Smartphone OSs - 'Should I stay or should I go?`'


Smartphone OSs - 'Should I stay or should I go?'  

55 members have voted

  1. 1. My current smartphone runs...

    • Android
    • BlackBerry OS
      0
    • iOS
    • Symbian
    • Windows Mobile 6.x or older
    • Windows Phone
    • Other (specify below)
  2. 2. My next smartphone will run...

    • ... the same OS as my current one.
    • ... a different OS, see next question.
    • I'm giving up on the newfangled smartphones. Give me a Nokia 6310i.
  3. 3. If you are planning to switch: Which OS will it be?

    • Android
    • Blackberry OS
      0
    • iOS
    • Symbian
      0
    • Windows Phone
    • Other (specify below)
    • I won't be switching.


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The reason for this poll? I'm irritated by Android for various reasons and will likely end up switching to WP7.5.

Am I the only smartphone owner thinking of switching between OSs or are you happy with your OS of choice?

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Currently on Windows Phone - and I'll be sticking with Windows Phone unless WP8 is a completely bastardised product vs. 7.5 (which is really unlikely). I have a couple of niggling issues with the OS but on the whole enjoying the experience moreso then Android. Only thing I feel like I'm missing out on are some of the quality 3D games that are coming out on iOS and Android which simply aren't present on Windows Phone. I have no idea why - the hardware is certainly capable of doing 3D games.

I'd say if you're heavy into your social networking and media - and like the Metro concept, then Windows Phone is definitely for you. If you're not so much into the Metro concept, and prefer Android's style of doing things, then stick with Android. Metro can be felt across the whole OS - which I love and it's definitely the key ingredient that I was missing on Android, which I didn't know I was until WP7 actually came out.

Beware though, WP7 isn't a customisation powerhouse, if you're a power customisation user then WP7 isn't really for you either - not yet anyway.

Overall, I'm pleased with switching from Android to WP7 and would definitely recommend everyone to have a go - but I can definitely see why it's not everyone's cup of tea.

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Just switched from Android to WP7 (Nokia Lumia) a week ago. Love the OS, but the app store selection is a little grim.

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I have nokia 2730c, cheap phone but tough and it does its job perfectly. But if i'll switch, i'll choose WP7.5, friend owns HTC titan, and i found it really smooth and snappy.

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Currently iOS, will most likely move to ICS if iOS 6 brings nothing good.

Thought you'd be on WP7.... Why aren't you on that? I want one but the lack of prepaid options prevents me from doing so. ATT does it but I'm never ever ever going to touch them with a million mile tower!

If I can get one that uses verizon or another carrier prepaid for a decent price I would go for it.

For now I'm on Droid 2.2 on my LG Optimus S and it's ok... I could root it and put another ROM on it but people that use my MVNO have issues. (It's kroger wireless a sprint MVNO) ... when the time comes and I have mroe money I might get a better droid with more power.

For now I also I don't wanna have a phone that's too pricey since I don't wanna baby it and if i loose it I'm not out much. 80 buck phone is less on me then loosing a 300$+ phone.

As long as I can do internet stuffs and listen to music,watch youtube vids, and navigate and make phone calls and texts I'm fine.

How is the media app on WP7 though?

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Thought you'd be on WP7.... Why aren't you on that? I want one but the lack of prepaid options prevents me from doing so. ATT does it but I'm never ever ever going to touch them with a million mile tower!

If I can get one that uses verizon or another carrier prepaid for a decent price I would go for it.

For now I'm on Droid 2.2 on my LG Optimus S and it's ok... I could root it and put another ROM on it but people that use my MVNO have issues. (It's kroger wireless a sprint MVNO) ... when the time comes and I have mroe money I might get a better droid with more power.

For now I also I don't wanna have a phone that's too pricey since I don't wanna baby it and if i loose it I'm not out much. 80 buck phone is less on me then loosing a 300$+ phone.

As long as I can do internet stuffs and listen to music,watch youtube vids, and navigate and make phone calls and texts I'm fine.

How is the media app on WP7 though?

Not bad. I'm not sure that you can use Youtube on the built in app, but HTC offer a good youtube client and there are a bunch of others bouncing around :)

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My main smartphone is currently an Android one, but I'm always open to changing that.

Unfortunately Microsoft haven't done quite enough with Windows Phone 7.5 to convince me to switch. Don't get me wrong, I loved using Windows Phone on all the devices I've reviewed and it really excels in some areas, but some areas it lacks in comparison to Android.

As much as people like to ignore the specifications issue with Windows Phone by saying the OS is smooth (which is very true) and doesn't need dual-core processors, for third party games in particular it could really do with a GPU boost. I love playing high-end games on my Razr like GTA 3, Shadowgun, Dungeon Defenders, etc. and the Adreno 205 is not up to scratch in current-gen devices. Also, there is the big benefit of 1080p video encoding and decoding that comes with dual-core SoCs, and as my video collection is partially 1080p this would be handy.

Also the app ecosystem is not mature enough for me to switch. There are still no equivalent apps for some major programs I use on my Android device, and combined with the gaming issue this is a major killer for me.

Once these issues are fixed (and will be mostly likely by Windows Phone 8 time) I will consider the switch. Just not yet.

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Hows the codec support for WP??? can it play stuff like avi, mkv, mp4, and stuff like that?

