WhartonBrooks' CEO Greg Murphy is conducting an experiment

In a comment on the latest piece in my WhartonBrooks series Murphy took the position of giving more details to information he previously shared in hopes of gaining the support of a skeptical fan base.

In WhartonBrooks Part IV I shared the following information with Murphy's consent:

Murphy says that they are expecting their next round of samples before the end of January. If all goes well he'll then "announce everything".

The comments in the post were a mix of optimism and vociferous skepticism from a fan base that feels they've been repeatedly burned by Microsoft and asked to wait for "the next big thing".

As a company created by a Windows phone fan for the fans WhartonBrooks has used podcasts, the web and social media to tell thier story in an attempt to connect to their target market. Understandably, non-disclosure agreement's and timetables limit what information can be shared and when. In light of heavy skepticism and less than ideal support from the fan base to which he belongs and with whom he is trying to connect his company, Murphy is conducting an experiment:

So, let's do an experiment. We are so concerned about false information that we have been silent for some time. We had several podcasts recorded, but the details changed so we did not release them. This happened several times with press releases and tweets that we planned.So here is the latest. The latest sample will be shipped this Saturday. We should receive it in 7-10 days from China. I will run a test with SIMs from several US carriers. If they work - there will be a lot to talk about. Otherwise, we will press on.The experiment is whether this small bit of information will bite us or provides a chance for people to join in the story. It's been my position to have people join in the story, but we are a team at WhartonBrooks. After the details started to change, the position we took, with advice from MS, was to communicate hard facts only.Let's see how this goes and perhaps we can provide more information going forward. -Greg

When I was growing up one of my favorite cartoons was GI Joe. At the end of each episode a moral lesson was shared followed by the tagline, "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

How does the information Greg shared affect your position or expectations? He has taken a chance on you, the fans, hoping that the more you know the more you may be inclined to support the company's vision. Based on Murphy's last statement the results of this "experiment" will determine how much information the company will be able to provide going forward. What say ye?

Follow the journey:

Jason L Ward is a columnist at Windows Central. He provides unique big picture analysis of the complex world of Microsoft. Jason takes the small clues and gives you an insightful big picture perspective through storytelling that you won't find *anywhere* else. Seriously, this dude thinks outside the box. Follow him on Twitter at @JLTechWord. He's doing the "write" thing!

218 Comments

Thanks for reading folks! The Windows phone fan base has endured a lot of ups and downs an "wait and sees". Understood. I've been along for the ride. What is new here is a fan is taking a crack at using Microsoft's OEM program to make phones for us, the fans. Critical thinking is healthy, it helps any endeavor navigate inevitable challenges. What I think is also fair in this situation is not to project the years of disappointment, aggravation and feelings of betrayal on a company that's working for the fans. I don't know if it will succeed. I do know it hasn't failed yet. WhartonBrooks is for the fans, this is uncharted territory. I say, at least give them a chance. You know the drill. Let's talk. Let's have a conversation.
I really want them to be successful and hope there is more up their sleeve than a rebranded phone that is now outdated. I'll keep an eye on it but not really that interested until some specific details are released and there's a product ready to go. Feels too much like MS so far where they talk about something for a long time before its actually available. Compared to say Apple who mostly announce and release. Plex are best they don't even mention a new feature until it's ready to go so there's no messing
Apple is a multi billion dollar company with a very efficient suply chain. Wharton Brooks is a small upstart, not really fair to compare both companies!
