# Question: Why not a WindowsPhone7?



## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

This is a curiosity question I would like to ask everyone who has bought a new Android phone over a WP7 and especially the Lumia900 which was released back in April. Samsung and LG has had such devices for almost two years.

"Why did you NOT get a WindowsPhone7 device?"

What it the lack of apps? Didn't like the Metro Interface? Is it because it's a Microsoft product (and/or you've had a bad experience), Missing features that Android has. Didn't like the Lumia design. Costs too much? Hardware Specifications?
Are you waiting for WP8 to come out?

I'll try the poll thing, but by all means, include your actual input. Especially if you tried or had a WP7 device.

* I do not work for MS or any phone company.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Personally, I have been looking forward to getting a WP7 - but like many of us in the USA, we are on a 2-year contract phone, which is when we can get our free or reduced-rate upgrade phones. My 2 year old Android Galaxy phone is finally up for replacement.

I really wanted the Lumia 800, it looks a bit better, its smaller and its the same exact guts as the Lumia900. I think they look great. But how MS is handling WP7~8 was a turn off for me, I also need to do an upgrade now... not 3~4 months from now. I also don't know how well Nokia is going to do next year.

The flexibility of Android with choices of handsets and its OS is keeping me with Android, even thou I've not been completely happy with Android 2.1~2.3. I'm actually running a WP7 type interface called Launcher7 on my phone which does a few cool tricks that Microsoft doesn't do with WP7.x~8.0 while keeping the Android compatibility.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Android has come along ways...as well as endless apps being available.
IMO Android is more flexible at this time than windows....but then there are some people that have to have a windows phone due to a specific application.
I took the plunge several weeks ago as I felt android had matured enough....I am very happy ecxept
...... the phone part of the phone ,to many moves to get to where you want to be and I would prefer hard keys rather than touch for the immediate menus on the phone..One reason I have been down on some smart phones in the past...not very user friendly doing 75 mph down the highway.
If you do go android get Ice cream sandwich {I think jelly bean will be here soon as well}and as a large a screen as you can afford balanced with durability as they do break while their little brothers can be fairly durable.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

True about the extra steps to dial. On my Sony feature phone, its two quick buttons to my alarm. To dial, I slide it open and start dialing, press dial. Contacts, press DOWN on the cursor pad, select my contact, press green dial button.

But in other functions, a touch screen phone excels. Take contacts for example, you'll be pressing DOWN DOWN DOWN, etc until you get to your contact. On my Android, I press contacts and a swipe can have me flying down the list quickly.

Texting: killer on the smart phone... but I use Android's voice recorder more than half the time. Sending attachments, text entry and management is better.

I do wish there were some basic physical keys, but that is rare to find and that is just the menu/nav keys.

The swipe to unlock is needed because it is a touch phone and helps to prevent butt-dialing, which I've done many times on regular phones.

I can never go back to a basic phone.

I wish more people would vote on this... I'm curious why others choose their phones.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

I am curious as well, both have thier pros and cons, it wasn't an easy decision for me, the decision was made easier however as my carrier had a very narrow choice of windows phones with smaller screens


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Had the phones come out earlier or the specs at where I want them as well as before I tried out Windows8... I've decided to not go Microsoft for the future. Apple's patent trolls is a huge turn off, so no phone from them.

WP being under 2% - failure. I'm not seeing how MS is going to energize anyone into WP8 much. The Lumia900 selling for $50 makes it a fine deal - cheaper than feature phones  Oh, found out about a stupid function of WP7 from my CellPhone store. If you press the power/VOL and shutter buttons at the same time (they are on the same side) - it will factory reset the phone. All data, gone. A Guy found that out by accident... in a bad way. A little bit of thought should be put into it "Do you really want to do this? Y/N"

I've finally had the chance to play with a Samsung Galaxy 3 next to a MC-Atrix HD. They are both very good phones, but I don't do cases and I like the feel of the Atix HD. Its somewhat old-school, but I like it. Here is a good preview article about it: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6094/motorola-atrix-hd-preview-99-monster


