Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

New York City Cops Will Replace Their 36,000 Windows Phones With iPhones (theverge.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the hot-potato dept.

The New York City Police Department says it will give up its 36,000 Windows phones and transition to iPhones by the end of the year. The Verge reports: The switch is prompted in part by news in July that Microsoft was ending support for Windows Phone 8.1, which a large percentage of all Windows-powered phones are still using. It's a predictable end to the Windows phone, considering that its market share had already slipped below 1 percent at the time the police department adopted its phones last year. The ill-fated decision to go with the Windows phone was made solely by its NYPD deputy commissioner for IT, according to The New York Post, and apparently did not receive further judgment before implementing the program. The Windows models were Nokia Lumia 830 and Lumia 640 XL, equipped with special 911 apps, case management apps, and the ability to receive assignments. They were purchased as part of a $160 million initiative to modernize the NYPD, which has been around since 1845. The new business for Microsoft's phones was clearly not enough to keep Windows Phone alive.

122 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. I hope they get a discount by bobstreo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Or buy older iPhones. Because that's a lot of money...

    1. Re:I hope they get a discount by avandesande · · Score: 1

      They don't say how much they spent. But the Lumia 830 is 3 years old and Lumia 640 XL was dirt cheap

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    2. Re: I hope they get a discount by KGIII · · Score: 2

      Or Pokemon. Criminals, gotta catch 'em all.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    3. Re:I hope they get a discount by v1 · · Score: 1

      Traditionally bulk/enterprise purchasers of Apple products get charged MORE.

      [citation needed]

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
  2. If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by david.emery · · Score: 5, Funny

    It will be absolute proof of the old saying, "No one gets fired for buying Microsoft."

    The most charitable excuse for this is "IT understands how to work with Microsoft products." Of course, that's the IT flea wagging the Police Dog.

    1. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No kidding. That was such a breathtakingly stupid decision she honestly deserves to lose her job because of it.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I wonder how much she got from Microsoft.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    3. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by TWX · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If the proprietary applications mentioned in the article summary are derivatives of their desktop or tablet cousins, then I could understand the business argument in favor of attempting to keep with the same platform, especially depending on development costs for the Windows Phone versions of those applications compared to possibly much higher costs for developing whole new applications for either Apple's phone or an Android model. It may well be possible that the costs for the applications was low enough to give some justification for trying Windows Phone generally.

      That said, if the platform was already on life support then I hope they got a screaming-good-deal for their attempt. Several years ago we faced attempting to upgrade to the latest Novell Netware or migrating to Active Directory. Netware had been in-service in the organization since the 3.x days when there was no network between sites other than for the AS/400 connectivity, so we had a long and successful history with it, but it was clear that Netware was not seeing the new development that it needed, and the time between a new version of Windows coming out and full Netware client support was getting worse with each new release. As much as we'd been successful with Novell in the past, it was clear that future success with them was strongly in-doubt, and we ultimately left.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    4. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      Porting an application from the desktop to the phone is no trivial matter, even if the APIs are similar. Yes, internal data structures and probably a fair bit of the under the hood code remains the same, but your interface, where a good deal of effort of such software goes, is going to be overhauled.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    5. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by TWX · · Score: 1

      Sure. But if there's anything I've learned in dealing with enterprise IT, it's that some things are greatly trivialized. It's possible that the sales person for the software vendor didn't themselves understand the difficulty and thus the project was quoted or bid for less than it should have actually cost. If the customer gets a quote that makes it seem cheap then it would be no surprise to consider it.

      In that sense it almost doesn't matter if it really was harder than that, depending on the nature of the contract. I have seen vendors manage to screw themselves over if they over-promised and the contract did not leave a lot of wiggle-room. Doesn't happen often, but it's glorious when it does.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    6. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by youngone · · Score: 4, Insightful

      She'll be getting a pussy pass on this one

      I don't think it's a pussy pass she will get, she has inherited privilege due to several generations of money and the political connections that come with money.
      She is a friend of the Mayor's daughter, which explains how she got the job in the first place, despite having no experience.

    7. Re: If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Commissioner Bill Bratton on Wednesday named Jessica Tisch, the billionaire heiress who served as director of policy and planning for the counterterrorism bureau, to be deputy commissioner of information and technology."

      Just going to leave it here..

    8. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by unixisc · · Score: 1

      The thing that surprises me here is that neither the NYPD nor Microsoft decided to work on migrating Windows Phone 8.1 to Windows 10 Mobile - the latter iirc which is already a default on the 640XL. Not sure about the 830, though.

      I do think that the decision to go w/ iOS was a bad one, though. They just went through the experience of being sole sourced w/ Nokia/Microsoft and are now going sole sourced w/ Apple. They should have picked Android, which would have given them a vendor choice of Google, Samsung, Blu, Sony, LG et al. They could have then cut a deal w/ one of those vendors, or even w/ Google.

    9. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by unixisc · · Score: 1

      The article mentioned that they were using Microsoft's video surveillance software, but nothing about the underlying platforms. Were they Windows XP or 7 or 8? Since at the time they introduced it, the phones were based on Windows Phone 8.1.

      If it was based on Windows 8/8.1, then you're right - there would have been the common underlying code base, w/ the major effort on the UI. But if it was based on Windows 7 or earlier, then there would be nothing in common, since Microsoft totally overhauled the UI. But while the NYPD is at it, they might as well replace their Windows computers w/ Macs

    10. Re: If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by KGIII · · Score: 2

      It's progressive. That means data bits aren't binary and all data has equal value. CHMOD? Check your privilege, shitlord.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    11. Re: If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by cyber-vandal · · Score: 1

      Name any drop in replacement for Microsoft infrastructure.

