If i wana game and stuff.. can i still do android games, or i dont understand exactly how this works.. is it a mini pc?
"i wana game and stuff" is a pretty un-informative list of desired functionality. However, I'll do the best I can.
"can i still do android games" Let's see... what part of "Windows Phone" sounds like "Android"? Nope. Of course, a lot of games that are on Android are also on WP8. A lot of Android games are *not* on WP8, though. On the other hand, some WP games aren't on Android (relatively speaking, far fewer, but there are some). The main key features that WP has for gaming are that A) there's a mandatory chassis spec, so you don't get games that run great on some phones and terribly on others (though some of the cheaper phones will simply not run some high-end games); B) there is Xbox Live integration with a lot of games, meaning you can get Gamerscore, sometimes get rewards tied to the console games, and can play with Xbox friends in some multiplayer games.
"is it a mini pc?" Not any more than any other smartphone. It's a mini PC in the same sense that an iPhone is a mini Mac (which is to say, from a user experience and software compatibility perspective, not at all). It is made by the same company, uses some of the same online services (SkyDrive, Xbox Music, etc.), you can link it with a Microsoft account the same way you can a Windows 8 PC, its browser uses the IE10 rendering engine, and it supports Office documents. Other than that, though, all of the similarities between Windows Phone and Windows are under the covers, invisible and irrelevant to the end user. I personally think Microsoft was stupid to keep the "Windows" part of the name. It's arguably more similar to an "Xbox Phone" or something like that.
"i dont understand exactly how this works" I don't understand exactly how your spell checker let you type like that, but back on subject... Windows Phone is its own smartphone OS. It is as different from iOS or Android as iOS and Andriod are from each other, and as similar. Like Android, it's available on a range of hardware, some better than others; unlike Android (but like iOS), all the hardware that it's available on meets certain minimum specifications. Like iOS, it's a locked-down OS without any kind of file browser or command line features, but unlike iOS (and like Android) you can sideload (some) apps for free. (Taking this moment to preemptively remind you to read the forum rules, especially #6.) Like both iOS and Android, there's an app store with hundreds of thousands of apps, many of which are free or have free trials; like iOS (but somewhat unlike Android) the apps are all screened carefully to prevent malicious ones.
Regarding viability in general, here are some of WP8's strong points (note that some of them are specific to certain lines of phones, rather than being available on all of them):
Social network integration. Best with Facebook and Twitter, but it supports a bunch of them.
Office documents. Specifically Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote. Also works really well with Exchange servers, of course, though it can do other email just fine.
Music. The Xbox Music pass is a sweet deal, if you live in a region where you can get it, and support for it is built into the phone. Nokia Music, if you buy a Nokia phone, is also supposed to be great (I have a Samsung phone, so I can't speak for that). Pandora, etc. are of course available too, as apps.
Navigation. Here Drive/Transit/Maps (Nokia's mapping and navigation apps) are available on all Windows phones (free on all Nokia phones and also on non-Nokia ones in some parts of the world) and they are good.
Excellent hardware value. The Lumia 52x and 62x phones are fantastic value for their (very low) cost. The Samsung ATIV S is considerably cheaper than its Android equivalent, the Galaxy S3.
Fantastic cameras, especially on the higher-end Nokia phones. The Lumia 92x and 1520 phones have Really Good cameras; the 1020 has arguably the best camera of any production smartphone in the world (quite a bit better than some dedicated point-and-shoot cameras).
Security. Unlike Android, there is essentially no malware (I'm not aware of *any* malware "in the wild") for WP8.
Storage. Unlike iOS, some WP8 devices have microSD slots; combined with internal storage, they can hold a lot of music/videos/pictures/documents/etc. Apps can't be installed to the SD card, but you have more room for apps anyhow because you put everything else on the card and leave all the internal storage for apps.
Battery life. WP8 is *much* better than Android about preventing background apps from eating all your battery life.
Skype integration. If you use Skype much, WP8 is great.
Xbox Live integration. If you like getting achievements and having mobile games connected with Xbox games sounds cool, WP8 is where it's at.
At-a-glance information. The whole "live tiles" system, where basically every app can (if useful for it to do so) act sort of like a little Android widget (but with much less battery impact) and where notifications for a given app show up as a number on that app's tile, is pretty cool.
With that all said, WP8 does have some weaknesses too. If the following things are important for you, that could be a problem.
