Thinking about replacing my Zune HD with an 810

[ILikeMe1337]

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum and that my long rant and questions are ok to post here.

I currently have a Tracfone as my main cell phone and subscribe to Xbox Live and Zune Music Pass (Now Xbox Music Pass) and have one Xbox 360, a 32GB Zune HD (my primary Music Player), a Zune 30 (Someone else I live with uses this one) and we have two Windows 7 Computers with two separate Zune Music collections but we use the same pass because of the three computer/three device allowance.

I recently finally got a girlfriend and am finding my prepaid minutes dwindling fast, it used to be $100 a year for Tracfone service was fine but now I need a phone with unlimited minutes and texts, hence my interest in a smartphone and I'm leaning towards a Windows Phone 8 device.

I would also like to keep using the Zune/Xbox Music ecosystem but get a player with more storage for the Music I rip from CDs, because my 32GB Zune HD mostly only has compressed, lossy music on it I want something that I can put lossless on, It's my understanding that WMA Lossless is the best way to do this within this ecosystem, it just takes up about three times the space of Flac.

The phone I'm leaning towards is the Lumia 810 because they seem to have great exclusive apps (city lens looks amazing if it really works and it's not just smoke and mirrors) and for the reasons I put above I want something bigger than 32GB (Why Nokia is not offering a 64GB 920 as an option seems like a bad business decision to me, even if they charged $800 for it would still be $50 cheaper than a 64GB iPhone 5), but until someone gets their hands on one and can find out if a 64GB SDXC card will work in it for 72GB total storage I'm going to assume that 40GB (8GB internal, 32GB SDHC) is the total storage you can get for it. If 40GB is the 810's limit then I would like to get a Samsung Ativ S if I can get one that will work on T-Mobile's service in the US, right now all the news I see on the Ativ S says it's going to be a Europe exclusive so maybe I can import one that will work on T-Mobile in the US? If I get the 32GB model that is SDXC compatible then I'll have 96GB total storage when I put a 64GB SDXC card in but lose out on the Nokia Apps.

I'm looking to upgrade my Windows 7 laptop to Windows 8 Pro with Media Center and switch organizing my Music with the Zune Client to the Windows 8 App or the Windows Phone Desktop program, whatever works best with Xbox Music Pass.

The reason I want a Lumia 810 vs an 822 is I don't want to pay Verizon's high price if LTE isn't important to me, mainly I think I'll be fine doing most of my Data functions from my home's Wi-Fi, so non-LTE 4G speeds should be fine. The reason why I'm not getting a Lumia 820 is my previous experience with At&t's coverage, it was horrible. I realize cell phone coverage changes but where I live T-Mobile I'm hoping will be my best bet, I think it's been 5 or 6 years since I've had their service but I never had bad signal or reception, At&t is the worst and as long as they have competition I will never go with them again.

The other huge advantage I see with the 810 is it's my understanding if I buy the phone without a SIM but still 'locked' to T-Mobile I have three prepaid choices:
1. T-Mobile's prepaid, this would be my last resort since it's the most expensive but it's $60 a month for unlimited calling, texts and after 2GB your data is throttled. They also have after 5GB it's throttled for $70. I know they have a 'web exclusive' for $30 its after 5GB it's throttled, unlimited texts and 100 minutes talk time, but like I said, girlfriend, 100 minutes won't cut it.
2. Simple Mobile which is $50 a month, but I haven't been able to track down what they're cut off/throttle limit is, so I dunno about their service other than it's talk,text and data that uses T-Mobile's network.
3. Straight Talk which is $45 a month with the option of a year for $495 (which brings it down to 41.25 a month) that cuts you off if you go over 2GB a month or 500MB in one day. I think you get one warning to lower your data usage and the second time you go over they cancel your service. So I would get 2GB of data and unlimited talk and texts, they also use T-Mobile's network.

I also would like to have accidental coverage on the phone, Squaretrade's $125 for 2 years of coverage seems to be the best deal.

So I have a few questions:
1. Am I crazy to not just get the Lumia 810 with a contract with T-Mobile or still pay full price for the phone and get T-Mobile's prepaid? All the math I'm doing seems that going the straight talk prepaid route will save me money but am I going to get a different experience with my Phone having the Straight Talk SIM in it? If I do need to replace my phone is shipping it to Squaretrade going to be a hassle vs. walking into T-Mobile and having them replace it right then and there (do they replace it right away or do they ship it off somewhere too?)

