Lumia 920

[Slick5150]

For what it's worth, I've used my 900 hard - I've dropped it and run over it with my bike, kicked it across the street, etc...while the casing is understandably battered, the screen is still in pristine shape. I have to imagine they didn't downgrade the screen protection on the 920...

Funny, I've also run over my original 900 with my bike and while it scuffed up the edge of it, it otherwise suffered zero damage and the screen was fine. Those things are built to last.

 

[Trader05]

Just wondering if anyone has a Nest thermostat and is able to use the WP8 browser to control it? I've been spoiled between switching from Android and iOS with the Nest app, but i'm dying to switch back.

I stopped a local ATT store really quick and the screens looked amazing on the 920's, they didn't have any 8x's on display. The ATT sales reps were all wearing Windows 8 shirts and it looked like they were pushing it in the short time I was there.

 

[mrpiggy]

I noticed the same thing when booting my phone. Definitely grainy on the white att boot screen.

Probably a combination of the ClearBlack dual polarizer layers and the extra-sensitive capacitance sensor wire layer (perhaps higher wire density?). There's always tradeoffs.

 

[VashHT]

I decided to pick up a black one, so far the phone itself is really nice but I have to say the new syncing program sucks, it's a huge step back from the zune program imo.

 

[lkailburn]

I decided to pick up a black one, so far the phone itself is really nice but I have to say the new syncing program sucks, it's a huge step back from the zune program imo.

I was just going to ask about this. The att guy told me to dl zune to sync but zune doesn't recognize the device. So instead I just used the built in windows 8 phone app but I don't see squat for sync settings. Auto sync's photos I see but what about calendar, contacts etc to outlook?

 

[gsethi]

I was just going to ask about this. The att guy told me to dl zune to sync but zune doesn't recognize the device. So instead I just used the built in windows 8 phone app but I don't see squat for sync settings. Auto sync's photos I see but what about calendar, contacts etc to outlook?

I believe, Zune no longer works. Download the Windows Phone app for Desktop to sync Music, Photos, Videos, Podcasts & ringtones from your desktop (use windows libraries or iTunes)

Sync contacts/Calendar using Google or MSN or Yahoo account.

Thats what I did as there was no option to sync outlook contacts.

 

[blurredvision]

The old Zune software doesn't work for WP8. You have to either use the metro app for W8 or download some beta software for W7.

I couldn't get the W8 app to sync with my 920. WP8 shows up as a drive (thank you Microsoft) so I just did a drag and drop for my music and pictures. All of my contacts were saved with my Microsoft account (Live account, whatever it is now) and synced down from the cloud. As far as apps on my old phone were concerned, I opted to just start over from scratch. I didn't have much on the old phone.

 

[lkailburn]

I'm at a loss. Windows phone 8, windows 8 laptop and office 2010 and there is no direct sync to outlook??

 

[dougp]

I'm at a loss. Windows phone 8, windows 8 laptop and office 2010 and there is no direct sync to outlook??

Hasn't been since Windows Mobile. You really shouldn't be at a loss, it's been known (bitched about) and Microsoft won't do a thing about it. Apparently you're in a small minority .

 

[gsethi]

i checked this out at the att store today. the front "glass" looks like its plastic and the floor model had fine scratches all over it. also the web browser couldnt render a couple popular web pages properly and resorted to displaying simplified versions of even the mobile sites. on some pages it couldnt do drop down menus properly. that looks like a SERIOUS problem. i like the way the address bar was at the bottom of the browser window though, where its easy to reach. lol that ipad still puts the back and forward buttons at the top left--WHY????

After playing for couple of days, I agree with that. Drop Down menus dont work properly on some websites.

Example: Try doing a search (from search box on top right) on Slickdeals forums. When you try to enter text in search field, keyboard pops up and then goes back and search box disappears. Very frustating (no such problem on iPhone).

 

[lkailburn]

Hasn't been since Windows Mobile. You really shouldn't be at a loss, it's been known (bitched about) and Microsoft won't do a thing about it. Apparently you're in a small minority .

Sorry. It's my own ignorance. I'm a big pc guy but have never considered switching to windows phone until 8. I just figured with wp8 and windows 8 released at the same time that all this would be integrated.
I'm gonna need to figure out a good solution as this is my work phone that I just switched haha.

 

[ImDonly1]

After playing for couple of days, I agree with that. Drop Down menus dont work properly on some websites.