You also forgot to mention that apple is scummy, lying, and has pretty bad hardware in their products and has no innovation anymore literally people should give Windows Phone a chance because most of the features people want in iOS Windows Phone already has pretty much. And they take so much from google and Microsoft and Tim Cook goes up on stage and says "we made this specifically for iPhone nobody else has done this before" pretty much apple right there. Oh also has the best advertising ever. Feel bad for the losers that bought an iPhone, Mac, apple watch, etc.
sorry tyler....I am NOT at all a loser even though I own both an IPHONE and Apple watch. I was using windows phone before that but the negatives far outweighed the positives when it comes to mobile. I was using windows phones LONG LONG ago. like in 2007 LONG AGO with my HTC S640 device. We could not get a palm treo on our system so I went with that and loved it. I still have it actually, even though it does not work anymore since its CDMA and my networks ditched that archaic technology years ago. My last windows phone was 2 1020s. WE loved them and saw growth and apps coming to the platform until windows 10 mobile arrived. then the bottom fell out and our needs were not being met by the windows mobile devices. So, if you want to play with words....the REAL losers are the fanboys like you not trying another device because of blind hatred and fanboy'ism. I still use windows 10 on all my computing devices, but for mobile APPLE MOPS up MS. Sorry to burst your fanboy bubble. Let the downvotes commence for the truth yet again!. BTW, if apple lies, the MS are right up there. how about "ALL WINDOWS 8 DEVICES on DENIM WILL RECIEVE WINDOWS 10 MOBILE....or.....WE ARE BUILDING PROJECT ASTORIA TO BRING MORE APPS TO WINDOWS 10 MOBILE, or WINDOWS 8 IS BUILT ON WINDOWS NT KERNAL NOW SO THERE WILL BE NO FUTHER NEED TO UPGRADE HARDWARE GOING FORWARD, or WINDOWS PHONE 7 IS THE WAY FORWARD, SO THERE WILL BE NO NEED TO UPGRADE GOING FOWARD. Dude, check your facts and keep the BS spewing to yourself.
Truth has been spoken ! I am anti Apple but I have to admit that you are right here. I gave windows phone a chance with the Lumia 920 and microsoft betrayed me as much as everybody who believed in them. But unlike some blind fanboys, I still have respect for myself and moved on to Android. I don't regret it at all. I am even trying Sailfish OS which is far better than Windows mobile.
They did not betray you, you purchased a product, that product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle runs its course and then you either stay where you are or you buy a new product. As an Android user do you feel that Google has betrayed the 75.9% (from Android studio this second) that are still using Android Lolipop 5.1 because they can't move on to Marshmallow never mind Nougat?
For android, It's not google to blame here but the other OEM. All the nexus phones that google has more or less control over were up to date on time. And yes Microsoft betrayed us by their non kept promises and lies (We will show up in the next Build some features that will "turn tables" in the OS game, We are "retranching" to let the other OEM get into the windows phone/mobile Market,...)
That was the same for Windows phone for a while until MS de-coupled the requirement for the OEMs to do the update. I don't see Google doing that. But at the end of the day its the same thing, just a different target. Does everyone out there that has a phone through an OEM that fails to update to the latest OS hate that OEM the same way they seem to hate MS? No they stick with what they have or they go buy a new phone.. One good thing to say about MS is that they do at least try to and make the situation better, they vertainly didn't set out to lie about updating older phones. The only real mistake they made was mentioning it to everyone, if they hadn't done that no one would be any the wiser and the update hate would be non-existant. Its no wonder they generally stick to not releasing any info about anything when the backlash is so strong if they try and fail
Because with android Google made it clear that they are responsible only for the OS and if people thinks that OEM are slow to deliver latest updates, either they change the brand while keeping all the advantages of Android or flash custom roms (which is easy process). While with Microsoft who failed to deliver a hardware/OS as good as they were promising with the Lumia 950, people are stuck and they started to dream already about the surface phone.
I find the Lumia 950XL to be a great device with very little issues at all. There are just some apps out there that I would like to use but aren't a necessity for me, that's it.
Google making clear they are responsible only for the OS is a cop out. I am sure they could do the same as MS did and de-couple if they wanted to. Yes you can install custom roms but that's one of the things that keeps me on windows, lack of security and the worry that one of these apps will contain malware or spyware of some sort.
As for Ms failing to deliver good devices, erm Samsung anyone, apple: you are holding it wrong!
Have a look at the reports on the Pixel XL which shuts down for no reason, same as the issue on the nexus 6P plus many more.
