Phone app takes you directly to Voicemail requiring password April 28, 2012

Reviewer:  John Hiemstra  (West Linn, OR USA) -

My review is to help people resolve a problem that drove me nuts trying to find a solution. My phone, upon delivery, did not have the voicemail password established. This caused my phone app to open the voicemail feature each time I wanted to use the phone pad or contact list to make a call. I would have to input a password (I have a password established to open the phone up for security) so I would use the main password (I found out that ANY password would work at this point because none was established for voicemail!). The phone app would then allow me to select the keyboard or contact list but in a few seconds, the app would revert back to the voicemail password field requiring me to re-input the password (remember, I didn't have one at this point). This process would recycle every few seconds but if I was fast enough, I could get the keyboard open to input a phone number to make a call!

Here is the solution: open voicemail up (call yourself or press the number 1 key), go to admin for voicemail and establish a password! After establishing a password, the phone app takes you directly to the keyboard or contact list instead of forcing you to input a voicemail password.

Now you know. I switched from an iPhone 3GS to try out the Windows phone and am very pleased with the phone. I am missing a couple of my favorite apps that are not available yet on the Windows platform but fortunately I can still access them from my iPad. They will come as this platform gains traction. This phone is a great value for the price and a real challenge to the iPhone 4S.

Very fast, nice screen and camera April 26, 2012

Reviewer:  Brian Duperrouzel  (NY, NY) -

I am a two-time iPhone owner but for me, speed trumps Apple's brand or app availability.

AT&T's 4G LTE network combined with a fast operating system makes this phone absolutely scream at web browing, facebook, twitter, email, etc. I am 2x more productive on this phone compared to my iPhone 4.

The Windows OS seems pretty solid, and feels more modern than iOS. The bigger screen on the Lumia is to my liking over the smaller iPhone.

I am very happy with my purchase.

A great alternative to the iPhone April 26, 2012

Reviewer:  Chris Blum  (North Carolina) -

I've been an iPhone user for a number of years now and I decided it was time for a change. A friend of mine got a windows phone last year and I thought the interface looked nice and clean, so when I heard about the Lumia 900 I decided I would give it a try.

So far this phone has exceeded my expectations in almost every way. The Windows Phone 7.5 interface is fast, easy and very aesthetically pleasing. If you are tired of all the cluttered little squares that make up the iOS interface, you are not alone as that is one of the reasons I like the Lumia 900. The live tile area (the big squares you usually see when you see a windows Phone) is clear, customizable and many of the apps give live information without having to actually open the app. To name a few, the weather shows the current weather, calendar shows what's coming up next, and your pictures cycle through to give you a different look all the time. You can have multiple e-mail accounts separate or linked, and each of them can be it's own live tile so there is no need to back up and choose which account to view after entering the e-mail app.

The only downside to the OS right now is the lack of apps. It has most of what I need as far as basic apps, but there aren't a whole lot of developers making apps for it yet, so it's missing a few things that I would want.

The phone itself has a really nice big screen and it is easy to navigate or answer calls with one hand. It's quick to enter the camera without having to unlock the phone (just hold the camera button down for a couple seconds), and the quality of the photos are excellent. The only slight negative when it comes to the buttons are that the lock button and volume buttons are right about where I would naturally hold the phone when talking. However after a couple weeks I'm starting to get used to holding it slightly differently so I don't accidentally hit those buttons.

Other than a few minor issues, I highly recommend this phone!

Stunned April 15, 2012

Reviewer:  O. Evans  (USA) -

I got the new Lumia as a gift and decided to set it up for my kids. I was amazed at the new Windows experience. Unbelievably I think there are many dimensions on which this is better than an iPhone. My only criticism is the camera quality. But beyond that it is amazing in almost every dimension.

Great Smartphone Contender April 15, 2012

Reviewer:  Griff 

I have been testing out the nokia lumia 900 for the past week and a half and so far i have loved it.
Things that will immediately stick out when handled:

Great feel( Size, shape, weight) in my opinion this is one of the best feeling phones that i have ever used.

Fluid OS, this is my first Windows 7 Phone and even though i had heard good things i have never given them a fair shake. I am extremely surprised at how well this OS is built, and how slick the everyday use is.

Bright Screen, most phones these days boast some sort of ridiculous stat for screen's resolution and clarity. most of these confuse the average consumer with odd terms and crazy stats. At the end of the day if you put it in someones had and they love the screen, you know you have done your job. Nokia has nailed it, the blacks are dark and the colors pop off the screen.

after the first week of use the major things i noticed was that nokia has brought to the table is their great antanna and their classic call quality. Speaker phone was loud (for a change), and i had to turn the earpiece volume down.

