[omniusovermind]

I don't need to, but I want to try out a new phone OS. It's not that I don't think Android 4.2 is lacking anything - quite the opposite in fact. But I really would like to get away from that whole home button / back button UI way of doing things, and after owning a PB I discovered I really love how the UI on QNX works. The reason I'm looking at BB10 as being my last hope is because earlier this year I was really optimistic. I was all set and ready for THREE other Android alternatives to overwhelm me with impressive innovations!

First up came iOS6 and the iPhone 5. I suspected they might pull off another "safe and known" tactic for these rather than take a risk from a business perspective on doing much of anything new and unfortunately, I was right. And then there were two.

Now that WP8 is out and I've had a chance to take a good look at it, I can't quite put my finger on any one reason but they just didn't knock the ball out of the park here IMO.

• Nokia Drive doesn't hold a candle to Google's suite of map apps.
• Live tiles and icon tiles turned out to only be slightly different than Android icons and widgets
• Android's notification system is better than WP8
• Multitasking on WP8 is done pretty much the same as it is on Android already
• Despite the enormous amount of money muscle exerted by MS, their app ecosystem hasn't launched quite as well as we hoped (this part especially has me worried. If MS's deep pockets resulted in a so-so app selection, how will RIM fare?)

Someone on WPCentral made a very good point:

Friends are very important. That's why "alternatives" aren't the answer.
Lomogram is great, but my friends use instagram
4th and Mayor (foursquare) is great, but my friends use yelp.
Alphajax is great, but my friends play Words with Friends

This is the approach RIM has taken with the Playbook by trying to address the "app gap" with "alternatives" which aren't the answer as he points out. Another issue that really concerns me is not the big name apps missing, because it appears BB10 will be getting their fair share.

...It's the ones you've taken them for granted so long you don't realize are missing until you go looking for them on a new device. Still no official Dropbox app on the PB to this day. Huge lack of major bank apps. Those are just two examples of a pretty large list.

Lastly, I've been looking as deeply as I can but I cannot find an answer to one very simple question: What exactly can WP8 DO that my Android can't? What noticeably differentiating feature does it possess to set it apart as an OS?

One thing I have noticed is that I actually can answer that question when it comes to BB10. There are several features baked right into the OS that are quite unique and apart from the others. However I'm biting my nails right now (ok maybe that's a little melodramatic lol) because once BB10 goes live, their maps and turn by turn navigation is going to need to be competitive with what Google has on Androids (for me. I use them a lot. others may not care), and their app selection is going to need most of the apps I rely on currently. Crossing my fingers for you RIM, you're currently the only company left now who can pull me away from Android.

[DocDRM]

I'd say that's a pretty well done post that gives a good window into the way a fairly large group of RIM's target audience for BB10 looks at things. A

While each and every customer may have what they consider a must have feature or app, maybe if the overall OS stands out and is strong enough, most will realize that BB10 provides the most unique and productive experience available and will ease off the singular "gotta have A or B or C or BlackBerry is dead in the water" stance.

OP, here's hoping that BB10 has ALL you and I both want, need, and can't even imagine!