They are all just as bad as each rushing to market but MS seems to get a very special dose of hate for some reason..
And as Deaconclgi said. He has a nexus device capable of nougat but will be left behind,that's not an own device..
Security issues, unless you are the president or minister of a country why would you care about somebody that you don't know and who doesn't care neither about you sees which porn are you watching. This private life argument is totally irrelevent. And still, if you want security on android, there is the Blackphone.
Seriously, I am talking spyware that can gain enough knowledge about you that then be used to defraud you in any number of ways. Just today there is an article about how google have removed 25,000, yes 25 thousand apps that are trying some form of work around to steal your info. That is the main reason I am still in windows..
http://thenextweb.com/google/2017/01/18/google-reveals-how-it-flagged-25...
Simply because not many users are on windows mobile. It's the same reason why there are many malwares on Windows pc and not on Mac OS. And thanks to microsoft strategy of one core you will have as much spywares as on windows desktop soon.
This is entirely not true, these days Windows 10 has the smallest attack surface of all the OSs. You are talking about older OSs such as Windows 7. Edge is also the most secure browser currently available. And these days Mac OS has more than its fair share of vulnerabilities. As for One Core, this is one of the reasons why it is so secure not one of the reasons it is not. Androids security issues exist because of its open source nature. If you actually read that article posted you will see why Android is the least secure of the three. It has nothing to do with the number of users at all.
well at least MS finally fixed things for the 950 and even added features xd
Pixel is so great btw xD
Nothing but an empty black void on w10m. Can't see any text
Landscape the phone and the text appears, for me at least.
I see ill check that out thanks dude
Yet my Nexus 5, with a more than capable Snapdragon 800, will never get Android Nougat. Every OS has devices that get left behind, some by factual limitations, others by corporate decisions.
I also have a Nexus 5 and I have Nougat on it + I installed sailfish OS too. So it's not really left behind as windows phone/mobile devices.
And yet people out there with 512MB memory machines are also installing Windows 10 via workarounds. Plus I have seen Windows hacked on to Android machines and even custom roms created for Android devices. But we are talking legitimate upgrades direct from the OS developer through proper chanels.
You were officially left behind just like everyone else that has a Nexus 5, you just found a way around it and that is not the same as not being left behind and you should know that. My 1020 and HTC One M8 for Windows have Windows 10 Mobile on them but I would be misleading and plain lying to say those devices were not left behind. The fact of the matter is, the Nexus 5, along with multiple other Android devices have been left behind. Certain capable iOS devices have been left behind and Windows devices have been left behind as well. This will continue due to the two reasons mentioned, some factual hardware dependencies not being met and other times it is simply a corporate decision to not support upgrading a device.
Tell me frankly, Doesn windows 10 work really as it should be on your Lumia and HTC ? because I also have it on my L920...
It works perfectly on my HTC as it has the Snapdragon 801 processor, a more powerful processor than the one that powers the Lumia 1520 (Snapdragon 800). The HTC fell victim to corporate decisions not to upgrade the phone to Windows 10 Mobile. Windows 10 Mobile is horribly sluggish on my 1020 as it has the same incredibly old Snapdragon S4 processor that your L920 has plus the 41MP camera. The 2GB RAM helps a little but it is still an unsatisfactory Windows 10 Mobile experience when compared to newer low end Windows 10 Mobile phones or even older phones running the more efficient Snapdragon 400 series processor such as the Lumia 830 and Lumia 640. With that said, no, Windows 10 Mobile doesn't run as it should on the 1020.
So in Nexus 5, Android Nougat is running with no problem at all. That what is all about... ;)
Firstly "That what is all about..." huh..? Secondly, missed the point, the Nexus 5 is perfectly capable of receiving and running Nougat and yet Google have not deployed the OS to it. They have left it behind and this is the exact same situation MS phone users found themselves in, no official update from MS but can get Win 10 through other means. And yet with MS you say users were betrayed but with Google you are all smiles and roses. Thank you for helping explain my point about the odd vitriol MS receives for daring to try something and failing.
