

In response to beta tester, I wasn't aware of Apollo not being available on the 800/900. Ah well!
 
@beta tester

Correct and fast app switching is down to the app developer to implement correctly. This is because Mango introduced new features for app switching but many developers haven't updated their apps yet.

Any sub-areas of the phone that offer search capabilities will display a search icon. When WP7 was first launched, the hardware search button was context-aware. However, they changed this in Mango because of all the extra features integrated, such as local scout, barcode scanner, text scanner and translator, music ID service etc.
 
I'll never buy a windows phone because of this:

http://skattertech.com/2012/03/i-won-the-windows-phone-challenge-but-lost-just-because/
 
[citation][nom]mockrocker[/nom]I'll never buy a windows phone because of this:http://skattertech.com/2012/03/i-w [...] t-because/[/citation]
Not sure if trolling or plain stupid. Does ONE single employee's action represent the view of an entire organization?
 
Considering that iPhones can't run flash or Java, this platform looks a lot more promising than IOs, and so far give the impression of being a more open platform. For now I will stick with Android and my Samsung Galaxy S2, or the expected Samsung Galaxy S3--as long as there is no retina display on it. In time however, will consider moving to a WP7 or at least having a second phone running WP7.
 
Having had my WP7 since 2010, I've got some input.
In general it works really well. But I've noticed the following shortcommings:
1) no access to the tcp stack for apps. Which means no citrix client or the like.
2) when on a foreign carrier, automatic update of time does not work, at least not when using vodafone as the foreign carrier.
3) being unable to turn off the mandatory bing search button is a huge minus. One often accidentally presses it, and we all know bing is useless.
4) Direct access to your phone data via usb (without zune) is only available when using registry hacks.
5) Having one of the earliest phones, I don't have access to other display languages than those initially released, and those vision and local scout apps don't exist for me. In english - even if you have the same build number as a newer hardware model, you don't have the samme features.
 
This is good to know, I love windows and I've been wanting a windows phone for a while, now that i have an upgrade ready I'm seriously considering it...... just not looking foward to getting a data plan 🙁
 
The next phone I get will be a Windows phone almost certainly, unless they totally blow it before then. I'm still waiting for a little more app support and variety from the WP ecosystem so I don't have to worry about not having access to some of the things my iOS/Android brethren would have.
 
I use to have literally the first Windows 'Pocket PC' phone from T-Mobile, then the HP H6300 PPC (nightmare) and I stuck with a 'Pocket PC' phone for sometime after the iPhone release. Once the iPhone 3GS came out and my friends weren't having their phones lock-up constantly -- Uncle!

I 'personally' don't like the 'Metro' aka 'Ghetto' look of either the Phone or Windows 8. There's a slim to none chance I'm switching over. I also like my wife's Android which is nice as well, and much better then the early Droid Android phone.

Perhaps the WP7 (WP7.5) is better, but I have had such a bad and epic failures with'Windows Phones' I have no desire to go back -- it would require it to be a Holly S*** Phone!

Hasn't Microsoft figured-out yet Zune is dead!? Bing is worthless, heck even the vast majority of folks at Microsoft Google.
 
[citation][nom]neiroatopelcc[/nom].3) being unable to turn off the mandatory bing search button is a huge minus. One often accidentally presses it, and we all know bing is useless.
5) Having one of the earliest phones, I don't have access to other display languages than those initially released, and those vision and local scout apps don't exist for me. In english - even if you have the same build number as a newer hardware model, you don't have the samme features.[/citation]

3. No, we don't all know that. Bing searches are the same as google plus the integration of image, music, and voice search with bing on WP is seamless. Shazam has no use on WP7 now. I now prefer Bing to Google on my desktop as well.

5. This is patently false. These are features of the mango update.
 
[citation][nom]jaquith[/nom]I use to have literally the first Windows 'Pocket PC' phone from T-Mobile, then the HP H6300 PPC (nightmare) and I stuck with a 'Pocket PC' phone for sometime after the iPhone release. Once the iPhone 3GS came out and my friends weren't having their phones lock-up constantly -- Uncle!I 'personally' don't like the 'Metro' aka 'Ghetto' look of either the Phone or Windows 8. There's a slim to none chance I'm switching over. I also like my wife's Android which is nice as well, and much better then the early Droid Android phone. Perhaps the WP7 (WP7.5) is better, but I have had such a bad and epic failures with'Windows Phones' I have no desire to go back -- it would require it to be a Holly S*** Phone!Hasn't Microsoft figured-out yet Zune is dead!? Bing is worthless, heck even the vast majority of folks at Microsoft Google.[/citation]

The troll is strong with this one. Windows Phone has absolutely nothing to do with Windows Mobile but you knew that already didn't you?

