I've been a smartphone holdout not wanting to pay extra for data, but my family just switched us over to T-Mobile and our family plan includes data either way, so I figured I'd take advantage of it and bought the cheapest smartphone I could find: The Lumia 521.
I'm not a luddite by any means. I've carried around an iPod touch for years and have used that, but I just never wanted to pay for data, which is why I've held out for so long. I realize the 521 is probably not representative of the Windows Phone experience overall, as it's such an entry level device.
Two questions I have:
1) Is there any way to get the status bar (signal strength, etc.) to permanently appear? I haven't found this setting, if it exists. Just by playing around I figured out I can get it to appear by swiping down from the top. I don't get the purpose of it hiding.
2) Am I missing something or does Microsoft not making a mapping application? I was sure with their years developing Bing, they'd have one. My phone came with several Nokia applications for mapping. Haven't tried them out yet, and they may be fine, but I was surprised Microsoft didn't have its own.
Otherwise, I'm getting used to this, I think. I do miss my Send/End buttons, but that's part of being in the smartphone world, I guess!
I'm not a luddite by any means. I've carried around an iPod touch for years and have used that, but I just never wanted to pay for data, which is why I've held out for so long. I realize the 521 is probably not representative of the Windows Phone experience overall, as it's such an entry level device.
Two questions I have:
1) Is there any way to get the status bar (signal strength, etc.) to permanently appear? I haven't found this setting, if it exists. Just by playing around I figured out I can get it to appear by swiping down from the top. I don't get the purpose of it hiding.
2) Am I missing something or does Microsoft not making a mapping application? I was sure with their years developing Bing, they'd have one. My phone came with several Nokia applications for mapping. Haven't tried them out yet, and they may be fine, but I was surprised Microsoft didn't have its own.
Otherwise, I'm getting used to this, I think. I do miss my Send/End buttons, but that's part of being in the smartphone world, I guess!