Category Archives: Nokia

Here are the First Ten Phones that will Get Windows 10 Mobile

I’m still haunted in my dreams by the time that Microsoft said that Lumia Denim (as well as Lumia Cyan) would come to flagship Lumias first. Well, it appears that they’re putting out a list of the first devices to get Windows 10 Mobile.

Those devices include Lumia 430, 435, 532, 535, 540, 640, 640 XL, 735, 830, and 930. It’s an interesting range of devices, from the super low end to the flagship. One thing that they have in common on the low end is that they’re all Microsoft Lumias.

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Lumia Camera Gets an Update with Transparent Live Tiles

Don’t get your hopes up. We’re talking about Lumia Camera, not Lumia Camera. First, let’s break down the FOUR different versions of Lumia Camera. At the end, we’ll talk about the update for Lumia Camera that’s not Lumia Camera 5.

First we have Lumia Camera 5. This is the new version of Lumia Camera for the Nokia Lumia 830, 930, Icon, 1520, and Microsoft Lumia 640 and 640 XL. It includes features like Rich Capture and a dedicated button for switching between cameras.

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Lumia Camera Classic vs Lumia Camera 5 Comparison

This is going to be the first installment in a three part series. It will be three comparisons and the third contender will be the Windows 10 Camera app, which is supposedly the replacement for Lumia Camera Classic.

Nokia Camera was a terrible camera app. I’ll say it again. Nokia Camera was terrible. We put up with it because the app took such amazing pictures. It took a long time to focus, there was no dedicated button to switch between front and rear cameras, no dedicated button for Settings, and so on.

Microsoft bought Nokia and Nokia Camera became Lumia Camera. Lumia Camera 5 came out and Lumia Camera became Lumia Camera Classic.

Lumia Camera 5 came with Lumia Denim, the firmware update that was bundled with Windows Phone 8.1.1. It’s only available on select Windows Phones, such as the Lumia 830, Lumia Icon, Lumia 930, and Lumia 1520. When Microsoft released the Lumia 640 and 640 XL, it was available on those as well.

Lumia Camera 5 solves just about all of the things that were wrong with Lumia Camera Classic, but it also takes different pictures. Here, we’re actually going to put those pictures side by side.

I would also note that I still have a beef with all of the Lumia Camera apps, which is that certain things can be edited from within the app and some are only in other Lumia apps, such as Lumia Creative Studio. I would love to see all of those features in the Lumia Camera app or even in the Photos app.

So let’s look at Lumia Camera Classic and Lumia Camera 5 side by side. Both photos were taken with the Lumia 930. To be fair with each other, they both used automatic settings. To enlarge the photo, click on it. To view the full size image, there is a link in the carousel.

Lumia Camera Classic Lumia Camera 5

Obviously, both cameras take similar photos. After all, they were taken with the same camera with the same firmware, but there are some differences.

Lumia Camera Classic
Lumia Camera 5

Lumia Camera Classic - Lumia Camera 5

Lumia Camera Classic
Lumia Camera 5

Lumia Camera Classic - Lumia Camera 5

Lumia Camera Classic
Lumia Camera 5

Lumia Camera Classic - Lumia Camera 5

One thing that I noticed in some of my camera tests with the Lumia 640 is that the photos seemed to be oversaturated. I see now that that’s not the case. We do notice that the reds seem darker with Lumia Camera 5.

Lumia Camera 5 also comes with a feature called Rich Capture. It’s a wonderful feature, which is why it’s named after me. Here’s a video I did that shows off Rich Capture and what it does.

Now, let’s look at some samples:

Lumia Camera 5 No Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 without Flash - Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash - Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 without Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 without Flash - Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash - Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 without Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 without Flash - Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash
Rich Capture

Lumia Camera 5 with Flash - Rich Capture

The idea behind Rich Capture is to allow the user to adjust the exposure of an image after it’s taken. When you take the photo with a flash, it allows you to choose the image with a flash, without the flash, or anywhere in between, which is a huge benefit.

Then there’s the front camera. I don’t have my Lumia 640 XL review unit anymore, which is the only phone with a solid front camera that’s got Lumia Camera 5. Because of this, we’re going to do it with the 1.2 MP front camera on the Nokia Lumia 930. i’m not expecting to see big differences here.

It could be the lighting or a slightly different angle, but I think Lumia Camera 5 does a better job on the front camera.

Sadly, I don’t think this comparison is going to matter. As far as I can tell, Lumia Camera Classic dies with the birth of Windows 10 Mobile. Every phone I have running the Insider Preview doesn’t have Lumia Camera on it anymore unless it’s a phone with Lumia Camera 5, such as the Lumia 930 or the Lumia Icon.

I really wanted to get this comparison in before Lumia Camera Classic is gone forever.

When Microsoft bought Nokia, the firm made the pledge to open up all of the Nokia specific apps to all Windows Phones. They have not made good on that promise, even a little. Even apps such as Lumia Creative Studio aren’t available on non-Lumia Windows Phones. This is another reason why I think that Lumias ultimately hurt the Windows Phone platform, despite the fact that they’re amazing phones.