Difference between Android and MS situations is Nexus 5 already had a capable OS, but WP was lagging in basic features n hence ppl looked forward to updates n they were royally screwed.
Depends on your personal requirements, I wouldn't say KitKat was a decent OS at all having used it on the wifes tablet at the time. I also wouldn't say that Windows Phones were that lagging, yes they had some things missing that should really have been there but they also had other features that iOS and Android are only just catching up on today. And as for screwed, the same argument exists, you buy a phone, it has a lifecycle, all phones miss out on OS upgrades eventually. Older phones did not get upgraded, newer ones did. Its the same on every platform and it always will be..
By "that what is all about..." I meant that in both cases you can have a way arround to update your phone but with android it's much simpler and the phone still works as good as it was an official update. While with windows phone it's not the case at all. And secondly, Google never claimed that nexus will receive the nougat then changed their mind like what microsoft did. from the begining google gives a list of phones that will receive it's updates and sticks to it unlike microsoft which promises things and delivers less than half of it.
If you own a Nexus 5 and haven't flashed a custom ROM to it, you're doing it wrong. There are hundreds out there. That's the great thing about Android, you can make it your own.
What's great to you may not be great to another person. I've been flashing ROMs since the Symbian days, flashed Android, Maemo, Flashed Android/Maemo 5 dualboot for the Nokia N900 as one of the testers, flashed Windows Phone 7 on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, even jail broke iOS and more. I can flash a Nougat ROM but that doesn't change the fact that the Nexus 5 has been left behind by Google. Anyone may come up with a workaround for something but that doesn't solve the inherent problem, it just works around the problem while the problem still exists.
Again, Google said from the begining that they won't release Nougat for Nexus 5 so there was nothing to expect unlike Microsoft who promised that all the phones with Windows phone 8.1 can be upgraded to windows 10. And you know what happened next. False hopes and deception.
I have a NOTE 1 on 4.0....I think it is, and guess what there are probably on 3 apps that need something newer...That's not bad considering the age of the device....
total different situation PYROBRI.....Microsoft came out when w10m was being cooked up and said to all phone users....anyone using windows 8 denim will 100 % get the w10m update....then 2 months later turn around and axe a bunch of devices that worked totally fine with w10m off their upgrade list. My 1020 was running developer 10 and it was fast, had great battery life and after 2 updates the camera worked as it did in 8....but they axed it from official updates and a way forward....so that killed a much needed user base to keep the mobile OS moving forward. ALOT of these people using the windows phone 8 devices were the same ones burned by Microsoft with the 7 to 8 transition. ME being one of them.....SO.....yeah they screwed me over more than once...I cannot see myself going back to MS mobile phones any more. not worth the risk....Also, with android, all the apps for the most part still work and get updated on older verisons....but on windows phone...they are either 1. not updated and therefore become terrible over time....or 2. just axed all together and just don't work. you are forced to use half baked 3rd party crap apps on windows just to try to manage along. It was a breath of fresh air when my wife and I got our new iphones last year and have all these apps and accessories that we had no access to before. Like being able to just unlock our hotel rooms with our phone instead of digging around for those stupid keys that dont' work a lot of the times, or just scan our apple watches with our boarding passes....or just scan our phone or watch at the rental car lot and get in and go....NOTHING of the sort was possible using windows mobile. Most of the apps were just web directors. SOOOOO yes things have a product life cycle...but even with my old galaxy note 1, I can do many more things NOW, than I can on a windows mobile device. Continuum is silly...it lacks power etc, and if you are traveling you still need a lapdock...so might as well have a cheaper more powerful notebook with you....etc.
It's a different world on IOS and Android that we enjoy...fanboys here will never understand no matter how much you try to explain. MS made the same mistake 3 times, fcking up users, because it seems they enjoy doing it.
I think because every brand every model of android phone has different build, evey phone get different build at different buid, most of them will never get update except those major brand and latest released, and also lots of user choose not to update or never care about update because there is not difference between android 1.0 and 7.1.1. windows phone 7 may have too old hardware so update to windows mobile 10, if you force it, then the phone will be slow. I think this is right theory. Most users would buy latest product to follow the trend. New products introduced every day. Windows phone lost balance in market because the what users think not the windows sytem or microsoft.