2. If someone is selling them do I need to or should I buy an unlocked Lumia 810?

3. How are Zune/Xbox Music Pass subscribers liking Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 syncing? I've heard it's horrible compared to the Zune client and the Zune HD.

4. Is the three computer, three device allowance work the same as it does with the Zune Pass if I have one Windows 8 computer, a Lumia 810, one Windows 7 computer, a Zune 30 and possibly going to still use my Zune HD if I can have a separate music collection for it on my Windows 8 computer (Would I create a new user and just sign in to the Zune client on that profile's desktop?)?

5. Can I plug in my Lumia 810 to my Xbox 360 and play music from it? I don't play Burnout much anymore but I love that I could plug in my Zune HD for music in that game (I know all Xbox 360 games support in-game music, just pointing out I only took advantage of it while playing Burnout)

Any help will be appreciated, Thank You.

 

[Mystictrust]

I've been wanting to reply to this post for a couple of days but it's really long and there's a lot of information in it so I haven't really had the time/patience to answer until now. As a Zune HD owner with a Zune Music Pass who has been running Windows 8 for quite some time now, owns an Xbox 360, and is more than likely going to get the 810, I feel qualified enough to answer

1) You're not crazy at all for wanting to purchase the Lumia 810 full price up front - if you want to save money on a prepaid plan in the long run, then by all means go for it! I don't have any personal experience with Straight Talk, but as an MVNO for T-Mobile they should offer the exact same experience - reception wise - as T-Mobile. Their support, however, goes through whatever Walmart's Straight Talk support line is and I definitely have no idea if you're in for a world of hurt or not by doing it that way. Also, when it comes to the phone warranties, everyone has their phones shipped off for repair so you're not going to get any easier deal with T-Mobile than you would with Straight Talk - it's all done through third parties and you having to ship to them. I never buy insurance for my phones so I have zero experience on this front. I also have zero experience with Simple Mobile, but supposedly their higher priced plan (I think that's the $50 one) doesn't have the data cap/throttle that the lower priced one does - not 100% positive.

If you pick up a phone from Best Buy, I hear they have an excellent warranty program for their phones and you can just walk right in and exchange it - $9.99/month. It supposedly covers everything, and a member of these forums has posted a positive experience with their exchange when he/she claimed a bad battery, but please read the fine print. Years ago, I bought a camera from Best Buy and was told this awesome warranty covered everything including accidental damage like scratches. A year later, I go to get it replaced and am told it's not covered. Now yes, this was YEARS ago and it wasn't for a phone, but still, the message is this: Read all the fine print if you go this route.

2) Unlocked Lumia 810's will likely start populating sites such as ebay and amazon shortly after the phone release next Wednesday (11/14). The only way to get your phone running on Straight Talk is to have it unlocked. But here's the good part: If you buy the phone in full from T-Mobile, and can provide the receipt proving the full purchase, they will give you an unlock code in under 10 days (always been 24 hours in my experience). You'll need to call customer service and fax in that copy of your receipt, so be prepared to actually fax it or scan it in and use one of those free online faxing services.

Don't bother asking anyone at T-Mobile if the device is unlocked... it isn't, but someone might say it will be just to make a sale. Some prick did that to my dad who was legitimately going out of the country the following week and figured he wouldn't need his receipt since he was leaving and it was supposedly unlocked - so I had to pay for an unlock code. Only $4 through ebay, but that still caused him unnecessary hassle. (Yes, it is true that T-Mobile hands out unlock codes to their regular customers, but only when they've been with them for over 90 days AND that device has been used at least once on their account... or if they have the receipt to prove a full price purchase)

3) I have also read the bad things about Windows 8 and it's syncing abilities with WP8 - it's a brand new piece of software though, probably rushed, so hopefully they'll be pouring more love into it in the future. Not owning a WP8 device yet, I can't attest to how it works myself, but I'll [likely] be here on the Lumia 810 board reviewing my experiences next Wednesday or Thursday. There are drag and drop capabilities for WP8 so if the sync app doesn't work so well, just drag your pictures and music and such right over to the phone. I really wish they would have let us keep using Zune I will never get rid of Zune (and by the way, always download your music using the Zune player if you want to keep using the Zune player. Xbox Music can read your music downloaded through Zune, but Zune can't read your music downloaded through Xbox Music.

