Windows 7 Phone vs iPhone

Well I thought I would try the Windows 7 Phone since I really do not like the "phone" part of the iPhone. I mean I really want to make phone calls and not get "Call Failed" or just random drops. But oh well.

So when I got the new Windows 7 Phone, I went with T-Mobile and the HTC HD7. I ordered it from the T-Mobile website and all went well. I received the phone relatively quick and off I went.

First impression, the screen is really big and nice! But first impression faded quickly as I worked on using the phone.

Speed Dial

Windows 7 Phone 

I wanted simply to add my favorites to the phone for calling people. Well the Windows 7 Phone design idea for that is to create a tile for each contact on the home screen. Ok this results in 12 different tiles and the screen that require a lot of work to scroll through. And even that is just a link to the contact, you still have to select the number you want to call. Overall takes too many steps.

So I thought let's look for an app in the MarketPlace for Speed Dial. I found a number of cool apps that have SpeedDial functionality but they all had one major flaw, you had to re-type each of your contacts!! UGG!

So I thought, that I would write my own app for SpeedDial and make millions on a SpeedDial app that would pull straight from the People in WinPhone7. Well another failure in that there is no API method to get to that data. I can understand the security concerns but they should leave that up to the end user not restrict the development of apps that can use contact data.

But I was willing to live with this lack of usability.

I cannot sync AND listen to music

So I use a Mac at home and Windows at work. It is intentional, I really like WIndows 7. And I really like OS X. But to be honest, it is all about the applications more that it is about the operating system. But that is a review for another time.

So I was excited to see that Microsoft has a Windows 7 Phone Connector for Mac. So I downloaded it and it works extremely well syncing my music for iTunes and also syncing photos from iPhoto. Which is really cool! It also charges the phone. Very cool.

But that is the end of the coolness. While it was charging I wanted to listen to some music on the phone. But NOPE, it will not let you. The phone tells you that you must disconnect the device first. Ok I will watch a video instead, no go there either. Seriously?

So I tried this on my iPhone and it let me play music, watch a video, etc. Now to be fair, it does cancel any sync that is happening but so. Again put the power in the hands of the end-user to make choices not cripple the device just because you do not see why would anyone use that.

Battery Life

Well this is not really Microsofts fault but rather HTC fault. Battery life is about 1/2 day for active use and 3/4 day of light use. By time I got home each day (6pm) it was alerting that the battery was critically low. My iPhone can go two days before getting the 20% warning.

Plugging into Car

Alright, next thing I want is to listen to music while in my car (Jeep Grand Cherokee). So I plugged in the Win7Phone and all was going well but I could barely hear anything. So I turned up the car stereo but it was still really quiet. So I turned up the volume on the phone to max and then I could actually hear the music. Now I am not going for super loud music or anything but just to be able to discern the words of the song. 

Seeing the screen

So I was outside and wanted to see what was on the phone. Not so good. I had the shield the screen to be able to see what the sections were.

Overall

Well I wanted to like the Windows 7 Phone. I really did. But I could find NO compelling reason to switch from my iPhone. In the last few days with my iPhone again, no failed calls,etc. So maybe the Verizon deal has made it where ATT's network can handle the traffic or maybe I have just been lucky!

If you are coming from a different non-smart phone, I think you would be happy with the Windows 7 Phone device. T-Mobile had a GREAT deal in that the phone did not cost anything and their plan was reasonable so it does make a great case for switching from a non-smart phone to the Windows 7 Phone.

Now to switch from the iPhone, no way. And the recent update that Microsoft only appears to address Copy/Paste and searching in the MarketPlace.

So if you have an iPhone, keep it! There is NO reason to switch.

Comments

[Brian Thomas]

Have you given an Android platform a chance yet? I took the plunge with the Droid X, and have been pleasantly surprised by the OS. I have some complaints about the hardware, but that could be cured by going to an HTC Incredible or whatever your preference is.

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