LG Not Working On Windows Phone 8 Devices

helix2301 sends this quote from CNET: "LG's reluctance to embrace Windows Phone 8 underscores the difficulties that the platform faces with both consumers and vendor partners. LG was one of the early partners that signed on with Microsoft, releasing the LG Quantum in the first wave of Windows Phone devices. Microsoft's has a great relationship with Nokia, which is considered in the industry first among equals when it comes to Microsoft partners, has some vendors reassessing their own support for the operating system. Over the past year or so, LG has been focusing on Android and has started building phones running on Mozilla's Firefox mobile OS."

Comments

nobody wants Microsofts solution

[Anonymous Coward]

when given the choice between "you will take this OS as it is, we are not listening to end users or "something else", the manufacturers and users are choosing "something else", after all LG wants to sell phones not participate in some US software companies lock in power games bollocks

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[recoiledsnake]

So that they can screw up the UI with their shitty skins, install unremovable always running crapware and then not update it for a couple of years like they do with their Android phones? And then be beholden to stupid carrier crapware? Thank heavens Microsoft doesn't allow that crap to happen.

For example look at what HTC and the carriers install on Android and which cannot be uninstalled and then cause serious security issues which are never fixed.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/virtualization/bloatware-a-creeping-problem/4173

The HTC Thunderbolt is a nice HTC Android device that came with the following software that I don't use, didn't want and can't remove:
Amazon Kindle
Verizon Backup Assistant (tied to a service offering I don't use)
Bitbop
Blockbuster
Friendstream
Let's Golf 2
Mobile Hotspot (a poor replacement for the native Android hotspot that is tied to charging the user again for the "unlimited" data plan they've already purchased)
Peep (a poor Twitter client)
Rhapsody (a music service)
Rock Band (a game)
TuneWiki (lord knows what this is)
V CAST Media
V CAST Music
V CAST Tones
V CAST Videos
VZ Navigator
Several apps from Sprint or HTC come pre-installed on the HTC EVO 4G. These include:
Footprints
Amazon Mp3 Store
NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile
Qik
Sprint Football Live
Sprint Navigation
Sprint TV

Windows Phone disallows always running services and any carrier bundled software can be easily uninstalled in about five seconds.

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[realityimpaired]

Sprint Football Live
Sprint Navigation
Sprint TV

I'd be very surprised if my HTC One V, on Koodo Mobile here in Canada, came with those preinstalled....

Are you entirely sure that it's HTC that's adding that crap, and not Sprint? None of the apps you have listed came preinstalled on my phone.In fact, the only non-Google apps that came preinstalled on my phone were Dropbox, HTC Hub, Polaris Office (full), Sound Hound, and TuneIn Radio. I doubt most users would complain about any of those, even if they don't use them. And having a fully licensed copy of Polaris Office out of the box on a $150 phone is actually pretty nice of them....

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[c]

For example look at what HTC and the carriers install on Android and which cannot be uninstalled and then cause serious security issues which are never fixed.

You can't uninstall them, true. But you can disable them, which is effectively equivalent except they still take up disk. And those extra Android apps aren't burning that much disk compared to, say, a default Surface install.

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[Bert64]

It's often carriers rather than the phone manufacture that bundle all manner of crap, and other modifications to the firmware...

Often you can go back to the manufacturer's default (ie not network branded) firmware for a much better experience, or you can buy a phone direct from the manufacturer which already has this firmware rather than buying it from your operator.
In many cases you can also install a third party android firmware such as cyanogenmod.

I have had several phones which were crippled by carrier-specific firmware, missing features, features not working, instability, bloatware, poor battery life, and which were fixed by installing stock firmware.

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[Eirenarch]

I completely agree. I've always seen LG as damaging to the Windows Phone ecosystem. I think the current line up - Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Huawei is perfect. In fact if I was Microsoft I would not allow anyone else to make WP devices.

Re:nobody wants Microsofts solution

[cusco]

Well, we have a cheap LG DVD/Netflix player that runs some primitive Linux kernel which will hang about once or twice a month and needs to be unplugged to reboot it. The only other LG products that I have touched are their network switches, which are the worst pieces of junk that I have ever had the misfortune to deal with in my entire working career. You think a Belkin or D-Link switch is crap? You should try these things.