Great Phone for a great price.

This phone is just so beautiful! April 30, 2012

Reviewer:  Thomas_M 

If I tell you how beautiful this phone is, you might not believe me, so I'm just going to quote Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Steve Wozniak:

"I'm kind of shocked on every screen -- much more beautiful than the same apps on Android and iPhone. So I think that what Microsoft or Nokia did is that they went to some of the key app makers and got them to deliberately make specialized beautiful ones or they put their own themes on..."

"I also surmised that Steve Jobs might have been reincarnated at MS due to a lot of what I see and feel with this phone making me think of a lot of great Apple things."

"Just for looks and beauty, I definitely favor the Windows 7 phone over Android"

Screen Better than iPhone, Nokia Apps are Amazing April 19, 2012

Reviewer:  RushCreek519  (Columbus, OH United States) -

Bought this phone at the AT&T store last Thursday and received the phone this Wednesday. Store was running a great promo where you pay $100 for the phone and receive $100 in free accessories. This is the best phone I've ever seen.

Highlights:
SCREEN: side-by-side with iPhone, the blacks are so black on the Nokia (can't even tell where the edges of the screen are), colors are more vibrant, looks great in direct sun (iPhone screen is reflective and washed-out)

FAST: Windows is so fast and fluid on the 900, both Wi-Fi and 4G are wicked fast for browsing

ALIVE: again side-by-side with iPhone, the Windows tiles are moving and updating all the time with Facebook posts, weather, texts, etc... iPhone looks dated and dead by comparison (Grid of icons, nothing moves, looks like 1985)

CALLS: call quality is great. Voices are clear and natural, strong signal, no dropped calls, visual voice mail is slick

BATTERY: lasts a whole day of use (8 am - midnight) with plenty of battery to spare

APPS: all of apps I use are here or integrated into the OS. Facebook, Twitter, & LinkedIn integration working brilliantly! I love how you can switch between text/facebook/messenger all in the same conversation and see all of someone's posts and pictures combined together from the People hub or Pictures app no matter what service they posted them too. Netflix app plays smooth and looks great as does MLB At Bat streaming baseball games. The gems are the Nokia apps. Nokia drive is the best phone nav I have seen and it is FREE. Many choices for voices, 2D & 3D views, you can download maps so that it works even when there is no cell service, and it provides nav for the entire world with what seems like every possible language available (again all free). Nokia Maps is like Drive but for walking around and exploring cities & neighborhoods, provides local info about what to see, do, and eat combining reviews and info from many online services (lonely planet, etc). Nokia Transit is similar but provides local transit routing directions, again with worldwide support (Cool! Great for the trip to Seoul or Paris).

I could go on forever about how much I love this phone!

Pleasantly Surprised - My Favorite Smart Phone Right Now April 13, 2012

Reviewer:  P. Allen  (FORT WORTH, TX, US) -

Window Phone OS + Nokia Hardware is a win. While processor specs may look unimpressive, this phone out performs my former dual core Android phone and is snappier than my iPad2. This is my first time trying the Windows Phone OS and so far, I am very happy with it. One of my favorite things about the platform is how all 3rd party apps I find are designed with the same Metro style giving an impressive unity to the UI across all apps - even more so than with iOS. The people hub is brilliant. It mixed my contacts (which were a complete mess) from Windows Live, Outlook, Facebook, GMail into one, clean, deduped list. Any interaction you want to do with someone is right there in one place.

As for the hardware, again, resist the temptation to focus on specs. The resolution is nothing like the retina by the numbers, but its beautiful. The blacks are extremely black which looks stunning with the black-heavy Metro UI. The colors pop and Nokia's proprietary coated glass cuts glare and looks impressive. My only complaint about the screen is that it tends to really show fingerprints.

The camera is great, but maybe not the very top available. Its better than the camera on my Motorola Atrix. In comparisons with the iPhone 4s, it seems to be a matter of situation as to which produces the better image. The Lumia 900's images tends to be warmer in general. Sometimes that looks really great, sometimes you want to tweak it a bit.

Overall, this phone is great! Its a real looker. I've had numerous people ask me what phone I have when I've been out in the last few days. I dont know if the public at large is ready to try a new OS, but I'm convinced that if they do, they will love the Lumia 900 running the Windows Phone OS.

The best smartphone available... and a beauty! April 11, 2012

Reviewer:  Laurent Marie Bastie "Laurent Bastié"  (France) -

My first phone was a Nokia (6110) in 1998. Then, I almost had all brands! I finally got my Lumia 900. This is such a perfect phone: beauty of the design, responsiveness, nice and user friendly operating system (Android is such a complex and basd OS in comparison), great camera (it will not substitute a real camera, but still, great), nice sound...

