AMA with Dan Rubino: Everything Lumia 950

[Daniel Rubino]

sorry haven't read every post but what i want to know is continuum and video, like for instance my 2 year old loves thomas the train and wheels on the bus he constantly want to get on phone a watch wheels on bus off of youtube, does continuum do video on big screen and if so can the phone still be used, also how does continuum and gaming work, don't get me wrong I want to browse web on use office on a big screen but none of those things are exciting.

I'll have to check today, but video should be able to be full-screen in YouTube and yes, you can definitely still use the phone during video playback.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hey Dan,

question about the insider program going forward. I was reluctant to join because Win 10 mobile was rough. now that it's shipping, will the insider program be more reliable going forward? I feel like it'll be easier for us all to join now, going forward. what do you think?

Yes, since they are now just building off of 10586, which is the shipping build of W10M. Sure, there may be occasional bugs, but it won't be like anything like say back in April or June.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi Dan, I'm a developer for windows phone, had a 920, than 930 and now I'm stuck for almost 4 months with N95, lol, because I got my 930 stolen. I was waiting for the 950 for 4 months now, and today I ordered the XL version. Do you think I will be disappointed with it or will I be happy with the new phone ?

I think you'll like it.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

What is the maximum shutter speed on the camera? (As long as the 4 second shutter on the 1020?)

1/16000 for fastest; 4 seconds for longest

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Is the "fast charge" as started on the ms specs actually the Qualcomm quick charge 2.0?

No, it's Type-C Fast Charge. Different tech.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi Daniel

Very interested in getting more info about the camera. Could you upload a couple of RAW files (.dng) of typical scenes (outdoor, high dynamic, etc.) so that we mobile photographers are able to assess the quality of the camera? Algorithms, etc. are fine, but I work exclusively with .dng on my 1020 and I'm excited to play with raw files coming from a 950.

Thanks.

Yeah, we'll be doing more on this in the coming days. Will see if I can snap some DNG photos today as it is nice out.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi Daniel!

Do you experience battery drain while using edge?

Well, sure. I mean it needs to use power to render.

Do you mean it uses excessive battery? Perhaps. Edge uses a lot of power too on Windows 10 desktop. It is nothing something, however, that stands out when using it.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi Dan,

I listened to your opinions about the materials (plastic vs. metal/glass) in your review. While a lot of people have busted on the construction as uninspired, it seems there are a lot of practical reasons for the plastic, two of which you mentioned (durability and weight). The two others that I have thought of are:

• Removable back plate, meaning you can have a replaceable battery. How would you do this metal/glass?
• Wireless charging: wasn't it only recently that someone figured out how to do this with metal?

What are your thoughts on this?

Galaxy S6 is a metal/glass phone and has Qi. You don't need polycarb for that. Even still, you could do what the 830/930 did with a metal band around the edge, which in and of itself would up the premium feel.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Does it work on Verizon?

AT&T SIM locked phone is SIM locked, so can't test.

Assuming it wasn't locked, this is how it would likely play out: You get Verizon LTE for data but no CDMA radio for phone calls.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Do you know if the unlocked 950 and/or 950 XL will do HD Voice on AT&T, or is that unique to the AT&T-branded 950?

Besides the faster camera, is there a perceptible performance difference in the OS and apps between the 950 and 1520 with both running W10M 10586?

I do not know about HD voice. It's a setting under the Phone so my guess is either that programs with the SIM (possible) or is firmware (also possible).

Re: speed, no not really 1520 is pretty fluid with 10586, can't say it's night/day difference.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Obvious that the 950XL is utilizing liquid cooling but I'm seeing mixed information on the 950, does it or does it not utilize liquid cooling for the Snapdragon 808? Thanks Dan

950 has no liquid cooling, end of story.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hey Dan by chance do you know Microsoft has any payment options for there unlocked phones. I checked out the 950 at ATT and I really like and definitely an upgrade from my L928, trying my luck with some wishful thinking.

No, they do not, sorry.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Thanks, Daniel for the AMA weekend stint.