Example: Try doing a search (from search box on top right) on Slickdeals forums. When you try to enter text in search field, keyboard pops up and then goes back and search box disappears. Very frustating (no such problem on iPhone).

That has happened to me before on my iPhone 4 I think. Not sure why. Not always but sometimes.

 

[gsethi]

That has happened to me before on my iPhone 4 I think. Not sure why. Not always but sometimes.

No problems on iPhone4 or 4s or 5 here. Only on Lumia 920.

Seems like issue is with IE10 when touch input is used.
Another example: Google Play Store

Looks like people are having the same problem with Win 8 Tablets also

Looks like issue is the way IE10 is interpreting touch input. MS needs to get this fixed. No excuse if this works properly in Safari (iphone) and Chrome (Android) and not on Win 8 touch based devices.

 

[Chrono]

Awesome. I was at the Microsoft store this past Saturday and asked about windows phones. Rep told me they had them in stock and every color except yellow. I checked bout cyan and man that matte color made me jizz in my pants. Bought it right away. Been an overall awesome phone experience. Really solid. I think those nitpicking about the graininess should wipe the screen first with a micro fiber.

 

[blurredvision]

Sorry. It's my own ignorance. I'm a big pc guy but have never considered switching to windows phone until 8. I just figured with wp8 and windows 8 released at the same time that all this would be integrated.
I'm gonna need to figure out a good solution as this is my work phone that I just switched haha.

Does your work use Exchange for email? You can sync your contacts from the Exchange server. I'm not 100% sure how well it works, but when setting up my work email, the option is there to sync contacts. I just opt out of doing it.

 

[vi edit]

Ok...So I went on a leap of faith and ended up buying a 920 from Best Buy. I'm still waiting for my ST sim to come in tomorrow. I've only had about 4 hours of "hands on" to set up some basic stuff over Wifi so here's a very basic review of my initial hands on.

1) Reasons I bought...

- Price was right. After a technical issue with Best Buy I ended up getting an off contract 920 in black for $399. Plus I had $250 in gift/reward zone points so my total out of pocket was $150 + tax. No contract, activation fee, ect. Just the phone. I'll be breaking my Verizon contract to move over to prepaid. Hoping that the AT&T 3G/HSPA is an improvement over Big Reds cruddy 3G access.

- I'm on the edge of "good" reception for AT&T and hoping that the reputation of Nokia pays off and gets the most out of that.

- Phone felt well built and solid. This thing feels like a military grade instrument. The black matte finish is kind of menacing and it just has a comforting heft to it. Plus I like having a physical camera button (if for no other reason than opening the app for it).

- I was getting kind of bored with iOS and wanted something different. I like the live tiles and am a bit of a caveman when it comes to my phones. I just like simple. I love that I can actually see my calendar items on the lock screen, active weather updates on the home screen, email previews on the home screen, ect. It's more information available, but no real added complexity. I was really looking at a Galaxay Note II and just overwhelmed with the options, setup, screens, ect. I just mainly use my phone to text, call, browse the web, get quick information, email, ect. Simple stuff and the way WP is setup really caters to that.

- Nokia has some unique things that others didn't. Offline music caching was a big one. That way I could cut another $15 and stop my slacker offline cacheing service. Plus offline mapping/GPS was nice. Nokia was also the only one to offer a Fantasy Football app for ESPN?? (WTF really?). Plus I wanted to give the camera an honest effort

-------------------

2) Pro's on limited use

- Love the live tiles and the information they provide. A great change from the largely static information provided in iOS. Weather, news, email, calendar items, ect. It's a welcome change.

- Customization and flexability of home screen. Like I said earlier, I'm a caveman when it comes to phones and just like things easy. I've got a giant "PHONE" button on my home screen I can hit to make calls. Plus a big one for the flashlight app that I don't have to fumble for (although my Jailbroke phone with activator access to hardware buttons was better).

- Sound quality through headphones is EXCELLENT! Much better than my iPhone4

- OS is fast and fluid. Checking email is...different...but easy. Still working on getting things setup and integrated for the people hubs and more social networking integration. Like what I see so far though.

- Like how the OS selects the whole word immediately when trying to edit text. That was somethign I always fought with iOS on. Trying to get it to select a word was a pain. I do miss the "select all" function that iOS had though. I'm not seeing that as an option.

- The predictive text option works well as does the autocorrect. I hated that under iOS. WP8 does it better.

- Camera...sort of. The low light is excellent and beats the crap out of my iPhone4. Video is also excellent. However the rest I'll cover in the "cons".

