An iPhone 4S User’s Weekend with the Nokia Lumia 900 ( Lumia Review )

[Stealthipad]

Originally Posted by blairh

I honestly can't believe that any iPhone 4/4S user would willingly and happily jump ship to the Lumia 900. The screen is a serious step down from the retina display with respect to reading text in the browser, etc. I also could not get the 900 to match my iPhone's brightness and this fact is supported in Anandtech's review.

I am however excited to test out the HTC One X once AT&T gets it. All reviews say it matches if not exceeds the retina display.

I jump ship all the time. Sometimes I get tired of all the resolution on such a tiny screen!

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by Stealthipad

I jump ship all the time. Sometimes I get tired of all the resolution on such a tiny screen!

I think, for some (like me) the OS is enough to jump ship, for a while at least. It's not all about how many cores, or what resolution you have. If it looks good (which it may or may not... haven't seen one in person yet), then toss all the spec data aside. It may be worth giving a shot.

[mbell1975]

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

Aside from the name, Windows Phone 7 really isn't a windows OS in that it was built from the ground up. If they called the OS on the 360 (I am not sure it even has a name currently? ) something like Windows 360, would that automatically have you cast it aside as an (I assume you imply bad) Windows OS?

What are you talking about? It most definitely runs a WINDOWS OS, what do you think it runs? Windows is run by Microsoft and as i said, i want nothing to do with either. And why do you follow every thread I post in trying to flame bait me?

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by mbell1975

What are you talking about? It most definitely runs a WINDOWS OS, what do you think it runs? And why do ou follow every thread I post in trying o flame bait me?

They call it windows. Aside from that, all similarities between Windows as we know it are gone. It's about as similar to classic windows as the xbox OS is similar to classic windows.

Let me put it another way. WHy are you willing to try (and accept) the 360 OS and not this one? WIndows Phone 7 is nothing like the desktop versions of windows. Had Microsoft called windows Phone 7 something else, would that have you more willing to try it out? Why or why not?

And I am not trying to flame bait you or follow you. I respond to many posts. It just so happens you post as much as I do. Look in this very thread. I have responded to a handful of posts both before and after yours.

[Stealthipad]

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

I think, for some (like me) the OS is enough to jump ship, for a while at least. It's not all about how many cores, or what resolution you have. If it looks good (which it may or may not... haven't seen one in person yet), then toss all the spec data aside. It may be worth giving a shot.

Me, too. My Nokia 900 arrived today and the hardware is really nice. ZFeels good but getting all my contacts and schedule from my iPhone to the 900 is not going to happen.

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Originally Posted by mbell1975

What are you talking about? It most definitely runs a WINDOWS OS, what do you think it runs? Windows is run by Microsoft and as i said, i want nothing to do with either. And why do you follow every thread I post in trying to flame bait me?

It could be that you do not know what you are talking about.

Think about it.

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by terraphantm

How hard is it to comprehend that it's "Windows" only in name? The OS was written from the ground up and shares no code with either Windows Mobile 6.5 or the desktop variants of Windows. iOS is more similar to OSX than Windows Phone 7 is to Windows 7.

And frankly, there's nothing wrong with MS OS's these days. I'm much more productive on Windows based machines than I am on OSX based machines. Stability difference is nil, everything feels snappier, and the interface is a lot better for multitasking. IMO anyway.

Thank you for saying what I failed to, LOL!

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Originally Posted by mbell1975

To say that a Windows phone with a Microsoft made OS doesn't run a Windows OS is just ridiculous. Of course it runs Windows. It's Version 7.5 I don't care if it's a mobile version or the desktop version, it's still Windows. How hard is that to comprehend?

Apologies... read what teraphantm said... he said with great accuracy what I failed to say. <3

[0m3ga]

Originally Posted by 3dflyboy1

Y'know, because apple patented the rectangle.

I happen to own both a Galaxy Tab and an ipad2. Samsung did copy the crap out of Apple from the packaging to the look of it (only from the fromt), to the charger. The only real difference is the Tab runs on Honeycomb and my god is that a pos OS! I love the weight and size pf the Tab though. My wife says it is 10x easier to carry in her purse.

This is just my opinion on the blantant copying Samsung did. Hasn't stopped me from buying their products, but I am not a fan of what they are doing.

[3dflyboy1]

Originally Posted by 0m3ga

I happen to own both a Galaxy Tab and an ipad2. Samsung did copy the crap out of Apple from the packaging to the look of it (only from the fromt), to the charger. The only real difference is the Tab runs on Honeycomb and my god is that a pos OS! I love the weight and size pf the Tab though. My wife says it is 10x easier to carry in her purse.

