CNET Review

[AngryNil]

I think the varying reviews of the camera is based upon the user. Some people just can't take good shots. My wife swears up and down I cannot take a decent picture. She on the other hand takes pretty decent shots with just about any camera. Probably helps that she worked in camera store.

One thing I wonder: does every reviewer know the Windows Phone camera button is a two-step one? I remember seeing a video on The Verge where one of the staff was playing around with a demo unit and pressed once on the button - no focus.

 

[snowmutt]

I think he's more an anti-Microsoft guy. His review of the TouchPad wasn't this harsh.

Edit: Crap, I just realized he didn't review it himself. That must be why it is actually a good read.

First off, I appreciate you gathering a sample of the reviews. Secondly, I have never been on the Verge website, and now I know not to bother. Life is to short to waste time on Bias idiots.

 

[JPDVM2014]

My problem with The Verge review wasn't so much that he didn't bring up good points, it is that he completely avoided any positives. Or if he did mention a positive, he would contradict himself later in the review. He barely even mentioned the Nokia exclusive apps. And I agree with people that the app ecosystem isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Yes, there are apps that aren't there, but there are usually alternatives. That doesn't help with cross-platform games, but Instagram? I have about 5 apps on my phone that do the exact same thing. Pandora? Radio Controlled and MetroRadio are as good, if not better than an official client. Granted, there is the chance that a change on Pandora's part could break them, but the devs have been extremely responsive. And I really don't see the issue with games. Yes, there aren't any AAA titles, but there are more games in the marketplace than I would ever be able to play. I don't understand why anyone would want to play most AAA games on a phone anyway, but that is just me. I own an iPad, and am running android on my Touchpad. There are no apps that I use regularly that I can't find, in some way, on my phone. Taste of the week games notwithstanding. I just discovered draw something a week ago, and everyone I know has already moved on to something else. :-(

 

[lipper2000]

Devs are not going to care that the Verge gave the Lumia 900 a 7 out of 10 and decide to avoid the WP platform all together. They will avoid it because of the measly market share WP has overall. Until that changes, the devs with premier apps will focus on iOS and Android.

The ecosystem is FAR from fine! No one will take WP seriously until things like AirPlay, a true entertainment platform on par with iTunes is backing up the ecosystem, a better more unified cloud experience, an XBOX Live hub that actually does something with my XBOX then change my avatar, an easy way to control my PC from my phone, Skype interegration, and of course a marketplace that has apps people want, like their bank's app, their local news apps, resturaunt apps, etc... etc... are a reality. But that would just get the ecosystem up to where iOS and Android are right now at this moment in time. Even if all of that happened with Apollo (which it won't) WP would still be behind the curve by the time Apollo launches.

Think about it, imagine you worked for AT&T. What reason would you give to perspective phone buyers to choose WP beyond YOU like the UI better? What does it do that Droid and iOS do not? Past some integration with Office, not much. But there is a heck of a lot Droid and iOS do that WP does not as pointed above with a few notable examples.

At least now with the Nokia 900 we have a WP that does not look like Droid hardware from 2009! That's a step in the right direction.

As for iPhone, many thought the 4S would flop too, it shattered iPhone sales and their market share continues to grow. They can go with a smaller screen and people will still buy it. They are raking in $$$ hand over fist and iOS continues to grow at an impressive rate. They are far from a flop anytime soon. Sadly Apple has that luxury to not innovate much and to not constantly have to put out new designs. WP does not have that luxury as it scratches and claws for market share to not fall into the abyss of dead mobile platforms.

I'm not saying all of this disparage WP, I like it. But it is lacking and does need a lot of work before it is a serious alternative in the mobile world. Sticking our head's in the sand and begging the tech blogs to be gentle is not going to change that.

I hate posts like yours that are filled with incorrect things that one could find out with a 2 second bing/google search.

1. Airplay - this is apples marketing term for DLNA which has been around far longer than airplay. LG, Samsung and Nokia have this built in to their windows phones....have you read any of the reviews?
2. Entertainment platform - MS have arguably the best platform technically. Windows phone has a normal type of buying each track system but they also have the subscription side which is baked into the phone(zunepass)....it's awesome. Is it as popular as the whole itunes ecosystem? of course not....android does not have a comparable platform. Zune on the pc is just beautiful
3. Cloud hub....have you seen what microsoft has done with windows phone, skydrive, sharepoint integration all with office built in (onenote in particular is awesome....). I think they have an awesome hub for this stuff....for business anyway it's far better than what comes with an iphone stock.
4. Xbox live games is already integrated. There is even the ability to allow you to pick up from one point on your phone after xbox360 (live games). I do agree that microsoft has kept the platform closed except for their own games with respect to the core OS so developers cannot use their own platforms on the device...however, the marketshare is so low with windows phone right now that until they boost it a big more, I think they did the right thing to concentrate in other areas first.

