A Long Time Microsoft User Tries Android: Guess What? It’s Great!

[MDMcAtee]

So, I've had my phone for about 24 hours and I'm relieved to say that the learning curve wasn't nearly as steep as I initially thought. The LG G4 is also a beautiful piece of hardware - leather back - what a great touch.
- Android version of Microsoft apps bother me - they are actually better than the WP variants.Way better.
- This site is absolutely brilliant in terms of hand holding for newbs. The how to sections are a Godsend as well as the article on essential apps.
- Apps selection. Wow. It all starts with Nova imho.
- Notifications - I'm getting a little weepy here. EVERYTHING can have them.
- This part needs to be bolded. Customization and tweakability. Oh, my......So much choice.

Be careful of having tons of notifications turned on. There is a great thread on the g4 forums that can help you with this.

Posted from my Samsung S6 Active

 

[pkcable]

Very thorough, Laura. A good read for those who may be considering a switch to Android but may be holding back if they don't wish to migrate everything to Google accounts.

And I'm really surprised that the Andoid version of some MS apps run better than the WP counterparts.

How does Elessar have 0 posts here when i can clearly see this post!

 

[Laura Knotek]

How does Elessar have 0 posts here when i can clearly see this post!

That's a good question. I see it too.

Sent from my Moto X using Tapatalk

 

[Ecm]

How does Elessar have 0 posts here when i can clearly see this post!

I'm in stealth mode, apparently!

 

[BergerKing]

Well, a few weeks ago I got the Lollipop 5.0.1 update on my S4, yes, I've had this model for a year and a half, a record for me, and OMFG was it awful. Lag, lag, lag, and more lag. Opening storage and seeing the calculations could take 3-4 minutes. The apps I use just... Opened........... Like......................... This.

A Second update pushed this morning. Much better.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Well, a few weeks ago I got the Lollipop 5.0.1 update on my S4, yes, I've had this model for a year and a half, a record for me, and OMFG was it awful. Lag, lag, lag, and more lag. Opening storage and seeing the calculations could take 3-4 minutes. The apps I use just... Opened........... Like......................... This.

A Second update pushed this morning. Much better.

Lollipop 5.0.1 wasn't laggy on my Nexus 7, but it and 5.0.2 had memory leaks. 5.1.1 eliminated the memory leak. Lollipop 5.1 on my Moto X 2013 has no lag or memory leak.

Sent from my rooted Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[ajb1965]

Late to the party, but I really enjoyed your write up Laura. I also switched back to Android after WP8.1 due to breaking my WP phone and my carrier no longer selling new devices in the stores. I had serious reservations as my last try at this lasted a whole 2 weeks before I couldn't stand it. I must say that 5.1 is a huge improvement over Jelly Bean. Most of the things that annoyed me about the OS are gone. And like you, I prefer the Microsoft apps on Android much more than WP, and appreciate that they are almost all available now. I think it's the best of both worlds honestly.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Late to the party, but I really enjoyed your write up Laura. I also switched back to Android after WP8.1 due to breaking my WP phone and my carrier no longer selling new devices in the stores. I had serious reservations as my last try at this lasted a whole 2 weeks before I couldn't stand it. I must say that 5.1 is a huge improvement over Jelly Bean. Most of the things that annoyed me about the OS are gone. And like you, I prefer the Microsoft apps on Android much more than WP, and appreciate that they are almost all available now. I think it's the best of both worlds honestly.

Welcome to AndroidCentral. What Android device did you get?

I ended up liking Android so much that I'm getting a new Moto X Pure Edition. I'm still waiting for it to get built and shipped.

 

[ajb1965]

Welcome to AndroidCentral. What Android device did you get?

I ended up liking Android so much that I'm getting a new Moto X Pure Edition. I'm still waiting for it to get built and shipped.

Thank you! I got the LG G4. Made me an android fan again, but still hopeful that T-Mobile gets the Lumia 950XL

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Laura Knotek]

Thank you! I got the LG G4. Made me an android fan again, but still hopeful that T-Mobile gets the Lumia 950XL

Posted via the Android Central App

The G4 is a really nice device, especially for the camera.

Sent from my rooted Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[Muessig]

Really interesting write-up! Thanks for sharing it, Laura!

 

[ajb1965]

It's been over a month and I thought I would miss Live Tiles, but I find myself missing the People Hub the most. I liked having my close friends and family in a contact group and tapping What's New and seeing their FB and Twitter posts all in one place. I wish there was an Android app that did the same.