Not very hackable/rootable. We're part-way there on Samsung WP8 devices. Nothing much on any other manufacturer yet, although there's talk of something for Huawei.
No support for third-party app stores. Like iOS (but unlike Android), only the official app store run by Microsoft is supported by the OS.
Not as many apps, and the don't tend to come out on WP8 until they're already out on Android and iOS. That's not to say there aren't tons of apps - there are, by any objective measure - but there aren't *as many* as the two leading platforms.
No ability to install other browser engines. IE10 is good, and you can use apps that re-skin the browser engine (this is how Chrome works on iOS, as well), but like iOS (and unlike Android) you can't install things like Mobile Firefox at this time.
No VPN support yet. If you need a VPN on your phone (most people don't, but some do) then you'll need to wait on WP8; there's an update coming that should add support though.
Stuff I didn't mention, like gaming quality or so on, are basically on par with other platforms. The hardware is less diverse than Android but more diverse than iOS, it's available on tons of carriers around most of the world. It's less customizable than Android, but Microsoft also protects the software against being too screwed up by the OEM or carrier the way a lot of Android devices are. You don't need special software (like iTunes) for day-to-day use, so it doesn't really matter what OS you use on your PC. The UI is *different* from that of iOS or Android, but whether you like it or not is personal taste.
Related
I have just a hypothetical question. I have seen applications that come VERY close to the corresponding iPhone applications in terms of UI and behavior. However, none of them are perfect replicas of the iPhone applications. bTunes for example looks very much like the iPhone music player yet it leaves out landscape coverflow and the now playing layout is slightly off. My question is, is the reason for these changes due to the software limitations of the phone or inability to copy UI because of apple patents. Are there people who have created exact replicas of the iPhone apps for android and just used them for themselves? Just a random question. Thanks.
fanboy lol j/k
The lumia 920 is a great piece of hardware, but xbox music is so godawful that I think I am going to take the plunge and just get a used lumia 900 or titan 2. As far as I am concerned, the xbox music service is almost useless without autoplaylists or the ability to do anything with rated music to me - and a huge reason I went WP is to sync my music. SO, has anyone actually taken the plunge and gone back? Anything you miss about WP8? I cant even think of a feature WP8 has that WP7.8 doesnt that I would use...
Speed would be the most important Thing I can think off. WP7.8 is fluid but Apps take considerably longer to load than on WP8. Also there's some Apps I use that are WP8 only due to new APIs (mainly camera related).
I miss photostudio app apparently not available for wp8, apart from that, I have all the features I wanted to have on my Omnia 7
My wife just got a Lumia 920 last week, and she mostly loves it. (She's coming from iOS, so her expectations are pretty high.) She's impressed with the GPS, with the Nokia streaming music service, with how responsive most of the interface is... but she hates the Kindle app.
It gets terrible reviews on the Store. It crashes, loses sync with the server, content just disappears... it's unusable. Is there any alternative here? She's not too big on the official Facebook app either, but at least in that case she can use the web version.
Well, there's plenty of e-reader apps if that's all she needs. Fiction Book Reader is my preferred one (reads both epub and mobi/prc, is quick and very good at remembering location, etc.) but I don't have any other devices I'm trying to keep it synched with. Odd about the troubles with the Kindle app, though; I used it all the time on my WP7 device (sideloading the books, since I'm not a fan of the store's DRM, but this required file system access) and had no significant troubles.
Hello folks,
I got my Chromecast, it works, I like it.
But I find it unnerving that the system is so closed.
Some guy has, months ago, released something he called "PiCast" as an open alternative on the Raspberry Pi.
I wonder: Why aren't there more devs bringing an open, extensible alternative, installable on a Raspberry Pi or other small computer, to life? I really don't understand it, since. like I see it, it doesn't seem particularly complicated! The following features would at least have to be implemented:
***********************************************
- media player software which can play a broad palette of formats and stream from different sources (VLC, Mplayer etc. come to mind an can surely be used as a part of the project)
- web interface which accepts URLs (web or LAN) of files that are to be played and passes them to the media player; and which accepts control commands for the now playing file like pause, forward etc.
Most convenient would be if these URLs could not only be http ones, but also SMB, streaming protocols etc.
Don't we all want a device where we NOT are confined to certain formats?
