(Part 2) Best products from r/windowsphone

Yeah, I'm not gonna defend WP, I'm just as dissappointed but as you. If you want the 'immediate future', I personally recommend iPhone over Android because the app ecosystem is more consitent and refined (with the exception of Facebook with chatheads - such a godsend can't believe Facebook didn't keep it in iOS). Although Android is better feature wise and customisable, in certain areas. Android L has made me drool over to the Android side, but I'll remain with WP for some time, so hopefully if you decide to comeback it'll be better :P

I'm personally not a fan of the designs of the hardware and software aspects of the S5, but sounds like you don't really care as you need a tactile feedback of keyboard and all the 'better looking' phones M8, N5, 1+1 aren't going to suit your needs. I was like you at one point before I gave into the touchscreen. But I believe if you wanted there was a similar keyboard attachment floating around for the iPhone, but it's been a while since I've heard of it.

But I bid you farewell, no hard feelings, an OS should suit your needs, not what the judgy WP fanboys here have to say. It sounds like you'll be better off on Android at least.

EDIT: Found the case!

"Already moving the goal posts"

I'm not "Moving the goal posts", just expanding on the original idea. This is a subject that contains a multitude of caveats on either side of the fence, so I think it's understandable to not attempt to cover everything in a single post, let alone on my phone during a lunch break.

"This isn't going to happen, so you should really not bank on it or hope for it."

That's quite a blanket statement. I have a hard time believing that no schools in the US, or on the planet earth for that matter, would not have the slightest interest in a system such as this (University or not). Even if a school didn't provide the actual dock itself, just supplying a keyboard and monitor would be enough (Which almost all schools already have). A student could easily bring their own device dock ( Like the display dock that exists today for the 950) for use at school If one did not want/could not afford a laptop dock. Which, once again, is MUCH cheaper and easier to carry around than a laptop would be (The 950 dock is currently for sale on amazon for $59 USD - https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Display-Dock-Lumia-HD-500/dp/B01I749CKO ).


"Most universities don't even allow windows 10 on institutional machines."

The school would not own the phones, that would belong to the student.

"take the laptop for a much better experience"

It's easy to just tell someone to "take the laptop for a much better experience", but that is easier said than done for some people. Not everyone can afford a phone and a laptop (as I mentioned above), nor a desire to own one for that matter. There are many people who would only want a device to comfortably type up their homework, do research on, or pay bills on and that's it. Why spend the money on a laptop when I could just dock my phone (Whether it be a traditional dock or laptop dock), do my work, and be done? Why buy another computer (aka phone) when you already own one?

"And those who actually make decisions see phones as phones and laptops and laptops and the cost to upgrade infrastructure to co-mingle those two things are not worth the opportunity cost. "

This is another blanket statement. If the phone is running the exact same operating system as a laptop (Full Windows OS, as per discussion), then the difference should be minimal. Not to mention that there are always is, and always will be infrastructure costs. The fact is, if Microsoft went ahead and implemented the capability into the core functionality of Retail and Enterprise editions of Windows, the support (optional or not) would eventually be integrated or available to integrate into a company via EOL OS upgrades. Even in the current form of individual Phone + Laptop, look at the rate iOS and Android Operating Systems upgrade at. Do you think it's easy and/or cheap to manage the disparity between iOS, Android, and Windows? If anything, there would be a great potential in cost savings vs detriment by using a single OS.

"There is a reason why more businesses run on windows XP than on windows 10. I'm guessing you're a student based on the idea of bringing one to class. The "corporate world" is not nearly as techy as you think it is, unless you specifically work in tech - and very few of those corporations have bought into docks either. "

Actually no, I am not a student. Which is why I said initially "If I was a student". I work in an IT department for a corporation with 150k+ employees. ANY company that still runs on an EOL OS such as XP should seriously question their IT department's competency (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet). A vast majority of our corporate associates (THOUSANDS of associates) use a laptop + Laptop Dock + Monitor + keyboard + Mouse (Unless the associate specifically requests another device such as an AIO), as well as a company phone. The potential savings on laptop hardware alone is staggering. Not to mention less devices to support overall, which leaves to massive time ( time = money) savings. This is just one example. Even if you don't agree with my personal experience, I think this is more than enough to disprove the possibility of it being no more than "marketing fluff".