    12. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by stooo · · Score: 1

      It is always a bad decision to use MS products.

      --
      aaaaaaa
    13. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      That was such a breathtakingly stupid decision she honestly deserves to lose her job because of it.

      That depends on the cost.

    14. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Pascal+Sartoretti · · Score: 1

      I wonder how much she got from Microsoft.

      Probably nothing concrete, it would have been too dangerous for her and for Microsoft.

      But maybe she received the promise of a very lucrative job in case things would turn bad. Just ask Stephen Elop.

    15. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      That was such a breathtakingly stupid decision she honestly deserves to lose her job because of it.

      Not really. It can be argued that having Window's phones lessened the impact of unauthorized third party apps from being installed and creating problems for the phones affecting their performance, as well as limiting their use for things outside of work obligations and the distractions that go with that,

      36,000 phones represent a lot of hours that is required to support phones, so anything done to minimize that probably lessened the total cost of the phones themselves. My bet is by time you put the iphones and the Windows phones side by side and compare equally all things, the Windows phones will turn out to have the lower TCO for the police department.

      .

    16. Re: If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      CHMOD? Check your privilege, shitlord.

      uid == 0?

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    17. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      My guess is that Microsoft would take care of her, if they haven't already.

      --
      Do you have ESP?
    18. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Talderas · · Score: 1

      Not really. It can be argued that having Window's phones lessened the impact of unauthorized third party apps from being installed and creating problems for the phones affecting their performance, as well as limiting their use for things outside of work obligations and the distractions that go with that

      It can be argued but poorly and it's really just comparable to security by obscurity. If your organization is deploying mobile devices without MDM then you are definitely asking for a higher TCO from support issues. Use the right MDM and pretty much most of the issues you speak of are not.

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    19. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by Duhavid · · Score: 1

      Unless the apps were Metro, Microsoft's "overhaul" of the UI in just about any version of the OS, ( excepting the NT/2000 to XP update ) does little to change the underlying "stuff" you need to do to "paint" the app on the screen. And even the NT/2000 to XP update did not invalidate the older apps. Metro deliberately breaks all that in order to attempt to force developers into their version of the "walled garden" model that Apple has.

      --
      emt 377 emt 4
    20. Re: If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      Yes. Let's give the cops completely insecure phones. What could possibly go wrong?

    21. Re:If Jessica Tisch keeps her job by unixisc · · Score: 1

      But only while they still have active support. If Microsoft is winding down their Lumia business and seems to have Windows 10 Mobile on the ropes, it's valid to look at alternatives. Nonetheless, iPhones look like a bigger risk for an organization that's building a lot on it than, say, a recent version of Android. They should have looked at a deal w/ Google.

  3. Since 1845? by Zaelath · · Score: 1

    Wow, that's a long time to be running a modernization initiative.

    1. Re:Since 1845? by geoskd · · Score: 1

      Wow, that's a long time to be running a modernization initiative.

      Thats because every decision that has been made up to this point has been of the same caliber as the decision to go with windows phone, and now iPhone.

      Their first choice when getting rid of Windows phone was blackberry, because somebody told them Blackberries were the best phone there is. Alas, they couldn't actually figure out how to buy them, so iPhone it is.

      --
      I wish I had a good sig, but all the good ones are copyrighted
    2. Re:Since 1845? by zlives · · Score: 1

      "somebody told them" ... is management without knowledge a requirement for IT upper echelons now?

      i mean it has been highly recommended forever, since actual working knowledge of technology is a detriment to the level of management you can rise to, it seems race to the bottom has accelerated.

    3. Re:Since 1845? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Ain't those the things that they decide they have no budget for in terms of personnel, and which they therefore decide to outsource to an IT company, who then shovels it to Bangalore? If that was the process here, I'm surprised that they recommended iPhone

  4. I know it's New York, but... by GerryGilmore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...just whoindahell could be dumb enough to think that Windows phone would ever last? Hell, us North Georgia Rednecks(TM) stayed away from them in droves! Christ, that one sale must have been half of all Windows phone sales. What maroons!!

    1. Re:I know it's New York, but... by MightyMartian · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      Someone who got conned by an MS sales pitch, that's who.

      I eagerly await the "Windows Phone is the best phone over, and only iSnobs and Android fruits care about apps!" The Microsoft phone defender is almost as pathetic as the Blackberry defender.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:I know it's New York, but... by roc97007 · · Score: 2

      ...just whoindahell could be dumb enough to think that Windows phone would ever last? Hell, us North Georgia Rednecks(TM) stayed away from them in droves! Christ, that one sale must have been half of all Windows phone sales. What maroons!!

      ...which makes me wonder if money or some other lucrative object changed hands.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    3. Re:I know it's New York, but... by Kjella · · Score: 4, Insightful

      ...just whoindahell could be dumb enough to think that Windows phone would ever last? Hell, us North Georgia Rednecks(TM) stayed away from them in droves! Christ, that one sale must have been half of all Windows phone sales. What maroons!!

