With the recent updates, are you likely to jump ship?

[Joey S]

Personally this 1Ghz HD7 is as fast as any other Android Phone ive used.

That's because it doesn't do true multitasking like Android does. If you do less, you don't need so much horse power. That's logical. However, that doesn't make WP devices very future proof does it now? Not only that, but it doesn't explain the small screen and poor resolution.

[Joey S]

Pit the trio of the devices side by side (Android, WP7 and iOS) and you'll know how much faster these 'under-specced devices' are

User experience is subjective. But all the latest devices look smooth enough. As as real benchmarking goes, Android and iOS rip WP devices apart.

You're right Windows MOBILE isn't, Windows PHONE is.

I can understand the confusion, they're both Windows CE based. Microsoft should have just continued with the Windows Mobile moniker.

And Windows Phone will be eating Android for breakfast, iOS for lunch and both of them combined for dinner

What planet do you live on? It mustn't be earth lol.

A pale copy of iOS.

If I were the guy behind iOS, I would be completely raging against everything in life knowing another company copies me

Didn't you get the memo? They all copy each other. iOS copied Android notifications. But who cares really. Let the best man OS win I say.

Fact is WP take advantage of the faster GPU instead of having to feed everything through the slower CPU. Thus the need for dual core isn't there. From day one the WP UI has been fully gpu accelerated so the CPU can be used where its needed. That says everything to me.

Every phone UI is GPU accelerated these days. Android and iOS are no exception. With dual cores though, they can do real intensive work/games and smooth multitasking unlike WP7.

[Joey S]

putting titles instead of icon is a smart move

Yeah because a rectangle with a pixmap is better than a rectangle with a pixmap.. wait.. uh.

cause you can see updates inside those titles unlike the boring regular dump icons which just say click me

Yeah because a rectangle with animation is better than a widget rectangle with animation.. wait.. uh.

My android isn't laggy.. am I special?? I think the tiles look like something that came out of take your kids to work day.. there's a reason kids don't work.

Don't worry, he says that in every Android/Phone thread. It's pure fabrication though, because when you ask for proof, he can't provide any lol.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

+1 from me. That's one of the biggest problems with WP devices. Low resolution, small screen (Nokia), single core cpu, low memory. The list goes on. Why would anyone pay the same price for WP7 inferior hardware and software?

I love these uneducated comments.

Though I agree with low resolution, how many devices running Android have a higher resolution?

10? 12? out of ... 300

Small screen?

What about iPhone?

Though I personally love screens bigger than 4.0-4.1 inches, I wouldn't mind 3.7'' given the incredible hardware.

Single core CPU, less memory?

The thing is any device running these old single core CPU' will destroy the competition even when the new devices have dual core 1.4-1.5 GHz processors.

The thing that annoys me the most isn't the fact that you hate an OS or you love one. It is the fact that people don't know entirely about that thing and they make assumptions on the basis of other OSes.

Like for example, Android is power-hungry. It needs more and more and more processing power so that it can run smoothly. People develop the general idea from here that every other OS in the world will need the same specs.

Why the hell do you need dual core when a single core processor is performing tons of times better than latest dual cores?

And about the memory.

WP7 don't need more than that.

I remember when it was the first birthday of Android and back then how many phones running Android had more than that?

[Muhammad Farrukh]

User experience is subjective. But all the latest devices look smooth enough. As as real benchmarking goes, Android and iOS rip WP devices apart.

I can understand the confusion, they're both Windows CE based. Microsoft should have just continued with the Windows Mobile moniker

What planet do you live on? It mustn't be earth lol.

Who cares about the benchmarks when you get real life performance that won't disappoint you?

There is no confusion.

Windows Phone is here to stay and it'll be on top in near future. We'll all see.

Yeah I don't live on earth and thats why I know whats gonna happen next.

Every phone UI is GPU accelerated these days. Android and iOS are no exception. With dual cores though, they can do real intensive work/games and smooth multitasking unlike WP7.

Of course they are.

But when you compare today' WP7 devices running old single core processors with the same processors or the new ones, the difference is stellar

[Auroka]

Every phone UI is GPU accelerated these days. Android and iOS are no exception. With dual cores though, they can do real intensive work/games and smooth multitasking unlike WP7.

Wha... what!?

I use Office (mainly OneNote) all the time on my HTC Trophy and its always been super smooth.

As for games, I'm not even going to bother arguing. You know... XBL, etc...

Although this is kinda old:

:/

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Although this is kinda old:

:/

(Y)

Don't worry, he says that in every Android/Phone thread. It's pure fabrication though, because when you ask for proof, he can't provide any lol.

You want proof.

I don't feel the need ot provide it but as Auroka posted.

And now you see what a single core processor can do with the latest dual core one.

BUMMER!

[firey]

I love these uneducated comments.

Though I agree with low resolution, how many devices running Android have a higher resolution?

10? 12? out of ... 300

There are tonnes of apps for android that actually let you change the pixel densities (resolution).

