The Nokia Lumia 800 Rant. It isn’t for everyone, BUT it is an attractive option for the majority and an amazing job from Nokia.
Advertisements
It’s too early for anyone to be reading this right now I guess, but I’m taking a break from learning cranial nerves. :p
Reading the comments on the Nokia Lumia 800 posts, there’s something that I keep repeating in replies. I thought it might be worth summarising my thoughts into one post and just linking back here when appropriate.
The Nokia Lumia 800 Rant.
The Nokia Lumia 800 has a great user experience:
- Fast, fluid, reliable. This is so understated.
- Core applications are done marvellously. People/Social contacts is superb.
- Push email just works. (even with non MS things. I’m using GMAIL).
- Calendar sync is wonderful.
- Messaging is incredible. The WP keyboard is amazing. I have learned to type pretty much blind on my WP, and in portrait. Something I never, ever expected.
- The browser is great. It’s fast (it’s somehow even faster than NoDo now…)
- It can multitask
- It has apps, a decent library of them and a growing at a great pace. It has Angry Birds :p.
There are many other features (WiFi tethering, which IS being sorted for Lumia 800, Office, the bing search additions – bing voice, bing vision, the app linking, the people hub groups, the immediate twitter integration, facebook chat, instant on camera, swipe left gallery, future integration with Kinect, SkyDrive sync, Nokia Music, Navigation that works etc etc), little things here and there, but those above in bullet points are what I’d consider some core smartphone experiences. Those are the things you’d be using every day, in and out of your daily activities above all else.
.
For the MAJORITY of smartphone consumers, that is more than enough. In the Nokia Lumia 800, consumers are being offered what is now being accepted as possibly the most beautiful smartphone ever. Solid, stunning, feels great, amazing screen, awesome reception. That is paired with that Windows Phone Mango experience. Undoubtedly for those consumers then, that makes the Lumia 800 a very viable and attractive choice.
Lumia 800 not for everyone
.
But let’s make things clear too. The Nokia Lumia 800 isn’t for everyone.
- It is not for those who are quite tech conscious and have gotten used to the flexibility and customization of Symbian or Android
- It is not for those who want a front facing camera (somehow, in comments, it has sparked something suggesting it’s a life or death feature)
- It is not for those who want that cutting edge, super top end, super large screen, dual core, 720p screen etc etc.
- It is not for those who really want the bountiful apps found in Apple’s app store (though as some reviews have pointed out, check out what apps you actually need, perhaps WP already has them. e.g. Kindle, Office, Evernote, Shazam and of course, Angry Birds :p)
- It is not for those who want that special N9 swipy awesomeness.
- It is not for those who hate Microsoft
- It is not for those who just want a Symbian phone
- It is not for those who wanted at the very least a Nokia home grown OS in Nokia hardware.
What’s important for Nokia right now is to deliver the right user experiences from their devices to their target consumers. Your general consumer couldn’t give a toss if it has a front facing camera, or what processor it’s using and how many cores. They want something that looks nice, and works really well in the general sense of what’s expected now in smartphones. Crucially, the Nokia Lumia 800 delivers on this front.
.
Lumia 800 does what most smartphone consumers will need it to do – and wonderfully at that.
Right now, Nokia is trying to push the Nokia Lumia 800 everywhere (Ads, banners, TV idents, all over channel 5’s website etc). Nokia wants and needs people to be aware of this new product and give it a chance, something noted by various analysts to be the main Nokia hurdle right now. The marketing looks to be going incredibly for them (to the point that my non techy friends have heard of ‘the new Nokia with windows phone’ that isn’t even on sale yet). However the intention of Nokia in all this marketing is to shove the Lumia 800 in your face and direct you to believe it’s suitable for everyone. No.
.
They know as we do, that everyone has different needs, different requirements, different expectations, different desires in their smartphones. For some, fortunately for Nokia, the Lumia 800 will fit the bill. For others, it clearly won’t.
.
For the majority of smartphone consumers though, current ones and those that will be transitioning from mobile phones, again, the important factor is that it delivers in user experience – the core features of smartphones done extremely well above, all packaged in that wonderful, Finnish Nokian shell.
