Switching from Windows Phone

Posted by lc437 on September 19, 2012 10:24 am 14

Hello all,

I am currently a Windows Phone user flitting between either the Samsung Omnia 7 and Lumia 800. I enjoy using both of these handsets both in terms of hardware (bar the Omnia 7's terrible voice call quality) and software and I am especially keen on the simplistic and straight to the point "artist-formerly-known-as-Metro" interface. Given these factors, I would happily consider an upgrade to Windows Phone 8 when the time comes (especially as the Lumia 820 looks rather tasty).

However, there is one problem with my choice of mobile platform. I use a MacBook Air as my main computer, both in terms of work and leisure and this will not be changing any time soon due to requirements for many of the programs I use and the need for access to a UNIX Terminal (I have tried emulation layers on Windows as well as numerous Linux distributions and I am not satisfied with these solutions). As anyone that has been unfortunate enough to experience the combination of Windows Phone and OS X is aware, compatibility is pretty terrible and this has finally tipped me over the edge into strongly contemplating the purchase of an Android device.

As such, I am looking for some advice on phones that I should consider. Ideally I will be purchasing the device unlocked in the UK and would like a relatively slim phone that has the following features:

  • Sufficient (16 GB or more) or expandable memory.
  • A screen size between 3.7 " and 4.3 ".
  • Resolution no less than 800 x 480.
  • A decent specification set (it needs to be able to run Sonic 4 Ep 2 which I have been sorely missing being on Windows Phone; release dates for the few mobile games I want to play keep slipping).
  • Reasonable battery life. In a normal day I will check emails as they arrive, send a few texts and use the browser occasionally. Nothing too heavy and as such, the battery lasting longer than a day would be a major boon.
  • ICS or better.
Hopefully some kind people can throw a few suggestions my way regarding devices to consider as well as relating any experience using MacOS X with current versions of Android.
Thank you.