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

I am a Motorola boy here but would jump all over the Samsung g3 in this case....much larger screen and has ice cream sandwich...a much higher end OS.
4 inch verses 4.8 inches is major as the square rule applies in relation to square inches..thus the screen is actually 44 percent larger..this is major especially when you go to hit those little touch keys while the phone is held straight up and down.
You will be able to do it on the larger one but not the smaller one...also browsing will be much more enjoyable as you wont have to zoom as much thus get to see a much larger area of the actual webpage as well.
Also you will able to hit those small text links easier while zoomed in the same amount as the smaller phone.

However it is a delicate phone compared to smaller phones...when a phone falls and hits it can either cause a torsional twist,breaking the glass or simply impact the corner and break..

Many people like the preloaded software and touchwiz interface of the samsungs in general..they are a little more user friendly...just something to consider.

However the android market is huge and you can fix up that motorola to make it friendlier.
I had gotten a samsung recently but took it back 6 days later...reason being it didnt wouldnt hold a tower that great.
I had to use my passengers Motorola to make a call about 90 miles from home....so the samsung had to go,it had a dead zone for about 5 miles of road while the Motorola never lost service.

The motorola I got has a slightly brighter screen,better sound,better service,better feel in my hand, a faster charger,brighter flash although I did like the camera better on the samsung...It was a mesmerize which is a galaxy s1 i believe,now the s2 is highly praised in general and has a pretty good track record.

I have the Motorola electrify..which is a Motorola photon...nice phone I do wish it was larger though but thats the largest my carrier had in Motorola--- 4.3 inch screen.

On to cases...a necessary evil if you drop a 700 dollar phone..and you will drop it..they are designed as such...those smooth beveled edges are not for looks.
They are easier to use with a case as well as you have a little rubber hitting your hand while using the keyboard when the phone is sideways....can be easier to dig out or your pocket due to the cutout for the lens and flash hook a finger in and pull.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Not sure where you got the idea the Atrix HD was a 4" screen. Pretty much nobody is making a phone that small. I do like for them to fit in the pocket.

This is the Atrix HD, just came out - not the older Atrix.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6084/motorola-atrix-hd-official-99-lte-45-hd-lcd-on-att
It has a 4.5" screen vs 4.8 of the SGS3 or 4.7 on the HTC One X
They are all 1280x720 - which also means the MC has a slightly higher dot pitch.
All three run Android 4.0 (ICS)

So currently, its the top of the line Motorola and all Atrix models are at&t. Here are specs from the maker: http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/MOTOROLA-ATRIX™-HD/MB886-ATRIX-HD,en_US,pd.html
I do wish it included a camera shutter button  Oddly, the Motorola Electrify 2 is in the same shape and style as the Atrix, but smaller everything. (4.3" screen).

official gallery: http://www.motorola.com/us/consumer...,pd.html?selectedTab=tab-4&cgid=mobile-phones
Notice on the side, it seems to have speckles (side view / white phone - the black stripe) - its the same texture as old-school IBM - typewriters / computers. I wonder if its made out of metal.

I've still only played with the dummy version. Due to some bills, I haven't made my upgrade yet and I still want to see the extended review from the site I told you about. Tell you one thing, the phone feels good, no finger prints. While the Galaxy3 - brand new out of the box, was instant finger smudges.  Who likes that crap?! a textured back feels better and gives it some grip.

Also, considering that google now OWNS Motorola Mobility... I would expect updates and standard specifications with their phones. Hmmm... they have tablets too. Its a bit amazing that Google is not very vocal about owning Motorola Mobility... my guess, they are going to keep it things cool so their partners are happy.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Compiler said:


> Not sure where you got the idea the Atrix HD was a 4" screen. Pretty much nobody is making a phone that small. I do like for them to fit in the pocket.
> 
> This is the Atrix HD, just came out - not the older Atrix.
> http://www.anandtech.com/show/6084/motorola-atrix-hd-official-99-lte-45-hd-lcd-on-att
> ...





