A week with Windows Phone, I love it but still carry my iPhone with me

I have had my Windows Phone for just over a week now and as I said in my first impressions post I really like Windows Phone and it’s hard to put my finger on a particular element but it feels more modem that my iPhone and even with iOS 5 Windows Phone is a nicer experience in my opinion. So why am I still carry my iPhone 4 around with me, simply its the apps and the ecosystem.

First off there are the app. I was expecting to find many of the apps I use on my iPhone would not be available on Windows Phone and I have been pleasantly surprised that this is not the case.  The app I use the most is the note taking system Evernote, I use if for storing documents, notes, lists and just about anything else I want syncing across devices and there is a really good Windows Phone client, in fact it looks better on Windows Phone than it does on the iPhone.

Other apps I use are Twitter and Facebook clients and there are native apps for both of them as well as loads 3rd party apps. With Windows Phone you also get Facebook and Twitter built in the the people hub so you get a really nice combined view and you don’t have to flick between individual applications. Some of the apps I frequently use are Amazon’s Kindle app which works great, ebay which makes great use of the Metro UI, WordPress and for when I am traveling TripIt.  Other apps I use are things like Remote Desktop and there are a few in the Marketplace (including one from MochaSoft which is the one I use on the iPhone), there are plenty of Media Center Remote Control apps available , plenty of DLNA players available as there are VLC remotes.

Everybody’s list of essential apps are different and I really miss is Skype, according to Microsoft a Windows Phone version is coming before the end of the year so I will be happy to see that. I am also a big Dropbox users and there is no native app for that, there is a 3rd party app (Kickbox) that syncs one way but I really want an official app. The Windows Market also lacks many little apps that may not be essential but are nice to have, things like Paypal, BBC iPlayer, Manchester Airport etc. While not being essential they are nice little apps that really add value to the platform.

Another app I use a lot on my iPhone is CoPilot Live a sat nav app, I know there is the new Navigon app which has the same functions of CoPilot but this costs £51.49 for the UK version and this is the problem of switching platforms. Buying apps that you have already paid for on another platform hurts and its ok for apps that cost a few pound but £51 is stretching it. Also added to the cost of moving is the hardware ecosystem, I have a couple of iPhone docks in the house and obviously these don’t work. I also find Airplay works better than DLNA for streaming music so taking all these points in to consideration I will be keeping my iPhone for the time being and will be using both phones.

This could change as more apps for Windows Phone get released and as the ecosystem grows. For people buying their first smartphone this wouldn’t be a problem but if you have invested iOS or Android switching can be expensive but rewarding!