JUST IN: As end of Q2 nears, IBM employees fret 'resource actions'

Topic: Telcos

Compare

Reviewers overwhelmingly like the Nokia Lumia 900, consumers will too

Summary: The Nokia Lumia 900 goes on sale at AT&T this weekend and at a $100 price it will do well. Reviewers nearly all agree it is an excellent product with an average score of 8/10.

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

It seems that James and I just can't agree as much anymore on mobile platforms and I just can't let his post titled, "When will the current version of Windows Phone be the one that matters?", slide by without a response. The post states that the "Lumia 900 is leaving reviewers less than impressed" and I have to say that is not what I am seeing online. If you look at the excellent review roundup on GDGT you will see that the average score of reviews online, 26 reviews are counted, is a very respectable 8 out of 10. User reviews show 9.3/10, but users don't yet have it so I don't put much value in that score.

As I posted in my own review the Nokia Lumia 900 is one of the best Windows Phone ever and it will do well in the U.S. Jason Hiner from ZDNet also spent some time with the Lumia 900 and stated in his review, "With the arrival of the Nokia Lumia 900, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 has pulled even with Android and iPhone in many ways, as I’ll explain." I laughed when I read Jason's take on the display and how he thinks it is great since so many people online seem to think the 800x480 display is inadequate.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is a very solid device, but it doesn't beat the iPhone or Android devices on specs and the latest and greatest features. However, Windows Phone is better optimized for mobile than the other platforms (never that you could say that about a Microsoft product, huh?) and doesn't need the highest end specs. At $100 or less, I still believe the Lumia 900 will sell like hotcakes at AT&T stores.

Related ZDNet coverage

Topics: Telcos, Microsoft, Mobility, Nokia, Operating Systems, Software, Windows

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

28 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion

  • It is a nice phone, but....

    With only 16gb of storage (13 usable) it will not work for me and many others. And with data plans so expensive, all the cloud storage in the world won't make up for that. Memory is so cheap, phone manufacturers need to stop charging a premium for it and need to put more in a phone, 32gb should be common if there is no expansion slot. Until data plan costs come down significantly, the mobile cloud is just a neat thing. I am one of the lucky ones that is grandfathered in on an unlimited data plan, good thing too because with streaming music, movies, tv shows, sync'ing with my home computer, video calls, email, social networking, gaming etc, it is not uncommon for me to use 7gb+ per month.
    tgschmidt
    Reply Vote

    • 7GB!

      Holy cow! 7GB

      I still have the 200mb data plan and I've never exceeded it. But I use WIFI at home and work-don't really need to use the data plan.
      jthompso@...
      Reply Vote

      • No Wi-Fi 95% of the time where I am

        I don't sit in an office or spend much time at home. I am out and about, at friends, restaurants, pubs, on the boat etc. Plus with work, I get a constant stream of email while on the road. If you did not have wifi, I bet you would be in the same situation. My friends are constantly hitting their data limits too. On top of that, if you are on a long drive or motorcycle ride, go camping allot etc, you would be surprised how many dead spots there are across this country, so having big on board storage is essential for me.
        tgschmidt
        Reply Vote

    • Where's Windows Phone 8?

      If it's so nice, then why doesn't the Lumia run Windows Phone 8?

      Wait until the sales figures emerge in a couple of months, and then we'll see if consumers like it.
      Vbitrate
      Reply Vote

      • Windows Phone 8

        Could it be the Lumia 900 isn't running Windows Phone 8 because Microsoft is still developing Windows Phone 8? There are credible rumors that it will be able to when it is released, though.
        WebSiteManager
        Reply Vote

      • Really?

        Where is Android 5.2? Where is iOS6? Really??
        whatagenda
        Reply Vote

      • Well done...

        ...you've highlighted your own ignorance and destroyed any potential credibility you could have possibly had. Bravo. I'm slow clapping as you leave the stage. You per-lonker.
        mountjl
        Reply Vote

    • Storage

      For general use online storage is good enough - as long as there is WIFI or you have an unlimited dataplan.

      But phones should come with 64-128GB of storage, and at least have a memory card slot. But I don't think WP supports that yet. The SoC in the Lumia line supports it, so it must be OS related.
      All phone makers charge way to much for storage.

      I have access to WIFI almost all the time, so I can use the phone to download torrents, or stream media to my TV and so on.
      I have a Nokia N900 btw, that comes with 32GB storage AND have an extra mem card for extra storage.
      LotecT1000
      Reply Vote

  • Reviewers overwhelmingly like the Nokia Lumia 900, consumers will too

    Not to worry Matt, no one is really take James' article seriously. He read a few websites and came to his conclusion about the Lumia 900 based off of that instead of actually using the device.
    Loverock Davidson-
    Reply Vote

    • Read a Few Web Sites

      From some of the things he's been saying lately, I'm not sure he read any web sites before making up his mind. I think he's chosen his position.

