I picked up the WP8 Lumia 820 on launch day almost at the same time as budney did inspite of being 2100+ miles away and 2 hours behind. So why WP8? I loved WP7/7.5 and this was a natural specially with enhancements and featues that were missing in 7/7.5. Some of the ones important to me are: Screenshots BT File Transfer Plug and Play OS updates directly from Microsoft, although I have no complaints on the major and minor upgrades on 7/7.5 So why not the 920? Size, shape, and weight SD card support Removable and replaceable back plate Interstingly this maybe my first "non flagship" device but other than a better camera, and screen resolution the specs are identical. In fact the 820 has the same ClearBlack AMOLED technology as the 900 which makes the screen more vibrant than the higher resolution 920 with the ClaerBlack LCD screen. In the short 10 days that I have had it here are my thoughts. Positives: 1. The build quality is superb, shape fits perfectly in my hand. 2. The location of the "on" button makes it easy to turn the screen on and unlock with one hand 4. The black screen makes it very legible in bright sunlight. 5. The reception is true Nokia and stellar. 6. The call quality is excellent on both ends, judging by unsolicited comments from smart a$$ friends 7. The GPS is quick and dead on. 8. The BT and WiFi connect quickly and effortlessly. 9. WP8 clean, uncluttered, efficient, and blazing fast 10. The on screen keyboard is excellent. Could be better: The speaker volume is low compared to my Lumia although the voice quality is better. General gripes about OS8: 1.Still no way to control notification volume separately from ring volume. 2. The very useful Nokia Counters app does not yet work on WP8, I am hopeful it will happen soon as the apps are getting updated every day. More to follow as I use this more. Now that I am able to screenshots, here are four screenshots. The first is my Lock Screen, which I chose to set to Bing and there is a diffetent picture every day, kind of neat imho. The second is my home screen, two shots stiched together. The third and fourth, same home screen separately Please feel to add your comments.
Very nice review Charlyee. I am surprised the notification volume on WP8 was not addressed. I remember that being a complaint by many on WP7 and 7.5.
Nice review, Charlyee. Windows 8 sounds interesting and I am wanting to eventually try it out down the road. Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2
Nice review I need to get my free upgrade to 8 for Harold's laptop, but I heard that the Mobile version is better than the version for the computer so I've been hesitant. Charlyee how does apps work on the Mobile phones? can you use stuff like Iheartradio? or your kind've out of the app loop with these phones.
Hey there Kelli, thanks. Nope i am not out of the app loop with WP. The number available apps is much less than Android or iOS but most of the ones I use are there. The number of apps is also growing rapidly. I checked iHeartradio and yes there is WP app for it, I don't use it so don't know how good it is. Nice to see you here.
Got a new Lockscreen changer app, with daily Nasa picture updates. PS: It looks like it updates more often than once per day, now it is the second image.
As Chaitali mentioned I purchased the 820 on launch day. I will just use use and add (in bold) to her review as I agree with most of her points about the 820.
I have been running W8 on my PC since the consumer preview. The speed improvements with W8 are really nice. Their is a noticeable boost in boot and shutdown times. Also programs and browsers open, run, & close faster on W8. Now W8 & apps can't be compared to WP8 & apps, as they are not the same. Apps on both work great, very easy to use. And iHeart is in both stores. I am using the iHeart W8 app while I am typing this reply. Most major apps are in both stores. If not, their are some good 3rd party apps.
