I've been a little hasty in my panning of Microsoft's Lumia (Windows Phone) range of handsets recently, all because of Microsoft's announcement that they are to drastically reduce OneDrive's free storage from a healthy 15GB to a cruelly tiny 5GB.
I use cloud storage a lot, and OneDrive ties in with Lumia phones and devices incredibly well, so to have my options reduced so much has irked me. Why should I pay for a service that Google provides for free?
Moreover, Google Photos is an excellent app and allows me to store every photo I've ever taken digitally for free, and they are all accessible on my other connected devices.
I have been looking at cheap Android mobile phones to replace my collection of Lumia mobiles - DOOGEE mobiles offer great value, but the cameras are not really good enough for my needs.
Even my first generation Moto G is still a good phone.
- But - Having played around with Android Lollipop has made me realise that I want a clean, easy to use, simple operating system. Android just doesn't offer this any more.
I've looked at installing launchers on my Android phones, but all they really do is turn the home screen into a "senior" mobile phone.
I like the simplicity and dark theme of Windows Phones, and they do exactly what I expect them to do.
There are no issues or tinkering required to keep the things chugging through the day (no apps need closing), and Lumia phones will happily keep going for a day or more between charges. The frugal use of data is also a respectable trait.
Any of the currently available Windows 8.1 mobiles work well - so much more so than equivalent Android mobiles at the £40-150 mark.
Windows Phone is not for everyone, though:
It's a simpler operating system with fewer options for customisation, and the minimalist Live Tiles (widgets) are not to everyone's taste.
The app selection is fine for my needs - I can do the basics, but apps such as Facebook really are still in the Dark Ages.
The look of the Lumia range of handsets is, for me, about the closest thing that you can get to a "designed" mobile phone - The brightly coloured plastic backs are distinctive, but don't cry out premium by any stretch of the imagination.
If you need Google's services, then you're out of luck (obviously things like email, calendar, etc. all work well enough on Windows Phone, but Google's search and integration simply isn't part of this smartphone experience.
I do miss Google Maps and Streetview, but the mapping options on Windows Phone work well.
For now, Windows Phones will continue to serve my needs, though I suspect that at some point in the next couple of years Microsoft will follow BlackBerry and decide to move their services to an Android handset.
Bear that in mind - And also remember that Nokia still aren't allowed to make a mobile phone for another 12 months or so, but when they do (and they probably will), it will probably be running Android.
Microsoft Lumia could be phased out in favour of Android, and I suspect that they will end up playing a game of catch up to Nokia's Android-running mobiles.
I'll enjoy continuing to use my Lumia mobiles for a good couple of years until that time.
