With webOS down for the count and BlackBerry on life support, Microsoft is now the sole challenger to the smartphone domination of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Just in the nick of time, Windows Phone is finally receiving much-needed attention thanks to the Nokia Lumia 900, a handset as seductive as anything Cupertino has produced to date.
The Lumia 900 features a roomy 4.3-inch AMOLED display in a unibody polycarbonate frame; it feels so good in the hand you won’t want to put it down. Like the iPhone, the battery is sealed, but unfortunately, internal storage is limited to only 16GB. The screen is 800x480 pixels or 216ppi, far less than the Retina display (which packs 960x640 pixels in 3.5 inches, or 326 ppi), but it’s plenty bright and pixel dense for us. The handset also takes advantage of AT&T’s super-fast 4G LTE, with download speeds topping 15Mb/s in our tests.
Microsoft’s fledgling Windows Phone platform is the first truly unique mobile OS since the original iPhone, with colorful tiles taking the place of icons in a refreshing “Metro” user interface; many tiles even update with live information. After a day or two to adjust it all felt quite natural, even to a longtime iPhone user.
Windows Phone isn’t just for Windows users--Microsoft offers free Windows Phone 7 Connector software in the Mac App Store for syncing music, videos, and podcasts stored in iTunes, as well as photos from iPhoto or Aperture. It’s a bit slower than syncing an iPhone with iTunes, and all your content has to be DRM-free, but the Lumia 900’s camera roll also gets synced back to your Mac at the same time.
The camera is the only real hardware shortcoming--despite an 8MP sensor with dual LED flash, images were a noticeable step down from the iPhone 4S. Outdoor photos proved acceptable, but shooting indoors was a mixed bag. On the plus side, the Lumia 900 can automatically upload photos to Microsoft SkyDrive, with a generous 25GB of free cloud storage. It’s not quite Photo Stream, but images there can be accessed with a free iOS app or any web browser.
iCloud email is easily added via IMAP. Unfortunately, push email is only available for Windows Live, Hotmail, and Gmail accounts. We used Google to sync contacts and calendars from our iMac, which cloud-synced over to the Lumia 900. Windows Phone also includes Microsoft Tellme--you hold down the Start button and use your voice to call contacts or do a search. It’s more like “Siri lite,” but still better than competing technology on Android.
Much has been written about the relative lack of apps in Windows Phone Marketplace, currently at 70,000 and counting. In reality, plenty of iOS favorites are already on hand like Netflix, Plex, 1Password, and Evernote. Popular services such as Instapaper, Read It Later, Google Voice, and Reeder all have third-party equivalents that work well. Microsoft’s native Facebook app actually tops the iOS version, and the company is working quickly to fill additional Marketplace gaps.
The bottom line. Nokia’s slick hardware lifts Windows Phone to the level of worthy opponent to iOS and Android, even though we’re not ready to abandon our iPhone 4S and its superior camera. Microsoft still has some catching up to do, and we’re hoping a future software update might improve the camera quality, but the Lumia 900 makes for an attractive, Mac-friendly alternative we’d easily recommend over any Android handset.
Lumia 900
Free Windows Live or Hotmail account, Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac for iTunes sync (requires Mac OS 10.6 or later)
Free Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac app syncs iTunes music, video, photos and podcasts. Fantastic industrial design that rivals Apple’s own. Lightning fast 4G LTE from AT&T, where available.
Camera is a letdown considering specs are similar to iPhone 4S. No syncing of iTunes DRM content, or push email for iCloud and other IMAP accounts. Free Windows Live or Hotmail account required for Windows Phone. Limited to 16GB onboard storage.
phubai
May 14, 2012 at 5:02pm
The Lumia came along just as my contract had expired and honestly I wasn't going to get another phone for awhile. But for free considering the $100 from Nokia due to the early problems? No brainer. I really like this phone, except for the camera as has been mentioned. Indoors, forget it...at least so far. Outdoors it's not bad. I've been playing with the settings and that's helped a lot until...did you know you can't leave the phone on the kitchen center counter edge for a long time and leave it on? Well, ya can't unless you don't have a tile floor in your kitchen which I do, or if nobody calls you so that it doesn't vibrate and wander off. Of course that broke the screen....anyhow, it's being fixed and I'm back on my iPhone for a little while longer. Can't wait to see what I can do to improve my photos when it comes back.
Engelsstaub
May 09, 2012 at 3:31pm
Microsoft sure made it easy to get some Mac users on board. There's an app in the Mac App Store that syncs this phone with iTunes. Pretty slick. (I'm sure protected videos purchased or rented won't work, but that's a very minor point for most.)
iPhone is great, but choice is always a good thing too.
techieboy
May 09, 2012 at 12:55pm
I agree with your review on all points. I have used multiple Android handsets and my iPhone4S was my daily driver (and all previous iPhones before it). I got the Lumia 900 on a free upgrade (with the Nokia $100 Credit showing up on my AT&T bill) and have been using it for the last 3 or 4 weeks.
One feature that is missing is the ability to copy and paste from an email. Example: I want to copy a sentence from an email and use it in a Tweet or text message. Can't seem to get that to work. Copy/Paste works almost everywhere else.
There are a few apps that I would love to see on the Lumia including Instagram, but given the platform politics, I am not sure how soon that will be a reality. I still carry my iPhone 4S for the photo taking aspects (and sharing). And love the fact that I can tether via WiFi.
One bonus of the Lumia (and other Windows Phone 7 devices that I have) is the bluetooth text to speech that allows me to drive, get a text, have the phone speak the message to me, and then give me the option to reply or ignore. If I reply, it will transcribe my voice and then give me the vocal prompt to send.
All the hype with Siri and Android yet neither does this well.
Lumia gets a solid 7 out of 10 for me. Fix the camera, as you described, and let me copy and paste from emails and I'd change the rating to a 9.
P.S. All lot of attention is being paid to the Lumia recently with newly uploaded apps being developed by or with Nokia. This is great news and will really help the platform get attention as a valid option against Android and iOS.
ictia
May 10, 2012 at 6:10am
this is pretty easy. just tap anywhere in the text and a highlighter will show up; drag the corners to cover the area you want to copy and hit that copy icon :)
thefightsayeth
May 10, 2012 at 6:32am
Just to help out take a look here... twitpic.com/9jfz3z
if you need anymore help, my twitter name is my username here. Hope it helps!
ictia
May 09, 2012 at 12:15pm
I came here expecting to see a bad review -- for obvious reasons, but I must say that I'm surprised. I agree with @cptkiller -- I also have the Lumia 900 (cyan), it definitely meets all my needs, and here are some standout items that I don't see either on the iPhone or any droid:
1. ClearBlack display - I think it's as good as any other "with" the additional very nice benefit of working great outside!
2. Typing tech - ms research has done an excellent job on the typing technology that is built into this phone -- there is a research paper on the ms research site about the implementation.
3. Very good user interface design - the key to a good user interface is how quickly someone can get something done with the "least" amount of steps/effort. I find myself navigating around a lot less on this ui than I do on either iPhone or Android.
CPTKILLER
May 09, 2012 at 10:10am
For $99 it more than meets my needs. I like the larger screen. I use it a lot here in Texas. No complaints. It is outstanding, it has many features, and is reliable.
What else can I say.
