Microsoft has a new Android app called Switch to Windows Phone | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft has a new Android app called Switch to Windows Phone

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6 pointsscholia18 comments

I think the name is a bit misleading. It is only useful for people that have already switched and need to "port" everything over. This is not in itself going to get more people to switch. If the app installed on the Android phone just presented a side-by-side list of replacement apps, that might actually get more people to switch. Although, if MS is scared they don't have enough solid replacements, that type of app might actually scare people away more.

Now if they only had an app that said "Fix Windows Phone Bluetooth so your apps can work with your car #firstworldproblems".

Hmm. I'm a bit surprised Microsoft hasn't created a Windows Phone launcher to go along with that.

A Metro-style launcher for Android actually sounds quite nice. The only problem is that few to no widgets actually adhere to that style, so it would look a little weird. Still, I can hope.

This also points to why "apps" are a broken model.

We desperately need mobile device standards, and HTML5 is just one step on that needed path.

Could you imagine, if browser had to do this? (Say, you're on Firefox, thinking of using Chrome, & have to use a complicated feature that analyzed all of your most recently visited sites, & told you if those sites worked on Chrome, & then if not, showed you comparable sites)

I don't really see this any more broken than trying to switch your PC from Windows to Linux. As it is right now, I've been using Windows for so long and have a decent list of apps I use everyday... I don't really have the time/energy to start all over in a new OS and try to find the replacement apps. But if I had an app that would analyze the currently installed apps on my Windows machine and then gave me a super easy way to install all those same (or replacement) apps on a Linux machine, I might be less hesitant to make that switch.

Now that's just pathetic. Can they not come up with anything more clever than blatant poaching of customers?

Same approach with many Bing commercials. Microsoft just hates Google for reason.

Yeah, it's not like Google ever tried never tried to poach Hotmail customers with Gmail, tried to poach IE customers with Chrome, tried to poach Office customers with Google Docs, tried to poach Windows customers with Chromebooks, and so on. It's really unfair of Microsoft. It should just let Google poach all its customers.

Did Google ever come right out into the open and bash another company? No. There are much more subtle ways to get your point across. Targeting another brand, stealing happy users right in the middle of using their using the software, right out in the open for everyone to see? It doesn't matter who it is.

It's so aggressive it makes Microsoft look heartless and as if they're trying too hard.

Maybe the downvotes don't understand what I said or what's actually going on here.

Maybe you didn't really understand what the app does. It is only useful for people who have already switched from Android to Windows. This is a useful tool for them to be able to make that switch easier by automagically locating apps for their new phone that should be able to replace the apps they used on their old phone. I don't see any bashing going on here. And it doesn't seem that aggressive to me. Again... these are people who have already made that switch. The only thing it might do to make people want to switch is by making it less painful to switch... thereby lowering the barrier to entry. But that seems like a stretch to me.

"Microsoft figures customers will be more likely to switch from Android smartphones to Windows 8 phones if it makes it easier to find the same or similar apps for their new phone as were on their old phones."

Are you sure? Either way, you shouldn't downvote somebody because you disagree. I stated a valuable opinion, and personal love for some company doesn't change that. I'm hesitant to comment at all now.

Like I said... that seems like stretch to me. They may figure that but that doesn't mean it will happen.

Also, I didn't down vote you. I was just disagreeing with you opinion that MS was pathetic and bashing Google and generally being sneaky-sneaks. But one word of advice that I learned the hard way.... complaining about being downvoted is a very good way to get more down votes. Cheers.

Clearly other people didn't think your opinion was valuable, in this particular case. HN is very fond of signal and generally has a low opinion of noise. Unless it's witty, of course.

<---------- Go ahead.

Here's another arrow for you to click. If it gives you that much pleasure, I'll give you as many arrows as you'd like.

Whatever you do, don't reply to my actual comment with actual logic. Has your argument been completely invalidated by me? I had better pay for that. Teach me a lesson. Witty enough?

Don't sweat the small stuff. Life moves on apace....

What a prig...

lol

Where are new Windows Phone users going to come from except other platforms? This app is not useful to anyone that hasn't already switched; it merely helps you set up your new phone you already bought.

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