I also got the Zune Pass at $10/month with unlimited music download.

All of this for $0!

Buy it and enjoy it!

A Real Review From A IPHONE User June 7, 2012

Reviewer:  Shaun F. Mathis "Shamat77"  (Queens, NY) -

Unfortunately the majority of the knocks on the LUMIA 900 and the Windows OS (MANGO) are so obviously written from a "...because its not like the IPHONE" point of view. I struggled for a longtime with the decision to break away from the APPLE ecosystem. I have a IPAD but I still use my PC for productivity. The IPAD and the IPHONE work together so seamlessly. All my plugs and adapters work together so why not stay with APPLE?

The fact is that the change isn't nearly as dramatic as I thought it would be and the phone works beautifully. I wanted something different and because WINDOWS/NOKIA is competing they throw everything at you. For $99, I get built in Navigation (voiced), Transit schedules (every major city and then some), Maps (for online and offline use), Text Messaging (read & written by voice via bluetooth), Code Scanners (those weird boxes u see in magazine ads and store windows), etc. Yeah I know the IPHONE has all that for $100 more. The reality is that the specs are irrelevant to most of you. Someone writes that the IPHONE's pixel density on the screen is superior. Trust me when I tell u that you won't notice. That is for someone looking for a writing point. The camera? Well the Iphone 4s does have sharper pictures but again you won't notice much and I use my Canon for important pictures anyway. ITUNES versus ZUNE. It seems like a pain to have both since I still use my shuffle for the gym but want content on my windows phone. Its not. Unlike ITUNES, ZUNE isn't a space hog and easily reads the music on your computer and translates it to Zune format for easy transfer to your phone. Perfect, even though I don't use my phone in the gym but only keep podcasts on my phone. The ITUNES APP STORE is bigger by far but I find that with the exception of Words With Friends I miss nothing. APPS are overrated since most of us only use 20% of the ones on our phone.

As for the size of the LUMIA, ask yourself why the new IPHONE is getting a larger screen? The LUMIA is not hard to hold but no it is not as small as the Iphone. You get used to it just like you got use to the touch screen when you thought that wasn't gonna ever happen. Well that is a good thing since many of us have started using our phone to type emails and documents*, watch movies, play games, etc. The bigger screen is so much better for those things. You buy a case which has rubberized grips and your fine. Besides, the LUMIA's build quality is great and doesn't bulge crazy in my suit jacket. It is just fine in my car cup holder and obviously a bag holds everything fine. So, ignore the APPLE shilling among the AT&T employees (they get a bigger commission I suspect from the IPHONE)and jump on the next cool thing and stop being like everyone else. You will have no buyers remorse. This phone is beautiful. *Microsoft Office on your phone has the wonderful benefit of making editing, downloading, and reading documents on your phone a wonderfully easy and intuitive experience.

Nokia's Windows Phone Rocks May 25, 2012

Reviewer:  Miss Chiff  (CA USA) -

I had to learn iPhone and Android because I am the "go-to" person for both my husband and my boss. I loved the iPhone OS, but found the Android OS clunky and awkward. I had an old Nokia running Symbian - awesome hardware, but few apps available.

I had just received a Lumia 700 as a gift. Being a Microsoft hater, I was shocked how much I liked the Windows OS. I like the seamless integration with my Live account. I also loved the actual phone, but was used to a better screen. Then I saw the 900 . . . I lusted after it, BAD. I decided that it was worth insulting my gift-giver and ordered the phone.

And now, with SkyDrive, even if I lose my phone, I don't lose all my files. When I activated my new 900, everything from my 700 was automatically there! OMG - I LOVE IT. I would be lost without Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive. Both apps work so much better than my old GPS.

The screen is unbelievably bright with great contrast. Videos are beautiful on this screen. Camera is great, the panoramic stitching is amazing.

This phone is great for the smart-phone newbie or the smart-phone junkie. It really has something for everyone. And the number of useful apps seems to be growing rapidly. I really can't say enough about this phone.

At first didn't know if I would like it, two days in and I love it! May 6, 2012

Reviewer:  Alexander M. Pickett 

Great phone all around, the user interface is perfect. Not to messy or cluttered, wicked easy to use. The amount of apps are fine, the majority of apps on Android is impressive yet wouldn't use 75% of them, this gets the job done in a new and sleak way. Really am happy I stuck with it past the first day.

