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Tech review: Windows Lumia smartphone solid, unlikely to be a hitJun 02, 2012 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For my money, Microsoft did a shockingly excellent job in transforming its awful Windows smartphones into Windows Phone 7, an operating system that's smooth, full of personality and, most importantly, useful. And then nobody bought it. In the latest survey I've seen, International Data Corp. estimated that the Windows platform has just 2.2 percent of the smartphone market, down from 2.6 percent last year. Only the "other" category scored lower. Clearly, some drastic steps are needed. Which brings us to the Nokia Lumia 900. This new smartphone is being pegged as the flagship Windows phone by Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T, and it has been heavily advertised. Is this the phone that will change people's minds? The Lumia 900 certainly makes a striking first impression, with the body featuring curved edges and all the physical buttons moved to the right side. It would look fantastic if the screen didn't stick out of the body slightly. Speaking of the screen, its relative low resolution is maybe the weakest feature of this phone. It doesn't look bad, though it's easily outclassed by the iPhone and many Android phones. But the Lumia wasn't made on the cheap. On the contrary, the processor was fast enough to handle everything I threw at it without stuttering. Even complex websites that gave other smartphones minor problems worked well on the mobile version of Internet Explorer. I was also impressed by the camera's tap controls. Instead of simply just centering the focus on an object with a tap of the screen, the tap also takes a picture fast enough to keep awful shutterbugs like me from messing up the shot. Beyond that, the experience isn't much different from the other Windows smartphones out there. The "people" tile admirably combines all your contacts and their social network feeds, a stripped-down version of Office is still standard, and other aspects of the device are smooth and well-animated. All in all, though, the Lumia isn't a game-changer, and its specs do nothing to persuade those who turned up their noses at other Windows phones to give it another shot. So, what exactly is the big strategy here? The price. Although the Lumia's overall performance makes it comparable to $200 smartphones, AT&T, Nokia and Microsoft have priced it aggressively at $99. If you're looking for a solid phone, don't want to spend a lot of money and don't mind sticking out from the crowd, the Lumia 900 is a fine choice. But I'm a little skeptical that the phone will become the massive hit they're looking for. Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T, $99.99 Pros: Inexpensive, buttery smooth, nice auto-camera Cons: Screen doesn't impress, relative lack of apps Robert Evatt 918-581-8447 [email protected] ___ (c)2012 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at www.tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |