2 Weeks With A Windows Phone....

.....a Nokia Lumia 900, no less. Why is this important? Well, the current mobile phone market is dominated by iOS (Apple) and Android (Google - through manufacturers such as Samsung, Motorola, LG etc..), Microsoft and Nokia are currently beavering away to match or better the market leaders and gain a larger slice of the smartphone pie. The more competition, the more likely companies are likely to innovate and that means we all win.

With that in mind, Nokia were kind enough to send across a Lumia 900 to see if I could live 
with one in lieu of my beloved HTC OneX. Now, the thing to bear in mind here is what operating system the phone is running. Bear with me, it's a little geeky. Windows Phone 8 has just been launched and the new Lumia 920 is on sale from this weekend. This phone, the Lumia 900, was the flagship in Nokia's range. It came running Windows Phone 7.5 and will be updated in the future to WP 7.8. But, it will never get Windows 8, nor any of the latest Windows 8 apps. Phew! Right, have you got that? Good.

So, where does this phone fit in the market place? After using it for the two weeks, I can safely say there is a place, just not quite where you, or Nokia, expect it to be.

"A Finnish slice of fresh air, cutting through an otherwise stale market place."

First of all, the phone looks brilliant. It's a Finnish slice of fresh air, cutting through an otherwise stale market place. The bold colours (blue as tested) combined with the bleeding edge profile combine to make a phone that really does stand out for all the right reasons. It's not just the exterior styling too, as the user interface is like something out of a 70's Star Trek episode. Only more forward thinking and minus the tape deck...

The phone itself, in terms of hardware, is very powerful. The phone zips along and is very snappy, but you get the impression that Windows Phone 7 isn't quite so speedy. For instance, multi-tasking feels a step backwards and jumping from one app to another can be laborious. When you do open an app, for instance Twitter, the design is once again dripping with cool. The Windows theme across all apps really is a joy to behold. Nothing is as distinctive and I found myself smiling at the design touches within certain apps (to which people thought I was a bit mad..)


Then again, the apps aren't always as they seem. Yes, there is Spotify on there, but it is clearly an older version of the app compared with versions on other platforms. The same can be said of Twitter and Foursquare. Most apps I found even display old company logos and fonts that have long been superseded. So while all the apps that 99% of users require are on the store, if you are swapping from say an iPhone 3GS/4 or a 18 month old Android phone, e.g. HTC Desire or Desire HD that is just out of contract, you may have to use older versions of the same apps on the Lumia 900.

"The design, the ergonomics and the hardware power are all top notch."

That said, the phone itself is brilliant. The design, the ergonomics and the hardware power are all top notch. Then there is also the camera. If you want a phone to use as your primary snapping device, there are few phones, if any, that are as good as the Lumia 900. You don't get that horrible "white-eye" effect when the flash is used, there is a dedicated camera button which launches the app straight away and image quality (for a phone) is class-leading. Nokia clearly haven't lost the knack for making a fine piece of hardware.

The idea of owning a Nokia may bring memories of playing Snake on a 3210, so this phone has to work hard to shake off those old cliches. Thankfully, it just about manages it. One thing I found was that the design cuts a dash and makes people intrigued as to what the phone is that you are using. But then, once you say "Nokia" there was a bit of explaining to do as why you own it. So, going back to the original question, just what is the place in the market for the Nokia Lumia 900?

Well, price could and should be the defining factor. At launch, this was a premier priced phone, circa £450 unlocked and on the higher tier monthly contract pricing. But, if you hunt around, there have been some incredible deals , well under the £200 mark (although the best price at the time of writing was £299.99). So, this phone combined with a cheap SIM-only monthly contract deal could be the ideal phone for someone who wants to stand out, but still use a phone for social media and picture taking.

There is then a perfectly logical reason for purchasing a phone which left me endeared to it's unique charms but, more than anything, lays the platform for a successful Nokia Lumia 920 and Windows Phone 8.