This is just my opinion on the blantant copying Samsung did. Hasn't stopped me from buying their products, but I am not a fan of what they are doing.

*sigh* This is not true, at least imo. Samsung's tablet is as different as it can be while still being a tablet. It has a different casing shape, different aspect ratio, different OS, different camera placement, and capacitive touch buttons on the front in place of a single home button.

The only tablet I see as being similar to the iPad is Asus' Transformer Prime, only because of the casing's shape. Even then, is has a different aspect ratio and everything else I mentioned before.

[0m3ga]

Originally Posted by 3dflyboy1

*sigh* This is not true, at least imo. Samsung's tablet is as different as it can be while still being a tablet. It has a different casing shape, different aspect ratio, different OS, different camera placement, and capacitive touch buttons on the front in place of a single home button.

The only tablet I see as being similar to the iPad is Asus' Transformer Prime, only because of the casing's shape. Even then, is has a different aspect ratio and everything else I mentioned before.

We'll agree to disagree. We each have our opinions and I respect yours. I was simply giving my opinion based on my ownership of said product.

[3dflyboy1]

Originally Posted by 0m3ga

We'll agree to disagree. We each have our opinions and I respect yours. I was simply giving my opinion based on my ownership of said product.

Yes, I was just throwing my thoughts out there.

[Stealthipad]

How would one sync the iPhone 4S contacts and schedule with the Lumia 900

[rjohnstone]

Originally Posted by Stealthipad

How would one sync the iPhone 4S contacts and schedule with the Lumia 900

Depends on where those contacts and schedules are stored.
If it's on iCloud (me.com), you can sync them both up to a gmail account and then sync those to the Lumia.

[Stealthipad]

Originally Posted by rjohnstone

Depends on where those contacts and schedules are stored.
If it's on iCloud (me.com), you can sync them both up to a gmail account and then sync those to the Lumia.

Thanks, interesting

[rjohnstone]

Apple didn't make it easy to sync iCloud data to other non-Apple devices, so I don't use it.
This is why all of my contacts and calendars are stored in GMail.
I can access them on my iPhone, my SGS2 Skyrocket and my Samsung Focus.
3 different mobile operating systems with one single source for my stuff.

As much as people bag on Google, they made it easy to share this type of data across multiple platforms.

[lordofthereef]

So I decided to grab one of these phones today. This will be my first dabble into the world of Windows Phone 7. I am going to try and share my thoughts, probably over a few posts, since I am at work on an ancient machine, so please bare with me.

Let's start with the price. The thing was $99 on contract. On top of that AT&T is doing a promo where if you buy $100 worth of accessories, you get that $99 waived. After tax I paid $101 for two cases, a moshi screen cover, a car charger (and something else, I forgot what... they didn't have it in stock so they are mailing it to me).

Right away, I was warned of the dreaded "no internet" bug. For those who don't know (there are threads on this here and elsewhere) but at times the phone will think there is no internet, I believe due to a memory leak issue. Nokia should be fixing this in the upcoming few days. For anyone that buys the phone before 04/22/12 you will receive $100 credit on your next bill. I figure that makes the phones and a bundle of accessories just about free (all I will have ended up paying is the $36 upgrade fee). Not too shabby. Word of warning... apparently they aren't supposed to be marketing this additional $100 credit, but they went ahead and told me about it since I obviously came in there for that exact model. Either that, or it was a sales pitch, but who cares. Good deal, either way.

Obviously the first thing you notice is what everything looks like when turning the thing on. I honestly, HONESTLY came into this thinking the screen is going to be inferior in every way to the iPhone 4/S. It is inferior (lol), but not in every way, and not in a way that I think would bother me. The only thing noticable (for me) is a completely zoomed out webpage. It is difficult (in some cases impossible) to read the text when zoomed out. On the iPhone, you can read it, but it's still an eye strain (again, for me). Pinch to zoom just a bit (which is how I view webpages anyway) and you are ok. I guess I should clarify... I don't have old eyes. I am 26.

(to be continued...)

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Originally Posted by rjohnstone

Apple didn't make it easy to sync iCloud data to other non-Apple devices, so I don't use it.

As much as people bag on Google, they made it easy to share this type of data across multiple platforms.

My sentiments exactly.

[WilliamG]

Still reading the article, but this part made me go

"The Lumia 900 boots up in just under 30 seconds, which feels like greased lightning compared to nearly 50 seconds for the iPhone 4S."

I just turned off my 4S. And from the time I pressed the power button to getting to the lock screen was 27 seconds.