> Not sure where you got the idea the Atrix HD was a 4" screen. Pretty much nobody is making a phone that small. I do like for them to fit in the pocket.


From here http://www.motorola.com/us/consumer...,pd.html?selectedTab=tab-2&cgid=mobile-phones

Size
63.5 x 117.75 x 10.95 mm

Display size
4.0-in.; qHD (960 x 540)

Weight
135 grams

Display type
Corning® Gorilla® Glass

Materials and finish
Vacuum metalized housing

it does appear to be an earlier generation phone..I wasnt aware of the next generation phone being out.

This changes everything from my earlier position as now the Motorola is much larger as when I wrote that post.

The Samsung screen is now only 14 percent larger....People have complained of the screen being fragile(on the new galaxy)...Dont know about the new Motorola atrix with the 4.5 inch though...there are some Motorolas out there with delicate screens as well..I dont know if the phone you are considering is one of them.,,I would do a little research on it beforehand.

With these larger phones/on some of them they use a thinner and supposed stronger glass to reduce weight...however in the field they are breaking under minor mishaps.

Torsional flexes in the pocket in part for some of the complaints for large phones...My Motorola has has a very sturdy feel..is metal minus the back of course so it wont suffer from torsional twists as bad...its not a super thin phone and is heavy for its size. 4.3...IMO it would have a chance during a drop onto a hard surface as the body wouldn't twist

Gone are the days of small rugged entry line phones that were quite durable...I had an lg flip that took a 15 foot fall to the concrete..the back came off and battery flew out...I put it back together with no harm done...it was a plastic phone with small screens is why it survived.

I did look at a large htc today while killing time for a tire repair at walmarts..felt sturdy,looked good and didnt butterfinger out of the hand as it wasnt a 'super smooth finish' with cursed bevels.

But anyway if its down to the Motorola or Samsung ..I would pick the Motorola due to the screen size being much larger than originally thought and the new galaxy s3 is already known for being fragile and hard to hold onto{without a case}..not a good combo.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

From the Motorola forum there dont appear to be any hardware complaints on the phone you are interested in.

https://forums.motorola.com/hives/7b7256320a/summary


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Atrix 4G is old. Atrix HD is new.... see the difference? I even provided a direct link to the manufacture...


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

The only thing that reviewers are giving the Atrix HD bad points on are the camera and lack of NFC. NFC isn't a big deal to me at this moment... even thou my business partner just bought the Galaxy S3... the camera irks me a little bit. There is some question about "will" MC release 4.1 "Jellybean" for the Atrix - but considering that google owns Motorola mobility - it should be updated sooner rather than never.

The camera on my current Galaxy S1 is crap anyway, no flash. The samples I saw didn't look bad... not as good, but I never expect much from a phone. Thats why I have real cameras for. Its HD Video is better. The reception is top notch and the sound quality is very good. 

But I really want to see the review from Anandtech as they are pretty detailed on their reviews and have standards which I can understand. The more cnet type sites tend to suck up to everything.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Compiler said:


> Atrix 4G is old. Atrix HD is new.... see the difference? I even provided a direct link to the manufacture...


That has already been established and confirmed by myself..the direct link was after my initial post..thus why my followup post Now go get it already before something else comes out and you have to repeat the cycle of "what do I go get?"


