Is anyone juggling both Android and WP7?

[N8ter]

Kind of surprised at the number of people with dual phones. I have a Surround and an Inspire 4G. Before I upgraded to Gingerbread, the Inspire 4G was just so damned choppy, I couldn't really use it for long before I was ready to throw it. Now, it is my primary phone. My Surround has so-so build quality and much more limited functionality. I certainly wish for turn-by-turn directions via Bing maps. NoDo has made it much more fun to use as a communication tool with C&P, and it's smooth as can be. If my work would get the Exchange server up and running instead of using a third party host, I could see it being my primary phone. Until then, its all Android.

If the Exchange server is set up with Policies then WP7 won't work even if work hosted their own Exchange server. It supports basically no exchange policy outside of Remote Wipe and Password Requirement.

And don't plan on WP7 ever becoming a decent business OS. Microsoft is partnering with and push Blackberry to their clients. They already are giving BES service for free with Office 365 and just announce at Blackberry World that they are pushing Blackberry to corporates in exchange for RIM allowing them to integrate Bing into their OS.

WP7 security and policy support simply doesn't cut it for business use, and there isn't even a Good client to use it with that service.

 

[jwzg]

Right now it's a certificate issue as the certificate is issued to our company, but our website and exchange email are hosted by a third party. Once we have our own servers set up, we should be good to go.

Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

 

[xs2k]

I *had both for over 2 months at the same time. I started with the Focus, picked up an Atrix for 2 months, now back to Focus. I recently sold the Atrix. I was fed up with the browsing on the Atrix. Too slow.

Calender: Yes, google calender will sync on your WP7 just like your Android. It works exactly the same

Gmail: Gmail will also sync fine just like your Android, BUT* when you delete your emails, it goes into the "deleted items" folder instead of trash. On the Android, it'll go to trash. Not really a biggie for me. Everything else syncs just fine.

Notes: You can instantly sync your notes on WP7 using Onenote. On the Android, I was using Evernote. Onenote is a little better in my opinion. Whatever changes you make on your computer, you'll see it on your phone and vice versa.

The only thing I miss from the Android is the Wifi Tethering. Other than that, I don't miss it at all. I don't use my phone for games, so not having 200 fart apps available is ok with me. When Mango comes, I'll definitely enjoy WP7 much more.

Hope this helps.

 

[El Mono]

Have both. Galaxy S w/ Gingerbread(jvb) and a Focus.
Galaxy is great for GPS with Navigon, but for almost everything else I find WP7 just so much nicer. Once WP7 gets something like Navigon and Lexicomp I will be set.
El Mono

 

[fosormic]

I'm in the very same boat as N8ter. Can I copy and paste your whole post? lol

I particularly agree on the statement that from a power user's viewpoint moving from Android to WP7 at this stage would be upsetting to me. But for first time smartphone users, I have already sent two people in that direction.

However, I'm confident the situation (apps and OS) will improve sooner than later. MS is throwing a lot of resources, among them support, free training, tools and even weeklong free in-person coaching for the developers. Indeed I have -very happily- taken the bait, so to speak.

I as well Carry both a Vibrant and an HD7 around and switch between then about every other day. The HD7 is mainly for app research (i.e. get ideas from published apps, etc) and app development, but I refuse to keep it in a drawer the rest of the time.

Have an add-on line with the so-called unlimited data ($5+$25/month) which I moved to the Galaxy Tab and then I use the Tab´s data-only SIM on the phone I'm not actively using.

Used to have great signal with the Vibrant. Think something happened with its radio because the HD7's radio gives me better reliability (and the HD7 radio is not good at all). My Nexus One's radio is worthless as well so people are already advised to call me more than once...lol

I carry both an HD7 and a Vibrant with Active SIMs in them everywhere. I put my Unlimited Data SIM in my HD7 when I got it because of Zune Pass, but I'm about to switch it back to my Vibrant.