Reading the 950/950XL controversy next door at WindowsCentral, it doesn't look like I will be able to get one through my carrier anytime soon anyway, so it's fortunate that Android works well for me. Eyeing the LG V10 as my next upgrade

 

[Funky Cricket]

Thanks for the write up. I've been holding out and holding out, but the drops have finally sent the camera into no focus ever mode on my L928 (yes, 928). I've been hesitant to switch to Android, my wife loves hers, but she really only knows WebOS and Android. I've loved not having to root to make work, and the smoothness and ease of the live tiles. I'm also all in with MS services, but the phone is finally starting to show its age. I've been looking at the S7's, I'd like the Nexus 6p but Vz doesn't do that on the edge plan and I just don't have 500 bucks to drop on a phone.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Thanks for the write up. I've been holding out and holding out, but the drops have finally sent the camera into no focus ever mode on my L928 (yes, 928). I've been hesitant to switch to Android, my wife loves hers, but she really only knows WebOS and Android. I've loved not having to root to make work, and the smoothness and ease of the live tiles. I'm also all in with MS services, but the phone is finally starting to show its age. I've been looking at the S7's, I'd like the Nexus 6p but Vz doesn't do that on the edge plan and I just don't have 500 bucks to drop on a phone.

You're welcome. 😄 I'm glad that was useful to you.

Please let us know if you get the S7 or another Android device.

Whichever Android device you get will play nicely with the Microsoft apps.

 

[mobster011]

I'm a 5-year WP user and also heavily invested in MS services, so I have a couple questions that I didn't see answered here.

1. I love that WP can automatically upload pictures taken to OneDrive. Can this still be done on Android?
2. How does streaming to an Xbox One work?
3. Can Bing be set as the default search engine and, if so, can Bing Rewards be earned with the search button similar to how it works seamlessly on WP?
4. Can I still use my 2 Outlook accounts exclusively for contacts and calendars? I have no desire to use Gmail.
5. Can Cortana be used no matter what app or menu you're in, similar to holding the search button on WP?

Thanks for any insight

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'm a 5-year WP user and also heavily invested in MS services, so I have a couple questions that I didn't see answered here.

1. I love that WP can automatically upload pictures taken to OneDrive. Can this still be done on Android?

Yes.

2. How does streaming to an Xbox One work?

I don't know. I don't have an Xbox One or any other game consoles.

3. Can Bing be set as the default search engine and, if so, can Bing Rewards be earned with the search button similar to how it works seamlessly on WP?

There are apps for both Bing and Bing Rewards. https://forums.androidcentral.com/e.../details?id=com.microsoft.bing&token=hAIv_v_k
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s?id=com.microsoft.bingrewards&token=0wCIUSOF

Thanks for any insight

You're welcome. I hope this helps.

 

[Centralboy545]

Don't know about an Xbox one but I can sync my phone to my ps4.

 

[mobster011]

Hi Laura. Regarding the camera upload, can I set this to upload to my existing OneDrive? I don't see it specified in the screenshot where they upload to.

Also, regarding Bing...do I have to go in to the Bing app to do my searches or is there some easier way similar to how it's built in to the search button on WP?

One other thing; are you familiar with any sub $100 Android phones that aren't complete junk that I could purchase to give Android a shot before going all in with a higher end phone? I'm on AT&T.

Thanks again!

 

[mobster011]

What is it that you sync? I would want to cast video from my phone (Youtube, mp4, mkv, etc) to my Xbox. If you're able to do this on PS4, how does it work?

Thanks!

 

[anon(50597)]

Hi Laura. Regarding the camera upload, can I set this to upload to my existing OneDrive? I don't see it specified in the screenshot where they upload to.

Also, regarding Bing...do I have to go in to the Bing app to do my searches or is there some easier way similar to how it's built in to the search button on WP?

One other thing; are you familiar with any sub $100 Android phones that aren't complete junk that I could purchase to give Android a shot before going all in with a higher end phone? I'm on AT&T.

Thanks again!

I had never thought about this before, but just looked, and there is a Bing search bar in the play store. I just added it to my home screen.

Also, for just a little more money, you can get an Android phone that's not junk so you can have a much more pleasant experience. You wouldn't judge a restaurant by trying their worst food item. ;-)