Monday, December 3, 2012

One week with my Windows Phone 8...


How much can you really know about a device in one week?  

Relationships take months to evolve, both good and bad.   I will tell you that I like a few things about my new Windows Phone and there are a few things that I don’t…  

Instead of boring you with the minor differences in Windows Phone 8, the real reason I jumped ship from iOS and Android to the new platform was to be different…    I've actually become bored with the interface and direction many of the other platforms have been taking and wanted to have a device that viewed my life in a different way.   If you look at the devices, interface, etc from Android, Apple, and even BlackBerry’s new BB10 device coming out in February 2013, they all pretty much look alike.

In a nutshell, the Windows Phone 8 platform is not as much of a revolutionary new mobile Smartphone environment, since many of the features have actually been around from Microsoft for the past year or more with Windows Phone 7.x.    Microsoft has really taken a leap of faith on the new interface and live tiles running now on all of their platforms (desktop, laptop, tablet, Smartphone and Xbox).   

At first I was not a big fan, but it has really warmed up to me the past few weeks. As the platforms communicate more together over time, it will be pretty awesome.  Microsoft’s SmartGlass is a pretty good first step, so stay tuned on where that software evolves. 
What are the coolest things about the new device?   If I had to pick three things, they would be:  The new smart lockscreen, application updates with live tiles and the new better integration of apps like: Skype, SkyDrive and SmartGlass.

Ok, now for the good, bad, and ugly on Windows Phone 8.

The “Good”:  The form factor, hardware and layout of the new Smartphone’s running Windows Phone 8 are definitely getting some attention.  While using my device this week, I have been asked on a number of occasions about the new device…  In my opinion pulling out the typical iOS or Android device doesn't do that anymore.  The interface is smooth, device is fast and setting up the device is pretty simple. 

The “Bad”:  I knew before buying the device that the application mix was not as extensive as the iOS or Android platform.  For the most part, most of the traditional applications that I use are available for the device…   My biggest request would be to have Facebook write a client application versus the one written by Microsoft (buggy, etc)...  If I was making one more request for now, it would be for Instagram, and I would be happy camper.

The “Ugly”:  The platform is still a bit buggy.  I would not say anything is really bad, but I did experience some issues with the linked mailboxes to a unified single inbox and an issue with Skype (both now resolved).   Every once in a while some apps crash out and bring me back to the main screen.  Evernote has done this a number of times.

Am I happy with my decision to migrate to Windows Phone 8?   The answer is “yes”.  I’ve decided to go all in on this one and will report my progress as things go along.   I’m excited to see how the platforms continue to work together, hopefully making my life easier, etc. 

I’m rooting for Microsoft to get more consumer market share as well as more developer excitement… 


Good luck guys!
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