I'm thinking about getting one.

Current phone is Samsung Galaxy 3.

Service Provider is AT&T.


Reasons:
- Upgrade to better technology
- Work doesn't allow Android to access work email or work instant messenger
- I like the idea of having Microsoft office on a phone
- Better camera
- Not a big app user. Only need the essentials.


Prospects:
Nokia Lumia 1520


Anyone have a Windows phone? What are your thoughts on Pros/Cons? Any regrets?

i have a lumia 520 go phone as a backup in case my S4 goes down. crappy hardware, but it was also hella cheap.

its a fantastic os, great Microsoft integration. Cortana is great.

the only real con is a huge one. HORRIBLE APP LIBRARY. if youre just needing phone/email/sms/web browser/maps then it would probably serve you just fine

Pros:
The thing is rock solid. You really don't appreciate this unless you have had a device that needed to be rebooted once a week like my old nexus 5 or consistently have to force close apps to keep it from draining your battery.
Nokia has the best cameras on the market (it never fails when we go out we end up using my camera to take pictures).... especially in low light the nokia camera shines.
Cortana is the most useful of the digitial assistants I have used so far.
Here maps/drive is the best maps/nav implementation out there imo (better than google maps). It has 2 really useful features in true offline mode and real time speed that google can't match yet.
If you use a windows 8 pc it synchronizes very nicely (settings/apps/pictures/onedrive/office/onenote, etc)
Actually has some really cool unique games because of the xbox tiein.

Cons:
No access to google services. Google goes out of its way to not support windows phone.
It has most of the big name apps but regularly lags behind ios/android in terms of updates/features and a number of them aren't there at all.
Doesn't integrate with my lastpass. They have an app but after using the android version its hard to use anything less.

Thank you guys for the great information. So stuff like google play, chrome, and maps won't work on Windows mobile OS?

correct. very very little google development, of any. there are some 3rd party apps for some google stuff loke gmail, but im not too comfortable giving my Google login to some random guy i don't know

Would ditching Google Services be that big of a deal? I would consider not having Google's extra software that I never use to be pro instead of a con for switching from Android to Windows Phone.

You have a valid point, el gringo. They do put out a lot of useless stuff, but I have also grown to like/use a lot of their stuff like google play music, maps, chrome, drive, etc. Would it be a deal-breaker? Probably not. I would probably miss chrome and maps the most.

I'm in the same spot as you. I'm comfortable with Android and the apps available from Google Play etc... But to me Android phones are gettign more and more bloated. With my S3 I have a lot of software from Samsung, AT&T and google that I never touch except when it has to be updated. I'm hoping when I need a new phone I can find a much leaner offering from ... someone.

As far as Windows apps, I looked online a the Windows version of an app store and found most of the apps I use or a substitute. (I can live with out all the crappy games in Google Play) The only ones I'm really not sure are on the phone are WatchESPN and something to substitute Xfinity's TV Go. Not getting those might be deal breakers.

Wife has a windows phone and loves it but the store lacks games she wants to play.

So the consensus seems to be: The phones are amazing and probably the best on the market. However, the app store sucks. Is that a correct assessment?

I've had a Nokia Lumia 1020 since March and I cannot emphasize enough what a pleasure it is to use as a phone and camera. There are PLENTY of apps for functionality and business purposes and the camera is unmatched. ( I've actually become somewhat of a photog. ) The predictive text is so intuitive, it sometimes feel like it's reading your mind.

Nokia busts its ass to make awesome proprietary apps (someone mentioned their nav app). I check every day to see if they've come out with something new.

The 8.1 unpdate has taken the phone to another level. Cortana is the first "personal assistant" ive ever spent more than 30 minutes on.


The only downside is to me is, if you don't have any friends with a WP, you won't be doing any mobile multiplayer gaming, but I have an iPad Mini, so that is not a problem.

Here is a decent review.

I had an original iPhone from launch, then after 4 years of dutiful service it died. At the time I was looking to cut costs, and didn't feel like dropping 200 dollars on a new phone, so I picked up a WP7 Samsung Focus.

It was a relative piece of crap, but for all its downsides, the OS was snappy, livetiles were nifty, and it just worked.

About two years ago I upgraded to a Lumia 920, once again mainly a cost consideration, this time in relation to a Galaxy Note 2. It's not perfect, but it's a damn good phone, even though newer models have been released.

The build quality of the Lumia lineup is superb. I've never used a case, and the phone has taken a beating - yet there are no major scratches on the screen and the body still looks and feels excellent. It has a "well made" feeling when you hold it in your hand, not plasticky and breakable like my old focus.

