Will Windows Phone 8 Require New Hardware, And Is That A Big Deal?

[MadDogFL62]

http://www.redmondpie.com/will-windows-phone-8-require-new-hardware-and-is-that-a-big-deal/

Before I get on my soapbox again, please take a moment and read the article connected to the above link.

Hum.  Those are good questions.  Kinda got me thinking...

I think we can complain and threaten out here until the cows come home.  No one from VZW really cares.  However, with the apathy comes awareness.  It is pretty clear that VZW knows that a growing subset of their customers are demanding that they carry more than 1 Windows Phone.  Hopefully there are 1 or 2 decision makers with VZW who are taking us seriously.

By the end of Summer (hopefully not Florida Summer) Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 will be ready to be released on many new devices from many manufacturers we know and love like Dell, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, HP, and others.  Will upgrading to Win8 and WP8 require a hardware upgrade?  While Microsoft claims "no" - I have to question - why not?  Perhaps not an upgrade, but a new device and a new way of doing things?  The whole tablet concept speaks for itself.

But as I read the above article, as well as many of the Nokia 900, HTC Titan II, and Samsung Focus reviews - I have to ask myself if it doesn't make sense to hang with my Trophy for a few more months, then see if VZW carries a device for WP8/Apollo?  Dual or Quad Core Processors on 4G LTE would be nice.  SD Card support, multiple screen resolution, and maybe some different shaped phones would be cool too.  And I would sure like to see a phone with the rumored NFC support to keep it synced up with my PC and Tablet.

Saw this article and thought I would share.  Lots of high blood pressure out here about VZW, the phones they are NOT carrying, and the phones that AT&T and T-Mobile ARE carrying.  I may be smokin' my front yard, but maybe if VZW takes their time with this and does things right, they could potentially announce some Apollo phones in late Summer or early Fall.  And while snapping up a Nokia 900 today sounds awful tempting, those same people will feel the let-down in 4 or 5 months when Apollo lands and the new mac-daddy devices hit.

[primortal]

I'm in the same boat about beating a drum for more Windows Phone devices on VZW.  What infuriates me is that they say nothing . I'd rather hear, "We are waiting for Microsoft to release Windows Phone 8 before we carry anymore Windows Phone devices" then just sit there and say nothing. Saying nothing is more damaging to your customer base than saying bad news.  Who ever in the PR department thinks is acceptable business practice needs to be fired.

Back on topic, http://www.gsmarena.com/is_this_nokia_lumia_pureview_we_hope_not-news-4065.php  Case in point for waiting for Windows Phone 8.  Not sure if this is the final design but I kind of like it

[SickFreak]

Exactly - if VZW would at least come out and let us know what their plans are, we can at least have an idea of what to look forward to (or not.)

[SydneyK]

MadDog, it's refreshing to see a well-written post like this. I understand the frustration of waiting for devices on your preferred OS (believe me, I do know ... I've used BlackBerry and WebOS, ha ha), but the demanding, foot-stomping shouting on this board is not doing anything to help the platform.

I see the logic in your post. I do think Verizon is waiting for WP8/Apollo, and I believe WP then will have a greater presence here. Nokia is doing an outstanding job promoting the Lumia, and people are taking notice of all the cool things the WP OS can do.

Primortal, that Pureview ... I have to admit, it's really growing on me. Just because it's so different from all the same black slabs.

[AZSALUKI]

is that a typo in the article, or is it really a 41MP camera? i don't follow these closely. is it intended to be your real camera? i don't like the design, but if it was a true digital camera (like if it would make my digital cam obsolete), then it's pretty slick.

[SydneyK]

You read it right, a 41mp camera. I think this phone would look really cool in white.

[primortal]

From what I read

This is because it uses pixel binning where it would take the output 41 MP image from the sensor and combine pixels with those surrounding it. The idea is to average out the random artifacts from the sensor and provide an extremely crisp and clean picture.

Some pics from the sensor.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/02/27/Nokia-808-PureView-with-41MP-sensor

http://thenewcamera.com/?p=9292

Info on the sensor, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_808_Pureview#Pureview_Pro_camera

[primortal]

WMPoweruser has the following article, http://wmpoweruser.com/windows-phone-8-rumors-nokia-prepping-pureview-and-qwerty-devices-lenovo-and-...

What's interesting, though its rumor

He sheds some light onto Nokia’s WP8 devices, which will include a PureView flagship (albeit with the Nokia N8′s 12 megapixel sensor) with a ClearBlack 1280×720 display destined for Verizon

[danvega]

After being a computer tech for just over 17 years I can promise you, there will always be something better just around the corner. Even if you wait until the fall for next big thing, when fall rolls around you'll hear that something more improved is in the pipe and just six months away. That's just the way technology rolls. I'm jumping ship at this point because the Lumia 900 offers enough features that I'm willing to bet my money (literally) that it'll be serviceable for the next 2 years for my needs. The only reason I currently have the Trophy is because it was my only option and my previous phone ran Windows Mobile 6. Personally I don't regret moving up from WM6 to WP7 even though it's going to cost me money to leave early. It was worth not living with the problems my HTC Imagio gave me. We pay for our phones and phone service we should be happy with what we get and how we are treated as a customer. Good luck to the rest of you no matter if you decide to stay or leave.