Lumia 810 Might get Black Update After All?

[distilledoreo]

So, I've been eyeing out a new phone to buy since I'm currently using a Lumia 521. I need a phone on T-Mobile, but A) The 925 is only 50 dollars cheaper than the 1520 which is outrageous. And, B) T-Mobile service in my home is very bad. Usually no service with an occasional one or two bars of 2G if I leave it on a table, and if I'm really lucky I might get 1 bar of 4g (HSPA). If I were to get an unlocked AT&T phone it would probably not have all of the right bands and get no service.
I know the 810 is EOL'd, but it would be very nice to get the Black update with all of the extra features. Back on topic-ish, I noticed people found out that they were getting an update for their phone on the NCS program on the PC, so I wanted to see if Black on the 521 was coming relatively soon. I downloaded the software and checked and no such luck.
I decided, for some reason, to check the Lumia 810 and I found something interesting... VERY interesting.

Now, I don't know if you can actually update right from the program, since I never used it, but it is as plain as day. So either it's coming or T-Mobile doesn't want to push it out.

 

[docfreed]

I believe that's just the GDR2/Amber update (I actually flashed this onto the 810 I got from Amazon). Black is the color of thr phone!

 

[distilledoreo]

Oh, that's really disappointing...

 

[alexloe]

3043.0000.1326.0012 is GDR 2 / Amber.

1326 means year 2013, week 26

Lumia Black would be 30xx.40000.134/5x.xxxx

 

[Mr Lebowski]

Isn't this horse dead yet ?

 

[waazzupppp]

I love doing the cost comparisons for people on stuff link this. For example, the 925 (T-Mobile) is MUCH cheaper to own than the 1520 (AT&T)... Buying them outright, sure, the retail is $50 different, but the actual cost of the devices is closer to $600 than $50. This is why AT&T sells the phones for "less" than T-Mobile does.

T-Mobile Unlimited Plan - $70 a month plus $0 up front and $21 per month for 24 months = total 24 month cost $2256

AT&T Next 4GB Plan - $95.00 a month plus $0 up front and $29.25 for 20 months = $2865

AT&T Contract 4GB Plan - $110 a month plus $199.99 up front no payments = $2840

Now, on a side note, I grabbed one of these for my apartment where I have 1-2 bars and zero in a few places. I stuck the antenna in my window and the box about 15 feet from it. I instantly went to 3-4 bars on my 810 and full bars on my 925. My wife's 920 on AT&T had similar boosting, but she already had 3-4 bars, so the impact was as dramatic. The other part that was awesome was that it went from 2G data in most areas to 4G. It really works... GetSmartphones.info - Smartphone accessories from Amazon and more! - zBoost YX545 SOHO Dual-Band Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office up to 2,500 sq. ft. of Coverage

Given that I have no idea what you have in your pocket right now and that you only needed a T-Mo phone, I would run down to my local store and grab a Lumia 521 for the short-term and a back up device. The 521 appears to be receiving all the current updates, it's solid, and performs very well. Then you can start to save up that cash to grab the next device (maybe in a few months T-Mo will be running out their first 8.1 devices?) that strikes your fancy. Either way, a used 810, a new 925 or 521, you should be good to go for a while.

 

[AUCLABruin]

If AT&T is the best GSM service provider in your area, you can go with Straight Talk for $45 a month. This way you can use WP8 AT&T phones with no hassle or worrying a lot about updates like the 810.The other, but more pricier, option is to import a pentaband 920 from abroad (stick to Canada-origin 920's for this IMO). This way you can still keep your T-Mo account and get decent speeds when available. I would not recommend the 810 to anyone looking to get the most from Windows Phone at this point, and I own one. You can look for a T-Mobile HTC 8X, but things like the lack of an SD card may put that phone away, which is why it's more of a back up plan to the options presented above. No matter what, I hope you find that sweet WP8!

 

[waazzupppp]

I think the 810 is still a fantastic phone. Will there be stuff that comes out in the next release or two of Windows Phone that is missed on the 810, sure. But overall, looking at the functionality of the device, it's quite stellar - especially if you know how to do the Fiddler Proxy to get a few of those "non-810 Apps" on it.

Positives
- Up to 64 GB of external storage making it one of the best media phones available
- 8MP camera shoots almost as well as the actual PureView cameras
- Unlocked works with any GSM network - including AT&T and other world networks (at last check it was $30 to unlock via online services)
- Smaller 4.3" display preserves battery life
- User changeable batteries and external chargers available
- Qi Wireless charging available via charging backs (mostly Amazon and Ebay at this point, but they are still out there)

Negatives
- Will not see any additional Nokia issued updates - device is frozen at Amber
- Most people don't know that you can get the GDR3 and possibly future updates via the Microsoft Developer Program (which is $20 a year to maintain)
- Lower resolution screen will not continue to render Apps designed for future devices if they drop the 800x480 support
- The limited 8GB (about 3.5GB available) is extremely limiting for Apps - many newer games require a complete reset to get enough space to play them

Overall, the pricing on the 810 is under $200 for new and quality used devices. Compared to the 521 (the direct 'replacement' device) the 810 is much more powerful. That said, the 925 can be found for under $300 now and it is twice the phone that the 810 is - with the exception of the storage issue. Comparing a step further, getting an on contract 1520 or Icon will set you back $200-300 and will give you a better camera, more internal storage (on the 32GB model) but will also lock you in to a contract that will cost about $1000 more than buying outright and going with something like Spot Mobile, Red Pocket Mobile, Straight Talk or Net10.

All in all, $550 for something like the Icon running unlocked on T-Mobile's HSPA+ network sounds like a GREAT deal to me over the 810. But if all you have is $200 to put into that phone, I'd save the cash, grab a new 810 and call it good. It's a great device and a good price for it. You can turn and sell it for $150 in a few months, along with the savings from going contract free (6 months at $60 a month) gets me to $500 pretty quickly - and that new Icon or 1520 (though the 1520 ships locked to AT&T where as the Icon is unlocked)...