Two (unrelated) questions:

1. Do live tiles for people groups update with notifications for members from the group on the L950? I've loaded the last three fast ring updates on my L920 daily driver, and while I get the rotating pictures on the people group tiles, I don't get the live tile updates when I receive communication from group members. Is this feature deprecated in W10M? I manage staff, client projects, and participate on two professional boards, across four email accounts. I depend on multiple people group live tile w/updates to keep up; the prospect of having to plow through notification center, no matter how improved in W10M, is a real motivator to stay with 8.1.

2. Does the continuum hardware have the capability to accept an input network connection? My organization is transitioning to a hosted virtual desktop model in early 2016. With a dedicated network connection (compared to WiFi) and a Windows universal app to run the HVD, it would present a scenario where a 950 or 950XL could approach an all-in-one device. Thoughts?

1. Have not tested as I don't have any groups set up, sorry. Maybe others can answer here in the 950 forum.

2. I'll try this today as I have a USB/ethernet dongle that in theory should work.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi Dan

Thank you for answering my previous question, I would like to ask you two more Audio Focus & 1 GPS question

1) Does 950 & 950XL support bluetooth aptX ?

2) What are the type of audio format does 950 & 950XL support now? eg FLAC , etc ...

3) Which GPS satellite systems does 950 & 950XL support? GPS, GLONASS, BDS, SBAS, QZSS, Galileo ???

Cheers!

1. It should, but I'm not 100%

2. Not certain as I just use MP3; should be able to find out through our forums/Win10M section

3. A-GLONASS, A-GPS, barometer, cellular and Wi-Fi network positioning, sensor enhanced positioning, gyroscope, A-BeiDou

 

[Daniel Rubino]

What do you think of the 'Tap to Pay' feature without any to no apps supporting it? Also, what do you think of the new flashlight toggle in the quick settings?

Honestly? I give 2 ****s about tap to pay. I'm a dude. My CC is like 2 seconds away in my wallet. Women with purses, however, would probably save the planet earth a lot of time with tap to pay. Was that sexist? Probably, lol.

All I know is I hate, hate, hate the stupid double-button Tap to pay on the iPhone. Super annoying.

Flashlight? I'll use that maybe once a year.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Hi
I have question about ?Just tap tap tap? . Could you describe how a taking photo procedure looks? Some updates ago (before Denim I think but not sure) the camera application worked that way: tap on the interesting object - anywhere on the screen > autofocus on it (flash if needed) > taking and saving photo without pressing a camera button/icon. Fast and perfect for me! Now it looks like a camera works in some kind of continuous autofocus mode with fixed AF point. It?s impossible to take a picture with one finger (with autofocus first of any point). How it looks on Windows 10 Mobile? Maybe you could make some detailed video about it?

You can see it at one point in this video A closer look at the Lumia 950 XL camera | Windows Central

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Will the iris scanner be that handful while wearing a medical glasses ?

It should be fine as it even works with sunglasses.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Can you please tell me more about the call quality of the phone ?
This is still my top priority for a phone !
I have read a lot of the phone but the most don't mention anything about the call quality strangely enough.
If i read the review on another site they say the call quality is not that good ...

Because it's pretty much purely subjective. Calls sound good to me is all I can say. It was not amazing, but it was not bad either. Just seemed fine.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Ok Dan, here is a question for you. Do you think that the LACK of apps that support continuum for phones and that can be projected on a bigger screen, is actually a non issue. Because we don't need apps on a bigger screen. We need a capable web browser through which we can open any websites were want. The website will scale because edge supports continuum!

Edge is still slow on the Continuum compared to a desktop browser, so I'd prefer apps. Then agin, with all the core apps there is already a lot covered.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

About the metal ring on the camera... is it an iron alloy metal that the many magnetic lenses and filters on the market can attach to? Or does a magnet not hold to it?

I was just thinking that being able to use a magnetic mount macro or telescopic lens would be convenient at times.

Ironically, it seems like it is revered and it repels magnets. This is likely due to the OIS mechanism, since it is hardware.