Microsoft Makes Windows Phone Free
 

Big news from MS today. They are dropping license fees for Windows Phone on all devices smaller than 9 inches (so all smartphones and small tablets).

One of the biggest advantages Google had with Android is no license fees. When you sell millions of devices, even a small fee of $10-15 per device adds up very quickly.

MS is taking a direct shot at Google with this move. Plus MS's indemnification policy has to look very attractive to OEMs with all the lawsuits going on in the mobile industry.

I am using a Win8 launder on my S4 right now and to be honest is pretty good and smooth. Not bad at all. I would think if it is on something like a Nexus 5 the launcher will even be faster.

Win8 on mobile isn't so bad.

^^ Id say a launcher and actual OS are pretty different.

Too little, too late?

I wouldn't say that. MS seems pretty committed to Windows Phone and announced a lot of stuff today like Cortana (to compete with Google Now and Siri), WP 8.1 and improved developer tools.

Right now phone manufacturers can either....

- Use Android, pay MS $15 (rumored) for each Android device you ship and take your chances with lawsuits.
- Use Windows Phone, pay $0 and get protection from MS against lawsuits.

Microsoft has made choosing Windows Phone pretty damn attractive.

probably trying to win back samsung into WP8 again :lawl:

My samsung focus is still running strong.

the ui of wp8 is snappy and smooth but its ugly

they're bringing animated wallpaper and maybe even transparent tiles though which is a + for me

but i dont know if its too little too late for WP? sales arent meeting projections and current customers are either love it/hate it

a lot of people who gave them a try are ditching them for androids again (my pops included lol)

I actually like the look of Windows Phone but there isn't anything particularly "must-have" about it. Plus the problem of a limited app ecosystem as well as...not a single person I know has a Windows phone to take advantage of the exclusive features.

There seems to be the notion that the WP ecosystem is so limited in the number of apps available and imply that the OS experience is gone without them. The lack of native apps like YT and FB is annoying but generally bridged with available 3rd party apps out there that are constantly improving. I'll admit I'm not a big app person but WP seems to cover the necessary ones pretty well.

I'm use to major OS updates slowing down the phone whereas WP8 maintains its fluidity. Typical MS though with their OS releases - a lot of what WP8.1 brings and what it fixes should've originally came with WP8. I mean a native calendar that shows entries in Latin in month view is appalling.

the launcher is just skins... not the actual WP8

I bought a Windows Phone for the 41mp camera, not the OS... IOS, Android, WP8 all do what I need a phone to do so they're really all the same to me. The Lumia 1020 was the only phone with a feature that stood out and I can finally ditch the point and shoot while on vacation.

should've got an 808 :P

Nokia 808
Size: 360 x 640 pixels, 4.0 inches (~184 ppi pixel density)
HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
CPU 1.3 GHz ARM 11

:heckno:

Youtube works fucking fine on IE, fuck the FB app on WP8 just use FB integration

:lawl: guess I'm the only person that loves wp since wp7.0

:P it came out 2012

just as snappy as my N5, and its not a pentile screen so the res isnt bad, its got the brightest screen to this day

i cant make an argument in support of it anymore though since the OS is dead, app store is gone etc etc

but it does have built in features that im still missing with my N5 :(

i really should get mine fixed :okay: