I've got the AT&T Nokia Lumia 1020. You've got questions. Get your answers here!

[RockStorePhotos]

Are Americans addicted to subsidies? PLEASE tell me you don't live in the EU......

 

[ParoleGA]

Are Americans addicted to subsidies? PLEASE tell me you don't live in the EU......

It isn't an addiction. Buying an unsubsidized phone in the US gains you nothing but peace of mind. Phone operators charge you the same monthly charges for post-paid service, whether you accept the subsidy, or not. If you are cost conscious at all, taking the subsidy just makes sense.

 

[greedo_greedy]

Sorry if this has been asked already.

Does the stock Windows Phone 8 camera app yield the same results as the oversampled 5mp pics from the Pro Cam app?

 

[silent67]

can magnets damage the camera?
a magnetic back case can damage the camera of the phone?

 

[mprebich]

Does it output digital audio through usb?

What is missing from my L920 and the 1020?

Is it hardware, firmware, WP8, Nokia?

These "flagship phones" need to output digital audio to use with external portable DACs and headamps for the audiophiles.

 

[tgr42]

Digital audio through USB? Ha! You've got to be kidding. It would require support at the OS level. The Windows Phone OS team only implements what is absolutely necessary, and even then they lag far behind Android and iOS. You can't even do any sort of USB OTG like plugging in a flash drive (USB Host Support), can't do HDMI output, can't plug in a USB keyboard, etc. If you want this sort of "oddball outlier functionality" I'm afraid you're on the wrong platform. WP7 didn't even support accessing files on the phone through USB: Enable USB storage

 

[ParoleGA]

Does it output digital audio through usb?

What is missing from my L920 and the 1020?

Is it hardware, firmware, WP8, Nokia?

These "flagship phones" need to output digital audio to use with external portable DACs and headamps for the audiophiles.

If you are an Audiophile, avoid WP and Android. Neither can manage gapless playback, which is pretty much a cardinal sin to an audiophile. Pick up a dedicated player, like a Cowon or Hifiman, you will be happier. I use a 160GB iPod classic myself. It isn't the highest fidelity out there, from it's own DAC/Amp, but the size is awesome for lossless files, and it at least manages gapless playback.

If you must have a decent player in your phone, stick to an iPhone and Apple lossless files. It is costly to get a digi signal out, but at least it is possible.

 

[tgr42]

That is false. Android has supported gapless playback in the stock music apps since 4.1.
Android 4.1 finally adds gapless music playback to stock music apps - Pocketables

And Winamp for Android and other apps have supported it since who knows when.
Android - Winamp Help

 

[ParoleGA]

That is false. Android has supported gapless playback in the stock music apps since 4.1.
Android 4.1 finally adds gapless music playback to stock music apps - Pocketables

And Winamp for Android and other apps have supported it since who knows when.
Android - Winamp Help

My Note2 is running 4.1.2, and does not do gapless on the stock player. If they are calling it gapless, they are lying. Listen to the Abbey Road medley on your Android device, and tell me that is gapless.

Winamp, and most 3rd party apps degrade audio quality badly, adding hiss and background noise, not to mention terrrible integration with the phone's stock apps. Like, say listening to music while using Google maps for guidance. With the stock player, music volume is lowered while the GPS voice comes on. 3rd party apps just try and talk over the music. This happens on every third part music app I have tried. All in all, my Android music experience wasn't what I'd call a good one.

 

[tgr42]

If it's not stock Android, all bets are off. Android has its weaknesses too.

I will test this on my 1st-gen Nexus 7 tonight.

 

[ParoleGA]

Probably true. Like I said in other posts; if I was ever to buy another Android, it would be a Nexus. None of the rest are worth the trouble dealing with manufacturers and phone companies.

 

[trickym81]

Sorry if this has been asked already.

Does the stock Windows Phone 8 camera app yield the same results as the oversampled 5mp pics from the Pro Cam app?