[~Johnny]

Every phone UI is GPU accelerated these days. Android and iOS are no exception. With dual cores though, they can do real intensive work/games and smooth multitasking unlike WP7.

Android has only properly gotten hardware accelerated UI's for all apps in Ice Cream Sandwich... which isn't out, and won't be making it to most Android phones. There's also a lot of differences between how each OS handles hardware acceleration, though, which can greatly effect the end results.

For the vast majority of tasks, iOS and Windows Phone style multitasking is better suited to the phone environment thn Android & Windows Mobile's style of mutitasking, and results in better performance, responsiveness and battery life, which tend to be important points for most end users with their smartphones these days.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

There are tonnes of apps for android that actually let you change the pixel densities (resolution).

Do you even know what I and he are talking about?

Android has only properly gotten hardware accelerated UI's for all apps in Ice Cream Sandwich... which isn't out, and won't be making it to most Android phones.

For the vast majority of tasks, iOS and Windows Phone style multitasking is better suited to the phone environment that Android & Windows Mobile's style of mutitasking, and results in better performance, responsiveness and battery life, which is one of the more important things for an end user with their smartphones these days.

Android has multitasking?

Oh that 'settings>Applications>Running Services' thing?

Sure 90% of users don't even know that thing.

And it isn't anything even close to multitasking

+1, by the way, on the following:

There's also a lot of differences between how each OS handles hardware acceleration, though, which can greatly effect the end results.

[~Johnny]

Android has multitasking?

Oh that 'settings>Applications>Running Services' thing?

Sure 90% of users don't even know that thing.

And it isn't anything even close to multitasking

Android has traditional style multitasking - apps can continue running any CPU operations they want after they've been opened, even when they're not the foreground app and the user has moved onto another app. They can do this unrestricted until Android decides it needs memory for other programs and then kills it.

It can also, vaguely similar to iOS and Window Phone, allow apps to create explicit background tasks that can run as services in the background doing small tasks. http://android-devel...ndroid-way.html

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Android has traditional style multitasking - apps can continue running any CPU operations they want after they've been opened, even when they're not the foreground app and the user has moved onto another app. They can do this unrestricted until Android decides it needs memory for other programs and then kills it.

It can also, vaguely similar to iOS and Window Phone, allow apps to create explicit background tasks that can run as services in the background doing small tasks. http://android-devel...ndroid-way.html

Didn't knew that (Y)

[BajiRav]

That's because it doesn't do true multitasking like Android does. If you do less, you don't need so much horse power. That's logical. However, that doesn't make WP devices very future proof does it now? Not only that, but it doesn't explain the small screen and poor resolution.

So which Android device is "future-proof"? or any device for that matter? That's right, NONE! In fact Android phones are least likely to be "future-proof" because most phones don't get updated to latest and greatest.

User experience is subjective. But all the latest devices look smooth enough. As as real benchmarking goes, Android and iOS rip WP devices apart. I can understand the confusion, they're both Windows CE based. Microsoft should have just continued with the Windows Mobile moniker. What planet do you live on? It mustn't be earth lol. Didn't you get the memo? They all copy each other. iOS copied Android notifications. But who cares really. Let the best man OS win I say. Every phone UI is GPU accelerated these days. Android and iOS are no exception. With dual cores though, they can do real intensive work/games and smooth multitasking unlike WP7.

As far as I know, none of the Android phones out today are hardware accelerated. I have use a Xoom and even Honeycomb doesn't feel it is accelerated.

There are tonnes of apps for android that actually let you change the pixel densities (resolution).

[George P Global Moderator]

Out of a minor set of apps or in this case tasks/scenarios, there is NO REASON for every app you start on your phone to keep running in the background. These aren't PC's they're still phones but I suppose some techies around here don't want to admit it.

As long as apps resume fast like they never closed and the things that need to run/update in the background do so then it doesn't matter to the user if it's true everything goes multitasking or if it's fixed iOS style background services based.

The only thing Windows Phone 7.5 doesn't multitask in the background which might be nice is sockets, thus my irc app disconnects when i leave the app or the screen goes off. Though this is bad it also makes perfect sense to do so when you're not on main power or wifi. Keeping an open socket connection for a chat program would kill your battery and even more your data plan. I can live with this sort of logical reasoning to things so it's no biggy.

Right now the only thing I wish they'd add is more control over your wifi connection which, unless you're on main power, shuts off around 10mins after your screen does (again to save battery). I'd like an option to keep wifi open when i'm someplace like at work or home on a preset wifi network and can recharge the phone if needed.

[LightShadow]

On the subject of icons, I think tiles are way better. Android bugs me so much with icons, I mean in iOS all icons follow the same curved square design. In WP7 they all follow a square/tile design. Android they can be any shape and size which just looks inconsistent and annoying sometimes. Also with all the different resolution icons it just looks horrible. Even iOS icons like better as they is only Non-Retina and Retina.

[The_Observer]

just got me a HTC 7 Trophy. looking forward to seeing what i can do with it.

