And along came a Nokia phone

After getting an iPhone5, I had an opportunity to use a Windows Phone (a Lumia 800). Having used iOS for 3 years, the perceived lack of apps on the Windows Phone store worried me, most of all, what was I going to do without Flipboard? Turns out that wasn't a problem.

I connected my Windows Phone to my iPhone hotspot and kept the SIM in the iPhone. I wanted to give my Lumia a chance but I wasn't willing to change my SIM card quite yet. I setup my email, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts, my ‘iOS app addiction’ started to waiver. Like Windows 8, it pulled all of my online life into one stream. I downloaded NextGen Reader and Read It Better, replacing Flipboard. Next I searched the Windows Phone store and found 70% of the apps I use with the remaining 30% either available via another app or categorised as 'not that important actually'. Perhaps the hardest to explain, I used the Lumia to sync work email and it just worked, no strange appointments missing, no meeting acceptance quirks, just worked. My Lumia was felt personalised, more on that later.

I put the iPhone on ebay. Bought a TomTom from ebay (iPhone no longer charged in my car). Upgraded my SIM. Move to Windows Phone complete.

This still left me with an iPad, surely this lovely looking device (and it is lovely looking) couldn't be replaced?