@Steve Adams The down vote was the return of the loser comment, no one is a loser for the OS they use, people like different things for different reasons and should not be vilified for their choice. I for one like Apples OS but do not like their business practices or the way 'I feel' they massively overcharge for their devices and seem to copy ideas claiming they are their own among other things. 'I' choose not to use Android because I don't trust the open source OS and the need for anti-malware/virus software among other things. At the moment I am very disappointed with Windows Mobile but I still see it as the best choice for my personal situation right now. I am more frustrated that I don't see any one of them as a clear winner and wish they would all step up their game. At the moment I feel Android is making the greatest strides, just not quite their yet 'for me'. But the point is, you are not a loser for going to Apple, I am not a loser staying with MS, you pays your money, you makes your choice...
NO, I called HIM a loser for being blind to other things....if you are great with windows phone fine, however, its dropping way to much to be viable anymore...that's why I jumped ship!
your caps lock is broken.
haha
Sorry, but you're a loser. Not because you own an iPhone and an Apple watch, I also have an iPad lying around. But because all you do is trolling and writing negative sh*t to spread scepticism, hate and doubt... And you like it...
I am on this site because I use windows devices everyday....RANDOM DS.....Just not windows 10 mobile because its ruined now with lack of support from all sides....I just sounds like I am trolling but that's what happenens when a fanboy reads what I type....I am not trolling I am providing first hand experience that I have had with Windows 10 mobile/windows phone 8/windows phone 7/windows mobile 6.0/android of various versions and Iphones of various editions. I was probably selling and using mobile phones before you were born....no, I take that back I KNOW I was using mobile technology before you were born. JUST BECAUSE I say that windows mobile is tanked....does not mean I am trolling.....Its true...look at the sales figures, market share etc. Because a blind fanboy like yourself does not want to hear the truth, automatically makes me a troll. very very funny imo. I LOVE WINDOWS 10. I did NOT at first because of its many problems, and MS's total abandonment of windows 10 mobile, as well as killing any amount of traction they had with windows phone 8 (which was awesome btw). But they decided to "retrench" and destroy ANY hope they had of keeping happy users like my wife and I in the ecosystem. Once 10 mobile came online and MS lied about keeping ALL WINDOWS 8 DEVICES with DENIM updated to windows 10....that was the last straw for us...we saw it happen 3 times and that's enough. Apple still updates the iPhone 4 with security patches etc....they are not forcing anyone to buy new iphones at every revision of IOS. So before you open your fanboy mouth....you should read once in a while...yeah yeah you work a vodaphone now....wow. you are an EXPERT!
You sound like an Apple fan boy. Funny how people get emotional over an electronic device and defend it to the end. It's only a phone for crying out loud.
No apple fanboy here. I hate their desktop and laptop computers. They are crap. I sold mine after 2 months. W10 in desktop space is so far ahead with features it's not even comparable. So there goes that thought barstow
Got an iphone 6+ for a month went right back to a win mobile.... Terrible GUI, XP on a phone.... And horrible hardware for the pricetag.... If android wasn't an even shittier OS there would be absolutely no reason to get an iPhone other than brand recognition.... Yeah we know MS is missing apps and that's a deal breaker for some... But if like me you have all you need on it there is absolutely nothing in favor of an iPhone when you put the matching generation windows device next to it...
The fanboys you find on this site...smh. Apple makes quality hardware. If you prefer Windows Mobile, that's your perogative. No one is going to believe your fanboy lies. I feel bad for you, you sound like a bitter person.
Tyler.. You're immature.
I bet all those "losers" have enjoyed all those Apple products for years..
.......
I bet your mom has an iPhone..