- Screen is similar to the camera. Pros for it are crisp, nicely saturated colors. It scrolls fast and is easy on the eyes. Outdoor reading is also excellent. I tried it with gloves this morning (it was 25 degrees F out) and it sort of worked. The lock screen seemed to freak out not knowing what to do, but once you got past that it seemed okay. Rest I'll cover in the cons.

- Kids zone is a nice touch and another big reason I looked at WP8. But more on that in "Cons".

------------

3) Cons...okay....here's where stuff gets real....

Where to start?

- Lets just get to the chase with the camera. This thing was hyped as the second coming of the Purevue hotness. Yes the low light smokes anything else. The video is great. But anything else? Oh boy. It's just a softened, DNR'ed disaster. When you preview the screen it's a super sharp, great looking image. Then you either tap the screen or the shutter button and it goes from sharp and nice to a blurred, softened mess. I'm *HOPING* an update comes out before my 30 day return period is up. I'm not sure this is something I can live with. It's better than my iPHone 4 in 2/3 things but normal outside shots are just a hot mess compared to a 3 year old phone. Seriously Nokia...HTF did this pass QA?

- It gets hot. Really hot. The top left is smouldering hot after using wifi for an hour. I hope this isn't something to be concerned about for long term life of the device.

- Not totally amped about the keyboard. I'm sure there's an adjustment period so I'll reserve some judgement there.

- "Multitasking" like it's 1980. Somebody help me out there...I'm used to iOS being able to download an app in the background and still be able to use the phone. It doesn't appear that this works that way in WP8. If I'm downloading an app and I leave that page it stops downloading. When I come back I have to resume. Really? We have dual cores and it's 2012 and this is how thing work? Somebody please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. Same thing with the music caching in Nokia Music. If I'm downloading a station and I leave the app it stops downloading. Major swing and a miss there.

- The screen. It just isn't as smart as iOS. When I'm in a full desktop mode for a site it might take 2-3 taps for the phone to recognize that I'm actually trying to click a link. I never had that issue in iOS. Even though my iPHone4 screen is much smaller, it's "accuracy" on what I was hitting was night and day better. When browsing forums I can't tell you how many threads it unsubscribed me from instead of entering the thread itself from the user panel. It's just no where as refined and user friendly as the iPhone interface. Sorry.

- Apps. I knew going into the deal that this was the shortcoming. But you just don't realize how bad it is until you dive in. Like I said earlier I liked the kid zone function. Which is great if there was anything actually enjoyable for my kids. Seriously the app choices for young kids is terrible. Absolutely terrible. I can't find hardly anything even remotely close to the educational apps that I've got on my iPhone and iPad. When it comes to other things that I actually use you can only get the ESPN fantasy football app if you have a Nokia phone. Seriously..you want to talk fragmentation then look no further than that. WTF? If you want to improve the market share of an OS that has none...you CANNOT do something like that. There wasn't even an official Yahoo! fantasy football app. There's just a bottomless abyss of a gap between WP and iOS. I've got some reserved faith that as Windows 8 and the tablet market starts to ramp up that will hopefull improve. But right now...yikes. It's a pretty dire situation. This needs a serious kick in the ass in a lot of areas.

---------

4) Summary

I'm really mixed in how I feel about the phone/ecosystem. There's lots of pieces that I like. The OS works well for how I typically use the device. It's not going to wow people and make them convert. It's just not setup like that. The camera has potential but it's a serious software upgrade away from being taken serious. The App environment has potential but again it's just a hurry up and wait for the developers to show up and start writing decent stuff.

I've got 30 days for a return period. The Galaxy Note 2 was my other option but it would have been another $250+ and it wasn't released yet. I love the screen size, the added utility of the S-Pen and the battery and SD life as well as the app situation of the Android market. But I just can't take a shine to the Android experience. I just like my phones simple. Plus I can't even fit the Note 2 in a cupholder in my car that sounds like a trivial thing but it's just one of those daily things of living with a phone that size.

I'll give the phone a few more days for me to adjust to. Get a better feel for battery life. Wait for the SIM card to actually come in see how well call quality is (a concern I have with the Samsung phone). Plus I'll give the GPS a bit of a workout too.

Right now I'm on the fence and would have a hard time recommending to anyone (either the phone or the OS) unless they truely wanted a different experience.

And before anyone calls me a fanboy of any device...I own an iPhone, just bought a WP8 device, and am considering returning it for an Android one. That pretty much makes me OS neutral.

