Continuing on our regular From the Forums feature, where we bring you the latest hot threads from our community, there have been a number of discussions that have caught our eye. One of the more debated topics were the Nokia Lumia US sales figures that were circling the web. It was originally believed that the manufacturer has only managed to push out 330,000 Windows Phones since it launched in the states. Head on past the break for the full run through of 'fluff'.
Fool Zune to remove devices from Zune Pass subscription early
An interesting thread was created today by travis_valkyrie, which walks the reader through how to remove devices from Zune Pass device listing before the 30 days wait is up. When you have used all your available device slots for the Zune Pass subscription (a total of 4 devices + 1 reservation for an Xbox) you can only remove a single device per 30 days, with the wait beginning as soon as you hit this limit.
"So anyway, if you've reached the 4 max devices, you may do the amazing "future-time-trigger" trick. This is where you just basically adjust your computers date a day or two ahead (just to be on the safe zone because you won't be able to sign in to your account if the set date is way out or past 30 days) of the date scheduled for the 30 day limit."
This is a really handy tip for those who wish to remove a device from their Zune Pass subscription without waiting the full 30 days. Of course, should you wish to remove more than one device, or simply can't even wait for more than a single day, we strongly recommend contacting Zune support. But be sure to check out the "how to remove devices early" thread for the complete step-by-step and more information.
Invest in Windows Phone 7.x or wait for Apollo?
It's a burning question, one which we've looked at a number of times as well as discussed on the Windows Phone Central podcast. But which is the best choice for consumers? We know that current and previous generation hardware will not be fully upgradable to Windows Phone 8, and will be receiving Windows Phone 7.8, but should you invest in current hardware or wait for the fall?
This is exactly what hariman_dhanjal asked on our forums.
"Well before I get this I just have a few questions. If I get this phone which is 7.5 will I get an update to 8.0? Example: like android phones with 2.3 are upgrading to 4.0 and which are making them much better. I can only get a phone once for a long time so I need a good one."
This is a question which is extremely difficult for any of us to answer. Being deep Windows Phone fans, we're automatically set to reply with "GET A WP IT IS SO AWESOME!", but this is simply not good enough when it comes to the heated question as to whether it's best to wait for Windows Phone 8, purchase a Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone, or go elsewhere (iPhone, Android, etc.)
Running Windows Phone 7.5 (soon to be 7.8), consumers still receive the full experience. While the hardware is lagging behind software development, with requirements for dual-core, NFC and more in the next upgrade, the overall experience is not going to differentiate massively. Windows Phone -as it is in its current form- is stable and useable. It has also been blowing away competitor smartphones in the "Dare to Live" UK campaign.
Miscellaneous: Microsoft supporting other platforms and the almighty TITAN
If there's one thing we're somewhat proud of Microsoft for is their continued support for other platforms. When it comes to Apple products, we've got the Windows Phone Connector allowing consumers to plug their phones and sync them in OS X, as well as the My Xbox app for the iPad. But the average Joe won't see it this way, and should Microsoft appear to leave their own customers in the dark then we can then witness some heated discussions.
"MS actually offering better support ( app wise ) to other OS over their own WP OS. This to me is unacceptable. We are already straggling and being left out with *Official apps* and MS being a Developer of Official apps you would think WP would be the first to get them from MS. Now I understand that other OS are HUGE and releasing apps on other OS is actually better business decision for MS but at the very lease they could release updates/new apps at the SAME TIME for us as well!- IOS now has better Xbox live support then us with a new update they just got! riddle me that.- photosynth being released on IOS before work had even started on the WP version."
Check out the "MS better support for other OS" thread for Se1fcr3ation's mini-rant about how it appears as though the software giant is favouring Apple over its own user base. Our Robert Brand also took a quick look at how Microsoft is being almost too kind to competitor platforms. How do you feel about Microsoft's moves to update apps and release new ones on iOS prior to Windows Phone? Do you feel as though the competitor apps pack more features than Microsoft's counterparts?
To close this FTF off nicely, but on a slight negative note, we have TITAN fan uscdigital who created the thread "Sad times for TITAN buyers", where he runs through the problems he's been facing after actually purchasing the smartphone on AT&T.
"Besides the questionable reception due to the metal chassis or the upcoming fixes that never made it, now ATT has released tango updates for most of their phones besides the Titan 1. Lessons learned: no more HTC windows phones for me. hopefully when Nokia starts using decent cameras on their handsets, I will stick to them for the more respectful update timelines."
Are you a TITAN owner, and if so do you agree with the above snippet? Head on over to the thread in question to voice your opinion. Be sure to jump over to our Windows Phone forum to join in the discussion!
