How bad is Windows Phone 8?

[J i m s t e r]

Been using a Nokia 920 for a month and previously a HTC One X+ for six months. I do a techie job for a living and my pre-reqs for a phone are that it has a fast browser and takes good pics.

Android has more apps, the Nokia is better made and takes better pics. I find WP8 to be a lot simpler in terms of where things are, there is not as much to bury, and it can't be buried as deep. I would say both are good phones and I've had no real complaints about either, other than battery life could be longer, on both.

I feel W8 is good on touch screen devices and a chore to tolerate on desktops and laptops. I can see where MS are going though, because folks aren't going to give up tablets and wifi any time soon and I reckon after a month of having to use W8 at work, folks will tire of complaining.

Only thing I miss on WP8 is Instagram and that's coming.

 

[Skeelsie]

It's a good simple to use phone os.

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Android has more apps, the Nokia is better made and takes better pics.

I agree that the camera on the One X+ isn't the greatest (at least for indoor use), but could you please explain how a budget Nokia is "better made" than HTC's former flagship?
HTC is best known because of the quality materials and the excellent fit and finish. After 8 months of normal use there's still no sign of wear on the back and not a scratch on the screen of my own One X+, and I don't even use a protector or cover.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I don't go for protection either, it feels more natural without it.

Looking for a new phone myself, hoping to find something very rugged.

Ideally totally waterproof.

Unlikely to be very smart in that case.

 

[Barneyballbags]

Android has more apps, the Nokia is better made and takes better pics.

I agree that the camera on the One X+ isn't the greatest (at least for indoor use), but could you please explain how a budget Nokia is "better made" than HTC's former flagship?
HTC is best known because of the quality materials and the excellent fit and finish. After 8 months of normal use there's still no sign of wear on the back and not a scratch on the screen of my own One X+, and I don't even use a protector or cover.

I had a One X+ and the only thing I scratched slightly was the camera lens because HTC took the stupid decision of making it stand proud of the back (so the phone rests on it when it's on a table etc.).. I realise that this was down to the fact that the OX+ is fantastically slim, but I don't think it was the cleverest thing they did. That and the fact that the camera lens wasn't made of toughened glass, so scratched very easily. Funnily enough, I never managed to scratch the glass lenses on my iPhones/HTC 8X and I haven't managed to do so on my HTC One yet either.

Anyway, rant over. Sorry

WP8 is a fantasic OS. I prefer it to iOS as it looks so much fresher (iOS now looks so dated it's unreal). However, for me, Android stands out that little bit more and when I'm using an Android phone I feel like I've at least got an OS which is cutting edge, rather than something which is essentially 6 years old and facelifted a la Apple.

 

[MikeD]

Looking for a new phone myself, hoping to find something very rugged.

Ideally totally waterproof.

Unlikely to be very smart in that case.

Sony Xperia ZR? http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/13/sony ... aterproof/

 

[J i m s t e r]

Android has more apps, the Nokia is better made and takes better pics.

I agree that the camera on the One X+ isn't the greatest (at least for indoor use), but could you please explain how a budget Nokia is "better made" than HTC's former flagship?
HTC is best known because of the quality materials and the excellent fit and finish. After 8 months of normal use there's still no sign of wear on the back and not a scratch on the screen of my own One X+, and I don't even use a protector or cover.

Budget Nokia? IIRC, the 920 is the most expensive phone they do (that 909? with the 98trillion pixel camera might be more, but I can live without it).

And by better made, I mean it doesn't use the camera lens as a resting point. I used my HTC in a Otterbox case for the duration because of this feature. I am not insinuating the HTC is poorly-made.

 

[J i m s t e r]

BTW, I got this pic of a red mite on a barbecue cover on the Nokia:

The full-size here:
http://www.fotothing.com/photos/32b/32b ... 46_d9a.jpg

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Budget Nokia? IIRC, the 920 is the most expensive phone they do (that 909? with the 98trillion pixel camera might be more, but I can live without it).

And by better made, I mean it doesn't use the camera lens as a resting point. I used my HTC in a Otterbox case for the duration because of this feature. I am not insinuating the HTC is poorly-made.

Oops, I had the 520 in mind. My bad. All them Nokias look alike to me.

I just put my X+ on my desk and used a flashlight to look at the lens. At the top side there's some space between the lens and desk, indicating that it doesn't actually rest on the glass at all. Scratching the lens is very much possible if you let the phone slide out of your hand with the top end first. However I can't say I have had problems with that, probably because I do indeed put mine down with the bottom end first.

Basically the problem is this : "you're holding it wrong"
:twisted:




With regards to camera quality, I took this (unedited) picture with my One X+, working the phone with one hand whilst riding with the other. Plenty of detail in that rust, and that's even without using the macro setting.
That also reminds me that I really need to start looking for a good local powdercoater and anodizer.

That kind of picture quality is more than good enough for me, especially because I normally remove digital camera noise and resize any photos before posting them on forums anyway.
And before anyone starts ranting about reckless driving and endangering other road users : That's only km/h. If that were MPH I really wouldn't have been messing around with the phone.

It just goes to show that almost any phone CAN take good pics, as long as there's enough light and you know what you're doing.