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Microsoft Bug Cellphones Handhelds Windows

Windows Phone 8 Users Hit Some Snags 391

symbolset writes "As reported on The Verge, many people are experiencing freezing, rebooting and battery problems on their new Windows Phone 8 devices. This WP8Central thread shows many of the issues. Affected devices include Lumia 920 and HTC 8X." Every phone and every OS has its problems, and happy users probably aren't as vocal; it would be good to know how Windows Phone users who are also iOS and Android users compare them for reliability.
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Windows Phone 8 Users Hit Some Snags

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  • by elabs ( 2539572 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @01:33AM (#42024369)
    I've had a Windows Phone (7 and then 7.5) and I think I can count the total number of reboots during that time on one hand. It's extremely stable, more so than any other smartphone or even feature phone I've ever owned. I'm excited to get a Windows Phone 8 (probably the 920) but it's a huge rewrite so I would expect a few quirks here and there at first.
  • by phanboy_iv ( 1006659 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @01:52AM (#42024437)
    ..and it lasts longer on a charge than my Galaxy Nexus ever did. I've had one reboot. I used to get freezes and reboots on occasion with the Gnex too. Overall it's been fine. More responsive and reliable than the last 2 Androids I've had.
  • by hawguy ( 1600213 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @01:55AM (#42024461)

    Please don't confuse a bump in a major version number with a "huge rewrite". It's marketing for "we added more features," no "we've rewritten this for the seventh time."

    Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 still had GDI-related vulnerabilities in WMF/EMF handling left over from the Windows 3.0 days... http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms08-021 [microsoft.com]

    Windows Phone 7 was based on the WinCE kernel, Windows Phone 8 is based on the WinNT kernel. if that's not a "huge rewrite", I don't know what is.

  • by dan_barrett ( 259964 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @01:56AM (#42024465)

    I've got an LG Optimus 7, running Win phone 7 Mango - it reboots daily, especially while in the "messages" (ie, SMS) app.
    Then again I've read that's common on the LG Optimus specifically.
    I'm using the standard apps, plus Exchange mail integration only.

    When it's not rebooting, as a basic phone + email reader, it's not bad. My old Nokia "dumb" phone also worked fine as a basic phone with twice the standby time.

    I don't think I'll "upgrade" to Windows 8 phone, though

  • by Doctor_Jest ( 688315 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @02:18AM (#42024533)

    Considering most of the supporters of Microsoft (dare I say "fanboys") have REALLY high UID's or are anonymous cowards.... yes, it is hard to believe, and it is hard to understand why after all the years of abuse from the Linux/Apple crowd the Microsoft fans would continue to come in and spend most of their time defending their fanboyness to people who wouldn't use windows if it came with a blowjob from Selma Hayek.

  • edge cases? (Score:4, Informative)

    by Aryeh Goretsky ( 129230 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @02:39AM (#42024601) Homepage

    Hello,

    It would be interesting to know the scope of the problem(s), and how to exercise the(se) bug(s).

    I have had a Nokia Lumia 920 for just under a week now (replacing my year old Nokia Lumia 900) and have not noted any performance or battery-life related issues with it. Admittedly, I have not done that much with it yet, as I am still reloading applications onto it (an area which is keen for improvement), but I have to say it has worked consistently without problem.

    I wonder if the problems are due to a specific application or manufacturer-applied configuration.

    Regards,

    Aryeh Goretsky

  • by Microlith ( 54737 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @02:45AM (#42024625)

    It's less a rewrite and more a port. I imagine they could run Windows Phone on x86, they run Windows 8 on ARM (Windows RT) after all.

    The funny thing is that vulnerabilities affecting Windows 8 may also affect Windows RT and Windows Phone 8. And if it's one they can trace back like the WMF/EMF bug the GP cited...

  • Re:thanks for asking (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19, 2012 @03:17AM (#42024737)

    The Character, being part of the R-series of low-end CDMA devices destined for carriers such as MetroPCS and US Cellular runs Qualcomm's BREW operating system with TouchWiz Lite as the overlay. Samsung and Nokia never officially ported Symbian to CDMA, Samsung were never allowed to outside of Korea, per the terms of their previous deal with Nokia/Symbian Ltd and Nokia's hostile attitude towards Qualcomm on CDMA patent licensing prevented CDMA Symbian devices from being actively developed for the US.

  • by q.kontinuum ( 676242 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @03:19AM (#42024745)
    Looks like you confuse some things here... from Wikipedia: Windows CE is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows.[6] It is not to be confused with Windows Embedded Standard which is an NT-based componentized version of desktop Microsoft Windows.
  • by DudemanX ( 44606 ) <dudemanx@gm a i l . c om> on Monday November 19, 2012 @04:23AM (#42024955) Homepage

    I haven't had a Windows Phone since 6.1(which was meh) but I do enjoy running Windows 8 on my desktop and have enjoyed almost every Windows version since Windows 95b except for ME(yes, even Vista). Is my UID low enough to be taken at face value?

  • by pointyhat ( 2649443 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @04:29AM (#42024975)
    Thanks to the joy of distance selling regulations, my wife has had her Lumia 920 returned. It, after a day, decided to freeze approximately 30 minutes after every power cycle. Not only that, the wireless charging doesn't work properly and the operating system is slightly clunky in places (moreso than windows phone 7.5 which tbh wasn't all that bad). It would be a good device if it wasn't for these issues. Oh and the music app is basically a large advertising platform. I've just dumped my Lumia 710 for a Nexus 4, which so far seems reasonable but not anything overly special. She has gone back to her Galaxy ace.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 19, 2012 @05:38AM (#42025253)

    It's a friggin joke, pencil neck.

    Yes, Windows certainly has (in the past, if not now) required more reboots than many other operating systems, for a long time.

    It should be pretty obvious to anybody not completely humor-impaired, that Windows phones don't *actually* require a reboot to accept a call or update position. I guess that counts you out, though.

  • by ByOhTek ( 1181381 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @07:51AM (#42025677) Journal

    Cute, but I doubt that bad.

    I've had an iPhone4S, a couple of Androids (Samsuck, HTC) and a Windows Mobile 7 phone (HTC).

    Outside of the Samsungs, they've all been exceptionally stable. Apple has the best ecosystem, but IMO is the least user friendly. Android is probably the most user friendly, but tries to be too similar to a desktop system, and feels slightly clunkly. Windows Mobile 7 has a horribly poor selection of apps, almost as user friendly as Android and has a fairly smooth design for mobile setups. Playing with Windows 8 on a desktop, I doubt much has changed, but given the ravamp of the OS, I wouldn't consider buying a phone with it for at least a few months to a year yet, at minimum. Stick with Android.

    The only system I've had anywhere similar a reboot experience as you described was on the Samsung Androids (one was a Transform, the other was the replacement model for a Transform).

  • by ByOhTek ( 1181381 ) on Monday November 19, 2012 @08:00AM (#42025713) Journal

    I've had a Windows Phone 7 phone, including the upgrade of the OS, it's required maybe that many restarts in the past 1.5 years - this is about the same over a given duration as my use of the iPhone4s while over seas, and as some of my friends with good Androids. A lot better than the two crap androids I've had.

    Note: I'd actually recommend most people get a good Android phone over a Windows phone, but if you are going to criticize the phone, criticize it on it's flaws, it's got enough of them, don't try to invent shit.

    You should mention *which* version of the phone you've had.

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