I think the reason developers do not publish first for windows phone is because as it stands, windows phone has next to no marketshare. It's quite obvious. It's the same reason why 99% of software does not get developed for OSX on the mac. If Microsoft didn't have deep pockets and an incredible development platform, I would say they are toast...however, Microsoft seem to be willing to take any amount of time and money to make this work so eventually they probably will do well.

I actually would say you are just making derogatory comments to troll....
I have no problem with people saying they just don't like windows phone as I can buy that. It's definitely not for everyone with the live tiles and the design of the OS. However, when you make completely false statements it lends more credibility that you are just trolling which is not cool.

 

[Kahuna Cowboy]

I hate posts like yours that are filled with incorrect things that one could find out with a 2 second bing/google search.

1. Airplay - this is apples marketing term for DLNA which has been around far longer than airplay. LG, Samsung and Nokia have this built in to their windows phones....have you read any of the reviews?
2. Entertainment platform - MS have arguably the best platform technically. Windows phone has a normal type of buying each track system but they also have the subscription side which is baked into the phone(zunepass)....it's awesome. Is it as popular as the whole itunes ecosystem? of course not....android does not have a comparable platform. Zune on the pc is just beautiful
3. Cloud hub....have you seen what microsoft has done with windows phone, skydrive, sharepoint integration all with office built in (onenote in particular is awesome....). I think they have an awesome hub for this stuff....for business anyway it's far better than what comes with an iphone stock.
4. Xbox live games is already integrated. There is even the ability to allow you to pick up from one point on your phone after xbox360 (live games). I do agree that microsoft has kept the platform closed except for their own games with respect to the core OS so developers cannot use their own platforms on the device...however, the marketshare is so low with windows phone right now that until they boost it a big more, I think they did the right thing to concentrate in other areas first.

I think the reason developers do not publish first for windows phone is because as it stands, windows phone has next to no marketshare. It's quite obvious. It's the same reason why 99% of software does not get developed for OSX on the mac. If Microsoft didn't have deep pockets and an incredible development platform, I would say they are toast...however, Microsoft seem to be willing to take any amount of time and money to make this work so eventually they probably will do well.

I actually would say you are just making derogatory comments to troll....
I have no problem with people saying they just don't like windows phone as I can buy that. It's definitely not for everyone with the live tiles and the design of the OS. However, when you make completely false statements it lends more credibility that you are just trolling which is not cool.

You know what I can't stand? People who talk down to others with a holier than thou attitude and proceed to disparage that person's opinion with his own opionions passing them off as if they were fact. It really is quite pompous, as was your tone.

But hey, it's cool. Just keep on believing everyone who owns a Windows Phone and points out its lacking flaws is just a troll.

How very 6th grade.

Good day to you sir.

 

[tekhna]

You know what I can't stand? People who talk down to others with a holier than thou attitude and proceed to disparage that person's opinion with his own opionions passing them off as if they were fact. It really is quite pompous, as was your tone.

But hey, it's cool. Just keep on believing everyone who owns a Windows Phone and points out its lacking flaws is just a troll.

How very 6th grade.

Good day to you sir.

Yeah, it's sort of worrying--I've seen posts that are almost word-for-word what I saw over at precentral before that went up in flames. People want WP7 to succeed, and being critical, but friendly, is no sin.

 

[threed61]

The difference is that instead of an HP who was too distracted with internal issues to deal with webOS, we have MS and Nokia who are very focused on making WP succeed. Even the biggest fans at precentral knew that webOS was dead, and it contributed to a very defensive attitude. Here, fans are assertive, but also pretty optimistic. There is only the normal percent of negative posters at wpcentral.

 

[Oldmajor]

To start off Zune is SUPERIOR to iTunes. Every iTunes user I've introduced to Zune and Zune Pass are left shocked and comment how its better mainly because the UI is great.

Now the rest. How many apps do you need. We know the Windows has 90% of the top apps. They have an even more aggressive plan to get the other 10%. I can't believe for 1 second that people just come here to post on the forum and not read any of the articles that state these facts. A 2 year ecosystem designed from nothing at its at 80,000+ apps to date is a very good pace. iPhone to WP7 is not Apples to Apples nor for that matter is comparing Android.

For one Windows Phone hardware is made by partners but restricted by Microsoft requirements. Secondly it is not the wild west like Android where I could build a phone at my house and put Android on it. Its a new thing!

I've had an Motorolo Q9C, iPhone, Samsung Epic and an HTC Arrive, and I love my Arrive far more. the only thing that comes close is the iPhone, but with Skydrive, Zune Pass, XBox Live, Camera button, and MS Office, WP7 is a winner for me

 

[squire777]

I hate posts like yours that are filled with incorrect things that one could find out with a 2 second bing/google search.