Are the things that I described going to apply to all people, schools, and businesses? All scenarios? Yourself? Absolutely not. Do I think many could benefit from a single device that could not only double as a Phone/Computer, but also have the potential of being wildly successful? Absolutely. Do I think this is going to happen within the next few years? Not likely, but I do think that's where things are heading, and I think it's rather close minded to say such a device, even in the now, has no potential in the home, in the school, or in the office.

I'd say that some of the best Android phones out right now are (in no particular order), the Nexus 5, Moto X, LG G3, HTC One M8, and the Samsung Galaxy S5.

For seriously in-depth reviews, check out Erica Griffin's YouTube channel. Android Central is a good source for Android news.

If you'd like to try out modern stock Android without spending a lot of money or committing to any kind of contract, you could buy a $75 8 GB Moto G for Verizon prepaid and use it unactivated as a WiFi-only device (as if it were an iPod touch). In other words, you'd pay $75 once and nothing else (except maybe apps). The Moto G is the best low-end Android phone and a great value for the money. It would be a good way to test drive modern stock Android while you're still using the Nokia 920 as your main phone. The biggest downsides would be the camera and the storage.

The phones that are best for getting Android updates and getting them promptly are Nexus phones, Google Play editions, and Motorola phones. Something called Android Silver is rumored, and it may replace the Google Play edition lineup but we don't really know the details yet. As for other Android phones, unless you buy a popular flagship, you'll get OS updates quite late or might not get them at all. That's where custom ROMs come in.

For really customizing Android, check out XDA, but before posting any questions there, you need to read rules and stickies (FAQs, guides, etc), follow how-to instructions carefully, and use search (forum search and in-thread search). Their XDA for newbies video is rude (not welcoming at all), but there is very useful stuff on that site when it comes to tinkering. /r/Android /r/AndroidQuestions

Glad to help! I think I've said my piece. :)

Hey man, it does take a bit to get used to the size but once you do, you'll wonder how you used anything with a smaller screen before.

I bought a poetic wallet case at first; great built quality, nice color and protection, but as it turns out I discovered I'm not a fan of wallet cases =/

What I'm using right now are the Incipio NGP case: Good case, fits snuggly on the phone, has raised border that protect the camera phone and the edge of the screen.

I also use the Kaleido TM Dual Layer Hybrid case for work days I know I'll need that extra protection: This thing will make your phone into a brick, but you wont have to worry about anything happening to your 1520.

I also recommend paying special attention to getting a GOOD screen protector. I use the ArmorSuit Military Shield: It is a tad more expensive but this thing is the best screen protector I've used. It doesn't affect the resolution of the screen whatsoever.

Incipio NGP case

Kaleido Dual Layer case

ArmorSuit screen protector

The first time I picked up a Windows CE device in the early 90's I dreamed of a tiny PC in my pocket. A full blown workstation I carry with me. Ever since that time we have been on a march forward, a 20 parade of baby steps toward that eventual union of PC and pocket mobility (Got close with an OQO PC).

We all know that Intel's new mobile "Atom" chipsets come in an x64 flavor, work perfectly well in small 6 and 7 inch tablets, and have proven to be battery friendly. The new 14nm Airmont x5 and and x7 chips are expected to make a release in in Q2 of 2016, with CPU frequencies reaching 3Ghz and decent Intel HD GPU performance.

A quad core Atom X64 phone running full windows 10 Pro/Enterprise is absolutely within the realm of possibility; even the new high end smart phones (like the 950/xl) have liquid cooling solutions, and the new snapdragons have the same heat output as the Atoms, so the majority of the "major" problems are not serious.

This is the same Atom X7 that powers the Surface 3, this "system in a chip" could easily scale down to a 5.7" phone unit; you can also find the x64 atoms in Intel's compute sticks

I can only hope this is true; Personally I would jump on it. It would be the realization of a 23 year old dream... An x64 quad core, 5.7 4k display, 8GB ram, 512GB mSSD surface phone.... man what a great time to be alive!

Most people have been conditioned to think "phone => thin => good", but then put them in cases and carry extra external batteries. If an x86/Win32 productivity device is to succeed it needs another form factor and it shouldn't be marketed as a phone. It should be called something else completely to shatter existing pre-conceptions of what a "phone" should look like.

