My Very First Smartphone - It Was Worth The Wait! April 10, 2012

Reviewer:  psychovb 

Friends and family have been making fun of my ancient clam shell for the past 5 years or so. "You still carrying a pager?" Well, this will stop with the Nokia L900. I've never owned a smartphone before but my wife has an Iphone 4 which I play with or use once in a while. The Nokia blows it away IMO. I love the Live Tiles and polycarb casing. When I go back to my wife's Iphone, the screen seems too small now.

One of the things that my clam shell did well was it never dropped calls and voice quality was never an issue (this was the main reason I kept it for so long). Rest assured, this is also not an issue with the Nokia...calls come in crystal clear. It is, afterall, a phone still and call quality is very important to me. But what really compelled me to get my first smartphone was the price and the fact that it is a Nokia. Can't beat it. It should be selling for 2 or 3 times more. But not complaining at all. Friends will be envious now.

For all clam shell victims, please go out and check out this phone and stop being victimized.

Nokia back in the game ... April 9, 2012

Reviewer:  Paul Murphy "slowly growing deaf"  (Seattle) -

It was always going to take a lot to lure me away from my long-term relationship with iOS devices (from 3 to 3GS to 4), but this phone is it. I took delivery on Friday 6th April (thanks to AT&T's slightly early shipping), and very hesitantly powered off my iPhone for the last time to make the switch. I am 4 days into using the phone and absolutely love it. I know there will be people wondering about the switch from an iPhone 4 - the stand-out aspects are speed (both performance and connectivity with 4G LTE), the camera (it's as good as a quality compact), the interface (I love the live tiles in WP7), integrated Outlook and Office (OneNote being particularly handy) and the look and feel (Nokia *know* hardware). Another surprising aspect were the number and availability of applications - I found many of my old favorites were already available, and *definitely* looked and feel better through the WP7 interface. This was always the reason I held back from moving to another platform, but hasn't been an issue at all. Having had experience with a number of other devices, I just don't know why anyone would consider an alternative - particularly with incredibly low handset cost (on contract of course). This phone definitely looks like a game-changer, and Nokia stepping up to the plate with a home run. Fantastic!

New to smart phones May 28, 2012

Reviewer:  Carol  (Memphis, TN) -

I finally gave up my old flip phone for a smart phone. After reading reviews and looking at phones in the store I choose the new Nokia Lumia 900 because Nokia is reliable. I LOVE IT. It's very easy to use. No manual provided but there is one online so you can research what you can't figure out. It's very fast. Other people who have i-phones and androids are amazed at the speed, set up and ease to use. It looks great. I've been calling, emailing, texting, checking facebook, accessing the internet, downloading apps and games. I've even used the camera and uploaded to facebook. So easy. I purchased it at Costco for $69, free activation and a free accessory kit. Clarity and crispness is amazing. Plenty of apps available for me. I'm reading the reviews to find out what else I'm missing out on. So happy I purchased this phone. As you can tell, I'm not tech geek, just a middle-aged woman. So, if I can use this phone anyone can. Highly recommend this phone. Still learning what all it can do so I'll be even more impressed each day.

Better than the iPhone/iOS, time to switch April 28, 2012

Reviewer:  Gary Hsu 

The user interface on the Windows Phone is more intuitive and cleaner than the iPhone. Press and holding down on an icon to gets you a context menu. The "Back" button allows you to navigate back a page just like a browser. Holding down the "Back" button to see a list of apps running and reopen any app on the list. It just makes sense.

Integration with Windows Live allows me to easily update my calendar, contacts from my desktop and see it everywhere desktop/laptop/phone. I can also sync Lotus Notes from work to GMail and have it seamlessly integrate into the phone's calendar and mailbox. Work calendar entries can overlay on the same calendar color coded for work versus personal calendar entry. It's really a great OS.