      Where ever did that 1 week he was going to use WP exclusively go? It seems he conveniently forgot that.
      WebSiteManager
      Reply Vote

      • Windows Phone is amazing

        Windows Phone is an amazing experience, you gotta play with it to believe it loving the look of that hardware , together they make a perfect combination.

        Here is video of Iphone 4 and 4s vs Windows Phone

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP9HlGB7Sy8

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKfvUIZn7PA



        Here is Lumia 900 vs Galaxy Nexus.

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkifKnNmeVg
        bxbbrian
        Reply Vote

  • root it with android

    and maybe the community will like it too.
    The Linux Geek
    Reply Vote

    • Although I disagree with your POV

      I can't help but find the comment re: rooting with Android amusing. Despite it bordering blasphemy.
      mountjl
      Reply Vote

    • Nah

      Android would not run very fast on this hardware, which is due to Android being a dog.
      sjaak327
      Reply Vote

  • I do agree that reviewers seem to like the phone. So there's no excuse....

    ... any longer.

    The Lumia 900 has the backing of the nation's second largest carrier, and a multi Hundred Million Dollar ad budget.

    If it doesn't sell Millions of units in the U.S., one can rightly doubt Microsoft's and Nokia's whole venture going forward.

    What is it now April 5th? We'll know how the Lumia----- and the whole WP7 venture----has fared by June 1, about two months out.

    In fact, it's being released on Sunday, April 8th, so initial sales figures should start becoming available by Monday or Tuesday of next week.

    I'll see you all in a week again; if this thing flops, like a bad movie on opening weekend, I'll expect extra heapings of crow on all of your plates.
    Theseus
    Reply Vote

    • A fair summary, although...

      ...as a couple of people have pointed out here and there in the blogosphere, the conclusions really need to be drawn on a region by region basis. Since Nokia's Lumia line came to the fore, interest in Windows Phone has increased significantly in my experience (UK based). That doesn't tie in with what the US based tech sites are reporting. Nevertheless, the US market is currently a medium sized proportion of a rapidly growing market. Just saying, if WP7 isn't soaring in the US right now, doesn't mean it should be written off by tech-pundits and abandoned by MS / Nokia.
      mountjl
      Reply Vote

    • Is it all make or break on one weekend - or two months - or maybe a year?

      Won't the war drums just beat louder over the next couple of months as the FUD gets thicker and people get lost in the spin? The masses are going to wait until they feel they aren't being scared away or sold some goods. Won't there be contracts that have to run out if people want to move over to a new phone and/or carrier? Most people (except leading-edgers) aren't going to bail on a contract with a phone/carrier to go elsewhere until it expires. I would say it's more of a momentum situation - if WP7 gains traction over the next few months by people adopting it as contracts run out, and then picks up steam as new devices/WP8/key missing apps become available, and then becomes more compelling as the whole metro experience becomes pervasive across devices. Then, in a year from now, you'll have something you can look back on and see a trend - or not- and become an after-the-fact soothsayer. So I'd put those crow into a slow-cooker for a bit ;)
      achilles heal
      Reply Vote

      • Microsoft is already years behind iOS and Android.

        And they're caught in a vicious cycle of small device sales=small app sales opportunities for developers=small ecosystem=small device sales. I don't think it's FUD to say that Nokia may not have the brand-loyalty it once did amongst American consumers. And it's absolutely accurate to say that Microsoft [b]certainly[/b] doesn't. So it's not out of line to suggest that WP7 success relies on Microsoft marketing ability to create the opening for this 1-generation old hardware from Nokia, and does anyone honestly have much faith in Microsoft marketing lately?
        matthew_maurice
        Reply Vote

  • Just because some reviewers like the device....

    doesn't automatically mean consumers will embrace it. Many reviewers also loved the Lumia 800, but how well did it do in the market? I do recalled you loving the Zune and the Kins also, and we know how those turned out.

    I don't see anything groundbreaking here aside from maybe the great price. It's not that much different from the previous gen Lumia 800, aside from large screen, 4G etc. The screen remains the same stock resolution, processor remains the same at 1.4GHz single core, camera the same as 800, design not that different.
    dave95.
    Reply Vote

    • Lumia 800

      Isn't available on the us market. In the few markets where it is available it is actually doing rather well.
      sjaak327
      Reply Vote
CNET Join | Log In | Privacy | Cookies Close