As a consumer you could describe me as disloyal. I see no need or reason to be loyal to a brand, unless it gives you what you want or need. My loyalty as a consumer has first and foremost has always been to myself and to my business.

I first purchased the Lumia 800 last year in July having gone from Symbian, to iOS and then over to Windows Phone. The second I got the hand set I fell in love with the Live Tiles. Not only were they beautiful they were highly intuitive. I no longer had to reopen an app and go through several processes to get to the screen required, I could simply pin it and get it. Immediate gratification.

Family, friends, colleagues and even passers by bore the brunt of my enthusiasm for Windows Phone. It was everything I needed for work and play. I was prepared even to ignore the slight shortcomings within the operating system.

As time went by the little niggles started becoming more persistent. The music player was poor, new apps were few and far between and Zune reminded me of Sonicstage. Still, I remained committed.

And then, Microsoft did what I feared all along. They effectively pronounced my phone obsolete. Windows Phone 8 was to be only for new phones. The slow roll of new apps went from slow to almost stagnant. Why would an App Developer spend extra time configuring for WP 7.5 when WP8 was an investment in to the future?

I was furious. I understood why Microsoft did what they did but I still felt cheated. I swore blind I would never buy another Windows Phone and almost signed this declaration in my own blood. It was this announcement that turned the little niggles in to reasons to make them huge issues for myself. The final straw was when a new app, perfect for my business was released but only for WP8.

I ditched the Lumia 800 and got myself the Nexus 3 phone. As soon as I got it I regretted it. It lacked the sturdy physical build and the buttery UI that I was used to. I thought to myself hey I may not have my live tiles but I can use widgets. And I did. I hated every second of it though.

The widgets were ugly. Going from Live Tiles to Android Widgets was like travelling back in time to the days of garish Geocities.

I gave it another few days and decided enough was enough. I had to return the phone and try the iPhone 5. Reluctantly, I ordered the iPhone 5. Everybody told me I was mad not to get an iPhone so I figured hey they can’t all be crazy, right?

The moment I powered up the iPhone 5 I got a sense of déjà vu. Just as the Nexus brought me back in time the iPhone 5 took me back to 2010 when I had the iPhone 3G. I was amazed at how iOS had done comparatively nothing in 3 years. The interface looked dated, cold and dead. I missed the intuitive Windows Phone OS and my Live Tiles.

You may think I’m too obsessed with the Live Tiles. But in my particular line of work I have to be up to date almost on a 24 hour basis. The latest analytics information is vital. When in a client meeting and I needed information I had to trawl through screens to get one tiny bit of information I needed. On Windows Phone a quick glance at my home screen told me all I needed to know.

So with my tail between my legs I’ve returned the iPhone 5 and awaiting the Lumia 920.

Windows Phone users should always remember that whilst Windows Phone isn’t perfect it is better than others. When I have to shout at the screen when using Zune to get something done I’ll know it could be worse.

Whilst the Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8 won’t have a thousand new fart apps every day, or won’t have the range of music player features Android offers it more than makes up in other respects. Lesson learnt