From Mango to Apollo: The HTC Windows Phone 8X on the Daily
by Dustin Sklavos on January 28, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
- windows phone 8
- Windows Phone 8X
- HTC 8X
Essentials: Search
One of the places where Windows Phone 8 has done an excellent job of moving forward is the "Search" function. As one of the three buttons mandated on the bottom of the actual phone, this should've been a more robust feature in Windows Phone 7 and 7.5, but I never used it on the Dell Venue Pro. It was easier for me to just type whatever I wanted to search for in the browser window.
In 8, though, things are a bit different. Now there are multiple pages under Search; in addition to conventional web search results, there's a page for News, a page for Movie Showtimes, Local Videos, Local Deals, and Local Events. This feels much more robust. On top of that, whatever you enter into the search bar will provide you with a list of web links for whatever you've searched for, along with local, media, and shopping results. Compare that to the less powerful Search function in WP7.5, which only produced local and image results alongside web.
I couldn't tell you exactly why, but I just find myself using Search far more in WP8 than I did in WP7.5. It feels like a more useful tool and less like a trojan horse for Bing.
Essentials: GPS Navigation
While it's still not the catastrophe that Apple Maps was on release, Bing Maps continues to be a sore spot for Windows Phone. The map quality itself is fine, and Microsoft has worked with Nokia to integrate vector maps, but the actual navigation leaves a lot to be desired. Simply put: Bing Maps doesn't provide turn-by-turn navigation. This was something I found myself missing intensely from my time with Android, as Google's navigation is frankly excellent. With the default Bing Maps, you have to tap the display to get the next direction instead of it just simply being read to you as you approach it.
All isn't entirely lost, though. Until recently, users of Nokia-based Windows Phones had access to Nokia Drive for turn-by-turn navigation, but as of the 23rd, anyone using a handset based on Windows Phone 8 now has access to a beta version of Nokia Drive for free. This finally adds the turn-by-turn navigation that Bing Maps was so desperately lacking, and to me this offers a legitimate solution to a baked-in feature that competing phones sporting Android and iOS have been enjoying for a long time now.
Essentials: Camera
The camera app on Windows Phone 7.5, or at least with the Dell Venue Pro, was frankly mediocre at best and downright terrible at worst. As someone who enjoys foisting pictures of his cat to the internet, the Venue Pro was an exercise in frustration. White balance was never accurate, detail was poor, and image stabilization was nonexistent.
If you switch to Windows Phone 8, though, you'll definitely see a benefit. Windows Phone 8 enjoys more detailed controls for the camera, face detection, and Lenses functionality (the default Bing lens allows you to scan barcodes and text and use it to search online.) On top of that, you benefit from the advances that have gone into smartphone camera hardware in general. The WP8 camera is more responsive, easier to use, and produces far superior point and shoot photos than the Dell Venue Pro did.
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Sabresiberian - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
Flash Player is also a security nightmare; I'd love to see it die everywhere.krutou - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
But how are we going to watch our cat videos on YouTube without Flash?ericore - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
Flash Player dominates the web. That isn't changing anything soon. It will take at least 5 years for HTML5 to become the defacto if in fact it ever does. Flash Player is no longer supported on the mobile front, that doesn't mean that its dead or that Microsoft can't integrate the last version into their handset and god forbid acknowledge that 50% of websites use it. They are lazy (will take any excuse) and disrespectful. Flash Player was a security nightmare; that is no longer relevant with the frequent updates.Your outdated dinosaur.
techguy378 - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
I don't know why anyone would use WP 8. I recently bought a Nokia Lumina 920 phone. It's a great phone, but it can't connect to wifi networks that use WPA2+AES encryption which is what most home wifi networks use. Not good when AT&T isn't offering unlimited data. In my case it kept saying the password was wrong. I tried copying the password from my router's setup page into a text file and uploaded it onto my skydrive. Then back on my phone I copied and pasted that password into the wifi password field. The Nokia phone STILL said it was the wrong password. The phone connected to open wifi networks without a problem. I ended up returning the phone and getting a Samsung Galaxy S3 phone. I'll probably need an extended battery, but at least it works.Faragondk - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
I use my Lumia 920 on a WPA2+AES encrypted wireless network every day, without any problems.RevLuck - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
Same here, I've used my L920 with plenty of WPA2+AES wifis and no problems yet. Problem was either with the particular wifi router or PEBKAC.frostyfiredude - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
Let me third that, on the 8X. Actually it's had the most straight forward set-up of that connection I've experienced yet.rcarroll05 - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
I'll 4th that. My wife loves her Nokia 920 and I'm really close to trading my iPhone 4 in on one too.. Just waiting for a few particular apps to come out. Got a good laugh about the pebkac reference.Myrandex - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - link
works fine here iwth WPA2+AES 802.11N network at my home.maximumGPU - Monday, January 28, 2013 - link
a lot of polarised opinions about the OS here. Here's a more balanced take:my daily driver is a lumia 920, and my wife has a nexus 4, so i can give you a quick comparision:
Yes, Android is more flexible, and more customisable, and arguably the superior OS, but windows DOES feel fresh and innovative, live tiles are a great, as well as the social media integration. When i think about the lag fest Android was just a few years ago i can't really critisise msft for winphone7 and 8.
for now Android is a more polihed option, but all msft need to do is roll out updates aggressively and you can bet they'll catch up on features, while still retaining that fresh perspective.
Was an iphone user before, and i think both OS easily outdo IOS.