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Showing posts with label Lumia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lumia. Show all posts

Thursday, 12 September 2013

Suggestion / ramble for Nokia & Microsoft


So Microsoft and Nokia have jumped into bed together. Its been a while coming but with Mr Elop being an ex-MS employee it was set in the stars. 

There is hope but it's still a fledgling platform in comparison to Android and iOS. The market share is growing but slowly.

Nokia have really carried the Windows Phone platform forward but I go get the feeling that HTC, Samsung and maybe even Dell seemed like they were left for dead a bit which is a shame. (I really liked how thin the HTX 8X was and the Ativ S really did no bad in my eyes either). i hope they continue with the OS and models. 

The platform has hardware restrictions... Thats a good thing in many respects. I means less variation which means more targeted software which in theory should mean less development time and better quality. 

Nokia have a  few headline features in their 41 megapixel camera and design. The iPhone 5c has clearly given a nod to the Lumia range. I think the ecosystem needs to keep current with hardware changes though against the competition. quad-cores, resolutions, AV format support are major features lacking here. 

Now here comes the kicker(s), they've struggled for developer support in a lot of areas. Namely Instagram being one of the biggies. At the moment the platform has some great alternatives but the average customer doesn't want or go exploring for alternative services that use the service they want via another app. 

So what can be done? Well MS and Nokia seem to like developing and maintaining apps for others (The Facebook app was an example of this). Thats good as it gives some assurance but surely getting a bigger market share will temp devs over when there is more to gain. 

Nokia are somewhat going in the right direction with their decently specced lower end devices targeting the younger, growing population. They have product placement in programs like HollyOaks and various others. I think this has been their main area of growth for the platform. Especially with the recent financial climate.

Then comes the release date: 25th September (UK)... The iPhone 5c and 5s come out on the 20th September. Thats going to gut Nokia's straight away... Next up... Specifications... generally more is better in peoples eyes... Stick a bloody quad-core chip in your phone, make it 64-bit... If not, make it a damn sight cheaper! 

Next, your competitors sell ecosystems..They combine into an experience but they all fair pretty well as stand alone separates. Now you may have seen on this blog that i'm a recent fan of the Xbox music service. In does well as a stand alone product on various platform and I like it because its like Spotify without the clutter. Push the ecosystem! Here maps is actually quite nice to use but I always think of google maps first when i go to type on my keyboard. 

Raise awareness of the product links as well as how well they work separately. I.e. I'll stick with your music service if I can still use it and change my phone! 

Next the bundles! Below is one you really need to get operators to subsidise and make. It'd be awesome. Hell, shove this on Vodafone in the UK with their 4G and Spotify deal and make a big deal of the headphones and that'd win a few customers. The camera is great but the specs sheet is lacking, you have a fight on your hands this time a round Nokia. Not sure your good looking but fat top ender will handle it without a helping hand. 

Also whats with the bloody red version being missing! That was the best one!   



I should point out I had a Lumia 920, I wanted to love it. It didn't love me. Dust kept getting in the earpiece and breaking the sensor so I couldn't get the screen back on during a call as the phone thought my ear was still pressed to the phone...I gave up after the 4th handset replacement and sold it. Also the OS need a bloody rotation lock! I now use a Samsung S4, it's not great and doesn't look as nice but it's big, thin and has swift key which I absolutely love! I do miss the Xbox live achievement games though! 

Sunday, 21 April 2013

Nokia lumia 920 outdoor camera shots.

Some shots I took on a walk down the Thames between Kingstojn-upon-Thames and Richmond









Tuesday, 29 January 2013

Friday, 7 December 2012

Why i'm starting to hate loving my Nokia Lumia 920


There seems to be an issue with the proximity sensor where on calls the screen will go dark straight away as if you have the phone pressed to your ear. The only way to get the screen on for a fraction of a second is to the hit power button and then try and tap the hang up button before the screen goes off. As you can imagine, using IVR menu systems is a pain and i've left countless voice-mails.