I'm curious about this too. I don't have a 1020 yet, but I'm planning on getting one when it launches in Canada. Since the Pro Cam app takes longer to load and since it can't bypass the lockscreen, I was thinking of using the stock camera app from the camera button for quick photos and Pro Cam for photos that I can take a bit more time with. It would depend on whether or not the stock camera app produces photos that are similar in quality to the oversampled 5MP images from Pro Cam.

 

[hcrick]

I don't have one, but my understanding is that they're either the same file or virtually indistinguishable in terms of image quality.

 

[tgr42]

Just for the record, gapless playback does indeed work perfectly on the Nexus 7 with the stock music player. There is zero silence between tracks.

 

[mprebich]

Thanks tgr42 and ParoleGA for your replies regarding digital audio out.

@tgr42 are we sure that it comes down to WP8, meaning that the L920 hardware can do it if WP8 supports it?

I'm enjoying my flac through flac player and analog out, but would rather have an external dac playing my mp3/flac off a digital output. And the cherry on top would be accessing my Xbox Music subscription this way.

@ParoleGA, yes many other players could do it, but this is why we have expensive smartphones

Let's hope WP8 catches up soon. In my opinion, worth the wait rather than going iOS or Android.

MS/Nokia marriage might speed things up.

HiFidelity4all




Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 (WP8 gdr2) using Tapatalk

 

[tgr42]

Thanks tgr42 and ParoleGA for your replies regarding digital audio out.

@tgr42 are we sure that it comes down to WP8, meaning that the L920 hardware can do it if WP8 supports it?

No, nothing is certain there. Even if the OS did support it, it's very possible that the hardware might not be capable enough. The hardware was designed for an OS with extremely limited capabilities when it comes to that USB port. The hardware designers may or may not have made the hardware future-proof to handle more USB scenarios if/when the OS is upgraded to be less limited. Given the relatively short lifecycle of cell phones and maybe even possible cost of additional components that may never end up used, I wouldn't count on it.

As an example of the problem you may face here, the Nexus 4 lacks both software and hardware support for USB OTG (aka USB host mode), requiring some significant hacks on both fronts to do something as simple as connecting a USB flash drive. You have to supply external power because its USB port does not supply the necessary power to drive a connected device. There are 3-way USB OTG cables that allow you to supply external power from a USB battery to drive the flash drive (or other device) while it's connected to the phone. Definitely a pain, but at least it's possible which is more than you can say for Windows Phone.

 

[mprebich]

No, nothing is certain there. Even if the OS did support it, it's very possible that the hardware might not be capable enough. The hardware was designed for an OS with extremely limited capabilities when it comes to that USB port. ...

You are probably right. I've not read anything positive either. But back in June I tweeted @windowsphone asking where the problem lies,

"@windowsphone Can you tell me where the functionality to output digital audio is missing, phone hardware (my L920) or WP8?"

I received this reply from @msfthardware:

"@MAPden @windowsphone should be able to assist. Shoot them your question. "

That kinda led me to believe that it was WP8 that just didn't implement it yet.

Still hoping it comes in gdr3 or wp8.1, as I don't plan to buy another phone to replace my L920 anytime soon.

 

[Siddhartha Zuga]

i want to know, because i have an AT&T Nokia Lumia 1020 YELLOW firmware, and im from Mexico, and now in Navi+ its another firmware with RM-877 but BLACK, i want to know if this is a problem? I think not. Because its RM-877 too.

 

[russshoe]

So how is the battery life compared to the 920 or 925

 

[matthoms]

So how is the battery life compared to the 920 or 925

With medium usage, WiFi and all background tasks on, listening to music for an hour a day, lots of texting and social media, I get 12-15 with 20% left. Typically, not always. If I know I'll be taking pictures, I bring my camera grip. All the mechanics in the camera drain the battery, the flash will bring you down 20% in no time at all. But if you have the grip, you'll be fine.