No windows phones
So, several people have suggested that I try one out. I went to the mall and hit up four different phone providers (Verizon, US Cellular, Sprint and Radio Shack) and not a single one had a demo model. Just a fake one. I stopped at another Verizon store as well and there wasn’t one there, either.
Sounds like Microsoft is getting screwed.
July 16th, 2013 at 9:29 am
The truth is, there are really only 2 players in the smartphone arena right now, Apple and Google. If you’re committed to the idea of a smartphone, those are really your only options.
I think the most secure option is to go with a Nexus device on a prepaid plan. At least with that option you can switch up carriers as you please, breaking up your network data, and the only info you’ll be sharing will be with Google. It’s not ideal, but i think it is the best balance.
July 16th, 2013 at 9:57 am
My local AT&T store had a working demo winphone last I was in there. I didn’t like it, but I’m used to Android, so I have that preference to overcome.
July 16th, 2013 at 10:13 am
T-Mo has one…Chris picked it up. so far it’s leaps and bounds better than his iPhone.
July 16th, 2013 at 10:21 am
I’ve found that you’ve got to be careful as to which store you go into. Most corporate owned stores will have working demo phones for all the models, but if you go into a Radio Shack or co-branded “authorized retailer” it’s hit and miss as to what they have to try.
July 16th, 2013 at 11:30 am
Sounds just like Microsoft to me. The people famous for “we don’t care what you – the end user, wants – you’re going to take what we give you. So, shut up and give us your money”. And the always popular “It ran for five minutes without crashing? Ship it! We’ll just fix the top bugs when the reports start rolling in.”. The second comment being followed by large amounts of laughter in the Microsoft board room after being said.
Yeah, I know. No demo phone isn’t Microsoft’s fault. I just can’t help but elbow MS when I get the chance.
Good luck Uncle!
July 16th, 2013 at 11:42 am
Really like my nokia 920. The new one is a 925 I think? Try searching for that model instead of just “windows phone”.
July 16th, 2013 at 11:47 am
I’m extremely happy with my WP8. I highly recommend one. Especially if you’re already embedded in the Windows ecosystem. I’d wait for the new Lumia with the 40mp camera or go with the Lumia 920 if you don’t want to wait. Awesome phones though. The OS is far superior to Andriod and IOS imo.
July 16th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Rules of retail. Low demand = low drive to try and push sales. The newest Lumia 925 coming out for TMobile sounds like a decent, mid-level phone from 2 years ago with WP8 ported onto it. The review I read of it basically summarized to “go buy the old 920 instead, there isn’t much difference”.
July 16th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
My first win-phone was Samsung (Win7, upgraded to 7.5 later). Good phone, liked Win7, flaky build quality (ATT still offers this one.)
I upgraded to the Nokia 920, really like it. The phone speaker sucks, but music, etc sound good.
I plan to upgrade the wife’s Samsung to the Nokia 1020 when it comes out (it has the Nokia camera slammed into an otherwise 925).
The 925 looks to be a re-skinned 920, from reviews I’ve seen.
I carry an iPhone 4s also, and it is rather clunky for me. Like WinPhone 8.
Nokia will be stronger on photography (dedicated processor), HTC stronger on multimedia. The 920 runs the apps I use very well, while app reviews indicate this may not be the case for other models and brands. I wish the Samsung Galaxy platform still supported WinPhone, I liked it once I got one that worked.
Oh, and the 920 in a case is not for small hands unless you two-hand your phone – I can actually type with both my big thumbs holding the phone vertically. O/S is fast and smooth on the 920.
MS is losing ground fast in the smartphone biz, ’cause they suck, and stuff.
July 16th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
I keep my iPhone for playing scrabble. Otherwise it’s Nokia 920 for everything else. Ben sounds like he’s ready for a mid level flame war with extra sarcasm ported into it. Don’t be talkin’ smack about my WP sucka!
July 16th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
Sprint will be launching their first WP8 device this Friday, the 19th – a mid-range htc device called the htc 8XT. Later they’ll launch the Samsung ATIV S Neo (basically a Galaxy S3 running WP8). Verizon has the Nokia Lumia 928, which is really nice.
July 16th, 2013 at 6:31 pm
My son manages a store that sells all three. He started with an Iphone way back when, then moved to a Droid, which he liked better than an IPhone, but now runs a Windows phone, the Nokia 920, which he says absolutely destroys both the others: speed, ease of use, picture quality, sound quality. His take on the Iphone5 is that it would never have been released if Jobs was still alive. Terrible battery life when used as a smart phone should be, minimal REAL improvement over the 4S. If this falls release isn’t drop dead great, the Iphone may be the next dodo bird.
I run an Iphone5, which I like, but I may very well upgrade to a Windows phone soon, since I live in a Windows work environment. My drawback is that some of the apps I use daily in the medical field are still IOS only.
July 16th, 2013 at 7:07 pm
If you were on ATT, I would say wait until the Lumia 1020 is available… But I still love my 920.
try looking at an ATT store… They usually have demo phones.
July 16th, 2013 at 7:17 pm
Don’t give up on the Windows phone.
You can try it virtually on your current phone or computer here:
http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/cmpn/demo-link
Not the same thing as having it in person but it’s something.
The corporate store fronts will definitely have them in stock.
Go with the Nokia 1020 if you don’t mind ATT.
July 16th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Blackberry Z10. You’ve probably never heard of it. 😉
July 16th, 2013 at 11:32 pm
I use to have an HTC winphone w/ATT. Loved it! Miss it! The divorce kicked me off the family plan. I want my winphone back!
July 17th, 2013 at 12:52 am
I shopped phones last month. For a new “smart” phone and the lowest-cost plan it’d be two hundred plus bucks up front and another hundred (mumble)something per month for line/data/talk time per month, out the door from any of the four nationwide providers. At that point I remembered I have a perfectly good (for a four years obsolete) Blackberry Storm2 in my desk, so I hacked it, wiped and reloaded it, bought a ten buck SIM card from T-Mobile and got a plan I can live with for $50/month. So what if I only get 500 Mb/month? It’s a 2G phone and the coverage for 4G from them blows anywhere but within the Metroplex. Besides, I’m from a long line of Scots/Vikings. Pillage, then burn.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:24 pm
I have Nokia’s latest flagship 928. I am extremely happy with it as I take a lot of pictures, and the Zeiss in the Nokia is better than my point and shoot digital camera’s lens. Windows 8 has a small learning curve but with the processing power in the Nokia it zips right along. Had the phone for over 3 months now and zero crashes. Highly recommended.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:42 pm
The new blackberries are excellent.
July 18th, 2013 at 9:13 am
Say this today and thought of this post, apparently Windows Phone is not gaining any traction. http://www.forbes.com/sites/markrogowsky/2013/07/18/if-you-havent-seen-a-windows-phone-lately-its-because-theyre-practically-disappearing/?partner=yahootix
July 18th, 2013 at 11:44 am
Going to a Windows phone to get better privacy and security is rather like hiring Eric Holder to bolster the cause of gun rights.
Microsoft is quite chummy with the NSA, including giving them preview access to zero-day exploits before making either the bug or the patch public. http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/06/14/zero-day-security-info.aspx
I would definitely stay away from Microsoft. As bad as it is, probably the most secure option right now (aside from burner phones) is to get a late-model Android and encrypt the device and its SIM card. You won’t stay out of the NSA dragnet, but you’ll at least stay clear of the lower-level crap. Apart from using burner phones and never calling family or friends with them, there’s not much you can do at the moment to stay out of the NSA dragnet.