- apps for computers and mobile devices which let the user choose files he wants to watch / listen to and pass the URL to the web interface and which pass control commands like pause, forward to the web interface
- a customized, lean OS with a Chromecast-like, very simple UI
*************************************************
Any thoughts?
Best wishes,
Hasenbein
The entire reason for the CCast (which essentially replaced the GoogleTV fiasco) was to keep the system closed enough to get Content providers to support it due to the ability to use DRM and control the players being used.
Why do you think other projects like XBMC still to this day do NOT (and will NEVER) have access to Netflix for any sustainable time because Netflix will change their encryption and break any player app they do not have complete control over.
GoogleTV was actually blacklisted by the network websites to prevent it from playing content. All because it was just a little too open for their liking.
What @Asphyx said, plus Android TV sticks have been around for quite some time and already do similar. The key difference is market share. History is littered with proposed "standards" that never won. In the end it's not what is better, sometimes not even what's cheaper, but what picks up.
Iomega's Zip drive was inferior to SyQuest EZ drive, but Iomega won by marketing and hence adoption. Developers had more incentive to support Zip drives (not that much was specifically required but still) because there was a wider audience and market for them.
Adobe's changing the design market the same way. I still have CS6, but more and more I'm getting files from people on CC. And it's annoying. Essentially I'm being forced into CC if I want to work with anybody outside of my four walls.
Even though it's only available in select retail channels, Google is pushing Chromecast with TV ads. The fact that they've sold (or at least shipped) millions is a strong testament to its adoption rate. Even at my local stores, I can say just by the serial numbers they've cycled through, at least 500 have left the shelf since August 2013.
The market share attracts content providers, and the closed nature gives their lawyers ease regarding theft. Sure, there will always be people supporting TV sticks with clever solutions that are free or near-free, though they sometimes require jumping through numerous hoops (even moreso than Chromecast of today), and if something doesn't work as required, it involved researching. It's not like you can put in a support ticket or call support. Granted, Chromecast support isn't outstanding... but many of my non-techy friends have adopted Chromecast, even without hearing from me, and these are not people who visit XDA, nor are they people who would ever have run across or even considered an Android TV stick, nor are they people who have any idea of what an Arduino or Raspberry Pi is.
The draw is the consumer, and the consumer needs content to consume. Which means longevity of the product/concept/standard depends on support from the content providers.
At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality. E.g. maybe you have a powerful HTPC that suits all your needs but Netflix is in low-def for DRM reasons. And YouTube stutters on 1080p because Windows keeps trying to do other things in the background while you play it. OK then you put $35 down on a Chromecast and now your Netflix & YouTube videos look better.
And similarly, it's cheap enough that if Chromecast alone does not suit your needs, you can say, well hey, all I spent on the Chromecast was $35, so I don't see why that should stop me from also buying that other media box that does more things.
cmstlist said:
At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm definitely in this boat.
I have a semi-Smart TV that supports YouTube, Amazon, and a about 12 other "channels" - but its interface is slow and clunky. It also doesn't support DLNA video (sadly, one model year too early).
I have a HTPC that I use to play DVDs and Blu-rays from my media server, and even though I have a BT keyboard remote for it, navigating between Windows Media Center and browser-sourced video is fiddly.
Chromecast didn't replace my HTPC, it's just giving me a much easier way to view those browser-sourced videos.
However, if/when Chromecast gets DVD and BD playback, it very well might replace my HTPC...
http://blog.vudu.com/?p=10711
https://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?112941-UltraViolet-FAQ-s
Vudu ultraviolet on Chromecast will displace the need for a disc player or home video server for a number of people. Not sure yet but I'll probably be one of them.
cmstlist said:
At the price point of Chromecast it seems to be designed to draw in not just first timers, but also customers who may already have a media to TV solution but it's lacking in simplicity or quality. E.g. maybe you have a powerful HTPC that suits all your needs but Netflix is in low-def for DRM reasons. And YouTube stutters on 1080p because Windows keeps trying to do other things in the background while you play it. OK then you put $35 down on a Chromecast and now your Netflix & YouTube videos look better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup. I really care about picture quality, so Chromecast offers the cheapest way to get SuperHD Netflix on my TV. If I wasn't bothered about the quality, I'd just connect my tablet with a cable whenever I wanted to watch something.
