Lumia 950 / 950XL? [Stock info/Stores/Networks etc]

InTheTrees wrote: »

I'm...this close to going back to iphone. Three years with windows phone and its getting worse.

The 950 hardware seems okay. I love the camera. But holy hell the OS is awful. Its bug ridden.

Running Fast Ring? Slow Ring? Production builds?

InTheTrees

MJohnston wrote: »

Running Fast Ring? Slow Ring? Production builds?

Production. I'm just an average consumer.

Cell coverage gets lost regularly. I have to switch to airplane mode and then back.

After the last "update" Cortana (i'm in Seattle) now works about 5% of the time. Enough that I dont bother anymore. Yelling at the phone expecting Cortana to respond is tiresome. My GF uses android and its possible to actually send a text using voice control. Cortana cant.

Screen orientation also seems to affect the keyboard usability. Thats an odd one. But general text editing is clunky, speech to text is very random, it decides on its own punctuation.

I'm sad. I loved my old Lumia 920. I had it for three years, a solid reliable unbreakable piece of gear.

Hmm weird, my wife has 950 and its been very reliable. Though she on the Slow Ring so who knows!

Griffinx

I got a new firmware update on my Meteor 950 yesterday 1078.00038.16025.39004...anyone else?

MickH503

Griffinx wrote: »

I got a new firmware update on my Meteor 950 yesterday 1078.00038.16025.39004...anyone else?

I had to use the Windows Device Recovery Tool last week and got F/W 01078.00038.16082.36017 from it.

InTheTrees

Griffinx wrote: »

I got a new firmware update on my Meteor 950 yesterday 1078.00038.16025.39004...anyone else?

Got an auto update last night:

01078.00038.16025.39033

Cant seem to see any improvements. Cortana still only responds about 5% of the time.

Possible Keyboard fixes although the bugginess was so random its not easy to quickly replicate.

BeepBeep67

Picked up these little guys on Amazon, which allows me to utilize a few more cables and only bring one cable with my portable battery, haven't had time to test the charging rate yet.

Microsoft US Store - free 950 with every purchase of a 950XL until 1/5/2016 - US and Canada stores only, both phones are unlocked

I got Continuum (easily) running in my car using the HDMI-in and a Display Dock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpxpA0ENGWg

Could also cut out the Display Dock and just use a Wireless Display Adapter that I have around the house too.

ablelocks wrote: »

Microsoft US Store - free 950 with every purchase of a 950XL until 1/5/2016 - US and Canada stores only, both phones are unlocked

looks like the student discount works too (if you're eligible) - so both phones for about $584 (+ tax I assume). They will accept Irish cc and delivery to US address.

Antar Bolaeisk

ablelocks wrote: »

Microsoft US Store - free 950 with every purchase of a 950XL until 1/5/2016 - US and Canada stores only, both phones are unlocked

Wow, are things really that bad that they have to do a two for one offer on the phones!

This is an inventory dump - they're not getting any new US customers onto Windows mobile, so kill off your stock and maybe retain a higher percentage of WP8 handset owners. Europe sales are probably a different story, but at this stage, Windows mobile hardware is in maintenance mode until next year essentially - don't lose money building new handsets, but keep the software progressing at a rapid pace. Hibernate for a while, then come back in a year with killer new hardware designs, top of the line specs, and a big splashy headline feature that makes the OS irresistible (for my money, a combination of a large volume of UWP apps, the finalised Project Islandwood bridge, and x86 Continuum support)

Lumia 950 now €399 on Microsoft Store Ireland - Network unlocked, with a free display dock and 1 year Office 365 personal.

Lumia 950 XL is €499, also with Display Dock and Office 365 personal.

Not quite the BOGOF offers from the US and Canada, but still a decent price drop from (ludicrous) launch prices.

MJohnston wrote: »

This is an inventory dump - they're not getting any new US customers onto Windows mobile, so kill off your stock and maybe retain a higher percentage of WP8 handset owners. Europe sales are probably a different story, but at this stage, Windows mobile hardware is in maintenance mode until next year essentially - don't lose money building new handsets, but keep the software progressing at a rapid pace. Hibernate for a while, then come back in a year with killer new hardware designs, top of the line specs, and a big splashy headline feature that makes the OS irresistible (for my money, a combination of a large volume of UWP apps, the finalised Project Islandwood bridge, and x86 Continuum support)

Problem is they are losing the user base. It may never come back.

beauf wrote: »

Problem is they are losing the user base. It may never come back.

Two month old post

Windows Phone is never coming back, Windows 10 on mobile phones might.

MJohnston wrote: »

Two month old post

Windows Phone is never coming back, Windows 10 on mobile phones might.

True - Windows Phone is deader than fried chicken.

For Windows 10 Mobile, there is a chance. Microsoft haven't given up on the form factor, just can't be bothered manufacturing the phones themselves for now.

It'll take a lot of time, but if the UWP / Universal apps takes off on more popular platforms (Windows 10, Xbox, HoloLens, etc.), it could become viable to just compile and release them for Windows 10 Mobile ... just because 'Why not' as for little to no extra work you could earn extra money from releasing on the platform.

