This is my next: the Nokia Lumia 900 | The Verge
This is my next is a special feature where editors of The Verge sound off on their latest deep, dark desires from the world of technology.
"If you think Windows Phone is so great, why aren't you using it?" I'm often asked.
It's a fair question ? I talk about the platform's beauty, simplicity, fluidity, and speed on every Verge Mobile Podcast or two. I really believe Microsoft has done something great. Of course, I believed Palm had done something great with webOS, too, and we all know how that turned out. No one wants to end up on a dead end path, especially when you're spending several hundred dollars on a phone (and potentially locking yourself into a two-year contract).
Ultimately, though, Microsoft has two things that Palm did not: a healthy supply of money, and an extraordinary relationship with developers cultivated over two-plus decades. Microsoft can and will establish a foothold in mobile by hook or by crook; it knows it eventually has to, and it has the capability to brute-force its entry into the market in a way that Palm never could.
At any rate, Windows Phone 7.5 is a huge improvement over 7, and I'm more or less convinced that it's got what I need to operate and be productive on the road day in and day out. The app selection still lags Android and iOS, but it's far enough along so that I could make do ? and I think Microsoft is doing about as much as it can to push for app parity over time. Ultimately, it's a numbers game and not every dev is going to bite until Microsoft has the volume to show for it, but it's gone to some pretty extraordinary efforts to jump-start the Marketplace. It's a "virtuous cycle," as they say, and you've got to start somewhere.
So, I've finally convinced myself I can use Mango as my daily driver. What about hardware? Nokia is the only Windows Phone manufacturer who's bet the farm on the platform, and its hardware shows ? every device from Samsung and LG has been either forgettable, a rehash of an Android product, or both. HTC's been a little better, but they're not at Nokia's level on the Windows Phone side (and considering the circumstances, I can't blame them). But that Lumia 800... my goodness. That design! I don't think it's a stretch to say that the N9 / Lumia 800 chassis could go down as most beautiful device Nokia has ever made. In fact, I think you could say that it ? along with the iPhone 4 / 4S ? is the best phone design in history. That's not an exaggeration.
But then, Nokia... then you scale it up to a more reasonable and modern 4.3 inches, add a front-facing camera, and give it LTE. You offer it in your amazing shade of searing, unapologetic cyan, and you sell it in the US on AT&T. It's like you've personally made a bespoke phone for me.
Maybe you have! Naw... well, maybe!
I kid, of course. But look: I've been using a Galaxy Nexus since last November. That's basically an eternity in Chris Ziegler Phone Years. Android 4.0 is absolutely stellar, and apart from the miserable camera, the Galaxy Nexus is the best phone I've ever owned.
But I must be ramblin' on now. And for the moment, Nokia, you have my undivided attention.
This is my next is a special feature where editors of The Verge sound off on their latest deep, dark desires from the world of technology.
"If you think Windows Phone is so great, why aren't you using it?" I'm often asked.
It's a fair question ? I talk about the platform's beauty, simplicity, fluidity, and speed on every Verge Mobile Podcast or two. I really believe Microsoft has done something great. Of course, I believed Palm had done something great with webOS, too, and we all know how that turned out. No one wants to end up on a dead end path, especially when you're spending several hundred dollars on a phone (and potentially locking yourself into a two-year contract).
Ultimately, though, Microsoft has two things that Palm did not: a healthy supply of money, and an extraordinary relationship with developers cultivated over two-plus decades. Microsoft can and will establish a foothold in mobile by hook or by crook; it knows it eventually has to, and it has the capability to brute-force its entry into the market in a way that Palm never could.
At any rate, Windows Phone 7.5 is a huge improvement over 7, and I'm more or less convinced that it's got what I need to operate and be productive on the road day in and day out. The app selection still lags Android and iOS, but it's far enough along so that I could make do ? and I think Microsoft is doing about as much as it can to push for app parity over time. Ultimately, it's a numbers game and not every dev is going to bite until Microsoft has the volume to show for it, but it's gone to some pretty extraordinary efforts to jump-start the Marketplace. It's a "virtuous cycle," as they say, and you've got to start somewhere.
So, I've finally convinced myself I can use Mango as my daily driver. What about hardware? Nokia is the only Windows Phone manufacturer who's bet the farm on the platform, and its hardware shows ? every device from Samsung and LG has been either forgettable, a rehash of an Android product, or both. HTC's been a little better, but they're not at Nokia's level on the Windows Phone side (and considering the circumstances, I can't blame them). But that Lumia 800... my goodness. That design! I don't think it's a stretch to say that the N9 / Lumia 800 chassis could go down as most beautiful device Nokia has ever made. In fact, I think you could say that it ? along with the iPhone 4 / 4S ? is the best phone design in history. That's not an exaggeration.
But then, Nokia... then you scale it up to a more reasonable and modern 4.3 inches, add a front-facing camera, and give it LTE. You offer it in your amazing shade of searing, unapologetic cyan, and you sell it in the US on AT&T. It's like you've personally made a bespoke phone for me.
Maybe you have! Naw... well, maybe!
I kid, of course. But look: I've been using a Galaxy Nexus since last November. That's basically an eternity in Chris Ziegler Phone Years. Android 4.0 is absolutely stellar, and apart from the miserable camera, the Galaxy Nexus is the best phone I've ever owned.
But I must be ramblin' on now. And for the moment, Nokia, you have my undivided attention.
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