He's not comparing them to Apple, he's just saying that he's not gonna invest too much emotionally into this until more concrete facts emerge.. Which is what we all should be doing.. That means, at this point, nobody should be super critical, or overly enthusiastic... Only interested, or not interested.... Personally, I think anyone should at least be interested in what's happening here, whether "WP" fan, or not... Heck, I'm not interested in Android, but if some Android fan decided he was gonna make his own devices I think it would be interesting to see how far he got with that. The point is to just be realistic, fair, and reasonable.. Sad we even have to discuss this. Lol
Well said jason.. Me too a windows fan and feel like app gap is the main part we are lagging behind compared to Android or ios.. Something should be there soon to fill this app gap. Wharton's please do the best for app gap too..
It is my huge hope, that from the last article where the Windows Phone 7/8 software developers are involved, that they have created some sort of emulator that will run android apps. The Astoria bridge would still require a developer to port the App but an emulator that can access the Google store or install apk files would go a long long way.. I am sure I am dreaming though :/
Wharton can do NOTHING about the app gap. That is Microsofts baby.
that's developer's choice
Exactly...Rollindice. And the developers choose to stay away because Microsoft takes more royalties than the others, and have less users than the others.
This is incorrect on both counts. First off all of the app stores charge 30%. This i something I have campaigned for in the past to try and get developers back to MS. Reduce the royalty fee to say 15% and it would become more attractive. And as for less users, UWP Apps on Windows 10 work on phone as well as desktop, desktop user count is massive. What it requires is developers to move their apps to UWP, then they have the existing windows 10 desktop and xbox base. Making the app then phone friendly is trivial. A reduced royalty would go a long way here..
@thepyrobri...that is the exact same thing I said.....even the UWP apps that are being developed are not being bothered with for mobile.....Microsoft wants mobile to gain some traction give a 1 year 0% royalties kickback for developers....you have from Feb 1, 2017 to Feb 1, 2018.....all royalty free, then make it the same as apple and google stores.....DONE...instant ingress of quality and mainstream apps!
you are completely uninformed! Apple and Google take less than 30%...pfff fanboy
Back it up with facts then..!!!
This is from Apples own current developer page:
https://developer.apple.com/programs/whats-included/
"You get 70% of sales revenue. 85% for qualifying subscriptions." To get 85% you have to have an app that people subscribe to not pay once apps, and even then you only get 85% of that subscription after the users first year. From Googles developer page:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/112622?hl...
For applications and in-app products that you sell on Google Play, the transaction fee is equivalent to 30% of the price. You receive 70% of the payment. The remaining 30% goes to the distribution partner and operating fees. On top of these percentages Apple charge a $99 per year membership fee and Google charge a $25 one off registration fee. MS has no such fee any more meaning that the MS store is the cheapest overall. Call me a fanboy all you like, I am a Windows fan and I am male so technically true, However I also am also correct!!
yes and developers(MS) decide that its not worth to upgrade the linkedin app or minecraft PE, or the port the dozens of Apps that MS has only on ios/android
MS have only just taken over LinkedIn so that is far too soon. Minecraft I don't know enough about yet to be fair. What are the other apps? Obviously all the launchers are no good. Then there are the garage app which are not MS apps, they are by MS emplyees outside of their every day work. So which ones are left? I really am asking out of interest, its not rhetorical?
Well I'm not talking abt garage apps but business apps. for example Sway. outlook app on ios/ Android is more functional, fellow users have reported more apps as well, all business relevant
Outlook does exist though and I use it for work perfectly well. Feature parity is a different beast and it has to be understood that work started on the other OSs before so they will be ahead until the terams catch up. Sway yep, that is not on phone, personally dont have any need for it but it really should be on the platform yes. But that is one item, it hardly equates to dozons of apps..? For business use myself I would always whip out the surface anyway to be honest no matter which mobile I had..
But with islandwood, all MS has to do is shoot the "ios app" through the bridge and from what MS has said, it should be very very easy to get the features from IOS into a UWP app....is that NOT how the bridge works?
Wharton can make its own apps where feasible and to fill feature gaps, just like Nokia did and exactly as Alcatel and HP are doing now.
