Back on topic though........

As I have exhaustively posted about in ID's thread I purchased a Lumia last November.  I have watched both the Windows Phone platform and the app offerings mature significantly since then.  MS and Nokia have provided several software updates during this time and are looking to release yet another sometime this November.  Usefulness of the platform and/or the apps will of course vary from user to user but it would be folly to discount MS/Nokia as a player in the new smartphone arena.  As ID has already stated, the Lumia line in particular has done really well for Nokia and there is no real indication that it won't continue to do so. 

At the end of the day everyone should choose the device which they believe they will get the most use out of and feel the most comfortable with.  Unfortunately it would be hard to tell from the sales data how many people actually did so and/or how many people have purchased and are now stuck with a device based more on popular demand/opinion (which isn't always about usefulness and sometimes more about coolness and status) than anything else.

All I know is that throughout the day when I move from the desktop to notebook to tablet to phone there doesn't seem to be much of a difference other than screen size; I don't have to change my way of doing things from device to device because they all run the same core OS, everything is in complete sync with one another and I have MS (and Nokia in the case of the phone) to thank for that.

Jafo you have to admit you do get upset at times. For example look what happens when we talk American politics or American cars. Then the holier than thou attitude comes out.

Good example of no tact and arrogance right there.

Of course....all threads are about Jafo....didn't people get the memo?

Rather than this deviated septum of a topic direction...what say we stick somewhere remotely with the OP....

Kona....chill...it's good for life expectancy.

What's wrong with the software?  It is easily the easiest and most intuitive (these days) phone OS to use (YES I have owned and used blackberry devices, android devices and iOS devices) which is actually underlined by the recent iOS 7 update whose multitasking screen is now a direct copy of Windows Phone.

Also, just to mention again.   

I don't care what 'camp' your opinion comes from, that is something that is hard to beat.

Could you return to the topic, Kona? Sheesh.

Well, that just sealed it for me. I'll stick with android phones. Boring is not what I am looking for.

***Didn't Island DOg get a Windows phone?? I'd sure like to hear from him on it, if he did.

I'm pretty sure WinRT is just intended as a stepping stone attempt at gaining a foothold in the mobile industry while it's still possible, until hardware gets up to par (for 1 OS to rule them all), and agree that anyone would be foolish to develop for it.

TBH I would be highly surprised if MS wasn't already throwing a ton of resources into a UNIX based ecosystem.  Every hardware manufacturer on the planet is.  The current slump in their ingenuity may actually be a result of this reallocation of resources towards tomorrow.

When it comes to the lesser of evils between Apple, Google, and MS though, MS is the no-brainer IMO.  (Pardon my French but...) Apple is a marketing whore, and Google is an advertising whore, neither of them are actually devoting resources towards professional grade products.  The only industry Apple actually excels in is Audio Engineering.

However, all Sony has to do is stick a cell card in their next portable, and start working with Valve's new 'nix OS to take that PS Network login on Steam to the next level (~5yrs), and the game is over.  The games industry defines professional grade standards by definition of resource requirements, and now that Adobe's source code has supposedly been stolen (and can easily be open sourced), and everything is migrating to the web anyway, actual device OS is mattering less and less.

IBM is a mystery, Oracle will probably get bought, and Nintendo will probably start making children's toys.

^They all share the honor of spearheading the tech industry at this point.

I think I enjoy this in a similar manner to how most enjoy football.

Oh, and @RND - classic.  +karma

https://forums.wincustomize.com/437773/page/1/#replies

both of them look like the webOS task switcher. neither solution is good as with all them it takes to long to get to the desired app. something closer to Expose would have been better in my opinion.

Agreed, especially about the Expose bit.  I still can't figure out why Google hired Matias Duarte.