The OS has received a number of major revamps and remains lightweight and snappy. My older phone still runs it brilliantly. It's not like a 3 year old iPhone where the OS has slowed it down to a crawl. It's as fast or faster with WP8 as it was when I bought it.

Cortana is great. I love the reminder system, use it all the time and still probably haven't unlocked the full functionality of it.

As mentioned, the camera is unparalleled. My camera photos are incredibly good. The biggest complaint I have is with the front-facing camera, as it seems to be not sealed completely and I now have dust that obstructs the image, rendering it unusuable. Not that big a qualm for me, I never use it anyways. It was probably my fault anyways.

As far as the app selection goes, it is limited, but it is hardly what it used to be. Just about every major service has an app in the marketplace. Some are 3rd party, but it's pretty easy to distinguish which 3rd party apps are reputable and which ones aren't.

All in all I've had a very positive experience. Just about every major issue I've had with the phone or OS has been resolved as time has gone on, and as mentioned, the build quality is just superb. I really like it. I'm still going to consider jumping to a different OS in a few months, but it's hardly guaranteed I will. WP is definitely a strong contender if you're willing to give it a chance.

I had a Lumia 920, the phone was pretty good. The only flaw was every so often the cpu ran hot even though I killed apps. Didn't happen much but it was probably a stuck thread. I'm not sure if there was a better task manager app for Windows phone than the native one in settings. I felt as if certain threads remained rogue.

I just got a LG G3 phone and it's pretty cool too, however, I may consider going back to Windows phone at some point; it's a good phone. My wife always uses iphones/ipads so I get plenty of apple products. Those are always fine to use.

If Microsoft aquires Xamarin, then you may see much more app development hitting all three platforms using C#; that maybe very interesting for the large masses of .NET developers out there.

I will also add one thing.... not sure I'd go for the 1520 now.

Wait for the 930 or 830 to arrive. I'm personally eyeing the 830 as my next upgrade if the price translates well.

What about the Nokia 635? Aside from less than stellar graphics and cameras it only has 512MB of ram. I guess it's being pushed as a budget phone, but would the lack of RAM really be a problem? Or is RAM not as important to phones as to computers?

Man I really like the specs on the 930, but it doesn't have an expansion sdcard slot. I wonder why.

How important is the camera to you, stridulent?

I really would like to have an awesome camera.

My work provides me with an iPhone 5S (two of them actually), an iPad Air, and an iPad Mini. I still use my 2 year old Nokia Lumia 920 as my primary mobile device because I consider Windows Phone and the suite of Microsoft integrated services to be superior for my needs and personal preferences.

1020 is the no brainer, then.

I took this pic last August with my original 1020 (took back because ATT Next program was a joke at that time) It was taken in pitch black darkness using the xenon flash. I have some others I'll try to find where I used the 4 second exposure.

quote:

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i have a lumia 520 go phone as a backup in case my S4 goes down. crappy hardware, but it was also hella cheap.

its a fantastic os, great Microsoft integration. Cortana is great.

the only real con is a huge one. HORRIBLE APP LIBRARY. if youre just needing phone/email/sms/web browser/maps then it would probably serve you just fine

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This x 1000.

I love the interface, and everything else EXCEPT the App library. Lags way behind Android and Apple in acquiring certain Apps, and there are quite a few that just plain aren't available for Windows. Very frustrating. And not just talking about games, either.

i had a windows phone briefly. i loved it except the app store. certain things it just wouldn't do. but the stuff it did do was brilliant and much more intuitive than any other os. as a long time apple fan, i would love to see a more widespread adoption of windows os. if it eventually gets the support from the dev community, then watch out.

Sloan, be sure to read up on the 8.1 update. They addressed most every issue and added a whole bunch of cool stuff.

Everyone complains about the missing must have apps, but - as in the article I posted above - they never say which apps those are.

Fl_Ag. which apps are you referriing to?

OD, one of my big issues was a problem opening PDF attachments. Even after I downloaded windows official off read app, I still could only open 60-70%. That was a big mess up on their part. Had to take the phone back within my 14 day grace period. They probably fixed that issue but it was the most glaring at the time.

The camera on the 1020 looks amazing! Is video just as good looking? Really wish it had the sdcard expansion slot as well.

It is amazing. Here is a shot I took across the street from my house. No flash, obviously. I did touch it up a bit with Photoshop Express, but the data has to be there.