As for the Lumia 900, it's fast/very responsive. The screen is bright with great contrast. Try watching Netflix on this phone at 4G LTE speed on this large screen and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I think it is an iPhone killer April 26, 2012

Reviewer:  Surendra Naik  (Cupertino, CA USA) -

I pre-ordered my Cyan Lumia 900 from AT&T on-line. Received it by Fed-ex overnight on 4/6, 2 days before it was officially introduced and now enjoying it for 3 weeks. I think it is simply a superb and sleek design. WP7.5 OS is great, Metro interface with live tiles is amazing compared to dead tiles on the iPhone. I find a lot of Apps that I need. It is the quality of Apps that matters,not the number. would like to have Pandora, Saavan, Schwab, CNBC though. Skype works great. 4G/LTE data connection glitch was a big issue that got quickly resolved. After the OS update via Zune, it works fine. The whole user experience is very refreshing compared to iPhone. I like the Cyan color which is unique. People notice it and ask all the time what phone is it. Camera works fine, but there some quality issue in Zoom mode. Nokia manual acknowledges it. But they need to fix it via a patch update. I think it is an iPhone killer. People who blindly go for iPhone should look at this. I was disappointed though how poorly Nokia and AT&T have introduced it so far. The packaging could be original Nokia in a sleek box instead in an AT&T's cheap box. I give 5 stars not penalizing company related screw ups.

Forget the specs.... April 19, 2012

Reviewer:  Anthony L  (Florida) -

Why on earth would I ditch my Dual core LTE qHD screened android phone ( droid bionic) for a phone with a single core processor and a 800 x 480 sceen resolution? Use it. You'll know why. This phone really flies through everything without ever really slowing down , and looks good while doing it.

Lets start with the OS. If you don't like windows phone you won't like this phone so why are you even reading a review? If you aren't really interested in iOS and aren't really satisfied by Android , its a refreshing alternative. It runs extremely smooth , the apps , while not as abundant are very high quality and don't force close all the time like on Android ( Don't argue with me I've had 3 android phones and a nook running Cyanogenmod and all of them have had force close issues). The only absentees that I miss in the app market are Angry birds space , Rio , and Seasons, though I think Space is coming eventually. Rocket Riot is a great game and should be downloaded by everyone.

Hardware? This phone feels great in the hand. Solid , smooth , not at all uncomfortable to hold with a little heft to make it feel substantial but its not a brick. The screen is gorgeous. Doesn't have the bluish tint that other AMOLED screens suffer from. Very visible outside , and most of the time the resolution is something thats not noticeable and looks sharper than some hi-res pentile arrays on android phones. Its great to look at. Thats all that matters , and the polarized glass is a big plus.

Camera- You can definitely get some solid shots out of the thing. Outside pictures have a great amount of depth and detail to them. Inside pictures do fairly well depending on lighting. Though there are some coloration issues , the auto-fix feature greatly improves the pictures. I haven't taken any videos but from what I've seen posted online its reasonably good quality , but its not gonna knock your socks off. The Bionic took better pictures and video , but it also force closed in all kinds of apps , had a half broken gallery app that even when brand new with a mighty dual core processor was not nearly as smooth as the gallery app on this phone , and it also lacked a camera button and took longer to take pictures and to open the camera app.

Reception/Call quality- I switched from Verizon to AT&T so I can't compare it to other phones directly , but reception seems pretty good and call quality is fantastic. The loudspeaker for music is also very loud and clear for a phone.

Battery life- Even getting up early and staying up late , I havent killed it in a day yet after about a week. Battery life is good enough to be something you won't have to think about unless you play games or stream video or use GPS or something like that which will take its toll on any phone.

So why shouldn't you buy this phone? If you think that having a higher screen resolution and a faster processor matters more than the actual experience of the phone and how the screen looks , or If you think you'll actually use all of the hundreds of thousands of apps in Apple or Googles appstore. Otherwise its worth a shot. Is it the best phone that could ever exist? No , in 6 months something will come along with better everything , but thats true of almost any phone you'll buy. Overall , I think the experience on the phone for the price of the phone made it a no brainer for me.

