One of the huge downsides of being an early adopter is the lack of features you generally get in the beginning. For me, the humongous difference between the number of iPhone apps currently available and the number of Windows Phone 7 apps available isn’t that big of a problem, but there are a few apps I really miss. Following is a brief list of those apps. Please feel free to add more in the comments if you have any thoughts on the matter.
- Google Maps and MapQuest – While the native “Maps” app in Windows Phone 7 is nice and functional, it’s just not as full-featured as the Google Maps and MapQuest apps on the iPhone. While the spoken directions built into the iPhone MapQuest app could get annoying at times, I do miss that feature on my WP7 device. I also miss being able to utilize the be-all, end-all database that Google seems to have built into its maps implementation.
- TweetDeck – I don’t know if TweetDeck has any plans to build an app for WP7 or not, but I sincerely hope they do. While the official Twitter app for Windows Phone 7 is leaps and bounds ahead of the official iPhone Twitter app, it would still be nice to use the familiar interface found in TweetDeck. In fact, the Windows Phone 7 Twitter app is really nice, and very similar to TweetDeck, but it doesn’t include all of the features generally included in TD. For starters, it only works with Twitter, no other social networks. Also, while you can stay logged into multiple Twitter accounts, it only allows you to display one at a time. You have to go into the settings for the app and turn off the active account in order to turn another one on.
- Safari – As mentioned in my previous post, the Internet Explorer implementation on Windows Phone 7 isn’t dreadful, but it certainly doesn’t stand up to Mobile Safari.
- PayPal – I loved having the ability to check my PayPal balance quickly and easily with the iPhone PayPal app. What makes it even more disappointing is that PayPal doesn’t automatically redirect to its mobile interface. Once you do find the mobile interface (m.paypal.com), you also find that it lacks a lot of the functionality found on the full site and within the iPhone app.
- Square – Although I hadn’t yet had the chance to use Square very much, I really liked the concept and was happy to have the ability to easily accept credit cards with my mobile phone. I will be holding onto my Square reader just in case they do get around to releasing a Windows Phone 7 version of the app.
- Paymo – While you may not be aware of Paymo, I had really come to rely on their iPhone app to help keep track of time I was spending on various freelance projects. It was especially helpful for tracking time spent in client meetings; easily adding that time to my account to be included in project invoices at a later date.
- WordPress – I didn’t use it much, but I did really like the WordPress app for the iPhone. I sincerely hope someone is working on a Windows Phone implementation so that I have the ability to blog from my phone again.
- Facebook – The Facebook app on Windows Phone 7 is really nice, but it lacks some of the functionality found in the iPhone version.
- What the Font? – I used this app quite a bit to try to identify various fonts.
Other Notable Apps Missing
While I didn’t really use the apps listed below, I know that a lot of people do, and many of them will not even consider switching until they’re supported.
- Skype
- Pandora
- Dropbox
There are also a lot of games I played regularly on my iPhone that are sadly missing from the Windows Phone right now. However, there are some really good-looking games already available; but I’ll need to build up my bank account before I start shelling out for the paid versions. The nice thing about Windows Phone 7, though, is the fact that you can download a free trial of any paid app in the Marketplace; so you have the ability to test out an app before you buy it.