Wharton can make its own apps where feasible and to fill feature gaps, just like Nokia did and exactly as Alcatel and HP are doing now.
Wharton can make its own apps where feasible and to fill feature gaps, just like Nokia did and exactly as Alcatel and HP are doing now.
Wharton can make its own apps where feasible and to fill feature gaps, just like Nokia did and exactly as Alcatel and HP are doing now.
The very last thing anyone on the planet should do is take marketing advice from Microsoft
Whatever MS suggest, they should do the exact opposite.
All I know is the guy lives in my neighborhood and I will support the product as much as I can.
I'm on board. Looking forward to the product.
He hasn't really shared much info now has he? That was just a tease. Damn you!
No one could hit anything in the G.I. Joe cartoon. Super elite soldiers firing 4000 blasts per minute couldn't hit a wall 20 feet away. It was like the A-Team of cartoons only not funny. Now you know....
Who messed up your childhood to dislike G.I. Joe? That was my favorite cartoon back then.
I liked Transformers way more. At least they hit each other with their guns lol
Yeah but in G.I. Joe they were not trying to kill anybody and that as we all know is much harder and takes more skill. And now you know.
I am still waiting eagerly for more news on this. It has just been such a long time since the cancelled September greet and the Autumn release. In that time my 930 needed replacing and with no other options in the UK other than the underpowered 650 I went with a 950XL. I like the phone but am fairly non-plussed really and have been on the fence with Android for the past month, only the stories of malware and general insecurity of the OS that is holding me off really. I really hope that these guys have some sort of ace up their sleeve that will reignite my passion for Windows Phone as the flame is really struggling right now. Wish you all the best for the new sample and hope to hear from you soon :) == please don't take MS's totally hard line on not releasing any details at all, that would be fine if you hadn't stepped forward but now the genie is out it is an all too familiar MS feeling of not wanting to invest much hope as too many things have been snatched back ==
i recently sold my L925 as it was just getting slow and the battery was draining fast then bought a L650 which I enjoy using and it works very well for light use plus it only cost me 50 euro, I am hoping to buy a premium windows phone device soon but I don't know which one to buy, will Whartonbrooks Cerulean only be available in the U.S or also here in the E.U?
They have been slated as coming to Europe but still unknown right now. I was personally waiting for the Alcatel but after nearly a year of waiting I gave up, even now it is released in US only with no date for Europe. So annoying that by the time we get hold of these flagships something new has been released and the phone is now mid-range..
thanks..
Get a HP or Alcatel or the WB when it comes. I think the Acer sells in Europe. Or if that fails fond a 950xl somewhere until Surface comes out.
The 950/XL are back in stock on the U.S. MS website.
Between Microsoft and WhartonBrooks, it must be a "strategically placed pawn" to improve the future of Windows Phone. Thus, they're waiting for the right moment. I don't know. I've read your earlier pieces on WhartonBrooks, and even then I don't know what they're doing.
I couldn't agree more. I've been hearing the odd bit of news about this company for over a year and I'm still totally in the dark about what they do or how they play a part in Microsoft's mobile strategy. This Greg dude is so secret squirrel he may as well be working for the NSA
I don't get it?? What information is he on about. All I hit from this is that he's going to be testing a new phone shortly.
It has given a time frame, before that we were wondering if anything would happen this year never mind this month..
Yeah! Instead of "End of January", we now know that it's within 7-10 days of the 19th, so it definately WON'T be Jan 30 or 31!
What don't you get from this? It's a delivery of a test phone that will tell if the sims work with different networks. He obviously wants things to be right. I love what they are doing and how they are doing it. Put yourself in their shoes.
Also, obviously they are trying to change things for WP's with not only the hardware but the software, of which is cool as others have just gone with stock standard WM OS. Cool idea. Only a fan would do this. I'm more concerned that the phone doesn't look like a rehashed Samsung. Hate Samesung. Anyway Greg, awesome news, keep us all posted.
Exactly. This is some important information. I really hope that the test goes well.