The new stock Camera app in Windows 10 Mobile is the first step toward that goal. After all, Windows Phone has always had a stock Camera app, which is pretty terrible. Big companies such as HTC, Samsung, and LG have their own camera apps, but smaller companies such as Blu and Yezz use the stock Camera app.

In Windows 10 Mobile, the stock Camera app will be much more similar to the Lumia Camera app. Let’s just hope it works as well. If you’re running the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview, you know that the stock Camera app is far from complete.

Microsoft Lumia 735 Unboxing and First Impressions

OK, OK, I know I’m not unboxing the Microsoft Lumia 735. It’s the Nokia Lumia 735; however, I really promise that for the purposes here, both phones are exactly the same.

I recently received an LG Lancet to review. The interesting thing here is that it’s exclusive to Verizon and it sits on the mid-range side by side with the Microsoft Lumia 735 as Verizon’s two Windows Phones.

The objective is to compare the two devices and find out what the best Verizon Windows Phone really is (it’s the Lumia Icon, but they don’t sell it anymore). So take a look at the unboxing of the Nokia Lumia 735.

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Nokia is Getting Back into Smart Phones

So, remember how Nokia was going to get back into making smart phones, and then they confirmed that they weren’t, and then they were again? Well, they are once again confirming that they will again. In a blog post [which ironically sits right on top of the blog post confirming that they will not be making smart phones], they outline their plans.

In short, Nokia states that they will license their brand to hardware partners, as all of their manufacturing channels are now owned by Microsoft. The employees went to Microsoft as well; however, the vast majority of them are free agents now.

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Windows 10 Mobile Build 10166: Walk Through

Last Friday, Microsoft left us with another Windows 10 Mobile build. This time, it’s build 10166. The week before, we received Windows 10 Mobile Build 10149, which most were shocked to find how fantastic this build was. There were still some issues, so I had high hopes for Windows 10 Mobile build 10166.

When I went to install the new build on the five phones that I run the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview on, I had two successful installs, two bricked phones, and one that just didn’t take. I ended up using the Windows Phone Recovery Tool and installed from there. My high hopes were now gone.

I’ve been using the build since as a daily driver to test it. It’s been working pretty well since then. Check out the video.

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Microsoft Releases Windows 10 Mobile Build 10166

By Rich W Woods

Today, Microsoft released Windows 10 Mobile build 10166. This is a very important build, if you ask me. It’s mostly all about bug fixes. They don’t have a laundry list of new features like they have in every build thus far.

The last Windows 10 Mobile build was pretty great. Surprisingly great, in fact. I was all set to use it on my daily driver, but I figured that before I installed it on my gold Lumia 930, I’d try it out on my Lumia Icon first, since they’re the same phone. I made it all of two hours.

All bug fixes and no features means we’re getting close to RTM. Get ready. It’s going to be an interesting second half of the year.

Gabe Aul had this to say:

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Microsoft Lumia 535 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 Speed Comparison

By Rich W Woods

This video was inspired by a post on WMPowerUser regarding whether or not Microsoft is ignoring dual core phones. I commented that people need to get over it. The dual core Snapdragon S4 Plus was a decrepit, old processor even when it was the only processor that was supported by Windows Phone 8. It really says something when your next generation low end phone outperforms your last generation flagship.

Of course, I got torn apart. I pointed out that a dual core 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 Plus is far less powerful than a quad core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200. Of course, I probably would have had the same response, that it’s not all about cores and GHz. People aren’t very nice on the Internet.

It doesn’t change the facts though. Watch the Microsoft Lumia 535 outperform the Nokia Lumia 1020.

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How To Use Rich Capture on a Lumia or Windows 10

By Rich W Woods

One of the greatest features that came with Lumia Denim was Lumia Camera 5. One of the greatest features in Lumia Camera 5 is Rich Capture. It truly is amazing; however, it never ceases to amaze me just how many people have never used it. I suppose it sounds more complicated than it actually is. I decided to make a video explaining it.

Lumia Camera 5 is available on the Lumia 930, Icon, 1520, 640, and 640 XL. It’s also available on some Lumia 830s. The stock Camera app in Windows 10 Mobile also has a Rich Capture feature and we’ll go over that as well.

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Why I Switched from iPhone 6 to a Windows Phone

By Rich W Woods

This post is sort of inspired by a post I saw in Lumia Conversations. It’s about a man who bought the “much hyped” iPhone 6, it “didn’t do it for him” and he ended up buying a Nokia Lumia 930 after five months for the various reasons that someone might want a Windows Phone.

Here’s the thing. I can’t say the iPhone 6 didn’t do anything for me. I loved my iPhone 6. I still do.

There’s something that you’re going to have to keep in mind when you read this. I get to use every phone that comes out; however, ask any tech reviewer what phone he uses and there’s always one that’s his daily driver. That’s what we’re talking about here.

Over the last eight months that I’ve owned the iPhone 6, I’ve regularly told people that, as someone who gets to try every phone that comes out, I thought it was the best phone on the U.S. market. The best phone globally was the Nokia Lumia 930, but alas, they don’t sell the Nokia Lumia 930 in the United States.

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