Either way, the music matching in Xbox Music is AWESOME! Holy crap, I can just create a playlist in Zune or Xbox Music and instantly it appears on my Xbox 360's Xbox Music app! I imagine it's the exact same way with Windows Phone 8. I had a slight problem with getting the songs to auto match, but if the songs don't appear with a cloud icon next to them in Xbox Music, just right click, hit the three little dots in the bar at the bottom, and "Match music" and it will bring up the album the song is associated with. Click the album, look for the check mark in the song list next to whatever songs are there, and you're set. No need to individually match songs, just match an entire album if it doesn't automatically go to the cloud.

So cool.

4)Your device allowance should work the same as always. The only way I know how to change/check your devices is using the Zune software, so use that to remove any devices you don't want ahead of time. No need to create a new user (if I understand you correctly) - download the zune client to your Windows 8 desktop and sign in with the live ID/Microsoft Account you have associated with your Zune Pass... everything should "just work" from there.

5) I don't see why it wouldn't work, same as before. Excellent choice on a game for music - I love Burnout. The only Burnout game I actually purchased was Burnout Paradise (sweet!) but I still have the demo of Burnout Revenge on my Xbox and play that from time to time for fun. I used to play Burnout a lot when it was new, I'd just hit up everyone else's Xbox If the Lumia 810 doesn't work when you plug it in, then it'll be a serious WTF moment, because Xbox 360 has supported iPods since the dawn of time... but I'd bet money on it working just fine.

BTW: Congrats on the new girlfriend

 

[TJWINS]

Mystictrust that is one **** of an awesome reply. I also found it entertaining as well lol!

 

[Munkeyphyst]

What cell service does the girlfriend use? Maybe go with her provider if it offers free mobile to mobile, the girlfriend minutes would then be free and you can get a minimal minute plan.

 

[ILikeMe1337]

I've been wanting to reply to this post for a couple of days but it's really long and there's a lot of information in it so I haven't really had the time/patience to answer until now. As a Zune HD owner with a Zune Music Pass who has been running Windows 8 for quite some time now, owns an Xbox 360, and is more than likely going to get the 810, I feel qualified enough to answer

Thank You so much for the reply Mythic Trust, 100+ views and no replies I figured no one would try to answer my questions, sorry for the giant post but I figured I should lay out why I want a 810 in case someone had a better recommendation.

BTW: Congrats on the new girlfriend

Things are still going awesome with my girlfriend, we're even going to see a movie tonight To answer your question, Munkeyphyst, she currently has a contract with Verizon, but she recently dropped her phone and the screen is cracked. She is paying for two phones (One of which she doesn't use) and she's thinking about paying a cancellation/termination fee and looking at other options, I have told her about straight talk and prepaid in general, she doesn't Need a smartphone but because she drives all day for her job she needs a phone with GPS (the phone she has for work is just a flip phone) so she probably will get another smartphone. She knows how to use android so I don't know if she would want a Windows Phone but a Nokia Windows Phone 7 device that's as cheap as an android phone might be a good option if the GPS is similar to android, I know a '7.8' update is coming does anyone know if the GPS experience will be comparable to Nokia WP8? Is it already good on Nokia WP7.5? I'm pretty sure she just want's a bare minimum android GPS phone are the prices of WP7 devices going to drop after WP8 is widely available?

1) You're not crazy at all for wanting to purchase the Lumia 810 full price up front - if you want to save money on a prepaid plan in the long run, then by all means go for it! I don't have any personal experience with Straight Talk, but as an MVNO for T-Mobile they should offer the exact same experience - reception wise - as T-Mobile. Their support, however, goes through whatever Walmart's Straight Talk support line is and I definitely have no idea if you're in for a world of hurt or not by doing it that way. Also, when it comes to the phone warranties, everyone has their phones shipped off for repair so you're not going to get any easier deal with T-Mobile than you would with Straight Talk - it's all done through third parties and you having to ship to them. I never buy insurance for my phones so I have zero experience on this front. I also have zero experience with Simple Mobile, but supposedly their higher priced plan (I think that's the $50 one) doesn't have the data cap/throttle that the lower priced one does - not 100% positive.

