#Summerswitch with Microsoft Canada – The First Few Dates

Switching from and iPhone 5 to a Windows Phone

When Chris from Canadian Dad Blog nominated me to check out the new Windows Phone (a Nokia Lumia 920, available exclusively from Rogers) as part of the #summerswitch program that Microsoft was hosting, I chuckled at first.

I let Chris and the contacts representing Microsoft know that my iPhone is like an appendage, so do they really want me checking out a different phone? They were happy to have me on board it seems, which I appreciate – it means they want a balanced opinion and were confident in their phone’s performance.  However, in fairness, while I do love my iPhone, it’s not perfect. There are definitely aspects that other phones are better at – and this Windows phone has reminded me of that.

I received the Nokia phone to participate in the program and participated in some training. The team at Microsoft was really fun to work with and helped out a lot with some tips and tricks.

I set up the accounts that were most important first – email, Twitter, Facebook (of course) then proceeded to make sure I get the other apps that I use almost daily. YouTube and Netflix (noticing a pattern?)

I’ve been using it for two weeks now, so what do I think so far?

First Impressions

When the phone first arrived and I took it out of the box, my first impression was that it was a little heavier than I was used to and larger. But the screen size is definitely a bonus. In comparison to the iPhone 5 there’s no denying that the larger screen produces some crisp video watching.

I like that there is an external button to get directly to the camera quickly and the volume control includes a choice to instantly put on vibrate or not. Very handy.

The set up screen was quite new and has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Once you personalize it with your own email, it pulls in your contacts. Each tile that is pre-installed is great (although, I set it up with my old Hotmail account which I probably shouldn’t have given those are contacts I no longer need – but there is a way to get rid of them so that’s good!). I also see the Rogers Anywhere TV app there! Nice!

The tiles can be customized to the colour of choice and items on the second app screen can be made into a tile, which I did for Twitter and Facebook. So think of that home page like a customized main menu if you will, everything I want to access quickly is there.  This personalization is really neat.

What’s missing?

With my first impressions, and while I’m still getting used to everything about it, a few things are missing for me.  While I like the customization of the home page, it definitely takes some getting used to.  The intuition for me isn’t as easy as my current phone.  The push notifications are good, but I want them to remain on my screen or be very clear that I have something new when I’m not using it.  And while I have set up my Gmail account, I found the view for the emails to be difficult to navigate at times.

What’s really standing out?

The video quality is impeccable. The speakers are nice and loud (a pet peeve of mine if they aren’t!). I watch a lot of video/online tv. The funny thing is, one of the first things I noticed was that in one of our rooms in this town home we have weaker WiFi connection and sometimes we get kicked off of it when watching video. This rarely happens on the Windows phone. At first I thought it was fluke, but sure enough, night after night, the quality and reception continue to be top rate. I’m told this is likely because the antennae is stronger than my iPhone. Very interesting!

The camera app is really good too – I’m not a skilled photographer no matter what my phone is, so having something that is easy to use and takes good pictures is the beginning of what I need. However, the built in Creative Studio app that comes with the phone is really neat.

You can do edits and effects:

Or make a collage right from your existing pictures. I can see this being a really handy blogging feature!

Meanwhile, a few pictures  for comparison:

I’m really liking the colours that come out in the Nokia images, plus the edit options are really great.

Final Thoughts and What’s Next:

Right now I would say that I’m not throwing my iPhone aside completely just yet, but I certainly see how a lot of people would really prefer this over the iPhone.  The more I get to know the Windows phone the more I like it, but in a BFF kind of way, not a ‘Marry Me’ way – yet, at least. I just friend zoned the phone.  However, I’m sticking with the program for a few more weeks to get into it even more.  I will say it’s gotten some ‘ooohs’ and ‘awwwws’ when I take the phone out at the park or gatherings.

What’s Next:

In my next post coming later in the week I’m going to chat about some Apps (and one kind in particular that is missing unfortunately) plus what’s in it for the Kids (and this you’ll love fellow parents!).

{Disclosure: As part of the Windows #summerswitch campaign I received a new Nokia Lumia 920 phone to keep plus compensation for posts about the program. As always, the thoughts and opinions are my own.  Please keep in mind that options that I may like or dislike on a phone may not be the same for you – phones are sort of personal that way! I do recommend checking out anything you are interested in for yourself!}