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which phone?

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Tuxman:
Windows Phone is ok, it just has a horrible lack of third-party apps.

Dirhael:
I own/have owned several Windows Phones (920, 930, 1520), and overall I really, really like the OS and hardware. The problem is as mentioned a lack of apps and reduced/missing features in apps compared to other platforms. You'll also miss out on several features (such as Cortana) if you're living in the "wrong" country. Due to this I'm currently using a combo of the iPhone 6+ and the HTC One m8 (flashed to a Google Edition, now on Android 5.0) as my daily drivers, but the instant WP starts getting treated as a first-class citizen I'm switching back.

iOS has the apps, but the OS itself doesn't really do it for me. Android has almost the same selection of apps (and some that isn't on iOS), and you can customize pretty much everything. I like that, but the OS doesn't feel as "smooth" as WP, and the camera no matter what Android phone I've used leaves something to be desired.

Edit: I should probably add that despite the lack of apps, WP has some gems in the store. Tweetium is probably my favorite Twitter client on any mobile platform, Nextgen Reader is a great rss reader, Poki is a lovely Pocket client, Readit is a beautiful reddit client, Nokia's Here suite of apps are amazing (offline navigation and maps, for "free"!) and the same can mostly be said for many of Microsoft's previously Bing-prefixed apps, and the Lumia camera app is a joy to use when you want to do more advanced shots.

Innuendo:
re the G3, I'd be interested in some sensible feedback on battery life (I very much like the look of this handset).  Most reviewers seem to think that 1 day is acceptable (personally I think that's pathetic, but what do I know) .  FWIW I generally wind everything back as far as I can to stretch the battery as far as possible
-Target (December 11, 2014, 09:25 PM)
--- End quote ---

Re: The G3 screen...you could probably take a look at the G3 forums over on XDA Developers. They take their phones seriously & if anyone has done in-depth testing on the affect the screen has on battery life, it would be them.

Re: Acceptable battery life....the days of 5-7 day battery life for phone is long past. We simply use our phones differently than we did when flip-phones ruled the world. We want a big, beautiful screen and a fast GPU to keep the graphics smooth along with a fast CPU that won't make our apps lag. We call these wonderful devices smartphones, but let's be honest. These things are computers that can fit in our pockets that just happen to be able to make phone calls. Another aspect is the time people spend on their phones. People just don't take them out, glance at them, and stick them back in their pockets. They spend lengthy amounts of time with them in one go.

I cannot speak to other platforms, but Android has many apps available that will help tame your phone's battery consumption and a few that will let you rule with an iron fist if you are willing to root your handset. Even something simple such as being mindful of your screen's brightness setting can add hours to battery life.

Clive:
If you're used to the "old" Windows phones i.e. anything up to 6.5 then you might be disappointed by the way MS has removed much of the functionality you'd be used to. I'm referring here to capabilities such as syncing to your PC (in particular email, calendar, contacts). These functions have gradually been removed since iteration 7. If you use a phone as a phone and a PIM (rather than an entertainment device) then I'd say go for Android. I have a Lumia 520 and for a lower price range phone it's acceptable and does what it sets out to do OK, but after using earlier Windows phones I'm very disappointed with this one. Also the apps no longer seem to be of the quality which was available for the older OS. The other thing which annoys me about all the major stores is the way you can't really do refined searches and 99% of free apps come with ads or limitations which the vendors don't reveal until after you've installed the app.

superboyac:
If you're used to the "old" Windows phones i.e. anything up to 6.5 then you might be disappointed by the way MS has removed much of the functionality you'd be used to. I'm referring here to capabilities such as syncing to your PC (in particular email, calendar, contacts). These functions have gradually been removed since iteration 7. If you use a phone as a phone and a PIM (rather than an entertainment device) then I'd say go for Android. I have a Lumia 520 and for a lower price range phone it's acceptable and does what it sets out to do OK, but after using earlier Windows phones I'm very disappointed with this one. Also the apps no longer seem to be of the quality which was available for the older OS. The other thing which annoys me about all the major stores is the way you can't really do refined searches and 99% of free apps come with ads or limitations which the vendors don't reveal until after you've installed the app.
-Clive (December 16, 2014, 10:59 PM)
--- End quote ---
This is all so very true.  Well said.

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