Switching from Android to Windows Phone

Hi everyone! I know it’s been a very, very, long time. Let me say that I actually do have tons of posts I wanted to make, it’s just that I’ve been so busy with work I haven’t had a chance. For those interested in what I would blog about if I had time, you can check out my Flickr page! I love taking pictures, and there’s tons of photos on there

So recently, I’ve been needing a new phone. The screen broke on my HTC 10 and T-mobile has been less than stellar on helping me replace it (since they stopped carrying it!). This had me thinking about looking for a more affordable phone this time around… and then I saw a Windows Phone for sale on Newegg for $20… and then, I figured I’m up for a challenge!

You see, almost nobody uses Windows Phones. Microsoft has announced that it’s no longer focusing on them, which isn’t surprising considering they only have 1% of the market share. It seems like nobody is interested in them these days, and many feel they’re heading to extinction.

So why would I even consider purchasing one of these things?

I’ve been an android user for the longest time but my first smartphone was, in fact, a Windows phone! It was a gift from a random stranger after I posted a craigslist ad asking for a free smartphone. It eventually stopped working but it always felt comfortable and fluid! The battery lasted for days at a time, and I got pretty comfortable navigating the tiles.

I also love a challenge, and a challenge this would be! To my horror, there are no google apps for Windows Phone 10 – the search giant simply refuses to support them and the chromium team ignores the constant requests for a port.

Let me tell you, I’m very invested into Google’s ecosystem right now. I use google apps for everything—I’m even writing this blog entry on a chromebook! I have a work phone with android on it, and I manage everything from my calendars to my travel time using Google’s services. While some may be worried about the hold Google has on your privacy, most don’t care because it’s so dang convinant! Let me give you an example of how I use google every day:

I wake up in the morning and check my Google Calendar. If I’m not biking, I check the bus schedule on Google then head to work. If I am biking, I sync up with Google Fit. Throughout the day, I store notes in Google Keep and jot group meetings down in Google Docs. When I’m on my lunch break, I read various articles that Google has tailored to me based on my interests while intermingling cards with bills due and packages arriving.

I haven’t really thought about how dependent I am on the big G before I thought about switching… I think it would be a neat experiment.

Just to be clear, I’m not leaving google but rather leaving Android. I have no intention of withdrawing my gmail account, calendars, and other apps, but rather will be forced to distance myself from them based on Google’s stubbornness to port. I still want to make this as easy as I can on me, and maybe I can stand as proof that Microsoft’s Windows Phone is still able to hold its on in the world of iOS and Android.

Anyway, that’s it. I guess we’ll see what happens when I get the phone squared away (because I’m kind of waiting for the company to unlock it).

For part 2 of this series, click here: Beginning the Switch.