[Q] Nexus 5 owner thinking of upgrading to the Lumia 1520

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lsquare

Senior Member
Aug 30, 2010
219
2
I have been thinking about buying the Lumia 1520 since it was launched. Unfortunately the AT&T carrier branding and the removal of qi wireless charging put me off. I have been using iOS for a long time. My last 3 phones is the iPhone 5, Nexus 4, and now the Nexus 5. Every platform have its pros and cons. Windows Phone have always had my attention because I'm a Windows user and I use a lot of Microsoft's services like Hotmail. Obviously Microsoft is going to do a much better job integrating their own services with their own operating systems (Windows or Windows Phone).

Now that I can buy a Lumia 1520 with no carrier branding, qi wireless charging, and US LTE bands, I've been thinking about Windows Phone again. I like how the Lumia 1520 have expandable storage. That's perfect for that long road trip or when I'm on the plane and want to watch movies or listen to music. In terms of multi-tasking, is Windows Phone more similar to iOS or Android? Most of the core apps that I need or want is available for Windows Phone, which is great.

If I do upgrade from the Nexus 5 to the Lumia 1520, just what else will I be getting that I can't get on Android besides what I have mentioned already? I do love that Here Maps can be downloaded so I can use it offline. That's a pretty big advantage over Google Maps considering how inflexible its offline mode is. As stated before, tight integration between Microsoft services and Windows Phone is a major plus. What about Internet Explorer for Windows Phone? Is it as powerful as Chrome (tab and history synchronization between desktop and mobile)?

In terms of travel apps, what are your must have applications for Windows Phone? I know the selection will not be as extensive as on either iOS or Android.

Thanks!
 

GoodDayToDie

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 20, 2011
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Seattle
WP8 multitasking basically works like on iOS, where apps can schedule specific tasks to periodically run in the background but, except for a few specific special cases like media streaming and GPS navigation, cannot just continuously run in the background and eat the battery.

If you were coming from any non-Nexus Android phone, I'd say that the ability to get updates right from MS (option to bypass the OEMs and carriers) was a huge advantage, as is it's not such a big deal. Mobile malware is currently a non-issue on WP, and the store is curated like it is on iOS (this is both a good and a bad thing).

Xbox Music Pass (formerly Zune Pass) is a great deal if you like music and want to be able to download it for later use when streaming isn't available (road trips, etc.). Downloaded (but not purchased) songs are good for a month and their license renews automatically as long as you have your subscription.

Office is built in, and includes things like SharePoint integration. On 8.1 in particular, the WP mail client got some cool features like support for S/MIME (secure email). Also, Live Tiles are legitimately useful things.

WP8.1 has browser synch with the desktop. I don't know how well it compares to mobile Chrome specifically, though. WP8.0 doesn't have this synch, and has a silly 6-tab limit in the browser; if you do a lot of mobile browsing you'll want the upgrade for sure.
 

lsquare

Senior Member
Aug 30, 2010
219
2
WP8 multitasking basically works like on iOS, where apps can schedule specific tasks to periodically run in the background but, except for a few specific special cases like media streaming and GPS navigation, cannot just continuously run in the background and eat the battery.

If you were coming from any non-Nexus Android phone, I'd say that the ability to get updates right from MS (option to bypass the OEMs and carriers) was a huge advantage, as is it's not such a big deal. Mobile malware is currently a non-issue on WP, and the store is curated like it is on iOS (this is both a good and a bad thing).

Xbox Music Pass (formerly Zune Pass) is a great deal if you like music and want to be able to download it for later use when streaming isn't available (road trips, etc.). Downloaded (but not purchased) songs are good for a month and their license renews automatically as long as you have your subscription.

Office is built in, and includes things like SharePoint integration. On 8.1 in particular, the WP mail client got some cool features like support for S/MIME (secure email). Also, Live Tiles are legitimately useful things.

WP8.1 has browser synch with the desktop. I don't know how well it compares to mobile Chrome specifically, though. WP8.0 doesn't have this synch, and has a silly 6-tab limit in the browser; if you do a lot of mobile browsing you'll want the upgrade for sure.

Does WP 8.1 have the same 6 tab limitation?

In terms of apps, what are the unique apps for Windows Phone that could possibly entice new users to the platform?

I really do love the Metro interface and that in itself is a draw to Windows Phone.
 

GoodDayToDie

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 20, 2011
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2,933
Seattle
No, that limitation is gone in 8.1.
Xbox Live games are pretty cool if you're into that. They are only rarely free, but they often go on sale. As for other exclusives... I don't actually have a good answer there, because I don't know what Android has either. Somebody else may have a better answer for that part, but to me, the apps are not why I would get WP.
 

lsquare

Senior Member
Aug 30, 2010
219
2
No, that limitation is gone in 8.1.
Xbox Live games are pretty cool if you're into that. They are only rarely free, but they often go on sale. As for other exclusives... I don't actually have a good answer there, because I don't know what Android has either. Somebody else may have a better answer for that part, but to me, the apps are not why I would get WP.

Then what was your reason for going with WP?
 

GoodDayToDie

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 20, 2011
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Personally? I wanted to hack on it. Everybody hacks on Android and iOS; WP was mostly untouched. It was a new challenge, and an interesting one.

More generally applicable reasons? The live tiles concept is really slick. The balance between the extreme lockdown of iOS and the Wild West of Android is appealing, although I wanted more control than I had by default (hence the hacking). The built-in Office support is great. The "hubs" concept is quite clever; it wasn't very extensible until 8.1 but it worked well for people who used the supported tools (Messenger and later Skype, Facebook and later some other social networks, etc.). I basically never actually sign into Facebook anymore, but I can see stuff that people post on it using the People hub if I want to. The battery life compares well to Android without even needing nearly as powerful of hardware for the same UI smoothness.
 

MameTozhio

Senior Member
Apr 27, 2013
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One thing to add on...

Nexus devices have a history of only being supported for 18 months.

Windows Phone 8 devices are supported for at least 36 months, if I've read right.
 

VSparxx

Senior Member
Oct 23, 2011
154
38
Well, there are also a lot of small (but important) things that make WP and Nokia Lumia 1520 a unique device, like super sensitive touch, rich recording(great recording sound in any environment), double tap screen to wake(it seems a non important

---------- Post added at 09:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 AM ----------

Feature, but once you get used to it, you'll be very unhappy without it), this is available if we're talking about Nokia specific features.

Oh, and I forgot to mention great camera and a ton of useful lenses(a WP only feature ).

Also if you're a parent you'll love kids corner, a truly great way of keeping your kids away from important stuff or restricted content.

---------- Post added at 09:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:16 AM ----------

Driving mode(I think is also a WP only feature) is also very handy if you're often on the road.