Cool, I've never had to use it but the coverage I have on one of my TVs is a Four Year warranty that only cost me $80 with Squaretrade, and they seem to get good reviews. Like I said they're coverage is cheaper than T-Mobile's, instead of $6.99 monthly, at $125 for two years of coverage it comes out to $5.21 a month (once again I don't mind paying upfront), so like you said if I have to ship it off somewhere no matter what I might as well go with Squaretrade.

If you pick up a phone from Best Buy, I hear they have an excellent warranty program for their phones and you can just walk right in and exchange it - $9.99/month. It supposedly covers everything, and a member of these forums has posted a positive experience with their exchange when he/she claimed a bad battery, but please read the fine print. Years ago, I bought a camera from Best Buy and was told this awesome warranty covered everything including accidental damage like scratches. A year later, I go to get it replaced and am told it's not covered. Now yes, this was YEARS ago and it wasn't for a phone, but still, the message is this: Read all the fine print if you go this route.

I have a love/hate relationship with Best Buy, they're reward zone system is outstanding because I can price match Fry's Electronics, Target, etc. and earn $5 for every $250 I spend, it's great. I spend way too much money there and usually consider them first for upcoming electronics products that don't have pricing yet (like the 810), however a few weeks ago when I first thought about getting a WP8 device I went on their chat thingy online and chatted with a rep and found out they changed they're policy on coverage for Smartphones, they DO NOT cover unlocked phones. Back a few years ago when I was a third line on a AT&T family plan I had an unlocked Nokia N95 8GB that I purchased from Best Buy and I had a warranty then, why they changed their policy I don't know but they just lost a sale from me, any other retailers anyone can suggest that I can get the 810 and coverage from and doesn't have an idiotic policy and actually wants money?

2) Unlocked Lumia 810's will likely start populating sites such as ebay and amazon shortly after the phone release next Wednesday (11/14). The only way to get your phone running on Straight Talk is to have it unlocked. But here's the good part: If you buy the phone in full from T-Mobile, and can provide the receipt proving the full purchase, they will give you an unlock code in under 10 days (always been 24 hours in my experience). You'll need to call customer service and fax in that copy of your receipt, so be prepared to actually fax it or scan it in and use one of those free online faxing services.

Don't bother asking anyone at T-Mobile if the device is unlocked... it isn't, but someone might say it will be just to make a sale. Some prick did that to my dad who was legitimately going out of the country the following week and figured he wouldn't need his receipt since he was leaving and it was supposedly unlocked - so I had to pay for an unlock code. Only $4 through ebay, but that still caused him unnecessary hassle. (Yes, it is true that T-Mobile hands out unlock codes to their regular customers, but only when they've been with them for over 90 days AND that device has been used at least once on their account... or if they have the receipt to prove a full price purchase)

Support | Straight Talk

The language on that site seems to imply that the phone only needs to be T-Mobile or AT&T 'compatible' but if it does indeed need to be unlocked than thank you for the heads up.

3) I have also read the bad things about Windows 8 and it's syncing abilities with WP8 - it's a brand new piece of software though, probably rushed, so hopefully they'll be pouring more love into it in the future. Not owning a WP8 device yet, I can't attest to how it works myself, but I'll [likely] be here on the Lumia 810 board reviewing my experiences next Wednesday or Thursday. There are drag and drop capabilities for WP8 so if the sync app doesn't work so well, just drag your pictures and music and such right over to the phone. I really wish they would have let us keep using Zune I will never get rid of Zune (and by the way, always download your music using the Zune player if you want to keep using the Zune player. Xbox Music can read your music downloaded through Zune, but Zune can't read your music downloaded through Xbox Music.

Either way, the music matching in Xbox Music is AWESOME! Holy crap, I can just create a playlist in Zune or Xbox Music and instantly it appears on my Xbox 360's Xbox Music app! I imagine it's the exact same way with Windows Phone 8. I had a slight problem with getting the songs to auto match, but if the songs don't appear with a cloud icon next to them in Xbox Music, just right click, hit the three little dots in the bar at the bottom, and "Match music" and it will bring up the album the song is associated with. Click the album, look for the check mark in the song list next to whatever songs are there, and you're set. No need to individually match songs, just match an entire album if it doesn't automatically go to the cloud.