It is going to be a rebadged Chinese phone. It will not look like a GS7, it will probably be much worse looking.
I'm excited for what they come up with. And I am in the camp that any information helps keep my interest flowing. But I can't totally predict how I'll feel if it's a failed test and back to the grindstone. Perhaps that's the leap of faith but I feel optimistic of what's to come.
It's all just hot air until we see a product. This is going to be a hard market. But I wish them well.
Why are the comments full of big black boxes on the w10m Windows central app?
Yea I noticed that yesterday, there seems to be a character limit that gets breached and then the empty box is rendered. At least now I know its not just me...
Roger that, I've experienced that glitch as well
duel boot windriod would be they only way they could sell anything at this point. I bought the moto z recently and that phone would be prime for dual boot. Slap on a windows mod and ala duel phone.....hopfully at mwc lenovo makes that happen or someone else makes the mod.
Why would ever buy into Windows then? To stare at Live Tiles? It would be pointless.
No I would use Windows 90% of the time and then when I wanted to do something like banking or something else I dont have an app for I would switch. There is about 3 apps I would relaly like access to and that is it.
How would this help Windows 10 mobile as a whole then? Would this bridge the app gap? I never liked the idea of dual boot with Windows. I just don't think it'll help. Maybe help Android, but definitely not Windows.
No I don't like the idea of dual boot either, it would be a work around that allowed me to use Android apps here and there without having to buy a seperate Android phone, that's it. Personally I would rather they have some sort of Emulator that can run android apps in Windows itself. Something akin to Bluestacks on desktop does now. Actually both of these would mean that people could buy windows phones safe in the knowledge that they will not have to miss out on any apps. Hopefully then in time the user base would grown enough that the app developers would create native apps.
It would just be a pacifier. Three apps turns to four, then five, etc. Soon you can't remember the last time you used Windows. Why would you use it at all anyway? There is nothing you can do in Windows that isn't just as easy in Android. It would just be a matter of time before you took off the training wheels.
That's not the point, I don't like using using Android and I can do everything I NEED to on Windows, there is a tiny amount of things I cannot do which I get by just going to the website versions instead. There are plenty of things that are not as easy on Android. I hate the fact I need virus/spyware/malware checkers and memory managers etc. I don't like the way I haveto scroll through pages of apps to find the one I want and then have to click it to see what the new notification is etc etc. Its personal preference. And as for people leaking over to Android, the leak would go both ways. I know plenty of people that would love to use Windows phone, "if it wasn't for that one missing killer app"...
You do not need memory managers or virus protection on Android. It handles memory management just fine on its own. People just get OCD and think they need to be constantly killing apps. Unless you are installing random apps from Chinese app stores or side loading sketchy and pirated apps then 3rd party virus protection also isn't needed. It automatically scans any new apps too, you would really need to try to install malware. You have a fully featured notifications center. You don't need to open the app or leave your current app to see a detailed notification. You can even swipe down again to expand notifications further. You can then see each individual email or message and even reply directly from the notification or open the message directly if you want. No need to enter the app drawer at all. The notification center gives you more functionality than a Live Tile even without leaving your current app.
Thats not true though is it, the browser has security issues and there are plenty of issues with the Google Play store. I have read many time about malware in the official store. Just today there is news about how they got rid of 25 thousand apps containing malware of some sort. http://thenextweb.com/google/2017/01/18/google-reveals-how-it-flagged-25... The simple fact is Android is inherantly not secure, at least it is the most insecure of the 3 main OSs. As for memory. I have an Android phone from when I was learning to write Android Apps for work and it was forever slowing down after hours of use so yes I do need a memory manager on it. Notifications is the same, not sure if you were on the insider rings but I can do all that directly in the notificaton centre too. Respond to texts etc, can even reply to Windows Central notifications there. And it still dosn't get around the fact I simply do not like having to swipe multiple home pages to find the app I want. Much prefer being able to arrange tiles where I want and resize them as I want, Everything I want to use is visible right there in one screen. For me, I find Windows OS much simpler and more efficient day to day.