Google revealed that I wasn't alone in this issue and it looks like when dust gets in the ear piece it can easily travel across to the front facing camera and the proximity sensor... What a design flaw!!

So so the phone is less than 28 days old so I give Phones4u a ring (Mines a offline Lumia 920 red) and they ask me the usual questions:

Have you got a screen protector on?
Have you tried resetting the phone?
Are there any other issues?

I hadn't done a factory reset but agreed to do this. I had to call back after 40 minutes as the spinning cogs logo hadn't progressed and they advised me it was bricked. I'd already googled and wp central suggested its bricked, although there was an unofficial workaround I didn't want to void the warranty if the device had any flash counters.

I got a replacement code but nearly every damn Phones4u in the SW London area didn't seem to have stock of this particular model so I now have to wait to send my device back and then they will send me a new one. Awful customer service on Phones4u's part. Pretty poor QA testing on Nokia's part... I was seriously considering jacking it in for the HTC or Samsung WP8 devices... We'll see how the replacement goes...

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Windows phone 8 Lumia owners get mirrors edge free!

As the title suggests. This game now appears to be free when you go to the product page although in the listings amongst other apps it still shows the price. Nokia Lumia owners only.

Source: http://www.wpcentral.com/mirrors-edge-gets-update-free-lumia-owners

Saturday, 10 November 2012

I've bought a Lumia 920 Red

OK so I got it and its pretty awesome!

There are a few apps which need to be ported from windows phone 7 such as  The harvest and Endomondo sports tracker which I miss but apart from that most stuff is there!

Virgin (on the T mobile network in the UK) gave me a bit of trouble as their sim only rolling contracts don't have micro-sims yet so I had to get creative with a pair of scissors. It all turned out fine.

Virign Mobiles customer services could do with a bit of improving compared to Tesco mobile though. They had a system crash the first time I called which wasn't a good impression for someone porting in. Luckily the port went fine.

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is the NFC payments. I think this is more down to my card than the phone.

Here is a review: http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-lumia-920-review

If you buy a new Lumia and didn't get a free wireless charger

check this URL on the 16th: www.nokiafreecharger.com

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

UK lumia 920 12 month pricing vs sim only.

EE (4G) have some rather strange pricing on the 12 months plans for the Nokia Lumia 920


Contract  Monthly Price Handset Price   calls sms data Total
12 46  129.99  Unlimited Unlimited 500MB £681.99
12 51 49.99  Unlimited Unlimited 1Gb £661.99
12 56 19.99  Unlimited Unlimited 3Gb £691.99


So you can treble your data for £5 more a month...

It'll be a close call between this and some of the great sim only 3G (1 month) contracts from the likes of Tesco mobile and Virgin...If the phone comes in at the £500 sim only they it'll look very good comparatively .. If it comes in higher then it starts to eek away its edge...

With the Nexus 4 setting a new standard for low entry to market price points, here's hoping the price will come in low.

http://shop.ee.co.uk/nokia-lumia-920-black/pay-monthly/mobile-tariffs/

Update: If  the US news today is anything to go by then we could be in-store for some competitive pricing as AT&T have put the 920 on sale offline for a VERY low price ($449.99):
http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/07/att-selling-unlocked-lumia-920-449-99/

Update 2: It looks like EE have put the price up in what looks to be even more of a ridiculous move on what was already going to be a slight disadvantage for them. Price wise for people not concerned with fast speeds on low capped usage it now makes even less sense.... I'm hotly looking out for Lumia 920 sim only / pay and go deals with a low monthly sim only 1 month contract.

Here is a good one for the Lumia 820:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nokia-lumia-820-windows-phone-8-4-3-screen-1080p-video-8mp-camera-super-sensitive-1349007

Friday, 11 May 2012

Nokia Lumia 900 review - The Inquirer

I really like the new Windows Phone 7 OS. Pricing compared to an iPhone is good and it's probably more stylish if you ask me with better games (Xbox live support) Nokia Lumia 900 review - The Inquirer