      Well, assuming this was a great modernization I assume she's coming from a world of mostly Microsoft laptops/tablets/servers and that this was her and their first real adventure into smartphones. They probably have a good business relationship and don't mind being a Microsoft shop. They needed a platform to run their custom apps, how many apps the app store has is less of a concern and they probably got a good discount. And Microsoft has in general offered 5+5 years of support on the desktop, they've rarely left their business customers hanging. In isolation the business case might have looked decent until you take a big step back and realize the platform is dying and there's a very real chance Microsoft will pull out of the market entirely and mobile phones aren't like laptops where you just tank them up with your OS image. I'm not saying it was a good decision but I can understand how you'd make a near-sighted decision like that.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    4. Re:I know it's New York, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...just whoindahell could be dumb enough to think that Windows phone would ever last? Hell, us North Georgia Rednecks(TM) stayed away from them in droves! Christ, that one sale must have been half of all Windows phone sales. What maroons!!

      The Windows phones can have their batteries replaced without much effort. Can't do that with Apple phones, and you are on the upgrade treadmill.

    5. Re:I know it's New York, but... by unixisc · · Score: 1

      With Android, they might have discovered some phone maker who provides that. In fact, had they put down a stake stating that Android 6 would be the basis of their platform, and built around that, that would have given them the maximum flexibility. They could have gotten phones from anybody that was inexpensive enough, but good enough to support their entire app suite

    6. Re:I know it's New York, but... by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      The "good enough" android phones have applications to run on them, as well as a future upgrade path... Windows phones do not.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    7. Re: I know it's New York, but... by v1 · · Score: 1

      It's just the nightmare event of when someone from upper management pops their head around the door at the IT department and say "Oh hey guys, heads up, we just signed a contract for this new tech you're going to need to support for the next three years, look for my email with details on what we bought!" When upper management makes tech purchasing decisions whilst keeping themselves 100% insulated from their techs, that's what happens. A smooth sales pitch nullifies all technical and critical review, and you end up saddled with a contract to use and support ineffective, overpriced crap. Sales reps have a well-known technique for rushing the deal, and seem to have a knack for convincing the PHB that "everything will be fine, you don't need to consult your IT over this, they'll LOVE it!"

      I've been on the receiving end of that myself. Uppers made the decision to change out all their big multifunction printers without consulting IT at all, we just got an email notifying us "We just signed a contract with local printer supplier and they will be installing them next week, be sure to be there to talk with their tech about what changes we need to make!" It turns out their printers were incompatible with central print management, and the techs said "All we need to do is go to each computer and insert this CD and set up / configure each printer..." *sigh* "Clear my schedule for the next week I guess? And you better be damn sure you have your groups, permissions, and names all sorted out in advance and not interested in changing them with any frequency!"

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    8. Re:I know it's New York, but... by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      I never have understood this obsession with user-replaceable batteries. The battery in my 5S, which I bought when it came out, is slowly losing its capacity. Even if I go with Apple, $80 over more than three years isn't much.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  5. Oh no by niff · · Score: 5, Funny

    There goes the 1% market share that Windows Phone had...

  6. I wondered about that by filesiteguy · · Score: 1

    As one of the last ten people on the planet with a Windows Phone (950xl and Elite X3) but using an Iphone 7+ also, I wondered about the decision. Sure, there may be a great UI and decent app, but there's so many things that Microsoft does better on Android and Iphone that just don't work on Windows Mobile 10.

    we all know the end was near when dunkin donuts removed the app from the Windows store.

    Ahh, it is only taxpayer dollars!

    --
    The Kai's Semi-Updated Website Thingy
    1. Re:I wondered about that by mrbester · · Score: 2

      "there's so many things that Microsoft does better on Android and Iphone that just don't work on Windows Mobile 10"

      Doesn't seem like a ringing endorsement to me. If anything, it's the exact opposite of what you accuse filesiteguy of.

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    2. Re:I wondered about that by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Didn't have to wait long for the vague "The Windows phone is so superior!

      That isn't even remotely what he said - did you actually read his comment?

      He said he questioned the initial decision to go with Windows Phone, even though he's "one of the last ten people on the planet with a Windows Phone".

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:I wondered about that by filesiteguy · · Score: 1

      No, but I will state that I think 2017 is teh year of the Linux desktop!

      Um, if you read the comment, I stated I liked WM10 better but realize it is dying. In fact, check out the speed of opening an HTML email on Outlook under Iphone vs. Windows Mobile. The Iphone is faster using the same WiFi.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNyaTOtlhzs

      --
      The Kai's Semi-Updated Website Thingy
    4. Re:I wondered about that by jezwel · · Score: 1

      Windows Phone offered nothing that the other major phone OSs didn't offer.

      They announced that a new Windows phone OS on ARM would be able to run native Win32 apps, which could be interesting if it is ever released. There's demand for device consolidation to a single piece of hardware, and still a lot of legacy Win32 apps out there.
      Shrinking by the minute I would guess, and/or capable of being provided by virtual desktops otherwise, so maybe they've canned that too.

    5. Re:I wondered about that by Thumper_SVX · · Score: 1

      Thing is; Windows Phone WAS a good platform. I have run WP as my primary work phone for 3 years now, literally just replacing it over the weekend with an Android device because (a) I destroyed the screen at a conference last week and (b) it was just getting long in the tooth and battery was not great after all this time.

      I actually had the Lumia 830. It was pretty solid, had a decent and easy to use interface, and took one hell of a beating in the time I owned it even before its shattering experience. Damn thing was a trooper that got me 3 days of battery when I first got it (down to one day, now). I used it for tethering all the time as well.

