Linus Reviews HTC One M8 for Windows

[theyarecomingforyou]

 

All in all this phone baffles me a bit. It's a phone for no-one. I understand that some people have a thing for supporting the market underdog and are willing to work around numerous inconveniences to do it or have specific complaints about Google and Apple that would cause them to want to avoid using the services of both those companies, and for you there's high-end Windows phones, like the One M8 for Windows. For everyone else there's stuff out there that's just plain more functional and easier to use and in the case of the One M8 also exactly the same price, so the conclusion pretty much writes itself here.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

holy crap.  this review highlight all that is wrong with WP

 

i love windows.... but they just did not create an appealing OS for phone.  

was it their fault, or the fact they were too late, and too sucky, so no developer support...

 

does not matter.  actually, i am kidding... MS messed up big. unfortunately..  

i was thinking of buying WP for the longest time.  but it was just never appealing overall.

 

 

i WOULD LOVE TO LOVE WP.   but overall, it still does not provide what i expect of it (not just apps... OS functionality)

[Draconian Guppy]

There's no youtube app on windows phone?

[von kain]

this guy is so un-objective that  is quite humorous.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

this guy is so un-objective that  is quite humorous.

un-objective....

   

 

 

can you name points why it is?

 

 

everything i have heard from actual users points to me that WP is way behind, not only in developer support, but in basic usability.  

as a long time MS fan, i am disappointed, but i am not going to dismiss the points as humorous. i find them mostly upsetting.. as i expected much better of them!

[Praetor]

it's still a big problem the lack of high profile apps in the store and some of the ones that exist aren't official.

[theyarecomingforyou]

this guy is so un-objective that  is quite humorous.

If you have a specific issue with the review then please share it but broad, unsubstantiated statements like yours contribute nothing to the discussion.

 

I like Linus, as he calls it how he sees it. This review pretty much sums up the problems with Windows Phone right now, which is that Android and iOS devices just do everything better. I didn't realise that Windows Phone doesn't support third-party keyboards, which is annoying as I love Swype - I've tried other keyboards but their swiping and predictions just aren't as good.

[Dot Matrix]

There's no youtube app on windows phone?

Yes, there are. But since Google is being a bully, the official app might as well not even exist.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Yes, there are. But since Google is being a bully, the official app might as well not even exist.

I haven't been keeping up with all the details. What exactly has Google done to make YouTube bad on Windows Phone or to act as a 'bully'? I see the app has terrible user reviews on the Windows Store.

[siah1214]

Apparently I'm no one.

I would fall into the enthusiast category, however, I love my Lumia 928.  I've used Android on tablets, iOS on tablets and iPod touches, and webOS, and of those, Windows phone will always be my favorite. It's always been the least frustrating, most enjoyable, "Just works" experience. My iPod usually "just worked" (other than some build quality issues that are neither here nor there for this discussion), however, I hate the way the homescreen works, it's just way too limiting.  My 928's homescreen is full of folders of tiles of stuff I care about, the app drawer is vastly superior to Android's (seriously, an icon grid is the WORST layout imaginable, the list is infinitely more functional and easy to use), the UI is beautiful (and yes, most mobile OSs are beautiful these days but Windows Phone's has been the most coherent for me), and it works great with MS services that I'm invested in. 

 

 

Who's it for? It's for someone that wants a "just works" experience that also wants more flexibility than iOS and doesn't care about stuff like loading ROMs onto Android phones. It's for people that want a fast, beautiful OS that runs on the lowest and highest end hardware.  Most of the apps people care about are actually there, either first party or third party alternative (which are usually fantastic and sometimes even better than the official apps on other platforms), the average person probably doesn't care about pebble or niche apps like that. 

I love the tiles, and if you hate them, you can turn them into icons with a few taps, and you can have the nice hideous grid you've always dreamed for. 

 

Btw as far as google integration goes, if you're completely married to Gmail, Gdocs, gcalendar, etc. then maybe it's not the phone for you. I used to be but switched over after I got my first Windows Phone (an HTC trophy back when Nodo was cool)

And I don't miss anything from it.

 

Anyway, this is all opinion, which is all that Linus has to offer as well. Everyone's needs are different, one size does not fit all, and neither Android nor iOS fit me. WP8.1 is the best alternative. 

I haven't been keeping up with all the details. What exactly has Google done to make YouTube bad on Windows Phone or to act as a 'bully'? I see the app has terrible user reviews on the Windows Store.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/24/microsoft_pulls_youtube_winphone_app/

 

TL:DR Microsoft made a gorgeous youtube app for WP8.  Google issued a takedown notice, Microsoft made changes that they asked for and republished, Google proceeds to make up ###### and issue another takedown notice, Microsoft caves and reverts to the terrible previous app.  Google are ######.

[sanctified Veteran]

Serious question, due my ignorance. Why MS relies on companies to make apps like youtube? As far as I know HTML5 is mature and responsive enough to act like an app inside a wrapper. Surely any modern mobile OS can take advantage of that, right? I think that's what Firefox OS is trying to do. In that way, the web is your appstore.

[adrynalyne]

If you have a specific issue with the review then please share it but broad, unsubstantiated statements like yours contribute nothing to the discussion.

 

I like Linus, as he calls it how he sees it. This review pretty much sums up the problems with Windows Phone right now, which is that Android and iOS devices just do everything better. I didn't realise that Windows Phone doesn't support third-party keyboards, which is annoying as I love Swype - I've tried other keyboards but their swiping and predictions just aren't as good.