Other hardware manufacturers, like HP with the Elite X3, might help to drive adoption in the Enterprise. This could hark back to Microsoft providing the OS and tools for other OEMs to make the hardware on which to run the OS.

Microsoft may make showcase hardware, like the Surface did for PC / 2-in-1s, that will try to push OEMs to up their game. But this will only be useful when there is enough UWP apps and games that can support the platform... rumours are that we won't hear anything until Q1/Q2 2017, if at all, from Microsoft.

There are a lot of ifs, ands and coulds on which that all hangs, though.

I don't see why people keep making that distinction. There really isn't any greater draw for a developer for Windows Mobile than there was for Windows Phone.

Because there isn't any money to be made on that small a market share, regardless of which kernel its running.

beauf wrote: »

I don't see why people keep making that distinction. There really isn't any greater draw for a developer for Windows Mobile than there was for Windows Phone.

Because there isn't any money to be made on that small a market share, regardless of which kernel its running.

The distinction is made because the draw isn't Windows Mobile anymore, it's Windows desktop, Xbox, and Holographic via UWP. Additionally the maintenance cost for Microsoft and Windows' mobile variants is now significantly closer to zero. I reckon Surface "phone" could end up (if it happens) being a small phablet running full x86 Windows too.

Its an inane distinction.

Developers are not on Windows Platform because its difficult to port the mobile device. Its because there is no market, and there is no money in it.

Xbox apps won't save it either. There is no reason to make a parking, or a train app, for on an xbox. So there is no reason to make it full stop. So it will never exist for the platform.

http://www.windowscentral.com/sonos-confirms-it-wont-be-making-universal-windows-10-app
http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/blog/Modern-Mobility/Universal-Windows-apps-have-a-universal-problem
http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft-universal-windows-app-in-windows-10-are-deeply-flawed-2015-8?r=US&IR=T

Besides which you don't have to make an app you can just make a website that works for different devices.

beauf wrote: »

Its an inane distinction.

Developers are not on Windows Platform because its difficult to port the mobile device. Its because there is no market, and there is no money in it.

Xbox apps won't save it either. There is no reason to make a parking, or a train app, for on an xbox. So there is no reason to make it full stop. So it will never exist for the platform.

http://www.windowscentral.com/sonos-confirms-it-wont-be-making-universal-windows-10-app
http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/blog/Modern-Mobility/Universal-Windows-apps-have-a-universal-problem
http://uk.businessinsider.com/microsoft-universal-windows-app-in-windows-10-are-deeply-flawed-2015-8?r=US&IR=T

Besides which you don't have to make an app you can just make a website that works for different devices.

All valid points - at the time when the articles were written - there are a number of long bets being made by Microsoft. Currently they're on 300,000,000 active devices running Windows 10 (of some form or another), if you write a UWP and release it to all compatible formats and manage to get even 0.1% install base that's 300,000 users. So what if Mobile is just 30,000 users in that space. For little effort you have picked up 30,000 users that weren't there.
(I know these are just back of the napkin figures, but are used for example purposes only)

If Microsoft's gamble pays off, they will be back to mobile in full force. If not, they're mostly out of mobile as it is so no big loss. That said, this is probably a better chat for the Windows 10 Mobile thread.

To steer back to this thread. The Lumia 950 is down to £300 stg (€389) now on Amazon, with the XL at £370 (€470)

Anyone using Continuum on a weekly basis? we played with it in the office, but no one using it.

beauf wrote: »

Anyone using Continuum on a weekly basis? we played with it in the office, but no one using it.

Use it in my car (well, van) everyday

You have a HDMI screen set up in your Van?

Yep:

Unfortunately touch passthrough isn't supported yet, but apparently will come in the Anniversary Updates, at which point I hope I can figure out how to make that happen.

What do you use it for?

Maps, Groove Music, that sort of thing. Its a campervan so I could potentially use it for TV/Movies too if I wanted. If touch was available, it'd be great for passengers to lookup stuff on the web or whatever too.

i'm getting a replacement phone on insurance - carphone warehouse are the supplier. They will send me a voucher and are offering a 950 as a direct replacement for the Lumia 1020 - is there a valid reason to push for the XL?

ablelocks wrote: »

i'm getting a replacement phone on insurance - carphone warehouse are the supplier. They will send me a voucher and are offering a 950 as a direct replacement for the Lumia 1020 - is there a valid reason to push for the XL?

Only if you have big hands

The camera on the 950 and XL are the same. The main difference, bar the screen size, is that there is a moderately better CPU in the XL. For most day-to-day tasks you won't notice a difference, if you're using Continuum it feels just a little bit snappier on the XL when you have a few apps running, bit not hugely different.

So, it really comes down to personal preference. For me, the screen on the XL was lovely but just too big to be practical ... (it failed the jeans pocket test, fine when standing but you had to be careful sitting down not to impale yourself)

That said, if you pick up either handset before 30. June, don't forget to launch the Lumia Offers app and claim your free Continuum Display Dock and 1 year office 365 personal.