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

You're right... sorry... I kind of read it wrong.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

No problem the text tends to all run together after a while. Also I do remember reading later in the link that the Motorola in question comes with original Gorilla glass so a delicate screen shouldn't be an issue


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## batscrptmod200 (May 17, 2012)

I doo support ms so im goin wp8 although If I had the money I would go s3 for specs and OS its capabilty is amazing I just wanna root it right now


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

Finally had a chance to play with an operational Atrix HD phone... I like it very much, I know its not as good as the Samsung in some ways, but I like it better. The screen looks great, very bright (battery killer). The phone feels very nice in the hand - no finger prints. The camera is no-frills and slightly faster than my phone today. What is neat, there is an option to make the VOL button into a Shutter or zoom button (I'm going with shutter). I think I like the Android 4.0 UI enough that I'll forgo using the Launcher 7 (WP7 UI) on it... The default home screen pretty much has what I need. It comes with a $40 car-dock, which the phone snaps into... so it gets charged and the interface changes into a car-mode. When you pull it out of the dock and later press an app function button, it'll remember its last DOCK location. useless for home, but handy in a big parking lot


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Good to see you are going to make the plunge,
For me..I like a samsung better out of the box.
However I prefer Motorola hardware
The android market {now play store} is pretty much loaded to perform any software tweaks you want....dont like the camera interface...there are alternatives ....same with the music player etc.

I am using gingerbread on a motorola...I wasnt very happy with the stock launcher...main reason, hitting home once took me to my actual home screen rather than last screen....so lets say if I am on screen 2 and open an app on the samsung with gingerbread hitting home would take me to screen 2 and hitting it again would take me home.

A folder closes on my stock launcher after tapping an icon within...so lets say I am working in a folder on screen number 2..I move to said screen open hit the icon and open ...now when I hit home,I am took all the way home...have to navigate back to screen 2 and open the folder again...On the samsung I didnt have to do all that..if I was in screen two with a folder open and clicked an icon and opened...it remembered my last screen as well as kept the folder open...If i wanted to go home I hit the home key twice.

I could change the order of my screens once made on the samsung..but not on the motorola,
The text messaging theme looked so much nicer on the samsung...the samsung had a nicer keyboard.
It had nicer camera software.
The screen lock was nicer and easier on the samsung

Most of these problems have been overcome through the play store ...I am using the adwlauncher which is awesome and beats the samsung launcher.
I went and got another music player
Different text app.
Different keyboard..slightly better than the samsung.
I still havent found the proper video recording software I want...while recording I cant pause the recording..it will just start making a new recording.

But above cases are with gingerbread....I havent tried ICS side by side with a Samsung and a motorola.

But many of the same tweaks will work with ICS {if the motorola will need them}
We can change software but are stuck with the hardware we get on a phone.
I have good hardware with my motorola.
Awesome sound ....does not sound like a phone.
A very strong vibrator
Super bright leds for the camera
Better screen for outdoors...I turn it down all the way while indoors through the android widget.
Better charger.
Better radios to connect a call.
Great feel..feels solid.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

batscrptmod200 said:


> I do support ms so im goin wp8 although If I had the money I would go s3 for specs and OS its capabilty is amazing I just wanna root it right now


 If you want OS capability, then why go MS? The HTC One X has pretty much the same specs as the SGS3 for $100 (As does the MC-Atrix... mostly, also $100). You'll only have about 2 months to wait for the WP8 phones to come out and see if they are worth it.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

When I got my SGS1 phone, it came with Android 2.0 (Eclair), it took forever for 2.2 (Froyo) to come out officially. 2.3 is installed with lots of little improvements and some downgrading. Each phone manufacture/phone company dictates how they handle the firmware updates.

The Samsung / MC of 2 years ago are different today. On the SGS3, the default keyboard is Samsung-Swype hybrid which I don't like, it doesn't come with 2-3 choices as previous Samsungs. While you can change the camera interface (up to a point), that doesn't fix any problems a phone's camera may have. HTC One has dedicated hardware to help it process its photos. Hence, it can take a shot instantly and take very good photos... while the same-spec AtrixHD Phone does not. There is typical lag. My Sammy has had REC-Pause since Android 2.2. Handy.