      So I can give you some examples of some things that the WP does better... not vague. They're all about integration with desktop apps. No-one does it better than Microsoft except (perhaps) Apple, but my experience with iPhone which granted is a bit older now was only loose integration between the phone and apps on the desktop. One example I always loved was the fact that OneDrive actually works REALLY well. Files I wanted for work were right there, my emails were right there... and when I wrote a handwritten note in OneNote on my tablet, it was also right there on my phone. I use OneNote daily and the fact that I could write notes in a meeting, then be able to pull up and refer to those notes on my phone without having to pull my tablet out of my bag was an incredibly valuable feature that I appreciated. Yeah, you can do that in Android with OneNote as well, but back 3 years ago OneNote for Android didn't exist. Same went for my photos that were immediately (pretty much) available on my desktop machine.

      The phone was also really good and on AT&T (same as my personal Android phone) was able to pick up good DATA signal even when my Pixel wouldn't (and the prior Moto X). I rarely saw a time when I was unable to get signal. Phone calls were crisp and easy... and I was as surprised as anyone when I discovered this older phone actually did support VoLTE while my Pixel that's only a year old still seems to only have spotty support for it... if any.

      Yeah, Android has loads of apps for every need and much of the reason I liked the WP at first can now be done just as easily on Android. But it still feels kludgy and less integrated. I had all the apps I ever needed on WP because they were released early... the rest of them are just window dressing I really didn't need. Again I admit my iPhone experience is a few years old at this point so I can't speak to how well integrated it is, but I would note that from everything I'm reading it's integrated great with MacOS but not so much Windows (which is where I primarily "live" these days).

      Most of WP's problems the last year or so have been more BECAUSE the platform has languished than any problem with the platform itself or the hardware. I just replaced my 830 with a Galaxy S7 Active. Yeah, it's an older phone but it's still solid with virtually identical specs to my Pixel. You know what? I think the hardware in the 830 is generally better. It felt like a more solid device and was well designed for day to day use. And was a VERY slim phone with a removable back... something virtually no Android devices do. Yeah, I didn't have a spare battery but I could've gotten one. And here's the other part; WP boots incredibly quickly... like power button to login of less than 10 seconds. It always impressed me especially when my Pixel takes more than twice as long.

      It is a shame WP languished so badly. It started very well... but given when Microsoft brought it to market they were always going to have a really long uphill struggle to make it work. They needed a killer app or a killer phone to really get the excitement going, but Microsoft's history up to a few years ago meant the geeks were never going to give it a chance, and Apple had pretty much sewn up the average consumer crowd (and the hipsters...). Thing is; Microsoft is not the same company it was under Ballmer and I actually see them doing some pretty cool st

    6. Re:I wondered about that by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      Somebody should have told her the Dunkin Donuts app was going away. This is clearly not a phone for cops.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    7. Re:I wondered about that by Yunzil · · Score: 1

      Windows Phone offered nothing that the other major phone OSs didn't offer.

      Apart from an interface that isn't terrible you mean?

    8. Re:I wondered about that by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Fully agree w/ you. My first smartphone was a Nokia Lumia 520 - the entry level phone in its time. Typing on that phone was a breeze: it had suggested words above the text box, but didn't get in your way, unlike the dumb phones that would try to guess what you were typing, and force you to follow the next character from what it had in its dictionary. Also, for comparison, at the time (around 2012), I tried both iOS and Android's typing interfaces, and they were a lot less smooth then (they've since caught up and are today at par). As a result, I started texting using that phone, something I never did previously.

      The killer app you talk about is OneNote - although as AC above mentions, it's now also there on iOS and Android. But OneNote through its examples demonstrated some great things that could be done on this phone, like managing a shopping list, or a tour (noting things like ticket confirmation numbers, places to visit, et al). That phone also had HERE maps, which was great for navigating outside the US (although today, all 3 maps - Google, Apple & Bing - are at par, and there are things like Waze that improve the experience). And like you said, OneDrive integration was awesome!

      Going from Windows Phone 8 to Windows 10 Mobile gave a more streamlined experience: there weren't multiple map apps - just the Bing one, and it integrated better w/ the desktop initially. But that's now gone: if you open Messenger on the desktop, even if it has the same Outlook login as your phone - your phone messages no longer appear on the desktop - as they previously did.

      Honestly, Microsoft should sell the Windows Phone/Mobile platform to another company, and let them make something out of it, since Microsoft itself is incapable of it.

  7. Great quote from TFA by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I loved this...

    "Nobody purchases 36,000 phones based on the judgment of one person," a source said. "I don’t care if you’re Jesus f--king Christ, you get a panel of experts."

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Great quote from TFA by avandesande · · Score: 2

      I guess the phones were supposed to last forever? They got several years of use out of them. I don't see what the big deal is... not like it's a billion dollar software project that completely failed.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    2. Re:Great quote from TFA by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Informative

      Read TFA - they just started two years ago, and have been in the process of deploying them since then. 0-2 years is not "several years" by any stretch of the imagination.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:Great quote from TFA by Dunbal · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And the panel listens to the best sales pitch of one person.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    4. Re:Great quote from TFA by GerryGilmore · · Score: 1

      That makes it even worse! If this decision had been made, say, 8 years ago it might make a tiny bit of sense, but 2 YEARS ago!!! That is eye-wateringly stupid!

    5. Re:Great quote from TFA by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      And by the time the current iphones become obsolete and need to be replaced, they will be able to replace them with new iphones and continue running the same applications. They won't need to drop everything and start again.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    6. Re:Great quote from TFA by houghi · · Score: 1

      I have seen it for more phones. CTO wanted new phones for all of the company, so it would be easier to maintain. Gives the order for 30.000 phones. Ordered in Belgium as they would be unlocked. Also went to a reseller as SonyErricson or any other manufacturer refused to sell to him directly. The reason was that they where in several European countries and they wanted one deal. That was a no-go for those companies.

