If the Moto X pure was 5", had usb type c and a fingerprint scanner, it would have been an instant buy for me.
android users.. what do we do about this? http://6abc.com/technology/android-phone-hack-puts-950-million-users-at-risk/888522/
Don't use hangouts and you will be ok. Hangouts tries to auto parse mms. The normal messenger app doesn't do this.
And this is where Android's fragmentation gets in the way. There should only be one OS. Don't know why Android allows for carrier and manufacturer-specific derivations of its OS.
Welcome to Windows 10 and iOS. I've heard from android friends of mine that if you cook your own roms, or at least know how to flash a phone there are roms out there that do not have this exploit. Personally, I'd just avoid the whole fiasco all together and stay in a walled garden approach that MS and Apple take (hence why I've only owned iPhones and Nokias).
Not an option for many. First, someone like me is heavily invested in Google play services(many games and apps purchased through the play store). Second, I love Google Now. If you never have experienced and used it on a daily basis you have no clue what you are missing out on. It is easily the best 'personal assistant' on the market. 3rd, for many around the world, Android is the most viable option as it offers the cheapest options and most prevalent.
Actually your third point isn't as big of a sticking point as it used to be. WP devices like the nokia 635 go for around $35 unlocked, that was the point of the devices. Nokia made a big push for emerging markets, unfortunately those are the only markets it's actually performing in. As for personal assistants, I like Cortana because she's integrated into all that I use. She's on my PC, she's on my phone, and hell, if I want to switch to Android or iOS she'll be there too. I can't say that for Google Now. To each their own, but I think your argument of being locked into a platform isn't the best one. I thought I was locked into iOS when I switched to WP, I got games and apps back and it was fine. Also, Xbox/Groove Music is amazing, I don't know why more people don't use it.
I was sent a picture of a monkey riding on top of a dog earlier today by a number I didn't know. The text said LOL on it. Should I be worried?
The problem with Cortona is it uses Bing for search results instead of Google and the knowledge graph. Google Knowledge graph is unbeaten. Google's search algorithms are unmatched. It is what they do best.
Well that costs money does't it. If I were to make a hypothetical jump it would be IOS as I believe Apple makes the best hardware. Also between IOS, Android and WP, WP is severely lacking in the app department. IOS and android have an almost monopoly on app development. If you are an app developer, your primary concern is releasing an IOS and Android version. Anything else is extra.
Eh, I could see this devolving into an MS/Google battle, but I think the Bing hate is unwarranted. Their results for basic content is identical to Google. For more complex content, I fluctuate between the two. There are times where Bing yields better results, and there are times where Google yields better results. For what I use my phone for, which are basic results like restaurant locations, IMDB profiles, Wikipedia articles, they are EXACTLY THE SAME. The only arena where Google is the true winner is academic/scholarly searches. Microsoft's academic search is still not up to snuff. Then again, when I'm on my phone I don't care. Plus! With Bing I get credits for searches, and I can redeem said credits for stuff. My GF and I got $30 in Amazon gift cards just for using Bing.
Use a Nokia/Lumia, they are built better. They can withstand drops sans cases. My 1520 has no case, fell flat on it's face on tile from 4 feet above and it survived without a scratch. An iPhone wouldn't make that drop. As for apps, it is rather lacking on the WP side of things. Then again, I don't really use apps often, so as long as the basics are there I'm happy. Would it be nice to have a taco bell app on my phone? Sure, but it isn't a deal breaker for me.
The app gap is far bigger than that. All of the music streaming apps are terrible. Just awful compared to iOS and Android. Online banking apps are non-existent. No google apps. Browser apps are awful (internet explorer is the reason why i just bit the bullet and upgraded to windows 10. Edge is light years better even in its current buggy state) Even apps that currently exist like Yelp or ESPN are just poorly maintained and buggier. Its not so much that Windows apps dont exist. Its that in many cases they aren't maintained or are missing tons of features. The developer pool seems worse now than when I had a Windows 7 phone. At least back then, we were seeing new apps being developed. Today I see the same apps from 2012 and 2013 that just haven't been updated. Even something as critical as Netflix wasn't updated for ages. Social media is also lacking. Snapchat doesn't exist. (which I dont use but plenty of others do) Facebook is ok but not quite as good as Android and iOS. Instagram is terrible (which I also fortunately dont use) and Twitter finally got an update recently after months of nothing. Gaming apps are also severely lacking as well. For me most of that doesn't matter. I dont really use social media except for facebook. I dont play games on my phone. And I'm not as reliant on google services as some others. But for most people, there are enough dealbreakers in the Windows app selection that will discourage them from switching. Windows has a beautiful UI and an embarrassing app selection that is just painful to deal with.
That's really the #1 argument against Windows Phones. Everything else doesn't even compare. I bought an iPad Mini a while back JUST for the app market.
Gaming hurts a lot, I definitely agree on that end. Banking also hurts, and with a lot of apps the 3rd party apps are actually better than the ones made by the actual companies. Like you, I don't care too much about that lot of them (but a lot of people do). I have faith that porting will bring a lot of those basic games/apps over, and the universal platform for tablets/PCs/Phones will bring over some of the rest of developers. I'm not sure that it will work, but I believe MS is doing everything they can to break into that market.
My Uber app on my Windows Phone doesn't work right. Also didn't work on my wife's Windows Phone. When a driver showed up, nothing else would happen after that. I couldn't enter in where I wanted to go, I wasn't shown the route he was taking, I couldn't give them a tip at the end of the ride, nothing. Just nothing would happen. (Note: It could be that I was doing something wrong, but I don't think so. The drivers always insisted that I would be able to put in an address and see their route, but there was nowhere to do that.)
And for some I totally understand how that could be the deal breaker. It's sad because the phones they put out feel snappier, are cheaper, have better cameras, and the OS overall just feels more dynamic. It's like the argument for being an OSX user. Maybe like macs, the intel based Windows Phones might help re-energize the platform.