Audio Quality on the Vibrant is 200% better than on the HD7. You basically need headsets with the HD7. The Vibrant's sound can fill a decent sized room. Call and Speaker Phone quality ... the comparison is the same. Vibrant is wildly superior. It's like comparing a surround sound system to a pocket radio...

The HD7 is useless as a phone comapred to the Vibrant. The signal is consistently 2 bars lower and call quality is more volatile. I feel like I'm in the middle of New York on an AT&T iPhone 4 when I'm on the HD7. The Vibrant performs flawlessly.

The HD7 is only useful as a PMP IF you have a decent pair of headsets or a BT Jabra device with FM transmitter in your car (like I do).

The terrible speaker and cell radio in this thing is already enough to relegate it to backup status, but there is the issue of Apps and Services integration.

Android has better apps. After heavy use of both phones. The Android versions perform better and are more stable as well. Twitter for WP7 (even Birdsong) and Twitter for Android... the Android version runs circles around it. Same for Facebook. LinkedIn doesn't exist for WP7.

No decent IM Applications. Half-baked MMS. Can't send Videos off the device via MMS or Email.

A phone can be made better (maybe the DVP has better speakers than the HD7, and a better radio with better data speeds and call quality), but the OS is half-baked and puts way too many limitations on what you, or any app can do. This means there is a definite roadblock IRT functionality that anyone can hit on WP7 that isn't possible on some other platforms.

In addition to that, there are a ton of applications that are missing from the market, and those that are coming (that matter) won't be here for another 6 months or so.

If I was "upgrading" from a dumb/feature phone it probably wouldn't be an issue. But coming from WM/Android/WebOS and having used iPhones more than enough... It's unacceptable as a daily driver.

It has all the detriments of an AT&T iPhone in New York (poor reception/call quality/wildly flunctuating signal strength that never goes above 3 bars even standing under a 3G tower) with none of the benefits (High Quality Apps, Services Integration, Top Apps). In addition to that, the Audio Quality makes it hit and miss even as a ZuneHD replacement, and the Codec Support is just not cute compared to something like a Galaxy S device. There is no DLNA capability, either. Battery Life is not better than an iOS/Android device, so that's not an advantage.

Disclaimer: Some of these issues (in particular the reception/call quality problems) may be an issue with the phone and not the OS itself - but T-Mobile only sells one WP7 device in carrier stores so take that for what it's worth. One other person I know has an HD7 and when I asked him how he likes it he responded (I'm quoting him word for work...) "The call quality is ****, but it's okay I guess." So I'm pretty sure it's not due to having a lemon device

 

[N8ter]

I only use Stock ROMs on my devices and I don't mod them, so I'm running KB5 on my Vibrant. Dunno how the Vibrant is getting worse reception than the HD7 for you, but I'm not sure what you're running on it either (ROM, kernel, radio firmware, etc.).

I just know what my HD7 cannot get 5 bars 3G even if I'm standing 10 feet away from a T-Mobile HSPA+ tower in the middle of an HSPA+ market, and I can barely make calls with it from my house because I live in a low-reception area. The Vibrant is flawless.

Especially on a carrier like T-Mobile, it's impossible to travel and have a reliable phone if all you're carrying is an HD7, IMO. Going form here to Houston, I'd have no reliable signal 60+% of the time :< (I know from experience) and would be forced to swap sims so I could use my Vibrant and not have to worry about going over my limit on that 200MB data plan...

 

[strtch]

I have an EVO& HD7....Sprint has my family plan, HD7 on tmous as extra phone. If Sprint can hurry up and get a 4"+ screen wp7, I'll be happy to switch( preferably world phone like my old tp2). TP2 broke in Oct. and wp7 wasn't supposed to show on Sprint til Q2..... Can't stand Android after using the Evo....

Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

 

[N8ter]

They should have called the Evo 4G the Evo 4H, for how long it lasts on the 4G network... Lol.