So cool.

Awesome, I thought I read that the music matching wouldn't be live until early next year but it sounds like it's at least working through playlists, sweet.

4)Your device allowance should work the same as always. The only way I know how to change/check your devices is using the Zune software, so use that to remove any devices you don't want ahead of time. No need to create a new user (if I understand you correctly) - download the zune client to your Windows 8 desktop and sign in with the live ID/Microsoft Account you have associated with your Zune Pass... everything should "just work" from there.

So a WP8 device will show up on the Zune client? This is what confuses me since I would think Zune and WP7 devices will be still managed by Zune and WP8 devices will be managed by the Windows 8 app or the WP8 desktop software so managing Xbox Music Pass devices is going to get confusing, but obviously if/when you get the 810 you'll see how it works. I meant one Win 8 computer with two separate music collections, like one user for my WP8 device's music and one user for my Zune HD's music I know if I have to log in to each Zune client every time I switch from one to the other but just wanted to know if it would cause any problems having two 'subscription' folders on one computer.

5) I don't see why it wouldn't work, same as before. Excellent choice on a game for music - I love Burnout. The only Burnout game I actually purchased was Burnout Paradise (sweet!) but I still have the demo of Burnout Revenge on my Xbox and play that from time to time for fun. I used to play Burnout a lot when it was new, I'd just hit up everyone else's Xbox If the Lumia 810 doesn't work when you plug it in, then it'll be a serious WTF moment, because Xbox 360 has supported iPods since the dawn of time... but I'd bet money on it working just fine.

Cool, I haven't gotten around to checking out the new Need For Speed but it looks like it might be at least a little similar to Burnout. The only one you've played is Paradise?!?! The series should have never went open world, I think it killed the fun of the series. Burnout 3 and Revenge were the best ones.

Also I found out that the 810 WILL support microSDXC 64GB cards:

http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/11/05/breaking-down-the-lumia-810-820-and-822/

 

[Mystictrust]

Mystictrust that is one **** of an awesome reply. I also found it entertaining as well lol!

Oh yeah? Haha, well I'm glad I could inform AND entertain

The only one you've played is Paradise?!?! The series should have never went open world, I think it killed the fun of the series. Burnout 3 and Revenge were the best ones

I have to clear this up now - I got hooked on Burnout thanks to Burnout 3 and Burnout Revenge! I just played on other people's xbox consoles. I was in the US Navy when one of those two came out and I was always playing that in my downtime at the recreation center when we weren't out at sea. When I got my own Xbox 360 many years later, Burnout Paradise was brand spanking new so I had to continue the series!

I know a '7.8' update is coming does anyone know if the GPS experience will be comparable to Nokia WP8? Is it already good on Nokia WP7.5?

I don't think Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive and the rest will ever be updated on WP7 to interact together the way that they will/do on WP8, but it depends on if she just needs GPS and maps or if she needs a navigation experience on top of that. I think the GPS experience is comparable to Android in WP7, in that it does a good job locating you on a map Not having a current Nokia WP7 (I can borrow an HTC HD7, but that's it) I can't tell you EXACTLY how everything works, but Nokia Maps do have a lot of good mapping data behind them, WP7 or 8.

Support | Straight Talk

The language on that site seems to imply that the phone only needs to be T-Mobile or AT&T 'compatible' but if it does indeed need to be unlocked than thank you for the heads up.

I just looked into it - because that wording REALLY threw me for a loop, and it turns out I was wrong. I guess they have a special thing going, at least according to a post here: "Hence, your At&t or T-Mobile phone does not have to be unlocked." This wording was added in April of this year, so it's fairly recent. I suppose this means you can buy your 810 ANYWHERE, and not worry about faxing in a T-Mobile receipt if you want to use Straight Talk

So a WP8 device will show up on the Zune client? This is what confuses me since I would think Zune and WP7 devices will be still managed by Zune and WP8 devices will be managed by the Windows 8 app or the WP8 desktop software, but obviously if/when you get the 810 you'll see how it works. I meant one Win 8 computer with two separate music collections, like one user for my WP8 device's music and one user for my Zune HD's music I know if I have to log in to Zune every time I switch from one to the other but just wanted to know if it would cause any problems having two 'subscription' folders on one computer.

