Need help with a Windows phone

[BaconSanwich]

So I got a Nokia Lumia 520 today, and it's total crap.

After going through about 300 steps of telling Microsoft that they can't view my history and take all of my information to 'improve their service,' signing in with about every kind of account I had, uninstalling every garbage app on there and putting every setting in the menu to 'don't perve on my stuff,' I went to the app store and tried to install Kik, a 1MB messenger app.

That was 15 minutes ago. It's connected to my wifi, which is working fine on my laptop and brother's phone. Instead of taking me back to the start screen, it locks you on a 'Dowloading' screen: it doesn't have a bar, just a loading animation. You can't even go back to start without the download cancelling. Bing is working, but I can't install Chrome because of the same issue with kik. Is there any way to fix this, and the other generally crap elements of this phone and the very basics much better mobile OS's (aka Android), such as a drag-down notification bar?

Also, if anyone was considering getting a Windows phone: don't. It's confusing, disorganized, lacks most of the things about Android that makes it so user-friendly.

I mean for god's sake, there's a big bar at the top of the screen which COULD show me which internet I'm using, 3G/Wifi connection, and things that Android figured out years ago: but nah, all you get is the time and battery level.

 

[jaeusm]

...the other generally crap elements of this phone and the very basics much better mobile OS's (aka Android), such as a drag-down notification bar? ...It's confusing, disorganized, lacks most of the things about Android that makes it so user-friendly.

My experience is the opposite. I found WP to be much more user friendly, polished, and intuitive than Android. However, since it's not an Android phone, you should probably not treat it as such nor expect it to work the same way. It doesn't.

I mean for god's sake, there's a big bar at the top of the screen which COULD show me which internet I'm using, 3G/Wifi connection

It does. If you're on a wifi network, the wifi icon will be present. Otherwise, it will not be. If it's 3G, there will be an icon present that says "3G". It's very straight forward. If you want more info, go to Settings > Wi-Fi.

 

[BaconSanwich]

I was connected to both, and yet all I got was time and battery level. And what's up with the app store? It's almost completely empty.

 

[KSoD]

I was connected to both, and yet all I got was time and battery level. And what's up with the app store? It's almost completely empty.

The Windows Store has about 50,000 apps on it compared to Android which is close to 500,000. So it is 1/10th the size. This is for many reasons. First and foremost, it is not free to develop apps for Windows Phone. So unless the developers want to pay about $50 for the kit, they wont develop for that device. So yeah it is much more barren than Android or iOS, but it is by no means empty.

My experience with WP was long before the newest devices. I had a Samsung focus with Windows Phone 7 on it. Before 7.5 got released and before WP8. So there was even less apps then. But there was still enough to get the job done that was needed. You cant expect every app you used on Android to be available for WP. It doesnt work that way for the exact reason I stated above. Just like there isnt every app from Android on iOS. It is also the same in reverse. There are apps for iOS that have never and will never see the light of day on Android or WP. That is due to the people developing the apps.

The WiFi and 3G aspect, all you have to do is tap the status bar to have the icons drop down. That will tell you if you have WiFi working or Data working.

As stated, this isnt Android. Coming from an Android device and expecting it to act the same way is wrong on your part. They are completely different devices. You wouldnt expect to go from a Windows PC to a Chromebook and expect it to work the same exact way, you cant do that with your mobile device either.

 

[carnageX]

The Windows Store has about 50,000 apps on it compared to Android which is close to 500,000. So it is 1/10th the size. This is for many reasons. First and foremost, it is not free to develop apps for Windows Phone. So unless the developers want to pay about $50 for the kit, they wont develop for that device. So yeah it is much more barren than Android or iOS, but it is by no means empty.

It's not free to get apps put on the Play Store either. There's a $25 fee I believe. Just clearing that up for anybody that may be wondering.

 

[KSoD]

It's not free to get apps put on the Play Store either. There's a $25 fee I believe. Just clearing that up for anybody that may be wondering.

When did they start that? From what I see on the Android website, there is nothing at all about a cost to publish. Only if you wish to charge for the apps.

Launch Checklist | Android Developers
Google Play
Google Play

I cant seem to find it on any of the 3 pages I looked at for all the legal stuff that pertains to the Play Store and publishing....

 

[carnageX]

When did they start that? From what I see on the Android website, there is nothing at all about a cost to publish. Only if you wish to charge for the apps.

Launch Checklist | Android Developers
Google Play
Google Play

I cant seem to find it on any of the 3 pages I looked at for all the legal stuff that pertains to the Play Store and publishing....

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/113468?hl=en

Looks like it's just for Developer Console accounts. I thought it was for all accounts.

 

[KSoD]

Ok. But that is something different than being charged to get the kit to publish. Apple charges $100 for the iOS kit and Microsoft $50. That doesnt include any money for the Dev Accounts. I think Apple has a separate charge for that. Dont think Microsoft has any charges for it though.

So it isnt completely free, it is just a charge so they have a way to know who is a spammer and who isnt. Makes sense and is still far less than any other. Heck I cant get a new release BluRay for that much...

 

[carnageX]

Ok. But that is something different than being charged to get the kit to publish. Apple charges $100 for the iOS kit and Microsoft $50. That doesnt include any money for the Dev Accounts. I think Apple has a separate charge for that. Dont think Microsoft has any charges for it though.

Right, I was agreeing with you because I thought it was for all accounts to get published in the Play Store. If you just wanna make an app and distribute the APK to whoever through sideloading means, then yeah that's free because they offer their SDK free of charge.