OT: Windows Phone 8

[RS9999X]

Apple iPhone 5th Anniversary is June 29th.

Sat throught the WIndows 8 Phone presentation and was really impressed. Maps and Skype integration was great. Encryption, side loading apps for corporations, etc)'

The specs on these new devices like the Samsung Galaxy SIII (2GB Ram/32GB storage plus 32GB on card, 8MP cameras, etc) are of NetBook quality or better.

I think it's a new era. Apple dominated smart phones but these mobile computers are going to play into Microsoft's strengths.

Anyone going for the Samsung Galaxy SIII? I'm waiting for the Windows version not the Android. The Android is shipping this week.

 

[ktuck911]

My verizon upgrade comes up later this year... I'm seriously considering the Samsung Galaxy SIII...Love the storage and 2GB Ram features, along with HD quality video and pic... That alone sold me over the Iphone...

What's the big difference b/w a Windows version of the phone and the current Android version?

 

[Walker11]

Was the Windows 8 phone presentation any better than the Windows Surface presentation?

 

[Fishy]

I have a Windows phone, but basically stopped using it - the app situation is a little more grim than they like to admit and I think they just crushed the life out of their current phones by essentially admitting that they are all EOL'd even as they sit in the retail channel. The tiles are fine, but rather limiting and I didn't like having to scroll down endlessly to get to something - I like W8's use of the home screen much better. Not going to buy one, though.

If I were looking for a new Android phone these days, I would likely hang out until the next Nexus is released. The upgrade path for Samsung phones is a disaster and there simply isn't a company on the planet with less regard for their customers than Samsung. (I currently have a Galaxy Note and a 4S. Bought the Note after not being completely enamored with the Nexus.)

Semi-related....

Every manufacturer 'breathes' on their versions of Android. HTC has Sense (not bad), Samsung has TouchWiz (quite bad), and Motorola has MotoBlur (horrific). Stock Android, even ICS, is kind of eye-duck*ingly awful in a lot of ways as well.

I've been using CM9 on my Note and it is really rather nice. It's either fairly easy or fairly difficult to get it running, depending on the device, but even as a work in progress, it's stable and you can tweak just about everything and anything on the phone.

 

[babysheep]

It's insane how these companies put out multiple phones a year and people continue t buy them just to have the newest phone.

 

[Fishy]

If you're a heavy phone user, you almost have to upgrade yearly or every other year. The phones are toasted by then.

In our office, we have a box of 18-24 month old phones that are just done for. The iPhones are the only ones that survive a two-year upgrade cycle and those get eBay'd to pay for the upgrade. (I don't think we have ever lost money on an iPhone.)

 

[Drumguy]

I pre ordered the SIII from Verizon. I have a Droid X I really like but the new screen and ice cream sandwich on the Galaxy make it a great upgrade. My son works for Google and he has the Nexus he loves (google version) and loves the specs on the SIII. I'm supposed to get it around the 5th. 4.8" screen, it really is a mini-tablet.

Thought about waiting for the iPhone 5 but we're switching to Google Apps at my office and the Android integration is well worth staying on the Droid side.

Just a side comment on windows phones and Windows 8. They are playing catchup on the mobile side, hard to believe they will become a big player. Most corporations I see are already switching from RIM to the iPhone or droids - there's not really an opening for microsoft at this point to exploit.

 

[Drumguy]

I have a Windows phone, but basically stopped using it - the app situation is a little more grim than they like to admit and I think they just crushed the life out of their current phones by essentially admitting that they are all EOL'd even as they sit in the retail channel. The tiles are fine, but rather limiting and I didn't like having to scroll down endlessly to get to something - I like W8's use of the home screen much better. Not going to buy one, though.

If I were looking for a new Android phone these days, I would likely hang out until the next Nexus is released. The upgrade path for Samsung phones is a disaster and there simply isn't a company on the planet with less regard for their customers than Samsung. (I currently have a Galaxy Note and a 4S. Bought the Note after not being completely enamored with the Nexus.)

Semi-related....

Every manufacturer 'breathes' on their versions of Android. HTC has Sense (not bad), Samsung has TouchWiz (quite bad), and Motorola has MotoBlur (horrific). Stock Android, even ICS, is kind of eye-duck*ingly awful in a lot of ways as well.

I've been using CM9 on my Note and it is really rather nice. It's either fairly easy or fairly difficult to get it running, depending on the device, but even as a work in progress, it's stable and you can tweak just about everything and anything on the phone.

If I could wait 6 months I'd probably wait for the Nexus as it has less "Samsung" in the android system but I'm upgrading now - looking at the Nexus vs. the SIII one main difference (correct me if I'm wrong) is I think the SIII has gorilla glass. My son's screen on his Nexus is scratched (no gorilla glass).

