[Windows Phone 8 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] UBNAS81:
I went from OG Droid -> Droid X -> Galaxy Nexus = 6 years of Android to a brand spanking new Nokia Lumia Icon (the slightly smaller version of the 1520 on Verizon).

I can say, in the end, I just got tired of tinkering with my Android phones. Root-wipe-backup-install rom-install kernel-backup, rinse and repeat - over and over again, every time a updated ROM was submitted to the site. I just got tired of it all. Windows phone has limitations, but you have to take it for what it is, after all, these are smart PHONES we are talking about here. They all do the same things, some differently, some the same. The Galaxy nexus was awesome when I first got it, but after about a year, it lagged like crazy, no matter what rom/kernel combo I had on it. The battery life was abysmal. The Note 3 is better on all accords, but from seeing my friends GS4 lag it up after a year, it seems that even new hardware cant keep up on Android. But I think this is also dependent on the user, if you have a lot of apps, and you tinker its bound to run like $hit after a year +.

If your debating between the Note and a Lumia phone, my recommendation is to go with the Lumia (unless you have a specific need for the stylus). I tried the Note 3 out for 2 weeks, and returned it. It was faster, and almost lag free, but touchwiz is just aweful, and trying to put 2 apps on screen lagged the thing to death. Its a good feature, that is really not ready for prime time. Maybe in a year or 2 Android and the chips will be ready for this feature, but its just not there yet, for me.

My reasons for choosing the Lumia are very simple. I looked at my Android device, and decided that there were really no apps that I couldn't live without. I looked through the windows phone store to see if I could do what I needed to, and haven't really missed a beat. The phone is highly customizable with apps like Custom Tile Maker, and Lockmix, and I find the live tiles refreshing and new. The things I miss, are reported coming to Windows phone 8.1 - VPN, Notification Center, and Cortana (Google Now replacement), and background images on the start screen. The Camera is better than my point and shoot camera, it gives me RAW .dng files, that I can open in Photoshop / Lightroom and edit. Add to it all, the fact that I use a Windows 8 PC, and the syncing between the devices is really pretty awesome. I forward all my GMAIL to my Outlook.com account, and I can say, outlook.com is soooooooo much better than gmail. The App gap is more media perceived than reality. The only apps I couldn't find a suitable replacement for were kids apps, and an HSBC banking app (which is supposedly coming soon).

To replace your Google services:

Here Maps/Drive is better than Google Maps Navigation. Only think I miss is street view.

MetroTube for Youtube (you can download audio or video for anything

Outlook > GMAIL (forward gmail to outlook.com, or just use built in mail app with fetch)

Onedrive > Google Drive

Office > Google Docs

No stupid requirement to use Google +. Windows Phone ME tile, allows you to connect to multiple social media apps, and integrates them into the experience. Its pretty great once you get into it.

Music: Cloudmuzik Beta - works for Google Music you have previously uploaded, but I find that XBOX music subscription blows everything out of the water. I like it better than Spotify. Nokia Mix Radio is better than Pandora too, and its free on Nokia devices.

Hangouts - I use IM+, works fine. I have a feeling Skype will be integrating google chat at some point, but until then, IM+ is suitable chat replacement.

Bing and Google.....difference is really subjective. if im not getting the results I want on Bing, just go to google.com, and do the same search

for File management, and multiple cloud storage integration, use Pocket File Manager app - I paid for it, its pretty awesome. Theres no Dropbox app, you can access your files via Pocket File Manager, or use Cloudsix for Dropbox app.

I don't know, I guess my opinion of Android just soured over time. The only thing that I "miss" is being able to steal wifi tethering through a rooted device. Take my opinion like a grain of salt, because that's what it is, my opinion, and just like everyone else, im entitled to my opinion.

Thanks