I’ve now been using the Lumia 800 for the last 24 hours or so and I must say that it’s been a great ride so far. As I said earlier, Windows Phone 7.5 (aka Mango) now got the hardware it deserved. Yes some say that is misses a front-facing camera (FFC) and yes it does if you actually use the FFC that is. The fact is very few uses it and this trend will continue. Personally I couldn’t really bother… If I need to do video calls I use my laptop or a workstation.
Okay, I also heard the screen size of the Lumia 800 is rather small? True this is not the largest screen you can get (more specifically it’s a 3.7” AMOLED vs. iPhone 4S which has a 3.5” but with higher resolution) but it looks fantastic. In addition, I really like this size as it provides me with a mobile device with what I consider an ideal form factor. I don’t need (or want for that matter) one of those devices with huge 4.3” screens as it results in a mobile device that doesn’t fit your pocket and in general are a pain to bring with you on the go. Been there done that! If I need a larger screen, I switch over to my iPad 2 no big deal.
But I also heard the Lumia 800 “only” got 16 GB internal memory? Yes true but again it’s not really an issue for me. It could be for you if you want to bring with you all your photos taking over the last 20 years and your complete music collection. Personally, I got all files I need to access from my mobile device stored in the cloud and when it comes to music I keep a few offline play lists but the rest I stream using Spotify. On my iPhone 4S 64 GB device, I used less that a 8 GB…
What did Nokia pay you in order to be so positive about this unimpressive device? Nothing at all not even the device itself. And you know what, there are a few things that could be better both when it comes to the Lumia 800 and Mango. They are not perfect (no mobile device or OS is).
The Marketplace is getting a better and better selection of applications but the truth is there’s still some way (for instance where’s the Sonos app?). Also, the rear camera in the Lumia 800 is really great but truth is it’s not completely on par with the camera in the iPhone 4S.
With that said I won’t switch back to the iPhone 4S. It simply feels wrong after having used the Lumia 800. And I am more than tired of the iOS mail client and calendar apps (the primary app I’m using on a mobile device). They could be improved in so many ways… On top of that everything is so static in iOS. A problem that will be difficult for Apple to fix/change.
Until later,
Henrik Walther
Technology Architect/Writer/MS Vendor
MCM: Exchange Server | MVP: Exchange Architecture