EarlyMon said:
http://blog.vudu.com/?p=10711
https://forum.vudu.com/showthread.php?112941-UltraViolet-FAQ-s
Vudu ultraviolet on Chromecast will displace the need for a disc player or home video server for a number of people. Not sure yet but I'll probably be one of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting service and a good idea....
Unfortunately $2 per SD conversion of DVD or $5 to HD is a bit too pricey considering how I have the equipment to rip my own DVD (I have more than 3000 titles in my collection), do the Upconvert and even rip the subtitles to put into an MKV.
But this service will do well because of the sheer number of people who do not have the capability to do that and the ease of use.
I wonder are they actually converting your DVDs or are they doing the much smarter thing and letting you insert the disk, check it for validity and then just giving you access to the already encoded content they have stored?
Asphyx said:
I wonder are they actually converting your DVDs or are they doing the much smarter thing and letting you insert the disk, check it for validity and then just giving you access to the already encoded content they have stored?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The second one, so far as I know.
And if you just enter your digital copy information that works too.
My son-in-law does that but I haven't asked him about the details - he's very happy with the service though.
It's a great Idea....
I have a similar validation system I use....
If I own it already on disc then I feel I have the right to download it if I choose...I paid them their cut so no Guilt involved.
LOL
Similar but I don't pay the conversion fee!
I have a small collection.
I got tired years ago of format changes, player upkeep and having more plastic in the house, so I've been satisfied with rentals. I keep a few favorites on my shelves just in case.
And I had one of my media servers die of old age a few months ago. I'm tired of maintaining my own cloud. Been there, done that. Still do my music and just a few movies now.
I like the ultraviolet model, it sounds simple to me.
And to the OP -
LocalCast does direct entry of http and smb addresses.
EarlyMon said:
I have a small collection.
I got tired years ago of format changes, player upkeep and having more plastic in the house, so I've been satisfied with rentals. I keep a few favorites on my shelves just in case.
And I had one of my media servers die of old age a few months ago. I'm tired of maintaining my own cloud. Been there, done that. Still do my music and just a few movies now.
I like the ultraviolet model, it sounds simple to me.
And to the OP -
LocalCast does direct entry of http and smb addresses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah unfortunately I live in a very rural area and Cable and Internet outages are common (all the damn trees!)
So when that happens I really have no other recourse than to use whatever is on my Media server to entertain myself...
I went out and invested in a good NAS with Raid that holds 16Tb worth of drives (don't get full16Tbs with Raid though...I may even need to double that soon as I'm running out of space).
My Media Server is my HTPC so I can simply replace that unit if it craps out and just re-install the server software and map the drives.
Been checking out that Chromecast store app...a Lot of stuff in there I didn't know about...
I am an Android phone user for 4 years now who is quite happy with my current phone the S3 LTE. No doubt Windows phones are on the rise and I am curious. So, I would like to ask these questions regarding the OS (and the latest updates attached to it as of March 2014) in particular high-end Lumia phones (like the 1020) that would help me decide.
1. Does the Lumia's Bluetooth allows me to send photos (or any files supported) via bluetooth to an Android phone?
2. Does Lumia have a quick toggle to settings to instantly turn on or off things such as wifi, Bluetooth, brightness, etc. (much like the notification drop down bar of Android)?
3. Does the Lumia have Dolby Mobile or Dolby capability in its music player? Is there a customisable equaliser to the new Lumias? Or Surround sound option?
AND Can one create a Playlist on-the-fly or via the device itself? And does the Lumia's music player have the ability to "find" or search for the Album art of a song/s online?
4. Does Lumia phones fully support full drag n dropping of files (.mp3, .flac, .mp4) from my Mac to the Lumia without the need of any 1st-party app?
5. What alternatives can you guys recommend for Google Translate, Google Drive and Google Keep (that new note-taking app)?
And why no Youtube app on the Marketplace? Or I could be wrong.
6. Is there a pinch to zoom feature in zooming objects for taking photos? Is there an option to edit then share them via Email, Bluetooth, Twitter, Instagram, Dropbox, etc.? A way to set photos as a phones's wallpaper? (For 8.0 atleast)
7. Any swiping capability in typing? (A feature found in Android phones where you slide your fingers on the keyboard for faster typing) are there any predictive text ability in WP8?
8. Any good alternatives music player, video player for the Lumia?
I'm looking for an app that supports hi-fidelity files such as Flac or video files such as .mkv?