 

[RayRay19]

NEVER buying a samsung phone again...hate them...

 

[RS9999X]

Just a side comment on windows phones and Windows 8. They are playing catchup on the mobile side, hard to believe they will become a big player. Most corporations I see are already switching from RIM to the iPhone or droids - there's not really an opening for microsoft at this point to exploit.

Whenever I read most corporations I scratch my head. Most the corps I know have legacy line of business apps they want to port to tablets and/or phones. The power users in accounting and finance that sling Excel Pivot and Analaysis services all day long would riot if 'Unprofessional' Google docs was given as the substitute. To save $100 a year on guys that earn$ 140K a year getting paid to juggle numbers and financials? Even corporate America isn't that dumb.

Then there's the Word Freaks who still format everything for PDF in a very professional manner and have libraries of Word formatted templates for reports, financials, invoices, letters, legalese, FAQs, disclaimers, etc..

Not to mention the legacy Access databases which are everywhere they shouldn't be. Hundreds of them. They continue to breed like roaches. Stamp one out a new nest forms. Then there's the acquisition issues of a company with MS products. Never saw a merger with a 'Google' company.


Must be a differebt industry. The ones I work in are happy to get professional mobile gear that IT can configure, sync and encrypt. App stores don't work for them.

 

[Fishy]

If I could wait 6 months I'd probably wait for the Nexus as it has less "Samsung" in the android system but I'm upgrading now - looking at the Nexus vs. the SIII one main difference (correct me if I'm wrong) is I think the SIII has gorilla glass. My son's screen on his Nexus is scratched (no gorilla glass).

The last Nexus did not have Gorilla Glass - I don't know if the next version will. Not sure it matters or not - you can scratch anything if you're careless enough.

I think W8 phones and tablets will do very well in the enterprise. IT will love them.

 

[B1GEast]

The problem with Android vs iPhones is that the droid software is not built for a specific hardware handset, where as the iphone's software is tailored to its hardware. Until Google purchase of mootorola's handset unit is complete, this will not change, although Google has akready indicated that going forward only 5 or so handset and tablet makers will use their droid software.

The jury is still out on windows based phones and tablets, microft should have purchased RIM.

 

[RS9999X]

The problem with Android vs iPhones is that the droid software is not built for a specific hardware handset, where as the iphone's software is tailored to its hardware..

We are repeating history and I think you are wrong. This was the mantra among Apple Corps circa 1994.

Then Windows 95 and NT hit. Three things happened in the Windows World.

• Faster hardware overcame finely tuned hardware.
• Value Pricing.
• Developer Friendly Tools meaning more software

This is where we are at in phones and tablets today. A couple years away from becoming a pure commodity play. It's 1990 and Windows 3.0. is being released. 4 years later it was all night waits for Win 95 and panic at Apple corps.

The jury is still out on windows based phones and tablets, microft should have purchased RIM..

Possibly two years ago. Microsoft has been lucky to avoid some really bad purchases.

Cramer was calling for MS to buy NetFlix at $300

Yahoo, Rim, AOL, Blockbuster, Adobe, Global Crossing, GEO works, Borland, Corel, Barnes and Noble, etc. The only two companies they should look at domestically Comcast and Cisco (to get the xBox cablebox in every home in America).

 

[Drumguy]

The problem with Android vs iPhones is that the droid software is not built for a specific hardware handset, where as the iphone's software is tailored to its hardware. Until Google purchase of mootorola's handset unit is complete, this will not change, although Google has akready indicated that going forward only 5 or so handset and tablet makers will use their droid software.

The jury is still out on windows based phones and tablets, microft should have purchased RIM.

Um no, it's not the problem with android, it's the strength. And no it won't change even with Google acquiring Motorola, which was predominently for its patents.

 

[ktuck911]

Um no, it's not the problem with android, it's the strength. And no it won't change even with Google acquiring Motorola, which was predominently for its patents.

Amen bro... why would anyone want to be tied to one entity. Apple is pretty much apple based.. Can really use any other products with it...

 

[Kitaman]

Reply I'm up for renewal and am really thinking of getting a windows 8 phone. And later this year picking up the Surface tablet. I love android but I am really considering one platform among all my devices.

I-Pod Killer?

 

[B1GEast]

Um no, it's not the problem with android, it's the strength. And no it won't change even with Google acquiring Motorola, which was predominently for its patents.

That doesn't make any sense, if that was the case then why is Google limiting brands from differentiating the hardware? If you are telling me that android is stronger because the software is not designed to work with specific hardware, then you don't know what you are talking about.

Put the ipad againts any droid based tablet and there will be no comparison, none.