Another Glowing Review from a Lumia 900 Owner April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  hysonmb  (Maryland) -

There have been many reviews that dig into the many good things about this phone so I'm not going to add a ton of detail on that.
I'm writing this more as a focus on those things that the detractors will say it can't do without actually experiencing the phone.

First off, this phone does not have the high end specs of some other phones out there. It does not have multiple cores, it does not have a 64GB variant, it does not have expandable storage, and it does not have a removable battery. Those things make it even more impressive when experiencing what the OS can do with what is packed inside this handset. The single core processor is more than enough to handle all of the tasks thrown at it. The 16GB of storage is enough for most people and if you use the free Skydrive service you really don't need to eat into that space too much at all for anything other than videos. There is no need for a removable battery unless you never put the thing down in an LTE area as most people are able to get a full day of normal use without issue.

Next, apps. This is not directly related to the Lumia 900 but to the Windows Phone platform as a whole. People complain about a "lack of apps" when, in fact, most of the popular apps that people use on other devices are already released in the 70,000+ that are out there today. Many of those that don't have official apps have an unofficial app that someone has written to tie into the same service or an equivalent. Some companies have flat out refused to write applications for the platform and while they may be popular on other platforms, they're just missing out on more sales.

Finally, the build quality. The Lumia is a very well constructed piece of hardware. It has a great size and weight to make it where it does not feel cheap but also is hardly noticeable in the pocket. A Gorilla Glass screen is almost a must on mobile devices these days and because the entire shell of the phone is made from a single injection mold minor nicks and dings wont ruin the appearance (hopefully, I haven't found this out first hand yet). Also, the polycarbonate allows it to take a decent fall without shattering. I haven't drop tested mine, yet, but there are reports already of some falls with little or no damage.

Overall, if you aren't already deeply rooted in Apple or Google ecosystems, there is no reason to not try out the Lumia. It's a great phone, the OS is very well made, and it's absolutely a fully functional device.
It's a steal for the price and if you pick it up in a corporate store you can even return if you don't initially like it so why not?

Love the Nokia apps April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Andres Caldera "acaldera"  (Seattle, WA) -

Just b/c all have been said about the phone, in addition to saying I just love it. The nicest surprise about the phone is actually the included Nokia apps.

Nokia drive is awesome. The maps are impressively accurate, the turn by turn directions work great. I used it during the weekend on a trip to the Olympic penninsula and didn't miss a beat. The equivalent Garmin app is worth $29.99

Great Phone!!! April 12, 2012

Reviewer:  BXNYC 

So i have been a long time apple fanatic. My whole ecosystem is apple. I was very reluctant to get this phone but, let me tell you this phone is amazing. It takes some getting used to coming from a different OS but spend some time with it and you will be up an running in no time. Blazing fast will smoke my iphone in just about any task. Screen is beautiful and easy to see in daylight, If you have a mac just download windows 7 connector and you can easily put pics,podcasts,music and whatever else you want from itunes in no time. The only reason im not giving it 5 stars is it still missing some apps and the selection is not that great, having said that there are still plenty the usual suspects to choose from they may have a different name you just have to take some time to find them. This is definitely the OS of the future with next next update to WP8 this thing is gonna be a force to recon with.

Awesome phone - Had some issues with setting up Google account but solved it. April 10, 2012

Reviewer:  Doosra  (Rochester, NY) -

I got the phone yesterday, and had almost a day to play with it. I have been extremely impressed by the smooth operation of the OS and how the contacts, calendars etc. are tightly integrated. The phone itself is very pleasing to hold. The screen is beautiful (my wife has an iPhone4s so I am very well aware of the "Retina" display, but there is something special about the Nokia screen even though it has a lower resolution. The contrast is excellent, and images and text just stand out in terms of clarity. 4.3" is slightly big, would have preferred a 4" screen, but that takes nothing away from the quality of the screen. Touch response seems to be smoother than what I experience on the iphone. There is of course more to explore, and I am sure there will be bugs that will come up. But that should not take away any points from the fact that Nokia has partnered with Microsoft to bring a high quality phone to the US. Finally!!!!