      This was before smartphones.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
    7. Re:Great quote from TFA by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Amortized even for just a year the cost of the windows phones are still less than i-phones which are ridiculously overpriced and non-serviceable.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
  8. Multiple people deserve to be fired for this by chromaexcursion · · Score: 3, Informative

    Not just Jessica Tisch, who absolutely should be fired for this.
    She's deputy commissioner of information technology. Where in the world was her boss when she made this decision?
    Failure to act is still accountable.

  9. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Phones from October 2014. In their rush to beat up everybody involved, the editors forgot to mention when they bought the phones.

    That's a decent run for a bunch of cheap phones. Just shred them, zero residual value.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  10. Re:Why? by roc97007 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I never have the opportunity to use Windows Phone, couldn't even say if it had a blue screen of death. I carried a .. what was it called, Windows Mobile 6? ...phone for awhile. (Work phone. No choice.) What I liked most about it is the popup "(blank) has caused an error and will now close". Something that could be easily ignored, right? Punch OK and move on. But the thing that was not named happened to be the audio driver. The phone would not ring or make any alert sound until it was rebooted. And would only ring or beep up until the next "(blank) has caused an error and will now close".

    After fighting with that for awhile, it was: never again. No Microsoft personal electronics. So I completely missed out on the Windows Phone 7, Windows Phone 8 debacle. That sounded like fun.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  11. Makes sense by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    Makes sense. Large organizations don't want their employees to have control over their devices, and that comes built in with iPhone.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:Makes sense by Strider- · · Score: 2

      I know you're trying to be facetious, but what you're saying is actually quite true. Assuming they deploy the enterprise management tools and so forth on these phones, they can lock them down so that only selected interfaces are available, white-listed applications, etc... I don't know enough about android to know whether the options are as locked down. You do not want your officer being able to install the latest, and compromised, version of a solitaire game in a unit that also has access to police records etc...

      --
      ...si hoc legere nimium eruditionis habes...
    2. Re: Makes sense by evan+galasso · · Score: 1

      I think you're right, Android isn't a choice because of too many choices.

  12. Re:Government spending by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

    If the police force has a budget to spend on technology, they have to spend it. Now. If they don't spend it, they lose it next year; so it doesn't really matter how short lived the program is to them. I don't understand it either, but that's how finances work in any large company.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  13. Re:Government spending by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    Re "... in the world spend that much money on a short-lived program?"
    Governments like to know where their staff are, what they are doing and saying.
    Some features had to be supported.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  14. Re:Why? by youngone · · Score: 1

    I had a user who refused the upgrade to Blackberries when they were rolled out, and refused to give up his Windows Mobile 6 (or 7) phone.
    He also refused to accept that when he got the "(blank) has caused an error and will now close" error he needed to restart or he would not hear any calls.
    All missed calls were the IT department's fault, and he was often aggressive about it, until my boss kicked his office door in (almost literally) called him a total dickhead (or similar).

  15. Re:Why? by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    That last part of your post made me very happy. There's a time when you just have to go "excuse me, can I see that for a second?" SMASH "There ya go."

    That's precisely what I upgraded to: A blackberry. Still the best keyboard in the business, and the best integration into the intranet.

    But then, IT was outsourced on a Friday, BES crashed on a Saturday, and remained down for three weeks while offshore admins proved their absolutely lack of any training whatsoever. By the time BES was back up, I was already on Android.

    And it's been ok, but I still miss my Blackberry sometimes. Great keyboard.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
  16. Wow! by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    So Windows phones lose 95% of their user base?

  17. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

    The second model, the Lumia 640XL, is still officially supported by Windows 10 Mobile.

    Would sell for $50 or more on ebay.

  18. Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 10 by williamyf · · Score: 1

    That is NOT a long term solution (of course), but at least gives the NYPD time to better weight their options...

    If the "Custom Egineered APPs" stop working if you go from 8.1 to 10, you have to hang not only the rich hag, but also the programers/coders who "Engineered" these APPs.

    My guess is that the phones will be upgraded to WinPho10, and the Rollout of new iPhones (or whatevur) will be gradual, just as the rollout of the original WinPho ones took two years.

    --
    *** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
  19. Times are changing by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    For decades now, one could not be blamed by choosing Microsoft, even if it was badly suited for the job. It seems even that is changing.

  20. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    How much would tech time be to wipe them and run the ebay auctions? Remember these are government employees, don't expect effort.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  21. Will they get the new iphone or an mix of 7 and 8? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Will they get the new iphone or an mix of 7 and 8?

  22. Re:NHS by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    They are not as bad as the NHS (national health service) in the UK which is still running unpatched Windows XP on nearly all their critical machines.

    Unsurprising, coming from a country that insists in cutting off its nose to spite its own face. Over, and over again.

  23. 36,000 phones? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    I didn't know there were that many Windows phones out there in the wild. With this return, that will make this the first smartphone to enjoy negative sales.

  24. "ill-fated"? How? by DogDude · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In what way was it an "ill-fated" decision? There article didn't say that the phones didn't work, or didn't do what they were supposed to do. I fail to see the problem with using un-popular technology.

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  25. Re:Why? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    When Windows phones work so great. /s

    The support. Also, as apps are getting yanked from the store, there's less reason to stay w/ it, when they are using features like E911, case management and special assignment apps.

