Microsoft's Lumia 930... a real HANDFUL Microkia's new Lumia 930 is quite a handful – in the best way possible. Let's start with the phone's dimensions. At 9.8mm deep it's rather chunkier than the 8.1mm Galaxy S5 and 7.6mm iPhone 5s. And that's a good thing: in my paws the Apple and Samsung phones sometimes feel a little too thin for casual handling. The 930 feels …
Although... He does say not much difference between 8.0 and 8.1; I would say the notification center (drop down a la Android and iPhone) and Cortana are big steps forward. :-S
Otherwise it seems well balanced, which is nice for a change.
I much prefer the feel of my 1020 to my Galaxy S4.
Your typical el reg reader wants specifics. That article would have been fine on a hipster site or on mums net but we want specifics here please.
How does the battery life compare to x? What CPU/GPU/ram. The camera does look pretty good but I'd rather know if ms have been stingy with ram again like they were in the 630.
I'm sure it's a cracking phone but I'd want to know how it compares to a reference device, like a nexus or iPhone.
I was quite critical of the 630, purely due to the stinginess of the ram, and I still stand by what I said now i've had first hand experience of using one. I'm sure the 930 doesn't suffer from this, but now I'll need to look elsewhere for more detail, and I can't be bothered...
Sorry - I came across a bit harsh this morning. Mondayitus.I also had a killer hangover from the footie last night.
It was a good read; I was just hoping for a little table at the bottom benchmarking specs/performance. Appreciate it was a "first fondle" and that info may not have been to hand.
What can I say? I'm a sweary pedant!
Whilst I do agree that we do like full details, from pure user experience viewpoint (as "first fondle" suggests) the cpu/gpu/ram etc don't matter. If the device behaves well without niggles and feels nippy to use that is what really matters.
As for comparing cpu/ram of completely different platforms that utilise the hardware somewhat differently is kind of pointless.
Battery life of course is important and quite comparable
So, you would buy a high-end phone of a different variety because a particular website that you read, that occasionally reviews items, rarely exhaustively IMO, re-reviews a device that has been available for some time and you like the idea of it but, since it lacks an indicator of the RAM size (2GB according the response below, the same as a 1020, huge for a WinPhone) or a (subjective) view of the camera capabilities.
You have more money than sense as they say.
A colleague has one and reported that everything was "on" by default so battery life tanked so he is still researching how to turn stuff off. Some of the pictures he has taken are really nice. As an amateur shutterbug I'm impressed by the colour, contrast and overall performance.
Also, he reported no headphones in his box, but he has, "enough bloody headphones" anyway.
(sorry, his is the 635, but it's a damn nice performer. I'm still not umping to Windows myself, though.)
giving users a chance to do a little more than point, shoot and…
Why and? Point and shoot is what most people do with any camera, especially phones. I know Nokia has some very clever and good technology in the cameras in their phones but most people do just want stuff to work as quickly and simply as possible.
You praise Windows Phone 8.1 but how far does it go to resolve the gripes that people have with the previous version?
I'm still on 8.0. If you can live with (amongst other things) the mandatory synching of your data to the MS cloud, random battery drainage, a mail client which can't handle Postfix "plain" SMTP authentication, the inability to switch off the phone while charging, a Skype client that doesn't allow old style Skype logins, a screen which locks while you're driving, delving through interminable menus to perform the simplest tasks, a search button that's hardwired to Bing and a satnav that has apparently never heard of the M62 it's really not too bad.
Here maps is the best satnav I have used, are you sure you are using a windows phone? Syncing to MS cloud is nice, not seen any random battery usage and my mail for our standard SMTP server worked without a hitch. You shouldn't be using your phone while driving so locking screens shouldn't be a problem while you drive! also use the right search button, the one on the device goes to bing though the one within the apps menu searches apps.
Just to point out I live near and use the M62 frequently and my 520 hasn't failed me on a journey yet, en-fact my wife nicks my phone to go to work sometimes cause she dislikes the satnavs available on her iPhone!
You can set the search to Google, it is in the settings for search - it is the only other option mind you.
You can also not sync pictures and texts to Onedrive if you are keen to risk losing them to a phone theft etc. Not sure why. Also don't see why they should support other competing cloud services instead, increases the risk of unreliability and bloatware in an Android-like way, specifically what WP user do not want.
When they add a choice that is not essential (e.g. Google vs Bing) I want it to be thoroughly reliable and not affect the slickness and stability of the platform.
Having myriad choices always seems wonderful to the user but each one introduces more and more corner cases for testing and inherent risk of instability and unforeseen problems.
Twiddlers need to use Android and live with the fact that they often *have* to twiddle to get it to work in a suitable way for them.
Most people I know with WPs are happy with the stock machine and manipulation of live-tiles is pretty much all that is required.