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Currently using Android. Wasn't interested in iOS due to the price and my views on Apple, as well as some other limitations. Windows Phone interests me however when I recently got a new smartphone I kept with Android. I want to see the Windows Phone market mature more, which thankfully it's starting to do now. When I was looking for phones WP still didn't have things like Skype.

I used a WP7 device though and I really liked how fluid it was compared to Android which can be a bit disjointed. I can definitely see where people are coming from when they say WP7 feels like 'just one app'. At the moment I see myself going onto WP7 when the time comes.

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Hows the codec support for WP??? can it play stuff like avi, mkv, mp4, and stuff like that?

Second-gen WP7 devices (HTC Radar, HTC Titan, Lumia series, Samsung Focus S, etc.) have processors that support AVI and MP4 (and WMV) decoding up to 720p as long as there is only a maximum of 2 audio channels (from my Titan review). MKV files aren't supported and need to be converted.

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Using Android, Personally don't like IPhone's (Or anything made by Apple, personal choice the fact unless u jailbreak, u cant customize anything!!)

Android is a sound OS and i highly recommend it, esp if u like messing about/customizing - plus EVERYBODY has IPhone's...and the price is unreal!

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Second-gen WP7 devices (HTC Radar, HTC Titan, Lumia series, Samsung Focus S, etc.) have processors that support AVI and MP4 (and WMV) decoding up to 720p as long as there is only a maximum of 2 audio channels (from my Titan review). MKV files aren't supported and need to be converted.

Cool! Thanks! ;-) I mostly have mp4 and avi vids.

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I have a Blackberry that is a company-issued smartphone. But for personal use, I intend to stick with non-smartphone devices. My reasons are simple: I don't want one. I don't do email on my phone, I don't do Facebook, Twitter, web browse, texting, play games or anything else. I use a phone for what it's intended for, placing and receiving phone calls.

Oh, I look at smartphones, but more to laugh at them than anything else. Why would I want to get something that my computer or my netbook already does perfectly? In fact, when I'm in a restaurant, a store or on the road, I *don't* want to be bothered by emails and tweets (I call them twits), or anything else. The intention is to get away from those things when I'm out, not to have them surrounding me when I'm trying to enjoy dinner or a movie, as is often the case.

So no, I'm not interested in smartphones. I like my dumb phone, and will keep it happily until it dies.

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So was there a eureka moment when you invented the stick?

Luddites..

Hardly a luddite, considering that I've been involved in hardware and software support for a major aerospace company for nearly 10 years now, and have been in computer technology in one form or another since the 1980's. It's just that I know what's best for me, not some marketing company, and what's best for me is not some piece of hardware that's a mobile Internet cafe. If that's what you want, that's fine... just don't try to push it off on me, I don't want it.

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I'm currently on iOS and it's very likely I will be using a Lumia 900 by the summer.

I still think iOS is a solid OS and can't see me moving away from the iPad anytime soon, but for the following reasons I'll probably be moving phone to WP:

- It's looking likely the next iPhone will be released in the Autumn, my contract is up in the summer and I won't be waiting that long. I imagine a lot of people who got the iPhone 4 might feel the same.

- There's suggestions the next iPhone won't be getting a screen size bump. Although I think the 4.7" devices are taking it a bit too far some people do want a bigger screen and I want a 4.3" screen. I think Apple needs to offer 2 screen sizes with the next iPhone.

- iOS and Apple seem unwilling to truly bake in social networks into the OS. The twitter integration is OK but nothing to write home about (DM's should be integrated into the messages app for example). WP's social integration is the best on a mobile device and I imagine it's only going to get better as they have no qualms about integrating whatever services are popular - whereas Apple seems to have agenda's about doing this and their relationship with Facebook is suspect.

- For me Android is a poor clone of iOS (I know people will disagree but this is my opinion on it). WP is the only OS which is currently innovating at the moment IMO. Live tiles is a genuine attempt to solve some issues with current smartphones and the way people use them

- After about 4 years on iOS I fancy a change of scenery. Moving to android wouldn't give me that as it's basically the same design/app philosophy.

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Currently on Android... next phone will also be an Android Device.. I don't mind iOS, but I wouldn't use it as a day to day OS. As for WP7, the interface makes me not want to use it.

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Well I couldn't vote as I use an HD7 and a Galaxy Nexus. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, it all depends what you want to do with your phone.

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How can anyone not like Android, you can customize it however you want.

Android user and let me think...

For me, the biggest issue would be lack of quality control over the market (I suppose Apple's had a good idea about it after all). It not only leads to a plethora of poorly made apps, but major inconsistencies in the UX and malware.

Then, vendor customizations. I guess they were OK back in the day of Android 1.x until Froyo, but nowadays Android really performs well in it's vanilla state... not to mention the problem it creates namely software updates delayed by months, often years, because your vendor still hasn't made their ICS version of TouchWiz/Sense/whateverelse

I really want to try out a Windows Phone device sometime in the future.

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After a couple Androids and despite that you can't personalize a WP phone as you can with an Android, I will definitely stay with WP.

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I've borrowed a phone from work for the moment while I wait to go back to Android with the Galaxy Nexus. Although at this rate I might wait for the Galaxy S 3 to come out.

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