  26. Re:Why? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    The blue screen of death is something that many officers don't want to deal with personally.

    I've had 3 Windows phones over the years - a Lumia 520, an Icon and a 550. None of them ever gave me a blue screen of death!

  27. Android alternatives by unixisc · · Score: 1

    That's what I wondered as well. They'd have had a choice of phone vendors - not just Samsung, but a whole bunch of others - Google, LG, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Blu... For their specialized software, they could have worked w/ Google and worked on a deal to get a particular Android version - say Marshmallow - on any phones they obtained.

  28. Re:They had to change platforms when Dunkin Donuts by unixisc · · Score: 1

    Other app I noticed that disappeared was Fandango. Incidentally, Microsoft has ended the LinkedIn app for Windows 10 Mobile, and recommended people to use the browser. While all this happened, Lyft introduced their app for this phone years after Uber did, and Waze is still there.

  29. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    Other thing that I wonder - did they use SD cards on the phones - for things like pictures, police data and so on? If yeah, the iPhone decision makes even less sense, since they won't be able to re-use them there. I can't imagine them not using it - the maximum internal storage any of the Lumias had was 32GB.

    Full resets of Lumias are not daunting tasks - they may take a little while, but after one is done, it's as good as new. Only thing here - since they went for iPhones, these phones are useless. There had been talk about getting some Android versions on these phones, but not sure that that's still active. The cops might just toss them to family/friends/relatives or anyone remotely interested

  30. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    Wiping a phone takes about 15 minutes - that's been my experience w/ Lumias. Never used eBay, so can't comment on the auctions.

  31. Re:Government spending by unixisc · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is a perfect example of wasteful government spending. Would any company in the world spend that much money on a short-lived program? A real company, accountable for its financial decisions would either slowly roll out another version as phones died and could not be supported, or figure out how to pay for extra support while developing an alternative.

    Also, any IT guy worth 2 cents would never have chosen Microsoft phones for a fleet.

    When they were in Nokia's hands, the Lumia did have a fair bit of marketshare, only that both Apple and Samsung increased the gap against them. Given that the phones had a shared ecosystem w/ Microsoft's mainstream Windows, and that Microsoft had overhauled Windows w/ the metro UI to look like the phone, it made perfect sense for a company to build a fleet around them.

    Let's look at the apps that a company could use that Microsoft provided. There was Office - including OneNote and Outlook: OneNote alone made this phone worthwhile, and at the time, Microsoft wasn't aggressively promoting Office on Android or iOS. Then there was maps - both Bing and HERE maps. There were other apps like unit converters (now integrated in the calculator), currency converters and so on. Also, at the time, typing was a lot smoother on Windows Phone 8.1 than on the contemporary versions of either iOS or Android (both have caught up since). If the reason one wanted a phone was something to have their office data on, as opposed to playing Pokemon Go, this was a good phone. It did have some major shortcomings though - Uber was barely supported, Lyft wasn't, nor were there any VOIP apps, and this last, IMO, was a killer. Yeah, one could use Skype, but I've never found it smooth to use.

    Also, at the time, Ballmer was at the helm and he was fanatical about this platform, so Microsoft was solidly behind it while he was around. Things changed once he was gone and Nadella took over.

  32. Re:GNU Linux by unixisc · · Score: 1

    You mean Replicant? I haven't seen one either!

  33. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by unixisc · · Score: 1

    The Lumia 640XL came with Windows 10 Mobile. I'm not sure that the 830 supported such an upgrade. But Microsoft has stopped developing Windows 10 Mobile any further - from now on, they'll be just on maintenance.

  34. Re: Why? by KGIII · · Score: 1

    I like my Windows phone. Nary a problem. Hell, it's the only Windows system I have.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  35. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Considering those blue lives are harassing the public and the people filming their interaction with the public, and they are doing their best to keep dangerous cops on the payroll, you are right that blue lives matter the least.

    Go ask on a cop forum if they will ticket another cop. Professional courtesy they will say. That is corruption at its finest.

    All bad cops and those that look the other way should be publicly hanged.

  36. Incorrect assumption by stooo · · Score: 1

    >> In the private sector, she'd be gone yesterday and yet we pay these people more

    That's incorrect. It's not the public sector overpaying, it's the private sector underpaying.
    The correct wording would therefore be:

    In the private sector, she'd be gone yesterday and yet we pay the people in private companies much less despite an insecure job.

    --
    aaaaaaa
  37. Let me guess. by thesupraman · · Score: 1

    They are buying Apple because they are American? ;)

    Got to keep those jobs in china and cash in Ireland, after all! go America!

    Still, knowing how procurement contracts work, I am sure a few people in the system are running their hands together and ordering new boats.

  38. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by stooo · · Score: 1

    >> Windows 10 Mobile ... an upgrade.

    What are you talking about ?
    W10 an upgrade ??????

    --
    aaaaaaa
  39. Re:Why? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

    My partner just replaced her Nokia Lumia 1020. I really liked the UI and it never crashed, but it did have an issue where the sound subsystem would fall over and then nothing would play sound, which meant that she had to test the alarm before she went to sleep each night or it have died during the day and be silent in the morning. She replaced it with an Android device because of the complete lack of third-party app support on Windows phone.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  40. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    I know that supervisor very well. He told me that he was just mad because you were trying to plug a ps/2 keyboard into the USB port.

    That would be a problem since "plug-and-pray" USB wouldn't become widely available until several years after that incident.

  41. Jessica's response by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 4, Interesting

    http://nypdnews.com/2017/08/de...