Great Phone May 5, 2012

Reviewer:  Dhabud "dhabud"  (Milwaukee, WI) -

This is the best phone avaialable in market. Excellent battery life. Nice screen size. Most of all the apps + excellent games from xbox. + Zune software integration with wifi podcast makes it a real smart phone. Syncs happen on wifi while the phone is charging. Very Snappy interface. Live tiles tells me number of emails in my inbox + missed calls right in my face without going into email app. Only thing I dont like is Camera (blue tint in low light situations) but performs well in good light and outdoors. Love the GPS app Nokia Drive which comes free with the phone(Does not require data plan or any service from your att). Otherwise similar app on iphone cost thirty nine bucks.(think garmin). Form(polycabonate body) and feel of the phone is also good(some may find it little too big to hold in hand but you will get used to it. Little lighter than iphone 4 for sure.

I moved from iphone 4 to this phone and dont miss iphone at all. Yes it took me a day or two get used to new interface but i guess thats acceptable for whole new OS. Tip pressing back arrow key twice closes the app.

All in all love this phone, would recommend it anyone.
[[ASIN:B007P5NHJO Nokia Lumia 900 4G Windows Phone, Black (AT&T)]]

Sweet. So far... May 4, 2012

Reviewer:  faid2black 

Well, it's time to upgrade the old blackjack 2 that's treated me well the last few years. Disliking itunes, i needed to decide between wp7 and android. Didn't take long for me to choose wp7. Unfortunately (or maybe it's a good thing) there aren't too many high end wp7 phones available. I narrowed things down to the Lumia or Titan 2. I preferred the feel of the Lumia and gave it a shot.

Having used it for only half a day now, i'm very impressed. The screen is gorgeous, and in my opinion, the perfect size. The pixels aren't as dense as on the 4s my wife has, but still very very good. I'm amazed at the zero lag with anything i've done on the phone... texting, adding contacts, adding accounts, searching, scrolling, panning... it's extremely responsive, just as much as the ios (in my opinion). Camera seems good, but not quite the same quality as the current iphone. But really, if i want to take solid pictures, i'm going to be using my DSLR not a phone, no matter which phone i have. I haven't even made a call yet, so can't comment on that. Battery life seems decent so far, especially for how much i've played with it today.

The phone and it's OS are clear, simple, efficient and very effective at getting things done. I don't need my phone to do everything for me. What i do need my phone to do, this Nokia looks to do them great. That's all i wanted and so far am extremely happy with my decision. I'll update if that changes, but things look very good =) definitely recommend this phone and wp7!

You can't go wrong with NOKIA Lumia 900 April 29, 2012

Reviewer:  L. Wei 

I upgraded from iPhone 3GS and I must say that I have been very impressed with Lumia 900 so far. This phone is a looker and feels nice in my hand. I was initially afraid that 4.3" screen would be too big for me but I pre-ordered it anyway and I'm glad I did :-)

The WP7 OS is slick and silky smooth. My favorite feature of all is the People Hub. Facebook and Twitter (the two things I use most) are nicely integrated into People Hub. I no longer have to jump back and forth between Facebook app to Twitter.

For those that bought a black one because of it's professional look but want to have/feel the charm of the white Lumia 900, I would recommend a white case I recently bought thru eBay [...]

Here is how it looks on my phone. It adds some thickness but it ain't bad at all.

[...]

For those that are still not sure if Lumia 900 is for you, I would suggest that you go to one of the AT&T stores and play with it for some time. It will not disappoint.

Awesome phone again from Nokia! April 26, 2012

Reviewer:  sanamjay 

I moved here from South Asia and I have been using iphones(3GS and 4) for couple of years because here in US I didn't find Nokia smartphone. When i knew Nokia Lumia was coming to AT&T, I ordered one. Very excited to have Nokia Phone again after a long time. I love Nokia phone because of its build quality, design, great in call reception, call clarity, and a lot to mention.........(uufff tired).
I have been using Nokia Phones from my childhood. The long time i used one of their phones is Nokia 1100 which i've heard they sold 250 million at that time. Still none of the cell phones brand even imagine it. When i got Lumia 900 i went to bed lately, playing with the new Windows Software which i also like it because it's so simple to use and blazing fast. The only negative about the OS is the lack of apps which other reviewers mentioned earlier in their posts. I don't have to mention the pros of this phone as they are already posted here.

NOKIA LUMIA 900 IS AN AWESOME PHONE.

The future is here April 18, 2012

Reviewer:  Daniel Andresen  (Long Beach, California) -

I love my new windows phone! I have been a fan of the iPhone since the first one came out. I can line up my collection of every iPhone model (except the 4s). It was going to take a lot to get me to change teams, and this is the device to do it! I tried the HTC Evo when it first came out, but it was so clunky and Android seemed like an endless maze of clicks and menus to perform any task, and the UI was just so ugly!