Just to make it clear, I am not biased towards any OS. I have previously owned the iphone 3, 3g, 4 and currently have the iPad2 and HTC Flyer, so I am quite familiar with what the different mobile OS have to offer.

While setting up the Google account I did run into some authentication errors. Finally found a solution that worked. problem is not with Windows OS but on Google side. See the details below:

Basically, I created a 2-step verification on for my Gmail accounts, which seemed to be what was impeding the authentication. I opened up Gmail in a browser, opened up 'Mail Settings' (the gear icon in the top-right corner of the page), went to the 'Accounts' tab, and clicked on 'Other Google Account settings". Once I authenticated a 2-step verification process under "Security" option, I clicked "Authorizing applications & sites". Then I basically followed the steps on that page to create a once-off application-specific password for the Nokia phone (one can name it anything they want), and used the generated password by google to sync my account on the Nokia phone and voila! It worked! Once I figured out what I was doing, it took be no more than 2 minutes.

I am in love April 13, 2012

Reviewer:  Jeremy 

I recently got this phone coming from an iPhone. I got mine at an AT&T store rather than Amazon because I also had some account issues to work out. I'm not really sure where to begin. This phone is fantastic! I don't know what they did to the body but it just feels very good in the hand. It has a very soft yet durable quality. I have the black one and the design is just gorgeous, in my opinion.

One of the things that struck me right away compared to the iPhone is how animated and lively the every day experience of navigating around is. Everything feels extremely fast and slick. I can sit here opening and closing various screens and it looks like the graphics are dancing, because everything is animated and futuristic. Some buddies of mine cautioned me that it might be slow because it only has a single core processor, but this is one of the fastest phones I have ever used. However, it takes around 10 seconds to load some of the more graphics intensive games like Hydro Thunder. I love the fact that all of my social network notifications and other information just appear on my home screen. It makes it easy to keep up with things without having to go into several different apps.

Get this phone.

Fantastic phone... April 9, 2012

Reviewer:  J. Eldredge  (California) -

Coming from a Samsung Focus the Nokia Lumia 900 is a definite step up.

Processor speed: Noticably quicker in places like the xbox live app where your avatar pops up quicker and games (especially the Harvest)and apps load much quicker.

Screen: The 4.3" screen is beautiful and easy to read in the outdoor sun with little glare. The touchscreen is responsive and the gorilla glass is very durable.

Camara: Outdoor shots are great, the 720P video is great. Better than my focus. Indoor shots can suffer from noise depending on lighting, but are still pretty good for a phone. Hopefully Nokia will fine tune some of the settings in future firmware updates.

Software: I can only recommend people tryout WP7 and make their own opinions about it. The OS runs very smoothly, with little to no lag, and very almost never locks up. In fact I can't think of one time in 18 months of owning my Focus that I had to do a hard reset.

Apps: I would be lying if I said that WP7 was lacking some apps. While a large portion of the most popular apps on the other OS platforms have either official apps or 3rd party apps on WP7 there are a lot that don't. The positive thing is that as the user base growns, the potential for these apps to come to the market are much greater. And while it is not an app, per se, I still consider the Zune service to be the best thing ever, and the driving force for me to go WP7. $10 a month for unlimited DRM protected music downloads (you cancel service you can't play them), has allowed me to download entire catalogs of musicians, and to explore other types of music without the financial risk. Plus I can stream music from my PC, Xbox, and phone if I don't want to download. By far my favorite service with WP7.

Nokia Apps: This is one area that app market shine on the Nokia Lumia 900. Nokia Drive, a full offline, voice navigated, turn by turn, GPS app is FREE. Offering the ability to download anything from individual states to full countries of offline navigation. Creative Studio is a phenominal picture editing app. The ESPN app is well set up, offering video and live tiles for each sport. And I read nothing but praise for Nokia Transit.