    Interesting part:

    "The contract entered provided for the smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the NYPD to replace the smartphones with devices of our choosing two years later, also at no cost."

    She also claims that they're already neck deep in Windows, so the Windows phones were easier to roll out. Plus, iOS and Android didn't allow "us to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications."

    As others have noted, she's a political appointee. It would be interesting to find out why or how the contract provided for the smartphones at no cost.

    --
    Do you have ESP?
    1. Re:Jessica's response by cmdr_klarg · · Score: 1

      http://nypdnews.com/2017/08/de...

      Interesting part:

      "The contract entered provided for the smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the NYPD to replace the smartphones with devices of our choosing two years later, also at no cost."

      She also claims that they're already neck deep in Windows, so the Windows phones were easier to roll out. Plus, iOS and Android didn't allow "us to cost-effectively utilize prior investment in custom Windows applications."

      As others have noted, she's a political appointee. It would be interesting to find out why or how the contract provided for the smartphones at no cost.

      Free phones, plus free replacements 2 years later, plus the functionality to run your custom Windows applications? I think I would have made the same decision, provided that testing confirmed app functionality.

      --
      THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
    2. Re:Jessica's response by rajafarian · · Score: 1

      Doesn't Bing pay people to use it, too?

    3. Re:Jessica's response by 0123456 · · Score: 1

      I know a lot of people who've switched from Goolag to Bing in the last few weeks. It's hard to say this, but Microsoft actually appears to be one of the least evil big tech companies right now.

    4. Re:Jessica's response by DogDude · · Score: 1

      It's hard to say this, but Microsoft actually appears to be one of the least evil big tech companies right now.

      It's been that way for a long time. Google, Apple, and Facebook all make money from selling your data to the highest bidder. Microsoft doesn't.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    5. Re:Jessica's response by khz6955 · · Score: 1

      @Trailer Trash: "The contract entered provided for the smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the NYPD to replace the smartphones with devices of our choosing two years later, also at no cost."

      Do you have a link to the exact contract and do you know who was responsible for developing the original apps that would have to to be totally rewritten for Windows 10?

    6. Re:Jessica's response by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      @Trailer Trash: "The contract entered provided for the smartphones at no cost. It also allowed for the NYPD to replace the smartphones with devices of our choosing two years later, also at no cost."

      Do you have a link to the exact contract and do you know who was responsible for developing the original apps that would have to to be totally rewritten for Windows 10?

      I don't. This piece was just ass-covering by her, posted to the NYPD's propaganda site with no way to comment or find out more info. You'll notice it ends with a snarky line.

      --
      Do you have ESP?
  42. The circle continues by mwfischer · · Score: 1

    IT director / executive makes overwhelmingly bad decision, costs organization millions, gets bonus.

    Film at 11.

  43. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    Miracle workers are never afraid to ask for a second opinion. Supervisor gave me his opinion — and a mess to clean up. Lesson learned from this incident: if something isn't quite broken, break it.

  44. Re:What will they do with the old phones? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    15 minutes. Optimistic government worker ratio of 1 guy working, 3 guys watching makes that an easy person hour. Real world will be significantly higher.

    In NYC, there is no way the average loaded government worker cost is less than $100/hour. For someone capable of wiping a phone, double that.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  45. Used Windows Phones ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... will be available on Copart. In the biohazard section.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  46. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Anybody with about 3 days of IT experience should be able to determine whether or not a keyboard is broken.

    Including a keyboard that mostly works except when it doesn't? Intermittent failures are hard to troubleshoot.

    Yes, he probably smashed the keyboard on your desk only because he couldn't legally smash it over your head for being a time-wasting moron.

    Really? I thought he was just being an asshole.

    What a dumb lesson.

    No, a practical lesson. When you have a PC with a intermittent failure, you can wait for it to fail or break it to request reimaging.

  47. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Then go get another one from those storage closets that take two weeks to clean up.

    At a video game company? No. My supervisor had to buy a replacement and a few spare keyboards on his lunch break.

    Speaking of which, what's the office chair budget like for your group?

    No clue. Why?

    Yeah, how DO you manage that?

    I do my job.

  48. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by nasch · · Score: 1

    If the "Custom Egineered APPs" stop working if you go from 8.1 to 10, you have to hang not only the rich hag, but also the programers/coders who "Engineered" these APPs.

    How are the developers supposed to know when they write the app that it won't be compatible with the next version of the OS? Assuming they're not doing anything they're not supposed to like using unsupported APIs and such.

  49. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    If it costs $15 to replace the keyboard, and it costs the company $30 of a tech's time to "troubleshoot" / "fix" the problem, then the proper response is to immediately swap out the keyboard, and only spend further time on "troubleshooting" if/when a new & known-good keyboard fails to work properly.

    It was a $60 keyboard and I was the $16/hr tech who was looking at it.

    Now he was being an asshole?

    Destroying company property.

    No, a practical lesson. When you have a PC with a intermittent failure, you can wait for it to fail or break it to request reimaging.

    Wait, you reimage your PC every time you have a keyboard issue?

    You need reading glasses. I wrote "PC," not "keyboard," with an intermittent failure. Those tend to be software-related. These days you can reimage a PC at the user's desk while they're out for lunch..

  50. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Supports up to 250 lbs based on 5-10 hours of use per day

    I have that chair for my home office. Never had a problem with it. Enterprise-level office chairs tend to cost twice as much, if not more. I've never broken a chair, if that was you were implying.