I give you The Surface Power Brick! Powerful as a Surface, Strong as a brick, Power bank included!

-But it's thick! -It's a brick!

-But it's heavy! -It's a brick!

-But it's ugly! -It's a brick!

-OMG, it's so powerful! -Yes, that's why we named it a power brick - it's for power users who need a powerful device.

-Is it a phone? - No, it's a brick..

-But can it make calls? - Yes, it has cellular capabilities - calls, texts, mobile data, A-GPS, you name it. This doesn't make The Brick a phone, just like adding cellular capabilities to a car doesn't make the car a phone.

-It has a full-sized USB! -Yes, you can connect the full range of devices from the Win10 ecosystem - mice, keyboards, flash drives, external hard disks, printers, you name it.

-Can I use the USB to charge my phone? -You still own a phone? That's... retro. Yes, it can charge your phone.

-Ok, it's a Surface device.. does it work with my existing collection of surface pens and custom pen-tips? - Yes! It also works with the Surface dock!

-But I have the phone dock. -Sure, it works with that too.

-Shut up and take my money! -Nah!! We'll only sell this in the US, with select markets coming next year. But not your country! Or any of it's neighbors. Oh, you are an EU country? We still don't care! Your money is just not the same. Also, don't try to order it online, we won't ship it to your country.

P.S. Before you tell me this can't be done, look at the LG gram touch. It has an i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 4 USB ports, HDMI port, a 15.6 inch touch screen and 6850mAh / 52.06 Wh battery in 1080 grams. That's 38 ounces in retarded units. Battery life is measured at up to 10.3 hours by MobileMark 2014; 13 by MobileMark 2007. It also has a keyboard with a numpad, a touchpad and a microSD slot. Did I mention you can get it on Amazon (<- non-referral link) for a 1000 bucks? Only in the US, before you get any ideas.

I went from a Lumia 950 to an LG V20. It is hardware wise pretty much better than the 950 in most ways.

Camera: 950 has better stabilization but PQ is pretty much a wash

Wireless charging: LG V20 does not have it but I use this and case for wireless charing, https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Charging-Receiver-Nillkin-Charger/dp/B01M11UT3V/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1511989404&sr=8-3&keywords=wireless+charging+receiver+usb+c

LG V20 does not have an iris reader but does have a fingerprint reader.

Overall though the LG V20 is better, the Quad headphone DAC is utterly amazing on the LG V20

I've done some tech repair and building before, but only with computers. I looked up a video tutorial and it looks easier than I thought. I would still prefer finding a store doing it but I feel like I could do it myself now at least.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JA9Q4H0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425799794&sr=8-1&keywords=lumia+1520+lcd+assembly&dpPl=1&dpID=41uLbeCcETL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
Would this be what I need? I would like to be perfectly sure on what I need before ordering.

So I use this one: http://smile.amazon.com/Wireless-Charging-Charger-Galaxy-Phones/dp/B00QJ9AH8G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449007709&sr=8-3&keywords=tylt+vu

A little pricey, but its well built, works with my 950 XL. The thing I like best are the side grippers which are angled so it sort of hugs the front edges of the phone and doesn't press any of the side buttons when you close them. I also like the release mechanism, which is a button on the top.

It uses a standard size 17 mm ball mount, so I switched out the suction cup sticky base for a cup holder mount (http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IETL2Y?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00)

Our IT department is trialling out Samsung Omnia W. I was amazed by how nice it was. It is a really small device compared to todays monsters and very nice to hold on to. The small screen size also means the pixel density is higher which makes it nice to look at.

Otherwise you can go with Nokia as you get very nice Nokia apps like Nokia music/drive/travel etc.

Looks like omnia w is only slightly more expensive than wildfire.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-I8350-Omnia-Mobile-Phone/dp/B0067G15ZK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345902882&sr=8-1

It's pretty great, to be honest. I use it to run Kodi (flawless at 1080p), play Netflix, and stream Xbox One, and that's pretty much it. I was a little worried about reports of it overheating and throttling, but I've not noticed any issue with that. I did get a USB3 ethernet adapter so I could use it wired rather than wireless, though its built-in 802.11ac is much better than what you'd find in a compute stick for example. I have been getting some "network issues" pop-ups while streaming on "High" that I haven't had time to diagnose, but I'm not convinced that's the Kangaroo's problem (I suspect the Xbox just can't keep up with encoding). Edit: This prompted me to do a little searching, and Anker has a Win10 driver for the ethernet port that I never installed. Some Amazon reviews mentioned flaky ethernet and responses from Anker were to update the driver, so I'm going to try that. The other negative on reviews is that the USB hub disconnects on sleep, but that was an easy fix -- I don't let me Kangaroo sleep, and I don't let it put its USB ports to sleep.