[basques]

I used Samsung Omnia 7 for 6 months (still have it somewhere at home) and now back to iphone (was using iphone 4 before losing it and forced to switch to wp7). Can't be happier with my choice. Not a fan of live tiles, they take too much space and you can only see a limited number of them at the screen before being forced to scroll. And not any useful apps still.

[Hardcore Til I Die]

I've just started a two year contract on an SGS2, so who knows what kind of OS I'll want at the end of my contract. As it stands now though, I would be looking at either iOS or Android, not wp7.

[George P Global Moderator]

While there's an argument to be made for the tiles taking up more space than normal icons they're also 10x more useful than a static icon any day. Specially if a dev takes full advantage of the ability to flip the tile and show more information on the back as well. Add the ability to deep link into any specific part of an app and you have a mix of features that are very innovative and not found on any other mobile OS.

And not any useful apps still? What? I see this tossed out some times but what "useful" apps do people actually want that they can't find?

[TheLegendOfMart]

I used to be 'one of those people' who ragged on WP7 because it looked too simple.

But honestly other than the way the OS runs things in sandbox so i cant replace OS elements like replace the keyboard with swype, etc.. its the first phone that Ive had an enjoyable experience with. Doesnt lag, slow down, glitch, mess up. Everything is uniform and the OS moves as fast as i can flick my finger around it.

What lets Android down is the fact that they HAVE to make the OS run on loads of cheap low end handsets that have crap processors and gpus ruining the experience.

[Vice]

To me Windows Phone 7 isn't really compelling. I don't see myself switching to it.

My biggest problem with it is the UI I just don't like the whole idea of it. I much prefer having a grid of apps like iOS and Android offers. The squares that Windows Phone uses are not to my taste.

Beyond that I feel like the applications look basic. The browser the way the icons are laid out inside apps. It just all looks quite college project to me while iOS (which I use on my iPhone 4S) feels more polished. This is all my opinion of course.

The lack of premium apps does also make me not favor the platform, I like that on iOS I have 300,000 software titles to choose from and any app I search for has at least several relevant results. Going beyond productivity apps just basic things like Games are really lacking on WP7. I love cut the rope and Osmos which aren't available on Windows Phone 7.

Beyond just the Operating System when I see the phones available for the platform I'm not really impressed by them. Single Core, Low to mid-range DPI screens, low resolution cameras. The ecosystem would feel right at home in 2010 but not for 2011 I think devices like the iPhone 4S and Samsung S II are more compelling.

To go back to the dual core processor issue. I agree with the recent news post on the front page that the lack of dual core processors will hold back WP7. I agree with people that the UI feels smooth but having a processor with two cores is about more than just the UI. I upgraded from an iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 4S. As you know the 3GS is a single core device and its UI has always felt really smooth to me. But there are a lot of apps that benefit from the faster dual core processor, things like the browser in rendering pages faster and games. Some newer titles like Rockstars GTA III won't actually run on the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. It requires the dual core processor of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. It is these kinds of experiences that Windows Phone is missing out on and will continue to miss out on until the hardware specifications increase.

Innovation in software is driven by hardware capability. It was not so long ago that simply creating a list of items in a UI would require a discussion about processor performance, today the question is can we process face detection on the CPU? Can we combine accelerometer and gyroscope data in our game, can we add VoIP to our game or video feeds of the player as they play. These kinds of advanced functions need more processing power, for Windows Phone users you won't know what you're missing because these kind of experiences cannot be created. You simply don't know what having a dual core cpu would enable developers to do because they don't have it to make use of.

So yeah for all these reasons I can't see myself buying a Windows Phone just like I can't see myself buying a Meego phone or a Symbian phone. To me iOS and Android are the only two mobile platforms that I like and when I say platforms that really means the Operating System the Hardware and the Ecosystem that Developers provide through Apps and Accessories.

[ngc891]

I just jumped ship from android (2.2) on an ancient Galaxy 5 to an HTC titan. In the 12 years I've owned a mobile phone, this one has to be the most enjoyable experience. The interface, although basic serves its purpose well and is as smooth as a ducks beak, (smothered in butter.) The only thing lacking is decent apps, tho i remember when Android market only had a few thousand apps on it and look at it now...

[Colin McGregor]

tried iphone didnt like it, moved to blackberry got tired of it, went to android didnt like it at all, got a windows phone (samsung focus) and don't see myself going back to either of the others ever again.

[ndoggfromhell]

I've had two Android phones... I won't have a third. I'm eligible for a new phone now, waiting for a windows phone 7 device on Sprint that's similar in spec's to my Evo. I've played with WP7 on the HD2 and even got t-mo service just to play around with it. T-mo sucks in my area or else I'd ditch Sprint and my Evo4G right now.

[DocM]

My iPhone 3GS is up next summer, but I doubt I'll move. I have a $29.99/month senior citizens plan, I don't need 2 cameras, and it runs iOS 5 well enough for my needs. I also have an iPad 2.