All new Android 4.0 (ICS / Ice Cream Sandwich) phones have Rec/Pause but also "Take STILL SHOT" while recording - very handy. The Screenlock on the SGS3 isn't the same as previous phones. Each brand has a different take with ICS. Samsung is closer to the ICS interface. The AtrixHD is closest to the default pure ICS interface - but with some tweaks that makes it 4.1 (Jelly Bean) - like. (Oh yeah, Google owns Motorola... duh heheh)

I still nick-pick... 4.0's alarmclock is made a bit more difficult to use. With 2.3 on Samsung - pressing on the digit brings up a number pad (They really should make strictly numbers, not a calculator pad) - some phones are swipe to flip through numbers (iPhone). Only recently did I find out that it takes a double-tap to bring up the number pad - how stupid!
It so much faster to type in "0435" = 4:35, rather than rolling up and down for the numbers. And it doesn't auto jump from Hour to Minutes. Gotta press NEXT or double click on MIN digits to change it. This is on ALL 4.0 phones.

I'm a tad confused by your HOME button navigation... I guess its a 3-button menu phone, eh? My Sammy has 4 buttons with a back button that works as it should and a home button that takes you home... as it should. But Google dictates 3 buttons now. (Home / Back / Search) but HTC has a 4th dedicated task-switch button. The Menu function is a long-press. A true "ICS" interface requires NO off-screen menu buttons. Which the latest Nexus and Motos follow. I'm mixed on how I feel about it... As I find it a matter of getting used to it. *I* do like how the ICS buttons rotate to follow orientation and will always be on bottom if allowed, thus allowing the phone to be used upside down. {compared to Windows8 OS desktop which is garbage, I'm going Linux - already getting used to it - I hate Windows8 that much}

Cool thing, HTC, Samsung and Motorola have a multi-colored message light that will blink (missed calls/text)! YES!!

When you do your upgrade, I do recommend you try out all the latest model phones. I've spent about 2+ hours in the at&t store trying out the phones... after all, we are stuck with them for 2 years! (Pantech and LG are regulated to bottom end) I like the HTC's look and feel over the SGS3, but that power button on top nixed it. All have different ways to unlock the phones into various mode... like directly into Camera or dial mode. I hate having to unlock the phone, then click on Camera... seconds lost! I don't really recall the SGS3 doing this (my biz partner has the SGS3 and I set it up).

Until next time... I'll post when I get my hands on my own AtrixHD. Other bills must come first.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

I have the 4 soft keys on my Motorola with ginger bread ...Hitting home takes me straight to home screen even if the last screen wasn't the actual home screen ...While some may prefer this I prefer the first home press to take me to the last desktop screen and an addition tap to take me to my home screen...I have my screen sort of set up by category..one is related to media..such as finding files and media players photo editors etc...another screen is more of phone tool apps....and so on
Another is basically internet apps for my exciting social life...So essentially with a task at hand I would be needing to go to the last used desktop screen over the actual home screen if home is pressed...also a folder placed on a screen would close after you opened it then clicked an icon within that folder.
With the combination of folder closing and going straight home with tapping home it made multitasking much more difficult
Lets say I have a folder on screen 3..I open it then click an icon...then am done with that app and want to go back to the folder. I would hit home..which would take me straight home..then I flick over back to screen 3 then open the folder again.
With the mesmerize {samsung} running gingerbread as well...Upon tapping home it would take me to screen 3 and the folder would still be there much more user friendly for multitasking...if I tapped home again..it took me to the actual home screen.
This was easy enough to fix with a new launcher....Go launcher and ADW launcher dont take you straight back to home...and with ADWlauncher there is a setting preference to either leave open the folder or close the folder upon hitting an icon within it...just what the doctor ordered...You can also lock the desktop with ADWlauncher...Not as a security lock but to prevent any changes to your desktop...No more accidental swipes the the trash ..no more holding you finger to long and being faced with adding a widget etc...in other words no desktop editing.
It is easy enough to toggle off an on....Android menu key/ then hit more/then hit unlock desktop.{available once you get the launcher of course}
You can also swipe the dock out of view and put folders and icons there....swipe it back into view when finished....or do away with the dock altogether if you wish.
I alot of times I dont use my screen lock by using the no lock app...To avoid accident pocket dial in the event the power button/ screen lock- unlock button being pressed ...I can swipe down the dock beforehand ..this way the dialer isnt present in the event the screen comes on.....You can also do away with the dock completely if one so chooses then just add those shortcuts to a screen....I actually have a dialer shortcut added to screen up towards the top to make it easier to use with one hand while driving...but not on the home screen as to avoid a pocket dial..So its pull phone out of pocket ..hit the screen unlock button...I have no screen lock on the screen to have to open...then I just flick over a screen with my thumb for my phone shortcuts.
Sounds rough but is so much easier to do while driving down the highway and no fear of one GF hearing you with another GF due to a pocket dial ....for extra security you dont have to put the phone shortcuts on your screen and can hide and un hide the dock..causing her frustration if she snoops your phone while in the shower.
I dont think I will be getting a windows phone