1. Airplay - this is apples marketing term for DLNA which has been around far longer than airplay. LG, Samsung and Nokia have this built in to their windows phones....have you read any of the reviews?
2. Entertainment platform - MS have arguably the best platform technically. Windows phone has a normal type of buying each track system but they also have the subscription side which is baked into the phone(zunepass)....it's awesome. Is it as popular as the whole itunes ecosystem? of course not....android does not have a comparable platform. Zune on the pc is just beautiful
3. Cloud hub....have you seen what microsoft has done with windows phone, skydrive, sharepoint integration all with office built in (onenote in particular is awesome....). I think they have an awesome hub for this stuff....for business anyway it's far better than what comes with an iphone stock.
4. Xbox live games is already integrated. There is even the ability to allow you to pick up from one point on your phone after xbox360 (live games). I do agree that microsoft has kept the platform closed except for their own games with respect to the core OS so developers cannot use their own platforms on the device...however, the marketshare is so low with windows phone right now that until they boost it a big more, I think they did the right thing to concentrate in other areas first.

I think the reason developers do not publish first for windows phone is because as it stands, windows phone has next to no marketshare. It's quite obvious. It's the same reason why 99% of software does not get developed for OSX on the mac. If Microsoft didn't have deep pockets and an incredible development platform, I would say they are toast...however, Microsoft seem to be willing to take any amount of time and money to make this work so eventually they probably will do well.

I actually would say you are just making derogatory comments to troll....
I have no problem with people saying they just don't like windows phone as I can buy that. It's definitely not for everyone with the live tiles and the design of the OS. However, when you make completely false statements it lends more credibility that you are just trolling which is not cool.

Good post.

I hate when people constantly dump on WP7 for not having certain features that other mobile OSes have, yet continue to ignore features that WP7 had for a long time that other platforms didn't.

With a little more market share things will improve because at the moment the disparity in certain apps is shrinking by the day as more developers jump on board. The only problem Microsoft had was entering an area which had already been saturated by iPhone and Android. I think with the launch of the Lumia line things are already looking better.

 

[cckgz4]

I've no longer invested in what reviewers have to say cause they barely use the phone to make a verdict on it. Aaron from PhoneDog was reviewing the 710 and didn't know the camera was a two step button. Thought the screen tap was the only way to focus, and started SHAKING the phone when he couldn't press the camera button and focus it. I simply look at reviews to get a closer look at the phones. Taking their words to the heart would be like getting upset over what a complete stranger would say about me because they glimpsed at my facebook page.

 

[JPDVM2014]

Yea...most reviews aren't all that great.However, at least Aaron from PhoneDog knows this. That is why he is doing a 30 Day Challenge with the 900.

 

[dasfoto]

The camera was a big deturring factor for me, but after seeing some shootouts I don't feel so bad about it anymore. The Lumia 900 does do poorly on some accounts, but one some it's does as well as th competing top tiers. CNet happen to do a quick shootout between the Lumia 900 and iPhone, and on some accounts it looked better, and it didn't look horrible like some photos we've been seeing lately.
Nokia Lumia 900 camera shoot-out vs. iPhone 4 (photos) | Crave - CNET
For now, it's a bit inconsistent I think. It can perform, we saw that in the WPCentral review and some samples out there from other reviews, but at the same time there are some horrid photos as well. I think this haze look we're getting is from the apeture. Those photos remind me of over exposed photos that just need a solar filter or something. Wonder if increasing the ISO would help.

I don't actually have my 900 yet so I can sbstatiate it, but there are a number of customizations that can be done with the 900 such as White Balance, saturation and the like. It's more like a point and shoot than a typical camera phone. This means if you just leave it set for one situation (indoor incandescent lighting) ans shoot outdoors, it won't look as good. If the basic settings are different than the fixed settings on other camera phones, it's guaranteed to look different (and sometimes not as good) under varying conditions. I would bet, if you took the time to adjust the settings for the situation, the 900 would outperfrom every other camera phone out there.

 

[1jaxstate1]

Gdgt gave it a 90! They said it's the first WP7 device they find on par or even better that all other top cellphones from a design standpoint.

Sent from my Galaxy S II

 

[fisci]

It's funny that a completely well written review that points out any shortcomings of wp7 platform is called fanboyism by you guys (oh, the irony).

I agreed 100% with his assessment.. I went back to android myself, I do love the look and feel of wp7 but there are some glaring omissions that need to be adressed. I don't even see how it is debateable really (unless you are a ******, which many of you clearly are).

I would definitely consider coming back to wp7 when these are fixed.

It's like anything that isn't 100% positive gets your panties in a knot.

Also the wp7 marketplace is like a graveyard.. You can keep touting numbers all you like about how many new apps have been added, but the number to quality ratio is so low.

Definitely has the largest percentage of absolute crap I've ever seen.

 

[Rodolfo#WP]

Here is the textual and video reviews from MobileTechReview. Lisa is the most experienced, and one of the more literate reviewers. She doesn't delegate the WP (or any other) reviews to kids. Note the organization of her reviews. Experience means, among other things, that she knows the OS better than most reviewers, so is able to evaluate the device itself more thoroughly.
Nokia Lumia 900 Review - Windows Phone Reviews by MobileTechReview