NOKIA LUMIA 800
Price: TBA
Specs: 3.7-inch AMOLED display; 8 MP camera; 16GB onboard memory, no extra card slot; 512 MB RAM; 3G, Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi; 142 gm; 1450 mAh battery.
BAG IT OR JUNK IT? By far the best Windows Phone in town.
The wait for the first Windows Phone from Nokia ended with the release of two devices. We reviewed the Lumia 800, a gorgeous smartphone. Available in black, cyan and magenta, it has a curved 3.7-inch glass AMOLED display that gels smoothly with the unibody design. The Power, volume control and camera keys are in silver metal placed on the right edge with the charging jack. The microSIM slot is neatly covered with a lid. Complementing the outer design is the Windows Phone platform with its Metro UI. The customisable tiles on the homescreen with the app menu is similar to any other Windows Phone device. But thanks to the tie-up between Nokia and Microsoft, users get the best from both worlds.
Onboard apps include Nokia Drive for navigation, App Highlights for recommended apps by Nokia, Nokia Maps, Bing Maps, TuneIn Radio and timesPoynt, to mention a few. Starting the phone prompts you for a Windows Live ID for downloading applications and SkyDrive for data storage and the Nokia account. Typing using the onscreen keyboard is a pleasing experience and all communication appears under a single hood. Users can update their status on various sites from the 'Me' tile that appears on the homescreen and check friends update and post comment from the people hub. The Office app addresses the issue of downloading a third-party documentation app and lets one read and edit documents on the move.
The sound output is impressive, as is the video playback. However, the 8MP camera isn't the best and captures average images only. The phone's smooth functioning is due to the 1.4 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM. However, there are a few drawbacks. The onboard memory of the smartphone is a measly 16 GB and it doesn't support a memory card for expanding memory. The applications available for Windows Phone Mango are very few in comparison to those for iOS and Android. Another drawback of the Windows Phone platform is one its inability to transfer content over Bluetooth. The battery backup too is just about average.