Sorry! I misspoke. Zune only works for WP7 devices. I have NO idea how a WP8 device can be added to your account... hmph. I don't think there will be a problem having two subscription folders, but I suppose I can't actually definitively answer that now. My suggestion at this point would probably be to EXCLUDE the subscription folder from one device in the program for the other, and vice versa. Does that make sense?

When will you be picking up your 810? Launch? I still recommend you keep that Zune HD around for, say, working out at the gym - that will always be thinner or lighter than any phone. It might also be good if you don't want to run your phone's battery down while on a long flight. Keep your whole collection on the phone, and a small subset on your Zune HD.

Also I found out that the 810 WILL support microSDXC 64GB cards

I saw that, too. Someone pointed that out in a thread here yesterday I think. A little too late, I had the option of an excellent priced 64 GB card during the amazon one-day sale a few weeks ago, but I thought the phone would only support 32... hence why I only have a 32 with me

 

[TJWINS]

This thread has turned into a novel LOL! Good info though!

 

[Munkeyphyst]

The GPS on WP7 Nokia devices is solid. My wife's 900 is great that way. far ahead of the offerings on non Nokia devices. WalMart has the pay as you go Nokia 710 for$249

 

[wprob]

Mystictrust that is one **** of an awesome reply. I also found it entertaining as well lol!

Wow, I wholeheartedly agree!

Love this community!

 

[Mystictrust]

I've been meaning to come back to this post since I got my 810, and I've made a few discoveries about using the Zune Pass. Namely, it works! Ignore all the other complaints around this forum, I can confirm that I am syncing DRM music to my phone and playing it. Also, nearly my entire music library was available on my device the first time I opened the Music app - and that was without ever having connected it to the computer! It recognized all the cloud-synced music that I had set up from Xbox Music on my Windows 8 PC, and it made everything available. Even one of my playlists from a month ago has all the music in it (strangely, all the older playlists have zero songs in them)

So here's how it worked for me: Plug phone into computer, it auto-installed the WP8 sync app and asked me to name my device (For now mine is "WP8 Revolution", haha). It then came up and I chose to "Add Music" and took me to a music area populated with tons of folders... but not every artist was in there. So, I clicked the arrow next to 'Files' and selected 'Add more' and went to my music folder. I then saw everything, and I went straight to the Subscriptions folder where Zune has all my DRM music I have yet to use my 10 song allowance on. I selected several songs that were definitely DRM based. After syncing, I went to my device and over to the artist for one of the songs I selected. There were two copies of the song: One with an icon indicating that it was streaming from the cloud, and another icon indicating it was on my SD card. I pressed "play" next to the SD card song and I got an error that the song couldn't be played/read. This continued for all the DRM songs I had. But it gets better... bear with me....

I figured that maybe we aren't grandfathered in to the old "3 computers, 3 devices" limit, so I deleted my laptop connection from within Zune (reducing me to a total of three devices: Zune HD, Windows 8 installation, Windows 7 installation). I then went to xbox.com (where I was already signed in) --> My Account --> Manage Music Devices to see what was up. "Windows Phone" appeared in there, showing a "First Used" date of today, so I knew everything had to be golden.

I hurriedly pressed "Play" on the DRM song on my device.. no dice. I then unplugged the cable from my phone... and then every single DRM song worked locally!! It seems that all it needed was to ensure I had no more than 4 devices, so deleting one of them freed up space for my Windows Phone. Well, it also needed me to unplug the cable for the play rights to work, but that's no problem of course. Sucks that we've lost our device allowance, but hey... it works!

PS: I still hate the Xbox Music app on Windows 8 (still using Zune like a boss), and the WP8 sync app kinda blows chunks too. You will need to use the WP8 sync app for your DRM music, because it will not work if you try to drag and drop from the file system... they have to be DRM-free for that to work.

 

[Dr. Impossible]

"Mystictrust that is one **** of an awesome reply. I also found it entertaining as well lol!"


I liked it so much I'm now thinking of changing my forum name to MysticCrust.

On another note, I found the wording interesting from the OP: "I recently finally got a girlfriend..." congratulations just the same!

Thanks

-Doc

 

[Mystictrust]

lol, wut?