Lumia 900 coming April 9 for real this time

[SmoothDog]

Talked to AT&T Rep today

I walked in our AT&T store today while dropping off my daughter to watch the Hunger Games with friends.

I asked him about the 900. He said that they didn't have any in yet, since it hasn't been released, but they were having training on Monday. He also mentioned that AT&T releases phones on Sundays and expects it to be for purchase on that very Sunday (9th).

As I left the store he mentioned that it's a pretty cool phone and I expressed my interest as well.

I'm on Verizon with an HTC Trophy, but this phone just may very well make me switch!!

 

[snowmutt]

This may be the most important launch for a WP device since Windows Mobile was shown the door. Nokia needs this to be big to get their marketshare jumping in the US and to show why they believe in WP, Microsoft needs it to be big to have a Galaxy Series-like flagship and to put pressure on Verizon and Sprint to get onboard, AT&T needs it to be big to have a device to sell that is completely different from Verizon and makes them look smart for being the premier WP carrier, and we need it to be big to get other manufacturers and carriers to get excited about WP so we have choices.

No pressure Nokia. But the Earth may stop rotating and we all may die horrid deaths as we float out to the cold, harsh vacuum of space if the 900 flops. No pressure at all.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

My Turn!
I walked in to my local AT&T store and was greeted by a very nice man. I immediately asked him, "I was wondering when the Nokia Lumia 900 coming out?" He said he wasn't sure and went to his computer to look it up. It was taking him a while to sign in to the computer so he told me to hold on a second. He went in to the back and pulled out his black Nokia Lumia 900 and gave it to me. He told me to mess around with it while he figured out when the release date was.
My impression of the 900:
Very solid build if not a little too heavy.
Black colour is very nice
AMOLED with clear black produces incredibly deep and rich colours. It is not as bright or vivid as the Super AMOLED plus display but much richer in colour.
Clear Black is incredibly black. i was really amazed
The device is large but not overwhelmingly so. It feel nice in the hand (a little heavy) and would fit in someones pocket.
The top and bottom are both tapered with great effect.
The back camera produces solid pictures with good colour representation
The back of the device is a fingerprint magnet
The screen is not as easy to swipe (it seemed) as the Focus S. Almost as if the screen swiping was heavier and slower.
The capacitive buttons did NOT light up :happy: (because demo version?)
The design itself is very industrial and well thought out. The unibody is unique and open ports are helpful.
The physical buttons responded well (Dedicated camera was ok.)
The HSPA+ speeds were nice (10 miles away from LTE :straight
Some of the things I wasn't able to do:
Check out Nokia Apps
Look at Front-Facing camera
Check battery life
See any major changes in OS
Do a pocket test (thought it'd be weird)

When the employee got his computer running he told me that the notice said "If a costumer inquires on release date tell them to check back in on Monday March 26."
So, there you have it. If you have any questions, comments, concerns you can try to ask me and I'll see what I can do

 

[RiseAgainst94]

So a quick comparison between the two phones I'm considering. [Focus S vs Lumia 900]

With my very limited time with both devices (and what I've read):
Focus S [+]
Weight
Camera
Screen
Size
Removable Battery
Fluidity
Capacitive Buttons

[-]
No LTE
Build Quality
Lack of Support
Weak (compared to 900) exclusive apps
Poor Audio Quality

Lumia 900 [+]
Screen quality
Apps
Design
Durability
LTE
[-]
Weight
No light up buttons?
Size
Screen slowness (??????)
Not as good Camera
No removable battery
No headphones included (bummer but not a big deal)

 

[tissotti]

I'm 99% sure the buttons light up thinking it does on Lumia 800. Maybe somebody who has tested 900 can confirm?

For camera i can't say anything before reviews start popping up. Examples do look nice.
http://www.windowscentral.com/att-nokia-lumia-900-low-light-and-macro-camera-samples
Same goes for screen slowness. Had zero problems on my 800 that got the curved glass.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

I've seen videos that show the buttons on the bottom light up but I'm positive that the one I held at the AT&T store did not.
Camera should be good, improved from 800 but I'm guess slightly behind Focus S.
I'm not sure about the screen slowness either, just felt the glass was thicker, probably not a problem at all. User error

 

[doejoe007]

My 900's buttons light up and screen is pretty fast. Did you check what OS build/hardware revision that device was?

Camera is debatable, I think it is one of the best in WP7 world.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Well he told me that he had yet to put in the SIM card, would that change anything? It seemed fluid, just slow, but again it was probably my fault.
Yeah I only got to take a few pictures and it's hard to tell until you put them on a bigger screen. Changed my review of the camera based on pictures taken by someone who has had more time with the device and was able to upload the pictures

Did not check the hardware revisions. It seemed he had yet to use the device. His fellow employee [he said] was using it as his personal use phone.

 

[snowmutt]

So a quick comparison between the two phones I'm considering. [Focus S vs Lumia 900]

With my very limited time with both devices (and what I've read):
Focus S [+]
Weight
Camera
Screen
Size
Removable Battery
Fluidity
Capacitive Buttons

[-]
No LTE
Build Quality
Lack of Support
Weak (compared to 900) exclusive apps
Poor Audio Quality

Lumia 900 [+]
Screen quality
Apps
Design
Durability
LTE
[-]
Weight
No light up buttons?
Size
Screen slowness (??????)
Not as good Camera
No removable battery
No headphones included (bummer but not a big deal)

Except for the weak audio, I think your "+, -" list about right on the Focus S. I am really pleased with the audio on mine, although I do think the speaker is a little weak.

I appreciate you sharing what you know on the 900. Your first impressions are a great sign for it's launch.