The only con I have about the phone for me is the increase in size will take some time to get used to. Being significantly larger in the hand I have almost dropped the phone a couple times.

For those who are interested in the WP7 platform, this is a great phone to enter the platform on. The build quality is exceptional, the OS experience is fluid, and the phone is a joy to use. Personally, I've had a hard time putting the phone down since I got it on the 6th.

I love my Lumia 900 April 25, 2012

Reviewer:  LemonJoose  (Boston, MA USA) -

I have the blue model, and this phone is great. Everything just works smoothly and naturally. Microsoft and Nokia have really hit this one out of the park. Those new TV ads are right -- every other phone looks and feels like it was a beta test after you use one of these. The camera is fantastic and the screen is gorgeous. Web browsing is fast and smooth on LTE or WiFi. The app selection is great. If anything, I think the app store experience is better because you have to sort through less chaff to find the useful apps. Last time I checked, you can't get WORDAMENT on the iPhone or Android. The Lumia 900 is suited for everyone from basic users who only have a few contacts, to power users with lots of different email accounts & hundreds of contacts.

Finally a Nokia phone,Great Value and Easy to use April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Ralph Texas 

After researching the phone and comparing it(with the galaxy note) I found the Nokia Lumia Black 900 an excellent choice and having ZUNE music player helped as well.
The NOte was too big and pricey, while the Nokia was within my price range and perfect size.
When purchased thru Amazon on April 8, I was expecting to pay $99 but WOW! after selecting it for an upgrade it showed $19.99. Right away I added it to cart, purchased it and within 3 days I got it with a bonus(a free car charger).
So I when I opened the box, I was amazed of the size and camera detail on back. Within 30 minutes of charging and calling to activate it, I was making phone calls, texting, exploring the net and setting up my profile.
The only problem I found was inserting the microsim card cuz I thought I was going to break the door and pinhole.
Since I had a regular sim card from my previous motorola phone, I transfered my contacts thru google/gmail. No problem here.
Love this new nokia phone.

So happy with this phone!!! April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Trueharmony 

I am a phone fanatic. Thank god I am in the Telecom industry and don't have to pay for most of my phones. In the past year alone I have used an iPhone 4, Samsung Focus, HTC Inspire 4G Samsung, Infuse 4G, Samsung Skyrocket, and Galaxy Nexus. I laid down the $99 for this phone for me and my wife, and we could not be happier about doing it. I had some reservations moving over to Windows Phone based on my early experience with the Focus - man have things changed. I love how solid the hardware feels in your hand and how integrated WP7.5 really is. The voice actions over bluetooth (read texts to you, reply to messages, call contacts - all over bluetooth) is absolutely amazing. Regarding the Marketplace - I am not missing 1 single app from Android and now have over 50 apps on my phone. If I could find one gripe, it would be that the vibrate sounds loose in the phone, but my wife's is fine. I have to say Thank You Microsoft and Thank you Nokia for such a wonderful experience. I truly believe that this phone is the launching point for Windows Phone. Well done!

A very smart smartphone April 14, 2012

Reviewer:  Chek Lim 

**Using my husband's Amazon account **

I traded in my Blackberry at the AT&T online store for this phone and boy was I glad I did. It feels like I advanced technologically 5 years overnight. My husband has an iPhone and he can't stop playing with my phone, and the only thing stopping him from getting one is his contact isn't up for another 2 months. So far for me the 'lack of apps' is overblown - if you are looking for some odd ball apps that few people use, maybe you will find more of them on iTunes but there are Lumia apps like the Nokia nav that beats having 5 iPhone apps. Just downloaded the OS fix and will see how that fares in the coming days but so far very happy with the phone.

PS. Remember how long it took Apple to admit to the antenna problem? Nokia/MS came right out and produced a fix in less than a week and issued a more than generous credit. There will always be bugs but I would much rather be dealing with a company that is forthcoming.