The video is amazing too. My son plays tball, and I get all my pics from video screenshots. You can hardly tell the difference.

quote:

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What about the Nokia 635? Aside from less than stellar graphics and cameras it only has 512MB of ram. I guess it's being pushed as a budget phone, but would the lack of RAM really be a problem? Or is RAM not as important to phones as to computers?

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my 520 is low on ram and it drives me nuts. lack of processing power i can deal with, but if youre switching between apps back and forth and then trying to watch a video or follow a twitter link it can gum up or even force close apps. its a real pain. get one with a good amount of ram.

I just checked the Windows App Store and it has mostly every app I need.

OD, I am really looking into the 1020 now. That camera just seems amazing. Do the hardware specs of the phone ever make it run sluggish?

quote:

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Everyone complains about the missing must have apps, but - as in the article I posted above - they never say which apps those are.

Fl_Ag. which apps are you referriing to?

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To be honest, I don't use a ton of apps myself, so its not that frustrating to me and I can't think of any off the top of my head. But I do know that usually when I am using a website or product, they will point you to their app and most times it is only for Apple or Android OS. And in many cases where the app is available for Windows phones, the Windows version was finally developed long after the app had been available for OS.

Off the top of my head, I live in Tampa and we have Disney passes, so we go quite often. It took them a long time to develop their very handy in-park app (for fast-passes, wait times, etc) for the Windows OS. That seems to be the case in general - apps are available first for Apple and Android products, then finally for Windows after quite a wait (if at all).

But other than the app issue, I love my Windows phone.

I have the 1520 but only because I drowned my 920. I had insurance and it's what they sent me.

Love the OS and the Nokia is the best piece of phone hardware I've owned. Tough as nails (unless you let it sit underwater for 30 minutes). If your employer is a MS shop there is no better phone. The only app I miss is FlipBook but frankly it's not that big of a deal now that MS has released Bing apps for news, sports, etc. They are pretty good.

quote:

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I just checked the Windows App Store and it has mostly every app I need.

OD, I am really looking into the 1020 now. That camera just seems amazing. Do the hardware specs of the phone ever make it run sluggish?

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Fast as lightning. I've never had mine so much as stutter, let alone freeze up. And that is even when the memory is close to full.

Which brings me to one of the few cons of having such detailed imaging: it takes up a lot of memory. But the eassy fix is to have all your pics upload to a cloud automatically. (or when you're in wifi territory)

If you live close to a Microsoft store, get your phone there. They're much more knowledgable and - obviously - enthusiastic about the phones, and they often have promos that the carriers don't have. I got the coolest phone accessory out there for half price at the MS store here in OKC.



Nokia PD-95G BLACK PD-95G Camera Grip and Extra Battery for Lumia 1020 - Retail Packaging - Black

You asked about the video. Here is a link to one of my tee ball vids. Vimeo lists it as HD, but it's highly compressed. You have an option to DL the video in its original format (1920x1080 / 446MB)}. Night and day difference.

1020 tee ball vid (pretty funny, too)

Thanks man for all the great info. The grip would definitely be an accessory I would buy. Before seeing your post, I went to a Best Buy to try to take a look at the 1020 and they don't carry Windows phones. The closet Microsoft stores are all 45 minutes or further away.

Also researched a few camera reviews/comparisons, and a lot of people are saying the SG5 is better. I'm not sure why. I want the 1020 to be better because I want a Windows phone, but this is definitely stalling my decision.

Where are you seeing that the S5 is a better camera? The only thing I can find is that it is a better camera for ease of use and features, but I haven't found anything that says it takes better pictures. I didin't spend a lot of time looking, which is why I ask.

I did come across this article which sums up what I've generally found in others:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-phone-cameras,review-2272.html

BTW, I took a couple of videos of the phone itself with the new 8,1 OS. One is with the camera/charger accessory (which I only use when I know I'm going to take pics or vids, or if I need a charge) and one with a regular case which makes it much smaller and protects the camera sensor better. It also levels out the back of the phone a bit.

Camera/Charger case (I forgot to show the place where you can hook it up to a tripod, something you have to have for the long exposure shots)

Regular case

Notice how black the blacks are. It is a feature (forget what they call it) that - as far as I know - only the 1020 has. There might be some other brands with the same thing., I don't know. I'm talking Nokia.

P.S. If you were wondering, I took the videos of my 1020 with my old 920.

P.P.S. You began this thread talking about the 1520. Here is an article comparing it to the 1020: 1020 vs. 1520