 

[Xenithflare]

I'm actually using an LG Quantum and an iPhone 4 (or at least, I was until the iPhone got stolen...); I love both devices, as each compliments the other for what I need to do. Email, text, and Office (plus future Flash support)? WP7. Music, weather, Twitter, Craigslist/eBay, pictures? iPhone.

I can't tell you how much I miss the Camera+ app ALONE. It's like, the only real reason I bought the damn thing in the first place XD None of the current apps in the WP7 marketplace are as good, so it's kind of a bummer.

For syncing notes between my devices, I use DropBox. I dunno what I'd do without it, to be honest.

 

[N8ter]

Dropbox is not comparable to OneNote/EverNote/Catch, Lol. It's not a notetaking app and syncing files is not the same as managing notes in a Notetaking app. Completely different experience.

 

[fosormic]

I only use Stock ROMs on my devices and I don't mod them, so I'm running KB5 on my Vibrant. Dunno how the Vibrant is getting worse reception than the HD7 for you, but I'm not sure what you're running on it either (ROM, kernel, radio firmware, etc.). I can barely make calls with it from my house because I live in a low-reception area. The Vibrant is flawless.

Yeah, I think simply my hardware is broken as it used to be flawless as well. I'm 100% stock (except root, hopefully no malware). Don't want to mess around with TMO customer service. They are nice guys and already replaced it like 3 times (plus the HD7 once). I'll just wait for the GS-II. Btw, just put the SIM in my Nexus and aaargh, its data connection is useless grrr.

I live in Houston. Signal is fast, very fast, when you get one. I think I'm gonna switch back to my AT&T Kaiser even if w/o 3G for a few days until my "superphones" come to their senses

They should have called the Evo 4G the Evo 4H, for how long it lasts on the 4G network... Lol.

LOL

 

[fosormic]

|OP|: Can you add a poll?

 

[thesecondsfade]

I came from Android on HD2 when I bought my HD7. I thought I was going to miss some of the features that WP7 was lacking compared to Android but after using HD7 for about a week, I was sold and I haven't had any need or desire to pick up the HD2 again. It's a lot better than Android.

Some of N8ter's complaints are true, but if you just want a pleasant experience without hassling with your phone all day to get it how you want it or from lagging so bad that you can't even answer a phone call, WP7 is definately a great primary device. There's no need to bring around an Android. I have never had any problems with reception and/or sound quality. Call quality is just as good as any other device I have ever used.

Features don't matter when you can't get the device to perform fluidly. There are so many problems with Android, similar to the problems of WinMo that it's a breath of fresh air to have a device that has very few problems and doesn't lag like crazy. I would probably rather carry around a Galaxy Tab or an iPad than to carry around two phone-sized devices. If anything I would carry an iPhone, not an Android. iPhone is better than Android IMO because it generally works better.

 

[N8ter]

You come from an HD2, which is just as bad IRT speakers and call quality as the HD7. The speakers are just mildly better and of course they are on the front of the phone so it makes it a bit easier to hear them. That's more of a placebo effect, though.

But the cell radio seems to be the same as the HD2 and it's consistently 2 bars behind the Vibrant with factorably worse call quality and data speeds. I used to use the HD2 as my secondary device, so I'm pretty familiar with it's weak radio and speakers.

I linked like 6 sources where people were complaining about the ****ty radio and speakers in the HD7 in aonther thread here, and I can probably find 100 more. There are numerous threads on the T-Mobile and HTC forums complaining about it as well.

Lots of people are sticking with manufacturers like Samsung and LG chiefly because of the bad battery life, weak radios, and ****ty sound in the HTC phones - particularly their large touch screen devices which all seem to use the same base design and in many cases the same base components as well (Screen, Speakers, Sound, etc.).

Additionally, the Andorid FUD is getting a bit unbearable. So laggy you can't answer a call? Seriously? The HD2 has reported to outperform native Android devices when running from an SD Card. I find that hard to believe (not because it's never happened to me, but because it sounds odd and unbelievable).

