
When I was on Windows Phone life was great, my contacts were simple to manage, the phone experience was a dream and the Me Hub and original photos hub were pure joy to use. ^^ I have to agree, the less entwined my life is with google the better. Here's hoping this idea keeps getting some traction and Up Votes, so it warrants a response/feedback from Microsoft! I loved Metro, but I am wary of giving up so much control to a third party Launcher/Developer that I am unsure of or have never heard about. As far as the "Metro" look, you would think that at the least, there would be some sort of "Theme" within Launcher, which would give you the control to decide if you want Metro or not. With the Launcher and the SMS Organizer specifically, it gives me the impression that is where they are heading, and the hope for the People App/Dialer, as well. creating their own ecosystem within Android. I "think" to a degree that is where Microsoft is heading, i.e. I should say, a lot of the Microsoft apps on Android are pretty good, highly recommend SMS Organizer for text completely agree with you. The Microsoft Launcher certainly has its perks, but as of right now, it does not have the overall control that Windows 10 had (Which to a degree is to be expected).

voice search and or voice to text), that I took it as a sign that I had better move on. It was not till Microsoft started killing Cortana's functionality (i.e. Honestly, my HTC 8xt had nothing wrong with it mechanically. I "kinda" still am living in both phones. In our list, we have some of both: the proven, if staid, veterans that are no less powerful for their staleness, and some relative newcomers with innovative features or, increasingly, a strategic reduction in features.Aboard! I was still on Windows 8.1, when I started looking for my new phone. When you start the project of personalization halfway downfield, you're more likely to make it to the goal of creating something different. There are signs that the exciting (which is not to say "revolutionary") launcher is making a comeback, though. Product differentiation isn't hard because creativity is in short supply it's hard because Android users are, like everyone else, subject to inertia, and newness is uncomfortable. This is natural: Popular features are popular, and even open-source launchers will feel the pressure to include capabilities that many people seem to value.

But it increasingly feels like all the options are just converging on the same set of features with slightly different faux finishes setting them apart. Some launchers are simply more friendly to use, while others have innovative features sometimes targeted to a specific type of user. There's a lot of room for variation among launchers.