 

[VashHT]

I'm still unable to connect to my work's exchange server unless I go through the webmail server. We have a server set up for mobile but when I put in the info for it that I used in android/iOS it just says it can't connect. Not that big of a deal since the webserver works mostly fine, the only annoyance is it asks me to reenter my password at random times.

 

[jacktesterson]

Why is the phone so high priced? I can't justify spending this much on a phone with a Ecosystem with very little apps currently compared to Android/iOS. I am super curious.

I learned from the original Windows 7 phones...I jumped in on launch only to sell the phone a few months later due to No Apps and other limitations.


HTC One X's with 720p screens and the S4 Processor go for $350 ish on ebay.

 

[lkailburn]

I think those nitpicking about the graininess should wipe the screen first with a micro fiber.

Gee I never thought of that :rollseyes: lol. of course I wiped the screen. Like I said, it's very similar to having skin oils on my iPhone so my first thought was, oh must have smudges on the glass I'll clean it. Nope, it's definitely the glass.
Like I said it's not really noticeable unless you're looking for it but if you zoom in on a website or something with light background, dark text, and slowly scroll the text you'll see it. the text scrolls underneath the graininess of the glass. Best way I know how to describe it. Even better if you have an iPhone to compare it to you'll see it. (not a touch. the screens on the touchs suck compared to the iphone in my opinion. a few months back I was holding my gf's brand new touch next to my 4s and it was terrible).

Does your work use Exchange for email? You can sync your contacts from the Exchange server. I'm not 100% sure how well it works, but when setting up my work email, the option is there to sync contacts. I just opt out of doing it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have a couple of exchange accounts under my clients, but my email for my business is not on exchange. I've thought about switching to 365, and this would be another incentive, or rather push but I'm just surprised by the limitation. I wonder if I can do the same google sync setup I was using with outlook.


On another note I was looking all over for the tilde key or whatever on the keyboard. Not the ~ but the ` symbol underneath. Finally just found it haha.

-Luke

 

[VashHT]

I didn't notice any graininess at first but I see a little with a screen protector on it (zagg). When I had a gs3 with the same protector it was far more grainy so I think it's just the screen protector in my case. Also I have to look really closely to notice it, I don't really see it unless I'm looking for it.

 

[gsethi]

Another Annoyance: SLOW PDF viewing.
Seriously MS, what were you thinking ? your PDF viewer just plain sucks, especially on multi-page pdf documents. And you cant zoom on pdf after rotate ? Who is making/designing these apps at MS ?

Slowly, but surely, I am being pushed back to iPhone. Seriously thinking of returning my Lumia and trying out Nexus 4 now.

 

[Reckoner]

Another Annoyance: SLOW PDF viewing.
Seriously MS, what were you thinking ? your PDF viewer just plain sucks, especially on multi-page pdf documents. And you cant zoom on pdf after rotate ? Who is making/designing these apps at MS ?

Slowly, but surely, I am being pushed back to iPhone. Seriously thinking of returning my Lumia and trying out Nexus 4 now.

Ya.... Wish the Nexus 4 was compatible with Verizon

 

[lkailburn]

Another Annoyance: SLOW PDF viewing.
Seriously MS, what were you thinking ? your PDF viewer just plain sucks, especially on multi-page pdf documents. And you cant zoom on pdf after rotate ? Who is making/designing these apps at MS ?

Slowly, but surely, I am being pushed back to iPhone. Seriously thinking of returning my Lumia and trying out Nexus 4 now.

Are you using the free pdf viewer from Microsoft? I haven't opened a pdf on the phone yet so I just went out and got it and downloaded a 106 page pdf. It opened it in about .5 seconds. I can scroll quickly, and can zoom in when in landscape mode?

 

[gsethi]

Are you using the free pdf viewer from Microsoft? I haven't opened a pdf on the phone yet so I just went out and got it and downloaded a 106 page pdf. It opened it in about .5 seconds. I can scroll quickly, and can zoom in when in landscape mode?

Yes. It works fine on large pdf files with just text. But if there are any graphics in pdf, it slows down.

Also, finger rotate your pdf file (not rotate your phone) and try zooming. You will be, WTF MS.

EDIT: Also, its not opening some pdf files (that came in as attachment in my email) for some reason. They open with no problems on my iPhone

 

[VashHT]

The pdf viewer is pretty crappy, a lot of files I can't load but the ones that do open have been pretty smooth, even a really long user manual with a lot of pictures in it. I can't zoom after rotating either, that's pretty annoying but not a dealbreaker for me.