The Cherry Trail Atoms (x5/x7) in this and other devices like the Surface 3 are some impressive chips IMHO. The only thing I'd change is to add SATA support, or a few more PCIe lanes for M.2 support, because eMMC is slow. Not a huge issue for my use of the Kangaroo, since nearly everything is network-bound, but it would make my Surface 3 4GB/128GB much snappier.

I'd recommend getting a phone mount with a tripod screw hole so you can use any tripod. I have the Joby GripTight mount and though it is more expensive than some of the other offerings it is about the only one I could find that would work for the Lumia 925 (it straddles the lock button and opens wide enough - a lot of the cheaper options grip the phone in the middle, which would hit the lock button, or only open wide enough for the smaller iPhone). It grips the phone securely and feels like a quality item that justifies the higher price.

As for tripod recommendations, the Velbon DF-61 is very good value for money though being a full-size tripod may be a bit on the large size to carry with you on holiday. I have heard good things about the GorillaPod (and that particular item seems to come with the GripTight mount mentioned earlier) though have not used it myself.

This case is thicker, but I love it. It is pretty solid, and at $10, not a big risk. I bought a yellow plastic frame (to match my phone) with a navy blue outer covering. Looks like they come in different colors now. The rubber part got a little loose on the back, but it's not terrible.

My outdated jabra bluetooth visor kit will read me incoming text messages, and I can initiate new text messages and phone calls with it. Not an app, but an excellent function for driving if you have an older car, and not a lot of cash.

And I'm hoping Cortana will be even more fun to use.

well i did the math and the 330 pounds is 538.55 dollars. For that price i can almost pay off a high end android phone lol. I can get a 930 with no contract for less http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-Icon-Verizon-Wireless/dp/B00HWEMZ1E

I'm sure the price adjustment may be a little off, but if i am going to drop over 400 i would like the specs to be nice.

is there a way to get a 930 GSM?

Couldn't you get a USB-C to HDMI cable?

AFAIK USB-C supports video out

EDIT: Yep. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4S5C7G?gclid=CLSIgJnIu8kCFQkxaQodKV0NUg

Well, sort of. It's not a direct cable, I assume the big box is required to convert the signal (which is probably what the MS display dock does).

I don't know if this one:
http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/B00DYTCV24/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
could be sent abroad, but it looks like it might be. It's used, so you'd need some guarantee that it is in working order.

a TPU did catch my eye.

https://www.amazon.com/TUDIA-Protection-Absorption-Compatible-Metallic/dp/B07KWJBKNK/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1KPV1OT2WWUO1&keywords=nokia+7.1+case+shockproof&qid=1564366886&s=wireless&sprefix=nokia+7.1+case+shockp%2Cmobile%2C128&sr=1-3

Most seem too cheap to be good. I think the case I linked looks reasonable.

In my experience, most of the conference rooms I go to--and some of hotels--have male cables, so I've been carrying a female adapter, and it's worked well. I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Adapter/dp/B00X4S5C7G.

How about a simple HDMI gender changer? http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cable-Store-Adapter-Plated/dp/B002LC4Z4M

Found a link for the Amazon for the wireless charging shell:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYTCV24?ref_=ox_ya_os_product&redirect=true

Sounds like you don't want it, but maybe someone else does.

That Amazon you linked to is a Lumia 928.
Amazon has the Icon listed new from $149

I use this USB-C to USB 2 Female to move files to a thumb drive and works with a USB keyboard or mouse: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016NNEAQM

I use this USB-C card reader to move files to a SD card: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012UWCAGC


I tried this USB-C to HDMI but it does not work: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X4S5C7G

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JA9Q4H0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1425799794&sr=8-1&keywords=lumia+1520+lcd+assembly&dpPl=1&dpID=41uLbeCcETL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Just from a seller off of Amazon. The white one looks to be even cheaper.