We had to install 66 of them in a migration from analog to IP cameras. So far we've RMA'd 39 of them and we have 4 more we need to replace but LG has shut down their US network equipment support office and are having a hell of a time getting hold of anyone.

Re:I like Windows Phone

[MightyMartian]

This message brought to you by Redmond, WA.

What the hell does that mean?

[nephilimsd]

"Microsoft's has a great relationship with Nokia, which is considered in the industry first among equals when it comes to Microsoft partners, has some vendors reassessing their own support for the operating system." Is this supposed to read that Microsoft and Nokia are considered equals, and Microsoft is giving preferential treatment to that vendor? Or is it supposed to read that Nokia has been withdrawing support, and so other vendors are shying away too? Can someone please review these summaries before they get posted to ensure they make sense?

Market positioning

[MichaelSmith]

The high end of the smart phone market is occupied by Apple and Samsung. Thats where money is being made. I just bought a Huawei android phone for my son for 60 bucks. Screen resolution and storage are not fantastic but it is great value for money. My current LG phone competed with the Huawei. It is in the same market. Going upscale to compete with Samsung is unlikely to work for LG. Going down scale to compete with Huawei might be possible, but I wonder if they have the manufacturing muscle to pull it off.

Bottom line is the windows is a distraction right now.

What is a "great relationship"?

[Stormwatch]

Microsoft's has a great relationship with Nokia

Like a parasite has a great relationship with its host...

Wrong title?

[toQDuj]

Isn't it supposed to be "Windows 8 not working on LG devices"?

Still on my first $10

[Bruce Perens]

I bought an LG / Google Nexus 4 a while back. They're less than half the price of other top-end smartphones, unlocked and with no contract. I put a Platinumtel SIM in it with the $10 for 60 days GSM plan, and set it to restrict background data. The network is T-Mobile. After a month I'm still on the first $10, having of course made extensive use of wifi.

As far as I can tell, I have all of the smartphone benefits without much of the cost.

Simple matter of self-interest?

[ace37]

Despite the fact that this is Slashdot, I'm surprised at the number of upvoted anti-MS epithets. I don't see how this needs to have anything to do with the merits of the OS itself when a CEO with an MBA and a Blackberry could easily come to this conclusion on a purely business case.

Neutral phone hardware developers would perceive a small market that requires investment to pursue. Most likely, LG's expected market penetration isn't large enough to justify the investment. And for the cynics, LG could also assume that, to loosely paraphrase Animal Farm, all carriers are equal to MS, but Nokia is 'more equal,' barring antitrust suits. This creates an additional small interest in starving WP of revenue to keep Nokia out of the ring.

Sigh

[bhcompy]

I like my Quantum, but it is aging. Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of mid range or highend phones with physical slideout keyboards. I guess this means no Quantum 2

That's why we have CyanogenMod

[Bruce Perens]

Although I have not installed CyanogenMod on my Nexus 4, as I have on my Asus Transformer Infinity tf700, the option is available and I will probably eventually do so. I am installing nightlies every other day on the Transformer. I have the option not to use Google's services since I have control over the OS. IMO Google is selling the unit at parts cost, that's why it's from the Play store rather than another retailer. Obviously, not being locked in is always considered in my choice of hardware.

Re:Define "crappy hardware"

[hairyfeet]

Dude Win 8 is deep fried ass, i'm sorry but it is. There are so damned many brain dead decisions that were made that make it not worth having frankly it just staggers the mind. i could sit here all morning typing out all the problems with Win 8 but this video says it better than I ever could. All I will add is this is the first time since WinME that I am NOT carrying MSFT's latest OS in the shop because frankly? Nobody wants it. I had people passing up a really sharp system that was running Windows 8 to take a less powerful system running Win 7, THAT is how much the public don't like Windows 8. as one of the little old ladies that walked into the shop put it so perfectly "Why would I want my computer to look like a cellphone?".

Its just not a desktop OS, its a cellphone/tablet OS that MSFT is trying to force on the desktop hoping folks will "get used to it" and they can steal some of Apple's customers...ha! you'd have better luck strapping wings to Ballmer's ass and getting him to fly south for the winter than to make Windows a "premium" brand. To use a /. car analogy MSFT is trying to slap a paint job on a Pinto and sell it for Porsche money and the public? they ain't buying it.