Review: Why one doesn't ditch Android for a Windows Phone

New Delhi: In the market for smartphones, Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 system is barely there. It's dwarfed by Apple's iOS and Google's Android systems in both attention and sales.But over the past few months, I have come to appreciate many of the software's innovations, which rivals would be wise to consider. More features are coming through an update that Microsoft is expected to showcase at its Build conference in San Francisco.Not perfectBy no means is Windows Phone 8 perfect. Despite the '8' in the name, it is actually a second-generation system with room to grow. Although its app store is getting bigger, there are still annoying gaps. I'll expand on the shortcomings later.Windows Phone 8 is not the same as Windows 8First, I'll point out that Windows Phone 8 is not the same as Windows 8, the operating system for tablets, laptops and desktops. Although the two share design elements, apps for one won't work on the other. But both emphasize touch-screen controls, making Windows 8 awkward on traditional computers with keyboard and mouse controls, at least before some promised improvements that Microsoft may also elaborate on next week. Even on touch-screen computers, it feels disruptive having to reach your arm out to move a cursor.Works wellWindows Phone 8, on the other hand, works well because the device is already in your hands. Touch seems more natural.Compared with rivals, Windows Phone has a simpler interface. On Apple and Android devices, apps quickly fill your home screen, so you have to swipe left or right to access second, third, fourth or fifth home screens.One Home screenOn Windows phones, there's just one home screen, which you can scroll down if you need more room for apps. For apps you use less frequently, just swipe from the right edge for a complete, alphabetical listing.Icons, known as tiles in Windows-speak, come in three adjustable sizes.AppsImportant apps can extend over two columns in a large, rectangular tile. These aren't the static icons you find in rival devices, though. FApps can also have multiple tiles. You can create separate tiles for each email account, for instance. You can create tiles for groups you follow on Facebook and for places you go to often using the Here Maps app. Think of them as shortcuts to specific tasks within apps.Meanwhile, Windows Phone's People app goes beyond the typical contacts app. It's more of a hub for messaging and social networking. Instead of seeing just phone numbers and email addresses next to your friend's name, you get his or her latest posts and photo albums, plus your chats and call logs.Finding ways to improveMicrosoft benefits from seeing what Apple and Google already have done with their systems - and finding ways to improve that. Unlike Android, Windows adapts to phones with larger screens. Those devices get a third column of tiles, and contact lists fit in more information. With Android, text and images simply get bigger on larger screens, without actually fitting in more content.On Windows, you can download mapping data for the entire country ahead of time, so you can get directions while offline. That would have been handy during the many times I've been in the subway without cellular access - and without a clue about how to get to my destination.So why won't I ditch my Android phone yet?Windows Phone still has kinks to work out. For instance, it doesn't know how to handle the extra layer of security I have on my Facebook account. I require a six-digit code sent to my main phone whenever I access Facebook from a new device. Rather than allow me to enter the code, Windows gives me an error message. I had to turn that security measure off.Windows users must wait!Windows Phone also could use a central, pull-down hub for notifications, the kind you get with iOS and Android. Microsoft has said it will add several features aimed at corporate use, including VPN support for accessing work networks securely. I look forward to hearing what else is coming.Even with feature improvements, though, my biggest hesitation is Windows' limited app selection. You can count on most of the major services being there, something that wasn't the case a year ago. But now and then, I run across gaps.In the early days of Android, I watched jealously as the best phone apps went to iPhones first. Android has largely reached parity. Windows users are now the ones who must wait.