Looking at the situation for Nokia, they have made the right steps here. They’ve miraculously got a working high-end(ish, it is 8xx though not flagship 9xx) in 8 months, ready to be on sale in just over a week.
.
Yes, it’s a shame that Nokia also couldn’t have come out all guns blazing with much higher end hardware. And from the looks of it, we won’t really be looking at the real high end Nokia Windows Phone flagship until 2012. When that’s out, that’s when we can really see Nokia’s game against the arsenal of the competition.
.
The Lumia 800 IS the first real Windows Phone in some ways. The Nokia 900 (or whatever it’s going to be called) is the first real Nokia Windows Phone. That flagship will be the one to define the partnership.
Right now, Nokia Lumia 800 does enough of what it needs to for Nokia.
Real World opinion – The Independent
Take a look at this article below. Just quite aptly appeared whilst typing up my rant. We just rounded up some more Nokia Lumia 800 reviews from the tech blogosphere in a previous post. This however, is from main stream, very high profile media, The Independent.
.
What are they writing about the Nokia Lumia 800?
“And it’s amazing.”
The hardware, has the same magical spell on everyone. You cannot help but fall in love with it, be enthralled with it, to the point that it looks like Nokia is stuffing your pocket to say such things but no. They have produced quality in design that we have always known them for, and as such, are rewarded with the highest of praises.
- when you pick it up it feels like no other phone around.
- it’s invitingly warm to the touch
– The Independent
What of the OS? Is Windows Phone a downfall? No.
- it’s worth getting used to, and quickly pays dividends. In fact, I’d say it’s absolutely as usable and appealing as the iPhone’s iOS, but takes a mental shift to appreciate it.
- The software looks beautiful throughout
- This is no geeky workmanlike interface, it’s luxury tempered by modernity.
- dizzyingly fast, with a superbly responsive touchscreen
- A phone like the Lumia 800 is a highly likeable piece of hardware and the Windows Phone OS has lots going for it
– The Independent
The point of the article from the Independent was to gauge whether Nokia has finally produced an iPhone Killer or at the very least, something that is sufficiently competitive and can be considered an adversary. I guess in a way, that’s what a lot of the tech world was expecting too. Where is my Nokia to stomp on iThing and greenbots? Whilst that is also something Nokia will need to eventually address, Nokia has done enough right now. If you’re a Nokia fan, that should be music to your ears. We’re getting back on track.
- I’m not sure this is the fabled iPhone killer some want it to be, but if there’s any justice, it’ll prove popular with customers and make rival manufacturers take notice.
- Â More importantly, it puts Nokia back in the smartphone game with a vengeance.
– The Independent
Summary:
.
The Nokia Lumia 800 delivers what Nokia wants and NEEDS it to deliver for consumers right now. It isn’t going to be for everyone, but it will be a very attractive option for the majority of consumers. The N9 might be a better option for you, perhaps it’s the N8 or one of the new Belle devices. Maybe what’s best for you right now isn’t even a Nokia. It could be a different WP7 manufacturer, an Android, an iPhone, or even a BlackBerry. It could hopefully, be the Nokia Lumia 800. What’s important is you get what suits you best. With the package the Nokia Lumia 800 offers, it makes itself a very viable consideration for the mass consumer. Thankfully with the effort Nokia’s putting into their marketing, it will at least get it noticed and hopefully into people’s hands to try.
.
Nokia’s focus is to get Nokia Windows Phone right, and it’s safe to say this first round with the Nokia Lumia 800 has done just that.
.
Nokia FTW!
Advertisements
Category: Nokia, Rant, Windows Phone
About the Author (Author Profile)
Hey, thanks for reading my post. My name is Jay and I'm a medical student at the University of Manchester. When I can, I blog here at mynokiablog.com and tweet now and again @jaymontano. We also have a twitter and facebook accounts @mynokiablog and  Facebook.com/mynokiablog. Check out the tips, guides and rules for commenting >>click<< Contact us at tips(@)mynokiablog.com or email me directly on jay[at]mynokiablog.comSubscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.