Paul Thurrot: "There is the HTC Windows Phone 8X, and then there is everything else."

[Reeves]

Ever person who says this cracks me up. Ever listen to a Beats device versus a generic one? It sounds better.

Better sounding, louder music isn't a gimmick if you listen to music.

I take maybe three photos a week. I listen to hours of music every day.

Got something wrong in your post there. If you listen to hours of music, "louder" music is NOT your friend. Ear fatigue diminishes your ability to delineate between certain frequencies and reduces dynamics in modern music, which is already brickwall mastered to remove dynamics even more.

That's why audiophiles prefer high-end audio equipment to present the music as pure as possible. Any equipment that adds a preset EQ is - BY DEFINITION - damaging the original recording.

 

[stmav]

Ever person who says this cracks me up. Ever listen to a Beats device versus a generic one? It sounds better.

Better sounding, louder music isn't a gimmick if you listen to music.

I take maybe three photos a week. I listen to hours of music every day.

psst br....it's about the marketing bs comment, not a commentary on the actual sound.

 

[keizka]

Not on my laptop. Envy14. Quite frankly Beats audio on that device is as much as gimmick as any can get.

 

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Not on my laptop. Envy14. Quite frankly Beats audio on that device is as much as gimmick as any can get.

I have the opposite experience. I've had a range of laptops from Macbooks to PCs and the HP with Beats audio has the best sound of all of them by far. It's not even close. I'll give the 8X a listen. If it is loud, crisp, and clear out of the phone speaker then that's a win. I want a phone I can use to get good sound out of when I work, but not just with headphones. I realize it will not match a solid speaker system, but it doesn't need to - especially if I want to listen to podcasts or books while working.

 

[keizka]

Of course, YMMV. I didn't get anything extra out of it, though.

 

[runam0k]

I will say that if I plug my Lumia 800 into a pair of speakers I have to turn the volume all the way up to 30 and then whack the speaker volume up too. Looking forward to seeing what difference the 8X's amp makes (and Beats).

 

[Reeves]

I will say that if I plug my Lumia 800 into a pair of speakers I have to turn the volume all the way up to 30 and then whack the speaker volume up too. Looking forward to seeing what difference the 8X's amp makes (and Beats).

I started with an HTC Arrive and am currently rocking a Lumia 900 while I wait for Friday.

I listen to music EXTENSIVELY on the car ride to and from work (aux input), and then on ear buds at work.

There was no appreciable difference between the last-gen HTC and the last-gen Nokia. I didn't have to adjust volumes. If your intention is to use it as some sort of public boombox or station to DJ from...dunno what to tell you. Perhaps a laptop or Surface would be a better purchase?

 

[Blackwood504]

I wonder what people will say if the 920 sells more than the 8x? At the moment Nokia has sold the most Windows phone and have brought more apps to windows phone than any other OEM. Who ever said Nokia is not all in has no clue of what they are talking about.

If you think wireless charging is a gimmick, then why is it going to be in the Verizon version of the 8x? Did they want a gimmick too? LOL Also wireless charging is not slow. A few reviewers have said that after an hour their lumia was at 50%-56% charged. My lumia 900 takes 2 hours to charge...seems to be right on par with that. Wireless charging has HUGE potential...it has to start some where and i'm glad Nokia and HTC are having them built in to the phone rather than being an optional cover that most may never use...even better that Nokia and ATT are giving you a charging plate to push it even more.

 

[DungMasterFang]

He's owned a lot of WPs. But he's never claimed they were "the best phone out there." Until now.

Paul Thurrot on Nokia Lumia 900:

"The Nokia Lumia 900 has it all: Beauty, brains, and brawn. But is it enough to upset the balance of the smart phone industry and establish a viable third platform? I hope so, because if this fails, there’s nowhere to turn. There simply isn’t a nicer smart phone in the market."

"So, the Lumia 900 is fantastic. Best of breed. Beauty and powerful. And Windows Phone is fantastic. What’s the problem?"

"And we’ll see. I have a good feeling about this one. I think it’s going to win some converts. Do I think it will turn around Windows Phone once and for all? Baby steps, people, baby steps.

Having the single best smart phone on the market certainly changes things though. "

And that's just from day 8 of lumia use report

 

[DungMasterFang]

Nokia is only going all in with Windows Phone because they need a lifeline or they are going down for good.

To say HTC at least are not is stupid for example where was Nokia when WP first got released ? HTC was their at the beginning and the new HTC WP8 devices are not rehashes of their android devices but rather brand new designs.

The quarter before Nokia announced they were going all in with WP they sold the most smarthphones by quite a large margin and made a hefty $1.4 Billion profit that quarter + had cash and other liquid assests amounting to $16 billion. (Q4 2010, they announced WP in Q1 2011 which killed the symbian sales).

Q4 2010 Smartphone market share:

Nokia 28.3%
Apple 16.2%
RIM 14.2%
Samsung 10.5%

Q1 2011 Smartphone market share:

Nokia 24.2%
Apple 18.4%
RIM 14.5%
Samsung 12.6%

After the WP announcement it was all downward spiral. The leaked burning platform memo really finished the deal.