So....

[chiefpavvy]

Yeah, think I'll pass here. Windows Phone looks to be coming along nicely (at least compared to the piece of garbage Mobile 6.5 I run on a spare phone) but comparing it to an iPhone 4S? LOL. Not even in the same league. The only reason these will do well is $99. And maybe the Nokia name for [Apple] haters.

It is amazing how Apple is able to release ONE device per year and still keep pace with the latest and greatest from other vendors/platforms right up to the day they release the next iteration! In fact, I'd still put a 4 [vanilla] up against anything else out here right now.

[Dallious]

I have been trying one out also, so far Win 7 is pretty nice and smooth, and almost had all the apps i use. Have not seen the bug they been talking about and the lte speeds are very fast. will post more

[lordofthereef]

Now, for anyone that has never used Windows "Metro UI" it is most similar, IMO, to iOS, in terms of comparing it to another mobile OS GUI. One can say there are two pages: your homescreen, which fits virtually as many apps as you want on it, and then "everything else", which encompasses a list of alphabetized apps that you have installed. It is very minimalistic, and aside from being able to move tiles around, not very customizable. Most tiles are even forced to be all one color. You get a choice (of something like a dozen colors), and maybe you can download more, I am not sure, but the fact remains they are more or less all one color. The tiles are "live", which is their saving grace IMO, in that they give you real time information, to an extent. Let's call it a marriage between an Android Widget and an iOS notification number.

This is not a UI for the person that wants things customized to the extreme. I came from a heavily modified iOS (intelliscreen, etc.) Some of that functionality is gone, but some of it is built into the OS, so it's a bit of a give and take. I have not yet made a full decision on whether I like it or not. Some quick searches on "root" and "jailbreak" for WP7 seem to produce some hits. Whether it is worth it, and what functionality I get from it, may be another story.

I figure we damn near all use the phone, mail, web browser, and texting, and I have given them each a good look over.

Phone
The phone functions very much like it does in iOS. Rather than tabs, you swipe through pages (a common theme across the UI). There isn't anything more or less here than what iOS offers, but it is presented differently. I didn't find it different enough for there to be much of a learning curve. Muscle memory has me going for tabs at the bottom of the screen as in iOS, but I am sure that can/will change in time.

Mail
I actually really like the mail application. It is easy to sort unread, flagged, etc. with the swipe of a finger. One complaint I do have is that when looking at ALL mail it is not quite as easy to tell what is unread (it's not in heavy bold like iOS). A quick swipe takes that pain away. Again, probably something to get used to. Or maybe there is a setting? Doing some reading, and even talking to the ATT rep, this phone is supposed to magically push all emails, including gmail, without any fancy setup. I didn't find this to be true. It was fetching, by default, when set up as a gmail account. I set it up as exchange (much like one would to get gmail pushed on iOS) and it works like a charm. A couple quick tests over wifi shows that my iPhone is getting the messages 3-5 seconds before the Lumia is. I am not sure if this is an OS thing or what. Not enough to bother me, but it might be enough to bother some email junkies.

There is also a default option for attachments. Files, MULTIPLE PICTURES, etc. can be attached right from the client. There is a tweak that does the same for iOS, but it is nice to see it here in WP7.

Web Browser
I don't have any complaints. It is a lot like safari, in many ways. It renders fast, pinching and zooming is buttery smooth, and colors look good. I did mention before that a completely zoomed out page is impossible to read, due to the resolution. I don't find myself reading completely zoomed out pages anyway. Not trying to justify anything here. I do wish the resolution was a little sharper but, alas, WP7 doesn't currently support anything higher. The default search is bing... This can be changed, apparently through some registry tweaking. Should be easier than that IMO. I haven't used Bing much, so in a way I am sort of excited to be "forced" to try it out. If I don't like it, I plan to change it to Google. Anyway, shame on MS for taking the choice away!

Messaging
The messaging app is actually pretty cool. It's a one stop hub for texts, facebook chat, and windows live. If only gtalk was in there! I think the messages app blows Apple's choice out of the water (the first clear winner for me). I have long been installing tweaks to reduce the clutter. MS did a good job with this one, however they could do more. I can see integration like this pleasing a lot of users. I am not much of a FB junkie myself (I post a couple times a month), but I know people who live on FB.

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Originally Posted by WilliamG

Still reading the article, but this part made me go

"The Lumia 900 boots up in just under 30 seconds, which feels like greased lightning compared to nearly 50 seconds for the iPhone 4S."

