Discussions

@DeathByVisualStudio: What I am saying is that they will always have the web interfaces.  The applications as part of the Essential suite should continue to work but I doubt that they will update them from this point on.

I am sure they won't make any effort to move people away from the Essential suite but it will probably gather dust rather quick.

@brian.shapiro: My guess is that they will switch to a more generic label.  So instead of calendar.live.com it may go to something like calendar.microsoft.com.  It will probably just be branded as Microsoft Calendar. 

@SteveRichter: The services still exist.  They are not going anywhere.  You will just have to use the web interfaces until you do decide to upgrade.  They will probably just have more generic names like Microsoft Calendar.

@GoddersUK: I think this is a smart move because in essence the seperate products are going away.  They are all going to be seamlessly built into Windows 8, Windows Phone, XBox, etc.  They don't need seperate branding because they are just now integrated features all powered around Skydrive.

@BitFlipper: I agree that the quality is not the same as the Titan II.  I think HTC went all out on their camera because they knew that Nokia was known for their cameras. 

I guess my perspective is just different from most peoples.  I bought a $100 phone (well actually it was free for me).  The Titan II is twice the price (on contract) so I would expect better components.

I am not sure why everyone is expecting the perfect phone for $100.  That is way too cheap to put in top shelf components. 

My hope is that when Nokia gets into their Gen II decices that they have a truly high end phone instead of just trying to capture market share.

I still really like my 900 though especially for the price I paid for it.

@BitFlipper: I am really confused as to all the hate towards the Lumia 900 camera (I have one).  The Titan II camera is great (better of the two) but the Lumia 900 takes great pictures too in my opinion.  Much better than my old Samsung Focus.  If I need to take some serious pictures I have a DSLR for that, but for taking every day pictures of friends and family, it works great.

I have always found LG's designs pretty lackluster.  I have a feeling that that has more to do with lack of consumer interest than Windows Phone.  I think all of the Gen 1 phones were very bland.  It is sad when the Samsung Focus was the best of the bunch.  I think that having a more striking design like Nokia is doing is going to change the way other manufacturers are going to approach Windows Phone in the future.

@Craig_Matthews: What GoddersUK said wasn't the creepy part.  It is a very ambiguous notion that Google can do whatever they want with your stuff and give it to their partners so that they can do whatever they want with it to.  As long as they can say they are using it to try to "improve" their services. 

Googles terms of service is:

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps).

How would supporting Android lessen the risk?  Just ask HTC how well they are doing now.  Nokia would have been lost in a sea of Android phones. 

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/06/htcs-rough-q1-profits-dip-70-over-last-year-revenue-down-35/

Nokia would have also lost out on the Microsoft parachute if they would have supported Android as well.  Microsoft isn't going to let Nokia fail.  There has been too much invested already.

Honestly Nokia has said all along that it is going to get worse before it gets better.  I am expecting a turn around by the end of the year and probably not before.

15 hours ago, evildictaitor wrote

Also for some reason that blog seems to have inadvertently announced that Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc) will not be available on Windows8 desktop, but will only be available on tablets :/

I guess you didn't read the article.  It basically said that Win RT will include a touch-optimized version of Office.  It didn't say anything about Office not being available for desktop.  It is just a different version.

Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

@Ray7: What I have been finding lately, and I believe others are noticing too, is that news outlets like to slam Windows Phone because it gets them page views.  If Windows Phone wasn't a threat the the other big 2 (Android and iPhone) then no one would even take the time to read those articles.  So the bottom line is that the more Windows Phone hit pieces you see then that means it is starting to do well.

http://wmpoweruser.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-anti-windows-phone-articles/

I honestly think that Nokia made the right decision.  Nokia was rapidly losing market share to iOS and Android even before they announced the decision to move to WP7.  All of the articles I have read show that the Nokia handsets are some of the best selling handset in the countries where they have been released.

I would wait until Nokia makes their handsets available everywhere before passing judgement.  They have not even done a full push in the US yet.  It takes time to totally switch gears so a little patience goes a long way.