  51. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    And the person who was sitting there unable to work because they had no keyboard - how much money did you waste by leaving him without a keyboard while you "asked for second opinions"?

    IIRC, It was the keyboard for my own system. That would explain why my supervisor had to out to a buy a replacement and spare keyboards.

    Don't blame me because you can't defend your original point and decided to move the goalposts.

    You're moving the goalposts by not paying attention.

    These days you can reimage a PC at the user's desk while they're out for lunch.

    [...] Because just a couple months ago, you assured us that reimaging a system takes a *minimum* of 4 hours - which means you're tied up for some portion of that, and the user is without a computer for a minimum of 4 hours.

    Another example of why you need reading glasses. I wrote "these days" as in 2017, not in 1997.

  52. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    We are telling you that you are exceeding the weight limits for that chair, and until it collapses and shoves an air cylinder up your fat ass, of course you won't see a "problem".

    If you have reading glasses, you would have noticed my statement that I've never broken a chair.

  53. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    You wrote the linked comment in 2014, not in 1997. And I've seen you make other comments here that largely affirm the same thing: that it takes several hours to reimage & restore a desktop.

    That was the PC refresh project at eBay in 2011-12. User data wasn't stored on the network and had to be copied from the old system to the new system, which took a minimum of four hours to complete. The actual imaging of the new system took 20 minute.

    So, try again, creimy.

    What's next?

  54. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    This is just more revisionist history from you. A comment you wrote in 2014 is suddenly only applicable to a project you worked on 3 years earlier. And now, 3 years after you wrote the comment, it's suddenly applicable to some non-specific thing that happened in 1997 - what that is, we may never know.

    You're the one making reference to a comment in 2014. I can see why you're confused. Without reading glasses, you're easily confused.

    I can't imagine how you stay employed with these constant demonstrations of your lack of integrity and honesty.

    My employers don't care about what my Slashdot trolls think. Now go off and lick your balls somewhere else.

  55. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    I'm making reference to your own comment in 2014, which said it takes a "minimum of 4 hours" to reimage a system, which directly contradicts your assertion that you can reimage a system "on the user's lunch break."

    Let's say that 2014 comment was about reimaging and not data transfer. Shouldn't you be calling me out on taking a minimum of four hours to reimage a system?

    If you're familiar with reimaging systems (which I seriously doubt), it only takes 20 minutes to reimage a system if the user data is already stored on the network. Stick in a USB stick, reboot the system, and reimage over the network.

    And for the record - I don't lick my balls, I have a wife who does it for me.

    Your bitch licks your balls. Most people don't brag about practicing bestiality. Is there a reason why you married a dog and not a goat?

  56. Re:Why? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 1

    Dude, the local 3rd grade bully called, he wants his insults back. I guess this means I'm hitting a nerve - you getting frustrated like this is cute!

    No, I struck a nerve instead by exposing the flaw in your argument. Otherwise, you wouldn't have defended yourself the way you did. Does your wife know that you call her a ball licker in public?

  57. Re:Why? by ls671 · · Score: 1

    What are you mumbling about "Enterprise-level office chairs"? I have never heard of that term. Did you just make it up?

    Oh wait, let me google it! Enterprise-level office chairs: Oh I see, I am sorry, here is the first result when searching without quotes:
    https://gizmodo.com/spocks-hom...

    If quoting the term when searching Google, e.g. "Enterprise-level office chairs", your post is the only result Google provides. So, maybe you made it up after all!

    --
    Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
  58. At least the article got it right by robmorton · · Score: 1

    I was so tired of every article saying Windows Phone was dead and the phones that the NYPD bought were no longer able to upgrade. Both models can easily go to Windows 10 Mobile (or what ever MS wants to call it). While I do not think the decision to go with Windows Phone was a wise one, they have no reason for a complete rip and replace at this point in time. It can be done over time.

  59. Re:Why? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    Androids have the problem of not being upgradable if one is talking about versions earlier than Lollipop. If one has one of those older tablets w/ Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Icecream Sandwich or Kitkat, one is SOL.

    In fact, the minimum acceptable version of Android out there in the market is Marshmallow. Both my Android devices are Lollipop: I wish there was a way to upgrade them to one of the subsequent versions. Unfortunately, Verizon controls the upgrades, and I'm not a whiz at rooting phones

  60. Re: Why? by unixisc · · Score: 1

    IMO, Windows 10 Mobile happens to be better than Windows 10 desktop, which just crawls on my dual core Pentium w/ 4GB RAM and 500GB storage.

  61. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by williamyf · · Score: 1

    No, neither phone came with Win10. Both phones can be upgraded.
    Citation needed?
    Here you go:
    http://www.gsmarena.com/micros...

    http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_...

    --
    *** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
  62. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by unixisc · · Score: 1

    You're talking about desktops, where Windows 7 to Windows 10 was not an upgrade. But for phones, Windows Phone 8 to Windows 10 Mobile was definitely an upgrade, albeit a rather minor one.

  63. Re:Those Phones can be upgraded to Wondows Phone 1 by unixisc · · Score: 1

    Okay. But the last time the Microsoft Store had them, I noticed just 3 models - the 950/XL, 640XL and 550. So thought that the 640XL came preloaded w/ it. Incidentally, the upgradable phones won't go as far as Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update: only the ones that started w/ Windows 10 Mobile - the 950 and 550 will

  64. Re:Why? by roc97007 · · Score: 1

    Ok, I would not have put it that way. But agree that since keyboards are a commodity item, there shouldn't be a lot of time wasted on testing. Just dump it and get another out of stores.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.