Therein lies the problem.  He calls it as HE sees it, not everyone else.

 

I rather see an unbiased review, not some twit telling everyone who a phone is for(or in this case not for).

Serious question, due my ignorance. Why MS relies on companies to make apps like youtube? As far as I know HTML5 is mature and responsive enough to act like an app inside a wrapper. Surely any modern mobile OS can take advantage of that, right? I think that's what Firefox OS is trying to do. In that way, the web is your appstore.

Google is being an ass and has killed off Microsoft's attempts with takedown requests.  I think there were at least two attempts by MS, if memory serves.

[sanctified Veteran]

Google is being an ass and has killed off Microsoft's attempts with takedown requests.

 

How so? HTML5 is public. An html5 version of youtube in an app is no different from opening youtube.com inside Mobile Internet Explorer? That sounds quite unreasonable from Google's part.

[adrynalyne]

How so? HTML5 is public. An html5 version of youtube in an app is no different from opening youtube.com inside Mobile Internet Explorer? That sounds quite unreasonable from Google's part.

HTML5 is, the API is not, at least not in the way HTML5 is.

 

Google has also shut down webview versions too, I think.

 

Which, webview versions blow anyway.

[sanctified Veteran]

HTML5 is, the API is not, at least not in the way HTML5 is.

 

I see. That's crazy. Unbelievable how the three big companies sometimes seem more interested in tripping each other than to offer us better solutions.

[eddman]

"It's a phone for NO ONE"

 

Yes, well done. Very objective. /s

 

How is the lack of some apps an OS' fault? Sure, WP would be a no go for those who want a specific app that is missing, but not all people are the same.

Google apps? Ask google why they are missing.

 

He dislikes the keyboard yet there are reviews where they actually like it. Subjective.

IINM, text prediction learns over time and gets much faster.

He says he mistyped letters. Well, no surprise there. He's not used to it.

Auto correct, auto fill, etc. take space? How else can they be shown then?

Says the keyboard takes too much space, but it's about half the page, pretty much the same as android. Then he says there's the new swype style keyboard but he dismisses it because... he doesn't use it and doesn't care. Subjective much?

 

He picks on the UI. Again, very subjective. Some like how it looks, some don't.

 

Not being able to back out of an email, initiated from the notification center, into the inbox; this is a good criticism. A design oversight, I suppose.

Lack of T9 dialing; this is also a good point, but he acts like it's the be-all when it comes to dialing and that its absence somehow breaks the whole thing. There are other ways, like pinning contacts to the home page and there is a speed dial page too. Stock android didn't have it either, until kitkat 4.4.

 

He was corrected on saying it lacked folder support; just shows he doesn't even properly investigate what he's reviewing.

 

The most popular, and perhaps, the best third party youtube app, metrotube, is free. Yes, it says $0.99, but actually in the description it says *Unlimited & unrestricted free trial!*. He didn't care to read that either.

 

He says battery life is good and even lasted two days, but then says it probably lasted that much because he DIDN'T ACTUALLY USE IT THAT MUCH. Was he even using this thing during the review period?

 

As for draft emails not showing; Could it be a sync protocol limitation? For example, outlook.com drafts don't show because EAS protocol lacks draft syncing. The same thing happens in office 2013 too. Very stupid limitation. Don't know about gmail though.

 

It seems that he just does not like WP and actively looks for flaws to nitpick upon.

 

I'm surprised he didn't mention the settings page, which is a bit unorganized, or that it's not possible to dismiss notification individually. You can either clear all or clear a group of them.

 

The video should be titled "Why I still dislike WP".

[Dot Matrix]

Unbelievable how the three big companies sometimes seem more interested in tripping each other than to offer us better solutions.

Indeed.

[siah1214]

Oh yes, on the topic of dialing: Either set up speed dial, pin the contacts to your start screen, or just tell Cortana to call that person. Seriously, learn the phone you're reviewing.

[sanctified Veteran]

I understand the learning curve. But that something the reviewers should help us with, not surrender to it like the rest of us. I admit I don't like Windows Phone much, but it's an amazing OS. The phone my mother learned to use the quickest is her trusty Lumia 520.

[adrynalyne]

I see. That's crazy. Unbelievable how the three big companies sometimes seem more interested in tripping each other than to offer us better solutions.

Yeah, its a bunch of petty crap.

[Stoffel]

I see. That's crazy. Unbelievable how the three big companies sometimes seem more interested in tripping each other than to offer us better solutions.

 

For once we can't blame MS for this one, they have all their main apps available on all 3 platforms.

Often the rivaling platforms get new features before the Windows platform

[tsupersonic]

I think his review is pretty spot on, and it is nice to see good hardware on WP. I'd love to see MS overcome challenges and be a true competitor to iOS & Android. 

[Draconian Guppy]

Yes, there are. But since Google is being a bully, the official app might as well not even exist.

So no "official" app then?

[DrainTheSw4mp]

Just so you know, you can play Youtube videos flawlessly using Internet Explorer, don't see the need for an app. Also, WP8.1 brought an excellent built in swype-like keyboard.

[notchinese]

There's no youtube app on windows phone?

 

 

There are multiple free youtube apps that are amazing. I use myTube, which IMO is the best 2nd Youtube app available on any platform (Hyper for Youtube on Windows 8 is the best IMO)