from the forums

It is a situation none of us wants to go through. We lose our grip and find our Windows Phone bouncing down the sidewalk or we find ourselves in another nightmare situation that sends our Windows Phone into harm's way. The end result often finds our screen cracked or shattered.

Windows Phone Central forums member coip has started a discussion asking what to do with a cracked screen. His wife dropped her Nokia Lumia 928 and cracked the screen. With 9 months left on the contract, the options they are considering include living with the cracked screen, buy a used Windows Phone to make it to the end of the contract or upgrade early to either the HTC One M8 or Lumia Icon.

My first Windows Phone? That would have to be the Dell Venue Pro. That sliding portrait-QWERTY keyboard? Swoon. It was a little chunky, but I loved that phone. The screen went into a billion pieces when I dropped it on some ice in Park City after slaying the mountain. That was my first Windows Phone, but it wasn't the hardware that really drew me into the mix - it was the software. What made you first buy Windows Phone?

There is very little debate on the Nokia Lumia 1520 being a large Windows Phone. Its 6 inch screen is massive compared to other Windows Phones. But is it fair to consider the largeness of the Lumia 1520 a "con" (as in pros and cons)?

WPCentral Forums member Rawliglat x poses the question in a recent forums discussion taking the position that the Lumia 1520 is simply designed for consumers looking for a bigger screen. The larger size of the 1520 should not be considered a con any more than the smaller size of other Windows Phone should be considered a con.

There are a few questions that stand the test of time such as, "Ford or Chevy?", "Boxers or Briefs?", "Blondes or Brunettes?" and with Windows Phones it seems that "Case or no Case?" is that one question that never seems to go away.

Windows Phone Central forums member Qais Abu-Hasan is the latest to pose the question. Qais is planning to get a Lumia 930 and has concerns that a case will ruin the amazing design of the Windows Phone. However, there is also concern that the aluminum trim will be prone to scratching and needs the protection.

Our Windows Phone Start Screen is an easy way to make our phones our own. Even before Windows Phone 8.1 introduced transparent Live Tiles and Start Screen background images, through third party apps and in-house settings you could customize things quite a bit.

There is a Windows Phone Central Forums discussion, started by Forum Member Sir William Wiener that asks how often do you change your Start Screen background images and accent colors? Sir William finds himself tweaking the Start Screen a lot while the habits range from daily changes to weekly to "every once in a while".

While the current Windows Phone device lineup has plenty of quality choices, if you could design your own Windows Phone, what would it be?

WPCentral reader elliot436 has started a discussion over in the WPCentral Forums asking what your perfect devices would be. So far, the responses range from combining existing devices to more specific requirements.

Word Flow is the new name for the keyboard in Windows Phone 8.1. That keyboard includes a Shape writing feature where you swipe letters on the keyboard as opposed to the traditional touch-typing method. You slide your finger across the keyboard, pausing ever so slightly on the keys you want used and the software does the rest to create the words (here's our hands-on video).

While many will swear by Shape writing (it even set the World Record for typing speed), some aren’t yet sold on this new keyboard feature. WPCentral reader, PxuLL, has started this discussion over in the Forums asking if you use Shape writing.

We’ve written about our “Newly Discovered Windows Phone Games” forum thread before. That’s where I learned about Pocket Avenger, a game that starts out fun but gets evil really fast. Still, our forum users are great at ferreting out new games for everyone to try. The latest game I discovered within the thread is Machinarium from Czech developer Amanita Design.

Windows Phone already hosts a variety of Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure (HOPA) games from publishers like Artifex Mundi. Those titles borrow elements from traditional PC adventure games, but dilute them a bit in order to maintain casual appeal. Machinarium is a full-blown adventure game that made its name on Steam before migrating to Windows Phone. If you enjoy the adventure genre, prepare to be amazed by Amanita’s first Windows Phone title.

So you are new to Windows Phone, loaded a ton of apps and games on to your phone and now face a hard reset that will wipe out everything. Or even better, you bought a new Windows Phone. The good news is that all the apps and games you’ve purchased won’t have to be re-purchased, as those licenses are linked to your Microsoft Account. The better news is that you can backup your app listings to make re-installing things a lot easier.

While many of the seasoned Windows Phone users already know this, we have a few discussions going on in the Windows Phone Central Forums asking about re-installing apps and games after a hard reset. WPCentral reader WaseemAkram poses that very question in this forums discussion and several readers quickly stepped up to offer reassurances that he would not have to re-purchase all his apps and games.