153 replies to this topic 3 votes

[jakem1]

The apps argument is getting old. Ignoring the fact that WP does many of the things that require 3rd party apps on other platforms the reality is that you'll either find the app you want or a decent replacement in the WP Marketplace.

Also, comparing the number of apps on different platforms ignores the fact that WP will always have a lower count because the Marketplace isn't bloated with trial and full versions of apps. One of the benefits of the Marketplace is that developers can create one version of an app and give users the chance to try before they buy.

The app argument also typically ignores the fact that WP apps are generally of a very high quality, something that certainly can't be said of Android apps.

[TheLegendOfMart]

Games.

For a phone that has the Xbox brand it is VERY light on games and the ones that are there cost a fortune. IOS usually gets the more varied style and type, Android usually gets IOS sloppy seconds with WP7/8 an afterthought.

[The one with Arrow]

920 is hands down the best phone I have ever owned.
And I have owned many. Including all iPhones, less 3G, all Nexus devices and a lot of other Androids

[jakem1]

Games.

For a phone that has the Xbox brand it is VERY light on games and the ones that are there cost a fortune. IOS usually gets the more varied style and type, Android usually gets IOS sloppy seconds with WP7/8 an afterthought.

That's changing already with the simultaneous release of Angry Birds Star Wars on WP8 and other platforms. Besides, there are plenty of great games on WP that aren't available on other platforms.

[GP007]

With the API changes in WP8 games shouldn't be a issue anymore. I expect to see lots of games on phone and pc to work cross-platform going forward.

[drazgoosh]

While the 920 is my favourite WP8 device, though pricing means that I'm leaning more towards the 8X.

[MorganX]

I'll be skipping WP8. I was an early adopter for WP7 with both a Dell Venue Pro and Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 900, but MS really botched it all this time around.

We get the SDK today, for starters, and there were no ground breaking features in there that should have led to the death of my Lumia 900 on WP 7.8. I seriously saw nothing compelling in their launch at all; it was depressing.

The hardware from Nokia is looking awesome, but I'm no longer happy with the platform. I feel MS wasted 2 years porting WP7 to NT to make it work on the newer base. They need to stop rebooting this platform if they want people to keep paying attention.

Just activated 920 today after someone stole my Iphone 4 from the gym. The hardware is solid, performance is ridiculously great. Unfortunately, the ecosystem isn't there. Might as well have my Galaxy S3 where I have to manually put music on and SD and create playlists on the phone. Arrgggh, how neandrethal. The Xbox Music ecosystem, just doesn't work and the Windows Phone Sync app is just basic file copy from what I see at the moment. Zune requires installation of older .net frameworks but that looks like the only solution that's going to provide any usability. My phone is my MP3 player and I need my music every day.

[webdev511]

I picked up a Lumia 822 to replace my HTC Trophy on VZW. My only complaint is that the sync client SUCKS. The one you get from MS blows chunks big time. I'm amazed that they couldn't just update or re-brand the Zune client for Windows Phone 8. Yes you can sync with a lot of different tools, but none that I've found will transcode music or video to a different size during sync.

Like to store your music in a high bit rate format or maybe even as WMA Lossless? Sorry gotta transcode that yourself before you sync.
Got a Zune Pass and a bunch of subscription content already downloaded? Oh sorry, you'll have to download them all from your phone.

This is a hole that the Windows Phone team needs to plug post haste.

[GP007]

I don\t get why they didn't just update and rebrand the zune client either. The only bright side here is that by starting over they can make the newer app lighter since the zune client is a bit on the big side. As long as they update the two apps at a good pace then they should catch up to the zune client in time. We have to remember that we're comparing a v1.x app to a v4.7 app.

[MorganX]

Well, broke down and installed Zune and the legacy .Net frameworks. Zune does not recognize my WP8 Lumia 920. Not sure why it's working for others. It did recognize my old WP7 Lumia.

