Some pretty interesting opinions in here. Here are some quotes:
From the OP:
My problem comes from that fact that the entire OS just feels divided. I feel like everything is it's own thing and everything is assigned to the notification center (literally every single thing, making it useless to read.)
My situation exactly except I went back to Windows Phone. Had a Focus, Lumia 920, then went to a Galaxy S4. Exact same opinion in how the OS seemed to interact, though even through two Galaxy S4 phones I had issues with lagging/delay/etc.
I actually just switched back to WP (lumia 925).... had been on android for the past year and many of the things you mentioned were part of the reason. Android is has excellent customization but you pay for that by losing cohesion. I found that I personally would rather have a better core OS than the customization.
I liked HTC and Sony's versions of Android, to me they add needed enhancements and make the UI less hideous.
OTOH, Touchwiz is a mess, has too many pointless features and is fugly.
I never really had any issues with Android outside of my phones becoming fragmented turds that choked to death on skins and carrier bullshit, eventually becoming unusable. Main reason I switched to an iPhone last fall.
He definitely picked the correct time to post this, because I did not expect 90% of the replies to sympathize with him. What a thread.Originally Posted by lastflowers
This thread brings tears to my eyes. :*)
Using android after being a WP or IOS user is akin to using Windows after being used to OSX.
Android feels so sloppy and not properly thought out. Most android phones are like buying a windows computer from hp where they load up their own garbage in the system to do things that are already built into windows.
I can't stand it.
This is what Windows Mobile was, like 5 years ago.My friend said it best when he described my phone as "a little computer in your pocket". Android really does feel like that, with all the openness and no cohesion of it all running at once, compared to an iPhone's UI. I assume WP is closer to iPhone than Android.
Here's some tantalizing hotness of a Verizon Lumia Icon running a (rendered) WP8.1 start screen (parallax wallpaper and transparent tile effects):