Although the music players are gone Zune is alive and well. The UI on the PC version blows iTunes away and always has. What good is a subscription service with free music if you don't know what to get? Mixview, subscriptions, smartDJs are powerful. (protip: click the top listener of a song you dig and see what else that user likes). The artist bio and relations are from Pandora. Video rentals are 1080p, 5.1 and stutter free. iTunes sucks but ignorance is bliss for it's users.

Bing? Sorry man but Bing rocks too. Do like this reviewer did. Flip over to Bing for a month. If your search doesn't come up on the first page check and see if it does over at google. The images are gorgeous and video day is always a treat. As for Microsoft people using Google? Pfft. I'm sure somebody somewhere does but you better source this "vast majority" tripe or I'm calling BS... FUD has to be believable for it to work you know.
 
I for one am waiting Win 8 phone. I have been using a HTC78788 as an...iTouch?... not as a phone to mess with it to see if i like the interface. I do. A lot :) Love the live tiles and its fast. Although i cant find Skype in either MS or HTC marketplace. Apps abound already, i wish though, that there was some kind of *Official type title they could give out. There are so many IGN apps (just one example) im not sure which is the official one 😵 and most have ...fishy reviews in my opinion.
 
I'm not sure why all the Bing bashing. I think it's because when it first started the searches just couldn't compete next to the likes of Google, but Bing vastly improved it's engine around 6 months after release. If you haven't tried it recently, give it a go again.
 
[citation][nom]del35[/nom] For now I will stick with Android and my Samsung Galaxy S2, or the expected Samsung Galaxy S3--as long as there is no retina display on it. [/citation]

I know what you mean.. I prefer having a phone with a dpi of under 15.. That way I get the crisp look of items like they were printed on a 1980's dot matrix printer.. Its refreshing..
 
The wife and I are sporting BB 9630s. The phone itself is just fine for what I use it for, but it's clearly outdated, with a small non-touch screen and a browser that's a little behind the times.

We are with Verizon and are so pissed about how they are totally ignoring the WP platform...I walk into the local store and it's all iOS, Android, and a couple BBs; the only WP they carry is the Trophy which is just plain silly, considering the AT&T store right across the street is rocking the Titans and the 900 (soon, if not already).

I'm under the impression that Verizon is holding off until WP8 and will carry those. God I hope so. I also firmly believe that WP7's lack of market penetration is almost wholly due to Verizon's lack of supporting the platform.



BTW, I'm not saying the WP platform is perfect, but from all of the times I've played on the AT&T Titan, it seems perfect for what I want, plus I love how it integrates with WHS and XBOX. I just don't know if I'll ever get used to a virtual vs physical keyboard!

 
I find it interesting that everyone states how windows 8 should stay in the mobile market with tablets/phones etc etc. But as a system's administrator myself, I can't tell you how many people I have helped with touchscreen laptops with full rotating screens, or the rare but often used all-in-one-imac like-touchscreen desktop. I just setup a 20 computer law office with all Dell all-in-ones. One of them has windows 8 as a tester for the next 6 months and they prefer it over windows 7 so far.

I'm not saying it's for everyone. I'm a very avid gamer and I use windows 7 period. I will not be switching to windows 8 unless it's better in the ways I need it to be for gaming, and/or has the option to disable or fully uninstall metro UI.

All i'm saying really is, 80% of tom's members are computer gamers/enthusiasts. For us and our needs, windows 8 is kinda of, meh. Just understand however that there are many more needs out there. I can think of quite a few cases where Microsoft's vision/direction for windows 8 is a great idea. Just give them the benefit of the doubt and give the OS time to get finished, and a few months to mature before giving final judgement.

personally, the idea of having your phone/laptop/tablet/desktop all look and feel the same is great for users that hate change, like consistency, or are not too electronic literate. Think about it for a second. If you can teach you mom or dad or grandparents to use one device windows 8 based, then they can use all the devices I listed above easily! And if you keep them all synced with each other at all times, then getting to your data or just using your device will become much easier.

This is not for everyone, or for most of Tom's followers. But it is for the rest of the world.
 
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