I hooked into Android back in the fall of 2010

I hooked into Android back in the fall of 2010.

 I was on Cricket at the time, and the Huawei Ascend was the shiny
apple of my eye. I dove in headfirst, found out about rooting, and within a week, flashed my first custom ROM (Icarus 1.1 for reference, Google it.) I went all in on the Google ecosystem, and really never look back, or around for that matter. Since I was either not working a traditional job, or working from home, it was easy to stay in my little tech bubble, watching Android grow and mature, while ignoring pretty much anything else. My wife bought an iPhone, and an iPad, so I had to spend at least a small amount of time learning that system, and I learned just enough to remain unimpressed. I started writing for +Android Dissected , and life kept rolling on. In May, I got a call from an old friend and co-worker, he had a job opportunity that I simply could not pass on, so I didn't. What I found was that my new company was very heavy into Microsoft Office, and Outlook for it's operations, and as my job was essentially a remote position, I was in a spot where I had to REALLY learn what MS was about. Windows 8, Office 365, Outlook, I started using all these things that the Google community had long since written off, and found that the world still kept turning, same as before. I was loosing my tunnel vision, and starting to realize that for a lover of tech, a bubble was a bad place to be. So, while I am still very much attached and involved with Android (and always will be), I made the decision to try something new. I bought a Samsung ATIV S Neo Windows Phone this last week end, and after 3 days on it, I have to say I am impressed. Speed, great integrated features, and amazing battery life, are at the top of my "likes" list. Am I missing Hangouts and a native G+ app? Yes, but I have my S4 for those, so the hurt is not too bad. I can also say that after actually looking at the MS YouTube app, Google's blocking decision makes absolutely no sense to me. I have also been a bit surprised by the sheer amount of hardcore Android users that have been asking questions about almost every aspect of my change, and the device itself. So, if you have any questions, and want the perspective of a hardcore Android user, feel free to ask. Meanwhile, I will be exploring a different, not greener, pasture for a bit. More to come as I start really compiling some comparison lists.