We all have our favourite brands and, more often than not, we do ourselves a disservice by not venturing outside the comfortable walls of familiarity. I believe in finding and using the right tools for the right job. A fit for purpose ideology I have lived by - not just as a developer and creator of brands but also as a consumer. So whilst I love gadgets in general I am always looking for the right one for the right purpose. As an advocate of Apple it came as ‘some surprise’ to many that I ventured towards a Windows 8 phone rather than the latest Apple iPhone offering. What I wasn't expecting though was the feeling that iOS had some serious catching up to do.
I guess the first thing you need to know is that I was ultimately looking for a phone - plain and simple.
I already own an iPod that offers me more music than I could possibly listen to at any one time and whilst a camera feature would be a great social media tool, it wasn't going to be a deal breaker. I also knew that a lack of apps was going to be an issue with a Windows 8 phone but to be honest I don't really want a lot of apps on my phone beyond those that I actually need and use. That said I was pretty impressed with the majority of the stock offerings on my Nokia Lumia running Windows 8. Internet Explorer for example is great and mail is handled brilliantly through my bt.yahoo account.
Where the Windows 8 system really comes into its own however is through Live Tiles. It's been a long time coming for Microsoft but this is finally one area where Microsoft has done something very right. Live Tiles are akin to Widgets in (say) Android - small boxes or rectangles that can be programmed to update dynamically. Pin them to your home screen and you have at-a-glance information of your phone activity and real-time social media updates. They are also both aesthetically and functionally beautiful. Opening your apps feels like an event with smooth seamless transitions that ironically have the effect of a content managed Cover Flow (something Apple appear to be moving away from to their detriment). Opening your contacts for example is achieved through a simple 'people' link that connects with your Facebook profile, bringing up friends’ updates and activities whilst bypassing the Facebook app itself. As a designer it's also refreshing to see simple settings that allow you to choose a well-considered colour palette to match your own style that follows through the use of well-designed iconography.
Overall what I’ve found is that Live Tiles lives up to Microsoft’s promise. Allowing me to accomplish more and faster than I could using iOS. In fact, the User Interface as a whole tends to make more sense to me than either iOS or Android. Out of the 200 features that come as standard on the iPhone 5, I would probably use about five of them with any regular occasion. Of those five, every single one of them could benefit from Live Tiles.
There’s a lot to like about the Windows 8 phone offering. But what’s probably most surprising to me is that this device in my pocket has given me a better understanding and appreciation of what Microsoft has done with Windows 8. Akin to the iOS-ification of OS X for Apple.
For many though there is still the problem of developer interest. It’s simply not there yet for Windows Phone 8. Something that I'm sure will change in the near future.
Ultimately the mobile device market is far too large to be constrained to two choices. iOS, as incredible as it can be, is showing its age. Android has made huge strides in recent months, but there’s still too much wrong with it. Microsoft has positioned itself as a solid choice within top tier smartphones, especially as BlackBerry continues to fade.
Credit where credit’s due though as Apple continues to be a pervasive thorn in the side of networks by taking the choice away from them. But now Microsoft has used the power of its brand to offer an incredible mobile experience by which all future phone devices should be judged.
Posted by Dave Birch
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