9. Does the Lumia (or any WP8 phones) have the capability to print wirelessly to a wireless printer via an app or within device?
10. Can one send complaints or suggestions to an app developer via the Marketplace? (much like in Google's Play store)
11. How fast is the startup and shutter speed of the Lumia cameras? Is it as quick as an S3 or iphone? Is there a panorama mode? Can i easily or quickly see a photo (with a swipe to the left or right or thru a window toggle or something) that i have taken then easily & quickly edit them then send them via bluetooth or post them via Twitter, etc.,?
12. Is there a Battery-saving option in Lumia phones? (Like what most Android phones have nowadays)
13. Games are still a disappointment as i am writing this 7 out 10 of my games are NOT on the Marketplace. is MS doing anything about this?
For me its kinda crucial but I do admit I like a bit of casual games on my daily commute or when during a holiday.
Pls advice. Thanks.
1. Yes
2. Nope, not until 8.1
3. There's an equalizer, you can make playlists in various apps
4. I don't use a Mac, with windows it works fine
5. The bing versions / onedrive / one note or evernote, there are several YouTube apps, consider searching
6. Yes and yes, no wallpaper until 8.1, then there are wallpaper tiles (google is your friend)
7. No custom keyboards
8. Yes, quite a few available, search the store
9. I am not sure, I mail then print
10. Probably
11. Fast and easy
12. Yes
13. It is up to devs, not up to MS for the most part, google doesn't develop games either.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
For #7, there is supposed to be a swipe ability in 8.1 and the keyboard does have some predictive text.
Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk
i prefer android at all mate :good:
@naenee did a good job answering. I'd like to add that most of the things you ask about are just WP8 things, not Nokia / Lumia things. This means you could get a different phone (I realllly like Samsung's Ativ S line, which puts WP8 on hardware very like heir Galaxy phones, but partially that's because we have mostly jailbroken them). The only thing I can think of that's really Lumia-specific is the built in camera app features being better... but any phone can download things like a panorama app if they want to. Also, note that while "wallpaper" (behind the tiles on the Start screen) is not currently settable, you can of course use your own images for the lock screen.
As for apps, bear in mind that a lot of apps may have clones or at least decent impersonators, even if there's no official version. Also, remember that WP has Xbox Live exclusive games; there's no lack of games for WP8 (some very good indeed) but you may need to find different ones that fill the same niches for you.
Which way?
Never used windows phone & wondering if i can get a good one that beats Android phones (Using Galaxy S4).
---------- Post added at 08:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------
Using it on my laptop though. Hope its a better experience too on mobile?
Windows Phone 8 is not Windows 8, first of all. OK, with that said...
Not many WP8 devices yet have specs comparable to the SGS4. However, it turns out that this really doesn't matter; on the same hardware (for example, my ATIV S vs. a SGS3) WP8 performs better than Android in many ways, including smoothness of UI.
android is very very different : WP so much
Windows Phone 8 system is fluid and stable on all devices. It is also a close one so you do not have to mamy customization possibilities and so many different option's to achieve one goal ( no widgets for example). It's theirs way or no way but this do not bothers me. The only lack I find is underdeveloped localization API which doesn't allow application's to often checks localization so programs like glympse or locale alarm does not work reliable. This feature gona be incorporated in 8.1 update which should be rolling out this summer. Overall for me it is better system than android ( I know well jelly bean on s3 when 4.4 rolled out I was on Lumia 920 ). It is simple fast and reliable. One interesting thing I noticed is a text wrapping in browser which is much better on WP 8 as I never get any problems with reading newspapers online -On HTC One s or Lg G2 I had problems with reading the same page's.
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I've owned 3 WP phones (Lumia 710, HTC 8x, and Lumia 521) and I prefer Android. I currently have a GS4 and Nexus 4 (previously had a GS1 and GS3). WP isn't bad, but it lacks so many little things compared to Android. I am constantly disappointed because a function or feature is not available on WP that's on Android. I recommend you pick up an budget WP phone and give it a try for a few weeks.
I, on the contrary, am having a blast on WP8.
I still am an Android power user, but I prefer the look and feel of M$.
I don't like it app-wise. I miss apps like Fing and Wi-Fi Analyzer. Devs blame it on the API.
You're just talking about two different things, it all depends on what you're searching from a device