Excellent hardware..excellent software..excellent network speeds April 12, 2012

Reviewer:  Don Keys  (Chicago, IL) -

I am an AT&T customer since 2002. I was due for an upgrade for at least a year, and I was holding on to it as I was not impressed with anything out there..until Nokia Lumia 900 showed up. I pre ordered it on 4/2 from AT&T and received mine on 4/6. I have been using this phone heavily for the last one week, and here are my impressions:

Pros:

- Excellent build quality, it feels solid in your hand. The polycarbonate shell is just amazing. It feels real premium in your hand, you have to hold it in person to understand what I am trying to convey.
- Signal strength on this phone is absolutely amazing. If you have trouble with getting adequate signal in places that matter, I will absolutely recommend this phone. Nokia pedigree shows.
- Great battery life. With above average use, 3 email accounts, bluetooth on, WiFi on, I have 20% or more juice left by the time I go to sleep.
- I am on conference calls often, and the speakerphone on this phone is real good.
- I am not a blind follower of any OS, but Windows Phone 7.5 Mango is very intuitive, easy to use and real fluid. It is designed in a way to reach your most used tasks in 2 to 3 clicks. This takes away some of the extreme customizations you can do on some other OSes, but for most users, this will be a nonissue.
- The data speeds on LTE is blindingly fast. If you are in an LTE area, and use data on the go, this is the phone to get. It works well on AT&T HSPA+ network also, so don't hesitate to try if you are not in LTE area.
- Nokia provides a free turn by turn Navigation on this phone with downloadable maps. This is pretty cool as you don't need a data connection to use this. Very helpful for people who travel to Europe.

Edit: Another reviewer just reminded me of another pro. The circular polarising ClearBlack display helps you read better in direct sunlight.

Cons:

The cons on this phone are very minor from my perspective. However to bring some balance to my review, here are some:

- The camera is great for outdoor shots, but not that great indoors. A lot of this I believe is due to user error, ie. getting used to the 2 step camera button. If you can get into the manual settings and tweak, you can get much better shots. Normally, Nokia issues software updates for their phones to improve the camera over time, I hope this would be the case.
- The piece of metal around the camera scratches pretty easily. There are some gel cases that snugly fit without taking away the beauty of this phone that could help ease this.
- Screen attracts finger print easily, but I guess that is the case for all touchscreen phones.
- App store for Windows is still in a growth stage. There are some 80000+ apps in there, but a lot of them are poor quality (same with other OSes too). I found most of the 20+ apps I need, but if you are looking for a lot of apps, please check Microsoft Windows Phone webpage if your favorite app is available.

PS: Did I say this is an absolute beauty? The word stunning will be an understatement in my opinion. I mean there is nothing like it, and if you are looking to stand out of the crowd, this is the one to pick. Once you hold it, everything else looks so boring.

WOW.... This is one gorgeous phone! April 11, 2012

Reviewer:  HopStepJump  (Moon) -

Receveied this phone today. This is so much better than I thought. I was using Iphone for few years and switched to Samsung focus S which I receivd as a gift from my friend. I liked Focus S, but I felt Lumia is much solid. even I don't feel like i need a case for it. Also Nokia Drives is GREAT. Bing map was ok, but not great. I no longer need CAR navigation system. I highly recommend it! To be honest, Nokia Drive is one of the main reason I recoomend this phone! try it, you will love it. My quesiton for Microsoft is that why can't they have app like Nokia drive come with other WP7 phones?? Well Nokia did great job on this phone!

BETTER THAN IPHONE April 8, 2012

Reviewer:  apple pie 

I owned iPhone 3g 3gs and 4.once I got lumia 900,It's a refreshing.good looking,bigger screen,live tile,4g lte,Do I have enough reason?

animation of tiles April 8, 2012

Reviewer:  David Staub "dave"  (Orlando, FL) -

I enjoy the animation of the tiles when you make your selection. It appears as if the unselected tiles are blown away by the wind with the remaining tile the one you selected. It's a cool animation.