I just turned off my 4S. And from the time I pressed the power button to getting to the lock screen was 27 seconds.

So....

Mine took 50 seconds on the nose too... I didn't believe it either, which is why I actually ran the test. Perhaps it varies depending on what you have installed? I am unsure.

[lordofthereef]

Nokia has produced a really nice gps application that (in my limited experience) rivals Google Navigation on Android. Interestingly, they didn't pre-install it. It can be found under the "Nokia" section of the marketplace. My one complaint is that it doesn't seem to say street names. Otherwise it has some neat features like 3D mapping (helpful in a big congested city), warning when you go over the speed limit, and a remarkably human-like voice. There is also an option to download maps ahead of time. I have not tried this out yet, but that seems to be a huge gripe that people have with GPS units that require a data connection.

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Originally Posted by Dallious

I have been trying one out also, so far Win 7 is pretty nice and smooth, and almost had all the apps i use. Have not seen the bug they been talking about and the lte speeds are very fast. will post more

Here is a stupid question... but I am going to ask it anyway. Does LTE show up as 4G LTE? Or is it just 4G. I was pretty sure that my area has neither HSPA+ nor LTE, however my data claims it is 4G.

[Dallious]

HSPA+ shows up as 4G, and LTE shows up as LTE

[lordofthereef]

The marketplace is probably the most lacking area, at first glance. This doesn't necessarily spell "bad", though.

For those that are super huge on mobile games, iOS still beats the snot out of the competition. The shear number of quality games on that platform is stunning, to say the least. While I do have quite the collection of games on iOS through the years, I can't say I play them much. If I had to quantify things, it might be 0.5% of my overall use of the phone. When I am bored, I never really think to plug away at a game... I am always getting updated with the news.

WP7 has the Xbox Live thing... kind of like game center I guess. I care for neither, so it's neither a positive or negative for me.

One thing I do listen to quite a bit is music. Pandora is something I have enjoyed on iOS and Android. I was shocked to find that it is unavailable on WP7 unless played through the browser (pass) or a third party application (I think it's $3). Apparently it has something to do with the limitations MS has set on developers. I haven't read much into it. If it works in a third party App, I am not sure why there cannot be an official one, but hey, I will find out more on that later.

I also tend to watch a lot of videos. Luckily Netflix is available, and very good. Hulu, however, is nowhere to be found. I was actually thinking of getting rid of my Hulu account as we recently set up an HTPC from which I can stream all of this content. No monthly fee, and I don't have to watch commercials I am unsure of the reasoning behind no Hulu.

I do heavily use Nike+ GPS, and that is only available on iOS. I am going to take this trial period of the next 30 days to see if I can find anything else that works equally well. I know there are handfuls of other apps there. One thing I didn;t like about the Nike app is it doesn't automatically pause at a standstill. Sometimes while running you need to stop, for cars, or perhaps for some other reason. I don't necessarily want this averaged into my run. (ok... that's for another thread)

Everything else is pretty much available. You can download facebook and twitter if you want the actual apps, but the level of integration within the OS is unparalleled. For me, I am certainly not going to need anything else. If there are any GPS apps you feel married to a certain GPS app, I don't think there are many to choose from. Like I mentioned above, Nokia has filled this void perfectly, IMO.

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Originally Posted by Dallious

HSPA+ shows up as 4G, and LTE shows up as LTE

Thanks. Not seeing any speed increases. Figures... LOL

[scott craft]

I use Radio Controlled as a Pandora replacement. I still would like to see an official Pandora app. Seems like everytime Pandora changes something the third-party apps have to be updated. I've started using iheartradio instead. Seems to be more consistent.

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by scott craft

I use Radio Controlled as a Pandora replacement. I still would like to see an official Pandora app. Seems like everytime Pandora changes something the third-party apps have to be updated. I've started using iheartradio instead. Seems to be more consistent.

I will have to take a look at radio controlled. I have looked at iheartradio as well. It's not bad. In fact, I can't really say why I prefer Pandora over the other. Maybe I am just too clingy.

EDIT: I downloaded the app, and while I can't listen here at work, it looks quite impressive. Fits with the WP7 UI quite well and it even shows a nice picture and an artist wallpaper. If nothing else, it looks good. Hopefully it works as well as it looks.

[scott craft]

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

I will have to take a look at radio controlled. I have looked at iheartradio as well. It's not bad. In fact, I can't really say why I prefer Pandora over the other. Maybe I am just too clingy.

I prefer slacker more than the other two, but it takes a long time to get started in my truck, that's why I switched to iheartradio. On all of these apps you can pin individual stations to the start screen.