Google aquired Motorola to go head to head with Apple.

 

[RS9999X]

Google aquired Motorola to go head to head with Apple.

Google acquired Motorolla because Goggle has lots of cash, Motorola has lots of patents. and Goggle didn't want to market Chromebooks and Chrome Tablet as Google or EMagic.

 

[RS9999X]

Say you have $1300 to spend.

Option A) Buy a Win8 ultrabook for $699, Buy a Win8 Surface ARM tablet for $399.00 and a Lumia 1000 phone (or GalaxyS III running Win 8) for $199?

or

Buy a Mac Book Air and iPhone 5s?

or

Buy a Kindle Fire, a ChromeBook, and a Galaxy. Throw in a Tivo.

 

[B1GEast]

Google acquired Motorolla because Goggle has lots of cash, Motorola has lots of patents. and Goggle didn't want to market Chromebooks and Chrome Tablet as Google or EMagic.

??? Google needed purchased Motorola because of the fragmentation of the android software, and also for the ability to create products from the ground up that would integate the hardware and software.

 

[Fishy]

Swings and misses - Google bought Motorola because Moto was about to turn their patents on other Android OEMs. Google needed a hardware company like they needed a hole in their heads - they bought a dead fish there.

Android's 'fragmentation' is ultimately a problem for the person who buys the handset - it's not a problem for Google or the carrier who, quite frankly, do not really need to give a s*** whether you're on 2.2, 2.3 or 4.0. Google doesn't sell more or less ads if you're not on the latest OS version and Verizon is perfectly happy to let you upgrade to the latest OS by buying another handset and locking in for two more years.

That fragmentation is also something of a strength. If you want to buy an Android phone with a 3.5" screen, you can. You want to buy one with a 5.3" screen, you can. Anything in between, you can. Want a cheap phone? Plenty of them. Lots of choices.

To correct the guy who said that Google is restricting Android to just a few manufacturers...it's not true. They can't - they've open-sourced it to some degree. (Although you need to play by certain rules to be allowed access to the app store and their Google services.) It also doesn't make sense for Google to limit manufacturers - Google doesn't make money on anything past selling ads. They'll never make money on hardware, their app store will never make money...they make their money on selling ads. The more people making their phones, the more ads they sell.

Their nightmare comes when Samsung forks Android Amazon-style or adopts their own OS and goes off on their own. Apple is already pushing Google off their handsets and with Samsung starting down that path, Google might be up the creek.

 

[Fishy]

Say you have $1300 to spend.

Option A) Buy a Win8 ultrabook for $699, Buy a Win8 Surface ARM tablet for $399.00 and a Lumia 1000 phone (or GalaxyS III running Win 8) for $199?
or
Buy a Mac Book Air and iPhone 5s?
or
Buy a Kindle Fire, a ChromeBook, and a Galaxy. Throw in a Tivo.

Interesting.

Option C is a throwout - basically, it's a nice phone and two doorstops.

Gun to my head, I would probably go with an 11" Air and the iPhone if for no other reason than 2/3rds of the Windows options are nothing more than Vaporware right now and I don't think $399 is going to happen....throw $150 on top of that and I would guess that is more in the ballpark.

But if they did make it happen, it's a pretty compelling package. (Step one, however, is to go to TechNet, download a Windows 7 ISO and downgrade the ultra book's OS....have been using the Windows 8 beta and now consumer preview and just don't think it makes much sense.)

 

[MilliniumPrince]

NEVER buying a samsung phone again...hate them...

Agreed. I would refuse a Samsung phone if it was offered free of charge. Love their televisions, but their phones stink.

 

[B1GEast]

I don't know how you can say Fragmentation is good for Google, it slows down the upgrade process due to all of the tweaks that other manufactors create, that's good for carriers like Verizon, but not for the users that buy these crappy devices and then switch to iphones.

As far as Samsung forking the open source android operating system, other Google services are proprietary and any manufacturer looking to fork Android for their devices must load an independent content library onto the device. Samsung is not cabable at doing this at the moment.

Google could also just buy Samsung, it probably can.

 

[Fishy]

Fragmentation hurts the customer in terms of their ability to upgrade to the latest OS - then again, I would guess a majority of the people who buy Android phones do so because they're the cheapest smartphone in the store and upgrades mean nothing to them. Fragmentation doesn't hurt Google, (an ad is an ad is an ad), doesn't hurt the carrier and is at best an annoyance to the OEM.

As surely as Amazon did with the Fire, Samsung will be shutting Google out of their phones over time - whether they fork Android or whether they use their own open source project is up in the air, but it will happen. These cats just don't need Google - the skins that the OEMs is less about differentiation and more about putting their flag in the ground in terms of controlling eyeballs and ad impressions.