We don't carry two phones because we want to. We carry two phones because we HAVE to. WP7 may work fine for you, but for many of us it's inadequate and simply cannot perform functions we need it to perform. These aren't niche functions, either, so I dunno why you people are trying to make us look like "special case users." We are not.

And even if I did get an iPad or other tablet, I would have a WiFi pad and the WP7 would still become a hamper because you cannot tether on most of them without hacking into your phone (which is imposible if your phone has the NoDo update on it, or it shipped with NoDo like the HTC Arrive). Many of us who use both phones with SIM do it as an Add-On line with a 200 MB data plan on the extra SIM card, which costs about as much as tethering. A data plan for a tablet is 150-200% more expensive than that...

Finally, a Tablet can't make calls, and I'd rather not own the phone than be stuck having to make and recieve calls on the HD7, which barely gets reception here while my Vibrant can make/recieve calls/SMS just fine even without WiFi Calling active.

 

[doministry]

Having used both OS'es I say the WP7 fluidity opposed to Android "problems" and "lags" is just a myth.

 

[fosormic]

Additionally, the Andorid FUD is getting a bit unbearable. So laggy you can't answer a call? Seriously? The HD2 has reported to outperform native Android devices when running from an SD Card. I find that hard to believe (not because it's never happened to me, but because it sounds odd and unbelievable).

We don't carry two phones because we want to. We carry two phones because we HAVE to. WP7 may work fine for you, but for many of us it's inadequate and simply cannot perform functions we need it to perform. These aren't niche functions, either, so I dunno why you people are trying to make us look like "special case users." We are not.

Still, it is a valid answer. The purpose of the thread (I believe) is to find the proportion of just WP7's versus dual and indeed is giving us a lot of info... Some will be quite happy with WP7 alone -HD7 issues aside, let's not concentrate on those as there are more WP7 sets around-.

 

[N8ter]

It's not a valid answer. It's FUD. Not saying the whole post was useless, but that part in particular was a bit lulz-worthy...

The question really should be why are people with WP7 phones still carrying their Android/iOS/whatever device everywhere they go.

Microsoft needs to ask this question, because it would really be useful for them to gauge where the most important functionality holes/disparities lie.

Every feature isn't equally important and I don't expect a feature that only I and a few others find useful to get implemented before features that a majority of users find useful...

But they have failed to reach out to users in any factorable manner and while this is a good thread and it has a good purpose unless Microsoft is reading it and/or soliciting information from it it's simply not going to do much for the platform as a whole - though it will answer the OP's questions (which is the intended purpose of the thread, so nothing wrong there).

From reading the OP, he wants to know the best way to find a middle road where each phone is more in sync than out of sync, and it's impossible to do that right now because in many cases the apps don't exist, and WP7 lacks a decent HTML5 browser.

Example: The SkyDrive website crashes almost every Android browser I've tried to access it with - Maybe Opera Mobile 11 works now, I haven't tried. But before, Firefox, the Stock Browser, Opera Mobile (10), and every browser that is derived from the stock browser crashes. If Mobile Office Solutions like ThinkFree had hooks into SkyDrive, this would be less of an issue...

Google services just aren't a pleasure to use on WP7 outside of Mail/Calendar/Contacts that sync via EAS becuase of the lack of an HTML5 browser and WP7 doesn't have Google's apps on it. Google Reader Mobile Website is a better experience than most of those third party applicaitons, and things like Google Listen just don't transfer over well to WP7 if you're a hardcore Podcaster. Google Books has a ton of Public Domain books that are useful for research purposes and the like, but it doesn't transfer over well without an app or HTML5 browser.

There's no EverNote or Catch.com applicaiton for WP7... Again, no HTML5 browser. Bringing IE9 Mobile ASAP can actually allelviate a lot of the app/services issues, TBQH... and allow users to interop with more services they have as holdovers from using another platform...

