The end of the Windows Phone 30 day challenge.

So the 30 day challenge has come to an end just a few days early and here is the verdict.  I took the Nokia Lumia 900 back to AT&T yesterday.  I really really wanted to love this phone.  It had so much promise and so does the Windows Phone OS.  But the fact that this phone will not be upgradable to Windows Phone 8 and some of the minor software issues I was having, I decided that Windows Phone has some growing up to do, before I delve back into using a Windows Phone again.

The one feature which I thought I would miss the most was the voice to text in the car usage.  However, I found out that there are many apps out there for android phones that do the exact same thing if not better than the windows phone did.  Live tiles are great, but I want a standard notification center where I can see all updates for everything and not have to scroll down my start page to look at each individual tile to see if there is anything new and for that matter I don't want to have to put all my apps on the start page just to see what is new with them.  Also for this to be the first non "beta" phone as the commercials go, it sure did have a lot of hang ups and freezes.
But don't get me wrong this is still a great phone and the platform as a whole has a lot of promise and I hope it really catches on and catches up to iOS and Android.  This phone though, is not for a power user.  There aren't enough apps out there and for those that are out there, the developers seem to neglect them and do not seem to update the apps in a timely fashion like you get on the other platforms.  Microsoft really needs to get on the ball with these developers.

All in all I can say the Nokia Lumia would be a great smartphone for those who do not currently have a smartphone and for those who do not need thousands of apps or the ability to customize everything.

So, I know you are asking, what phone did I get in it;s place?  Did I go back to iPhone or did I delve into Android?  Well the answer may surprise some of you that know me.  I have been known to be a bit of an Apple fanboy but in this instance I went with one of the nicest looking big phones out there.  The New Samsung Galaxy S III.


Don't worry I will be giving you a full review of this new phone later this week.  So far it is really nice though.  Let's see how long the I like this factor holds out after the newness factor wears off!

Spotify!

Drop what you are doing and pay close attention! What's so important you ask.  It has come to my attention that some people out there have never... dare I say it... never heard of Spotify!  I know I couldn't believe it myself.

For those of you who don't know, and its ok I'll forgive you this time, Spotify is a music lovers dream!  If you like music or are obsessed with it then you have to try out Spotify.  No seriously this by far the best thing that has happened to music since the iPod.  I started watching this little gem when it was first introduced in Europe a few years back.  It took off really quickly there and has been trying to get state side for a while.  What took so long you ask?  I blame it on the typical US red tape that happens when music labels and corporations get involved.

What makes Spotify work so great is it allows you to make your own playlists of any songs that they have available and stream them to your computer for FREE.  Yes you heard that right an song for free.  Yes it is streaming only if you choose the free option and I believe you are limited to 20 hours of streaming per month.  If you upgrade to the $4.99 plan you get unlimited streaming to your computer.  If you choose the $9.99 a month plan you get unlimited streaming, offline listening, and streaming, offline listening to your mobile device.  After trying out the free version I quickly switched to the $9.99 premium version to have the offline listening on my iPhone so that I could listen to whatever I wanted while I was driving.



Why Spotify matters.




Can we say end to having any reason to download songs illegally?  I mean if you have access to any song why would you even bother risking it?  Also it would save you a crap ton of money from having to buy songs from iTunes or any of the other pay per track music services.  Those two reasons in my opinion is what will make Spotify the way of the future for the music industry, whether they like it or not.

Yes I know there are other similar services like Rhapsody and I have tried those and they just aren't as intuitive as Spotify.  If you have ever used iTunes then you will feel right at home with Spotify.   Alos Spotify has a great social aspect with its integration with Facebook.  I like being able to see your friends from on the right pane of the app and looking to see what songs my friends are playing the most.

To summarize simply go get this free program and try it out.  I promise you won't be disappointed!
Download Spotify here