Before I begin, let me give you my excuse up front: I was sick. I’m talking high fever, achy muscles, shakes, chills, and possible delusions. Okay, not that bad. During this “fever fog” I did something either that was, a) incredibly brave or, b) completely moronic. I’ll let you be the judge.
For now, I blame part of this on the fever fog. That, or delusions of a green dragon named Elliot that sings with Mickey Rooney in a lighthouse (Yup, that was a “Pete’s Dragon” reference. Bam).
This weekend I switched from iOS to Windows Phone 8, then back to iOS. Many of you will not be surprised by that. But here is my story…
Before I jump in, let me give a fist bump to Microsoft. Their marketing has been pretty solid. I know the Surface commercial is a little bizarre, but besides that, their Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 ads have made me raise an eyebrow. With all the hype, I found myself drawn to the new Windows Phone 8 flagship device, the Nokia Lumia 920.
I read countless reviews from all the major tech outlets before making this decision. It was nothing I did in haste, just one I made in a fever fog. Remember? Blame that.
Why I Switched Operating Systems
I have been using an iPhone since 2009. I have been happy with it. But the last device and software release was less than stellar in my opinion. I mean, iOS 6 was a snooze fest. In my circles, the most talked about feature was the DND option. Come on. I practically had that on my Samsung Blackjack 2. Hello 2008. With all of this, I got a little angry. I feel like Apple stopped innovating this year. I know many will disagree with me, but my personal opinion is that Apple is lacking vision at the moment. I hope that will change. With all of this, it pushed me to give Windows Phone 8 (WP8) a try.
For the record, I’m not a Apple Fanboy. The only thing Apple I own is my iPhone. I have a PC and always have. I would LOVE to have a Mac, but so far, it has never been in the budget. As a small church pastor, I felt I would get escorted to my car if I asked for $2,600 in a budget meeting for a new computer. I also recently switched from Gmail to the new Outlook.com. I actually really like it, and was impressed with the innovations that Windows was making. I thought, maybe this is the vision I am looking for. I needed something new. But then again, I was struggling with a 103 degree temperature.
Why I Switched Back
I purchased my Nokia Lumia 920 this weekend. It really is a nice looking device. It is hefty and has a large screen, but that did not intimidate me. It is really, really fast. The LTE speeds are great and there were no complaints there. I just had problems with two big things: 1) the lack of apps, and 2) I could not get used to the new OS.
I knew that there were not many apps for Windows Phone 8. I read it and understood it. But, fever fog induced, I tried it anyway. I thought it would still help with my productivity. It may have, but what I discovered about myself, is how addicted I am to several iOS apps and its impact upon my life. Sad, but true folks. I am a heavy user of Tweetbot, Flipboard, Instagram, Buffer, and Pocket. Zero of these apps listed are found in WP8. Again, I knew that. I thought I could live without them. I was seriously mistaken.
I found out quickly how addicted I am to these apps, and how this really affected my productivity. I have a system to help me file blog posts into Evernote for sermon illustrations, tech help, and more. I was not able to do that on WP8 because they are not there yet. Bummer. More than that, I am a heavy Twitter user, and Tweetbot is my baby. I have high expectations. There was nothing even close to compare on WP8. I tried most of the apps and none even came close. The Twitter, inc. app itself is pretty lame in my opinion. The Facebook app: same. It was like going back in time.
By about day three of my OS experiment and fever fog, I really found myself mad at this phone. I know it sounds immature, but it’s true. I just could not get used to the new OS. The last night I had it I left it in the living room during the night and didn’t even charge it. I felt like it was a dog that messed on the carpet and I needed to scold it by leaving it outside. I found myself loathing this new phone and OS. It literally brought me anxiety because I felt disconnected from everything and everyone without my precious apps. I wanted to shun it; Amish style (remember Dwight shunning Andy on the Office? Think of that). Sound like I need help? Well, I was sick, so that’s the excuse, remember?
Now, don’t judge Windows. They’re good folks. And they make quality products and software. Same with Nokia. It is not their fault, I just needed to learn some lessons from this little “experiment.”
Lesson Learned
Look, I tried Windows Phone. I really did. I wanted to like it. I posted pics to Twitter. I stayed away from my Kindle Fire which has some of my beloved apps, so I wouldn’t use it as a crutch. I just couldn’t make it happen. So I switched back to the Apple iPhone. And I’m okay with that. I often say that I thrive on change, and this little weekend experiment may have challenged that. I’m not ready to change mobile OS’s yet, but if I do, I’m going to have to unshun WP8. It will come when the bitterness wears off…and the fever.
Paul
Husband. Father. Pastor. Starbucks drinker. iPhone user. Lover of music, books, and movies. On a journey to make a difference. More about me. I blog regularly at PaulStohler.com
Let me ask you this: on your PC, have you switched to Windows 8 yet, or are you still using Windows 7? If you are running Windows 8, do you like it? I sat down with a Windows 8 computer for about a half hour this weekend, and that was enough for me to decide that I’m sticking with Windows 7. (I really like Windows 7.) This also means I have no desire at this time to pick up a Windows 8 phone or tablet.
No, I have not switched to 8, and yes, I still have 7 on my PC. I figure that 8 will be on the next PC I buy, so the time will come. I really haven’t even played with it yet. I chose to play with the iPad Mini over the Windows 8 PC at Best Buy during this whole ordeal. I would like to give 8 a spin now, though I must admit there is a bad taste in my mouth. 😉
I don’t know how much money you spent on your mobile phone “experiment,” but when it comes to your PC, I recommend that you spend some time with Windows 8 on someone else’s computer before you decide to update your own, especially considering your dislike for the Windows Phone. If you upgrade to Windows 8 on your PC, you won’t be able to undo that change as easily if you end up disliking it. 🙂
Lol. Thanks for the advice. I probably will give it a test run now. I have not done my research on W8 like I did WP8. I will also read more reviews. This may have pushed me more towards buying my first Mac.