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

LOL... complicated. Had to help a friend by putting on an app that hides folders (photos) so a girl wouldn't see pictures of other girls... by accident.

I tend to take the easier route... I don't pretend to not see other girls.


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## aka Brett (Nov 25, 2008)

Well I tend to be cautious now as I never lose one at a time...The way it had worked for me was when I lose one ..the rest had tendency to become friends crushing my little kingdom..
So with my old phone the women had names such as insurance,cable,water and towing ....to protect my kingdom as lesson was learned
Now I am making an effort of having honesty with myself
Android makes that possible


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

"Now I am making an effort of having honesty with myself...
Android makes that possible!"

A good marketing slogan if I ever heard one.


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## lili5689 (Jun 10, 2011)

WindowsPhone 8 is upcoming,why to buy windows 7 phone........


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

With WP8 devices come out in the first week or so of November... the Nokia 900/800 should be $1 phones. Still worlds better than any dumb phone.

Thing is, if the Lumia 820/920 fail - Elop will be gone and Nokia will drop WindowsPhoneOS. So at this moment in reality, even Nokia is nervous. Thing is, Nokia can easily and quickly have Android running on their handsets in weeks, spend another month or so for validation... No change in hardware is needed.

Nokia only captured about .5 of the smart phone market with their Lumia series... pathetic. Even MS was getting snuggly with HTC for their colorful WP8 devices. So I'm not expecting people to go ga-ga over the new WP8 phones when people didn't care much for the WP7 models. I got my AtrixHD after seeing the previews of the new Nokias. At best, I might have been willing to wait if they were Android. The colors looks good, they should do well with the younger crowd of 20 and under.


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## Burdrick82 (Oct 15, 2012)

Hi,

I have a Lumia 710 with Windows Phone 7 OS. I really like that phone with it's features. I did not have an Android or iOS device before so I cannot compare them. I am really looking forward to the Windows Phone 8. I am also trying to develop an own app for Windows Phone 7. I have found a page with code examples and detailes guides (in case you are interested in app development have a look at it: http://www.voip-sip-sdk.com/p_511-windows-phone-platform-voip.html). I was having a discussion with a friend and he said that Android was also not so good at the beginnings so let's wait and see how Windows Phone will evolve.


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## Compiler (Oct 11, 2006)

The Lumia 820 should be your choice to upgrade to, at the very least... its a sexy phone, it has some concepts that are quite impressive - other than its lower-resolution... Check out the extensive pre-view on anandtech.com (click on phones).

After 3+ weeks with the Atrix / Android 4.0... I've very happy with the device and the OS. I still think the Metro WP8 interface has a neat-factor, I'm back on Android for the more flexible User Interface. I really think that Samsung and HTC have done a few things wrong with their Android skins which hurts the brand. Motorola (owned by Google) has shown that that pure Android OS is pretty much the way to go.


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