Last resort, in Windows 8 Desktop Windows Media Player classic recognizes and syncs with it just fine. And Windows Media Player classic searches the music library better and is more usable than Windows 8 search and you can add results directly to a playlist with right click. The same goes for using File Explorer to search for documents and such over Windows 8 search.

Hate to say it, but as far as managing music in general and Windows Phone 8, you need to go back to the future. Seems as though if you upgrade from Windows 7 to 8, Windows Phone and Music management just falls apart, totally.

Microsoft should be glad sales are slow, otherwise this would be a shameful disaster of epic proportion and things are so bad in these areas, it still could end up that way.

The technical press has absolutely zero credibility with me at the moment for their Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and Surface reviews have given Microsoft a complete pass of this unfinished and shoddy product ecosystem and its parts. It's like an octopus with no head.

Hell hath frozen over with the only responsible Journalist, is Paul Thurrott:

Exceptional piece: http://www.windowsit...indows-8-144853

Another good one: http://winsupersite....-early-adopters

And Another: http://winsupersite....media-ecosystem

Given my experiences once actually going full on Windows 8, Surface, and now Windows Phone I have to rate it all beta, unfinished, and with the exception of Server Products, no general consumer users should upgrade without MAJOR, and I mean MAJOR updates to the whole damn Windows 8 Ecosystem. And fix all the Metro apps on the desktop that lose hyperlinks, and spontaneously quit.

Unacceptable, shameful. More than Sinofsky needs to be let go. And to the press, Neowin included, stop treating this disaster with kid gloves or Microsoft will take their sweet time fixing this mess. It's time for real criticism to wake their a$$es up. This is worse than WindowsMe and Vista. Both those actually worked as they should.

[Osiris]

sucks you guys are having problems =\ I'm loving my win8 desktop, tablet and wp8 ecosystem with HTC 8x.

[MorganX]

sucks you guys are having problems =\ I'm loving my win8 desktop, tablet and wp8 ecosystem with HTC 8x.

Tell me about the WP8 ecosystem ... what are you syncing music and playlists with?

[Roxkis]

I have an android phone and an iTouch 5.
There is really nothing about WP8 that interests me.

The Lumia phones do look nice and the hardware awesome (from what I've read) but not nice enough to pull me away
and from android's customization or ios's app selection and quality.

Maybe if they didn't kill off the Zune and maybe came out
with like a Zune hd 2 with wp8 os on it I'd be more inclined to try I out.

As of now I couldn't even recommend a wp8 phone to friends.

[Luis Mazza]

Unacceptable, shameful. More than Sinofsky needs to be let go. And to the press, Neowin included, stop treating this disaster with kid gloves or Microsoft will take their sweet time fixing this mess. It's time for real criticism to wake their a$$es up. This is worse than WindowsMe and Vista. Both those actually worked as they should.

In Microsoft's world, being late, not listening to consumers (yes, the nerds, the ones who dictate WHAT consumers should buy) means that you can do whatever you want, because... well... you're Microsoft.

Maybe some history classes to Mr. Ballmer could illuminate his mind (if it's even possible, I mean).

Fact is: the monopoly is fading. Anyway, if Microsoft fails, only shareholders will be affected (that's not unimportant, though) but employees will be fine with plenty of opportunities in other companies.

But I'm afraid that Bill Gates' plan on eliminating Malaria and other third world s*** (something that really does help us, regarding Darwin's ideas) will be threatened.

[Growled]

Just activated 920 today after someone stole my Iphone 4 from the gym. The hardware is solid, performance is ridiculously great. Unfortunately, the ecosystem isn't there. Might as well have my Galaxy S3 where I have to manually put music on and SD and create playlists on the phone. Arrgggh, how neandrethal. The Xbox Music ecosystem, just doesn't work and the Windows Phone Sync app is just basic file copy from what I see at the moment. Zune requires installation of older .net frameworks but that looks like the only solution that's going to provide any usability. My phone is my MP3 player and I need my music every day.

I was afraid the WP 8 ecosystem wasn't that good, after using Windows 8 on my laptop for a bit. Hopefully, in time....