Most WP7 IM clients do not support MPOP so it's impossible to use whatever phone you'd like to IM people. It signs you off everywhere else. A client like Trillian for Android doesn't do this, but this app isn't on WP7. Since it lacks an HTML5 browser, it's hard to use web-based IM clients as well. You're forced to try to use them in desktop mode and that just doesn't work well... On the flip side the MMS client is really only half an MMS client.

It's hard to do this (interop Android and WP7). You have to make clear boundaries determining what tasks you will do on what phone and what tasks you will do on another. You have to make concessions. That is why those of us who are double fisting an Android/WP7 phone really DON'T want to do it, and would like to actually drop the Andorid device. If we hated WP7, why would we bother using it AT ALL? The Andorid phone does everything it does, and more. UI differences and preferences are purely subjective and anyone can get used to that after suitable amounts of usage...

It is not a good user experience to carry two smartphones. The reason why so many people want their companies to get rid of Blackberries and allow Android/iOS/etc. devices is precicely because they already have a smartphone and they're simply tired of carrying two everywhere they go.

Post balooned, sorry...!

We should try to get Engadget or TechCrunch or someone to take a poll to see what features people want in the OS and gauge where the most important feature disparities are. Microsoft will likely read that, but I don't think they really care about what any single or few customers say here and there...

 

[ohgood]

fud

ios fud: omg i'm locked in an 'ecosystem' (that was the funniest description of an effing PHONE i've ever seen) and can't escape !

android fud: omg it lags so bad i can't make/ recieve a call (awesome fud, encompasing both the lag fud and the omg-i'm-going-to-die-if-i-don't-see-fluid-colors-motions-this-nano-second!)

wp7 fud: omg they'll NEVER UPDATE THIS PHONE - because M$ will, eventually update it, and add the same features everyone else has. might not be on time, or work for samsung users at all, but they will, someday.

fud is a very nice self-imposed filtering method. when a user claims one of the above omg fud's.... we can assume they really either dont know, or just dont care to try to know. either is great, cause we don't have to read the whole post to know there is some ignorance happening.

sweet. bring the fud !

 

[fishbowlhead]

Im currently using my new optimus7 which i got on an upgrade recently, plus im still using my defy.

Optimus7 does everything i need it for except one thing, turn by turn navigation, for that android cant be beat for free. Though there's no option to even buy by turn by turn navigation software on wp7, why is that?

But i love how god dam buttery smooth everything is on wp7, definitely a breath of fresh air coming from the hero and defy which are both pretty laggy devices.

 

[N8ter]

ios fud: omg i'm locked in an 'ecosystem' (that was the funniest description of an effing PHONE i've ever seen) and can't escape !

android fud: omg it lags so bad i can't make/ recieve a call (awesome fud, encompasing both the lag fud and the omg-i'm-going-to-die-if-i-don't-see-fluid-colors-motions-this-nano-second!)

wp7 fud: omg they'll NEVER UPDATE THIS PHONE - because M$ will, eventually update it, and add the same features everyone else has. might not be on time, or work for samsung users at all, but they will, someday.

fud is a very nice self-imposed filtering method. when a user claims one of the above omg fud's.... we can assume they really either dont know, or just dont care to try to know. either is great, cause we don't have to read the whole post to know there is some ignorance happening.

sweet. bring the fud !

TBH, 1 year is long ass time in mobile timeframes for a feature update when the feature disparity is so high between the platforms - comparatively speaking.

And yea, the iOS one is hillarious, especially when iOS is generally jailbroken within a week (if not a day) after an update ships It usually comes from Android fans that wildly advocate rooting, too

Android isn't the most performant OS, but the description the poster I replied to provided was just too much. I had to say something.

For the record I have an HD2 with stock WM 6.5 w/ Sense and it has never given me any issues from a software standpoint. Apps and Hardware support is the primary reason why I would not even consider a Windows Mobile device rigiht now. I'm not good enough to fill the marketplace with all the stuff it's missing right now...