This phone is sturdy, fast, clean, functional, and innovative! Apple products have become too mainstream and boring. This is something fresh and new and I can't wait to watch the platform mature.

Things I love:
* Integrated contacts (the concept that a person is a person, not a Facebook person, twitter person, etc)
* Integrated messaging
* Zune subscription (download all the music I want into my library for a flat monthly fee)
* Live tiles!! (so much better than static apps, I can see the weather and stocks on my home screen!)
* Voice control! (with the Bluetooth in my car, I can listen and reply to text messages without ever taking the phone out of my pocket)
* Quick, snappy, clean UI, beautiful, smooth animations
* Next appointment and message counts on the lock screen

Things I'd like to see:
* Ability to disable auto-rotation
* Custom text tones for contacts
* Battery Percentage on the status bar
* A way to view past notifications
* A few apps I miss from my iPhone
* Better Multitasking

I know I listed a lot of "complaints", but those are very minor in my opinion and can all be fixed in future software releases. I've been using this phone for almost a week and I'm already in love and convincing my friends to make the switch.

Got sick of iPhone, Try this one April 17, 2012

Reviewer:  Prasant K. Kontamsetty "gadget man"  (tewksbury, ma United States) -

I was with iPhone since launch, until lately iPhone4 was just behaving unpredictably and getting slow when i updated to iOS5. Added to these nuances i was boared of IPhone. Tried Android, as many of the latest phones had great H/W specs. But something about Android, it felt like I always had to tinker and customize to my needs. And needless to say some mundane apps just crash frequently. I also felt lost with Many applications in Google app store and their genuineness. I tried Windows Phone on Lumia 900, I must say "I am not switching phones anytime soon!". With this phone i feel I have a device which acts as a phone first and as a smartphone second. This is how i felt when i got my hands on Iphone 1st gen.

Overall great device, great job done by Nokia and Microsoft

-Prasant

Excellent Phone! April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  M. Barrera  (McAllen, TX USA) -

I bought this phone on Amazon Wireless for $50 with a two year contract. I then got a $100 credit from Nokia. So, actually, Nokia paid me net $50 to use this incredible phone. First, the windows phone mango software is incredible. The software has two main screens that have everything on them. You don't have to fish around on several screens and then dig down. It seems as if Microsoft thought of every hassle you endure with a smartphone entering and processing information and made it simple and easy. I am blown away by the quality and ease of use of the software.

The hardware part of the phone is also great. The hardware fits together well. The buttons on the phone seem a little fragile, but I have had no problem with them. I find that I end up pressing on the dedicated camera button by accident while I am using the phone. The good thing is that there is a short delay on the button that does not engage the camera until it is held done for about two seconds. Overall, the hardware is outstanding. The glass and polycarbonate fit seamlessly and the phone is beautifully put together. The screen is incredible and is one of the best I have seen.

My only complaint is that you almost have to have a computer engineering degree to transfer your contacts from your nonwindows phone to this one. I have a Blackberry and had to export my contacts in "csv" format to my desktop's windows 7 contacts. I then had to create a second profile in Outlook to import the "csv" file so as not to mix my email work contacts with my phone contacts. After importing the contacts to my new outlook profile, I had to sync this with my windows live id. After this I had to go to my phone and sync my windows phone contacts with my windows live account. Doing this was a pain in the you know what.

Now that everything is set up and working properly, it is my opinion that this phone is better overall than the iphone. Apple has its work cut out for it in order to build a better phone than this one in its next iteration of the iphone. My kids have dumped my wife's iphone 4 and won't quit bothering me to get ahold of this phone. Get it! You won't be sorry.

AWESOME Phone! Worth the money and doesn't look like every phone out there! April 16, 2012

Reviewer:  Happy Girl  (Chicago, IL) -

I have had this phone for a week or so. All the cell phones I have ever owned have been Nokias. I am loyal to the core. No company makes the hardware as great as Nokia. Previously, I had a Nokia E71X and let me tell you...you can throw a Nokia phone against a wall and it will not break..too bad the old Sybian system did not do well. It was easy to use. Nokia phones are made to last. Not cheap looking like the iphone.
Anyway, the Windows system is a breeze to figure out.
My phone was charged out of the box. I had it up and running within 10 minutes. Was able to tranfer all my contact and more from my old Nokia via bluetooth easily. The picture on this phone is GORGEOUS. There are not many applications yet like android or the iphone, but that will come in time..the more people use them. I cannot highly recommend this phone enough. Get this phone and see for yourself.