Even all-on WiFi/BT/Data/GPS leaves me with 40-50% battery at the end of a normal day (with the specific switching off of the WiFi options to scan for networks all over the place, can't connect to most anyway). I even leave the WiFi on after locking now because it is a minimal extra drain.
Also don't see why they should support other competing cloud services instead, increases the risk of unreliability and bloatware in an Android-like way…
That is complete bollocks. Allowing users to choose different services has nothing whatsoever to do with unreliability and bloatware.
If I'm already using a service such as Dropbox to sync my data to, why shouldn't I be able to continue doing so? By preventing this Microsoft is throttling competition. By all means provide a default but let the user choose to decide otherwise.
>That is complete bollocks. Allowing users to choose different services has nothing whatsoever to do with unreliability and bloatware.
Common-sense (look it up) says it is not bollocks.
Having an app that performs a service using the system API means that app may screw up. The App cannot offer itself as a service to the rest of the system or apps - another reason WP is so stable.
Adding an option to the entire system to utilise a differing methodology to (say) sync stuff to the cloud affects every part of the system that uses the cloud storage mechanism - and apps that want to as well.
This would require that they shoe-horn every cloud service into the current API doing whatever is necessary to make the API work for that service (an API designed generically perhaps but almost certainly weighted towards Onedrive and tested only against Onedrive).
Alternatively, they would have to add to the API to cover the cases that could not be driven within the current API. This would still increase the amount of testing and make the system bigger, obviously.
It is completely possible to do, even reliably. It cannot, however, be as reliable and as small as supporting one, baked-in, system. Since that system is theirs and completely under their control, it is even more reliable.
This is partly why the Facebook, Twitter integration mechanism is limited - trying to maintain a part of the system with external agencies' APIs sucks balls.
Having an app that performs a service using the system API means that app may screw up.
And? How is that going to make the system unstable? If the system is not providing APIs for this then it's going to be tightly coupled and much more difficult to maintain than one using an API.
This would require that they shoe-horn every cloud service into the current API
No, alternative services would have to provide code that fulfils the API. That is the whole point of an API.
Alternatively, they would have to add to the API to cover the cases that could not be driven within the current API.
Nice oxymoron.
a Skype client that doesn't allow old style Skype logins…
Is anyone still really using Skype? Only a matter of time before Microsoft starts closing down the old style accounts and forcing its UI abomination on the holdouts. For the odd time I use it I still have my pre-eBay Mac OS client; you know the simple one that just works.
I agree with a couple of your gripes. The 'phone turns on while charging' seems odd. The skype client that doesn't allow all Skype logins is unbelievably infuriating. I don't like the sensitivity of the Bing search or the default to Bing either.
But I haven't had to delve through lots of menus, I find pretty much everything I need in settings and I don't find it hard to turn stuff off. The synching is useful rather than annoying, particularly if you have a Win8 tablet or tabltop (or desktop if you're mad) and it makes restoring a phone from backup much easier.
I do like my Windows phone despite the annoyances.
A nice first glimpse... a subjective feel of a product... how it feels in the hand and how it feels when using it... I look forward to the full review.
with glance enabled the display was always on when charging, but the win 8.1 wupdate the phone screen is now off when charging - If you are referring to the need for the machine to be on as opposed to just the display, that's a 'feature shared by lots of phones - even the iPhone.
The 930 is what I am hankering after as a replacement to my 920 (win8.1) but as the contract is up in October I will probably hold out for the McLaren
What I need Microsoft to do is release an nice easy way to migrate my current phone to the new hardware... yes my app list is saved and the majority of my data will be re-downloaded when I connect the new unit up, but non-skydrive synced apps, wall paper, tile positions and a myriad of little settings don't get restored... I wish a backup and restore like the iphones existed - I plug my new iPhone in, hit restore and the new phone is a carbon copy of my old one... no dicking around or swearing because the high score on some fiendishly tricky game has vanished....
Under WinPho 8.1 all settings including wallpaper, tile position and size etc are backed up and restore pretty much ok.
Some third party app settings are saved but developers are now able to access the API's to enable them to do so.
If you move phones upgrade your current one to 8.1, back everything up and then restore on the new phone.
My 930 comes today...
Sync = mandatory? Weird because I can choose.
Plain SMTP Auth works just fine to my MTA - maybe yours is broken.
Skype - I'm logged in with my "old" credentials
"Interminable menus" - give me an example?
SatNav - what are you using? Here maps is very goodf.
I'm on 8.0 on my Lumia 920.. sync of your data to the cloud is completely optional, random battery drainage seems to have been fixed in the "Black" update (at least for me), can't speak as to the mail situation as I've got my gmail account on there instead, my utterly ancient Skype account works fine, if you use the official "Car Mode" app it doesn't lock the phone with it active and the HERE Drive satnav kicks seven shades out of all but the most high end sat navs that I've ever used, M62 included!
Good point on the Bing button though - that is something of an annoyance!
I hope the AMOLEDS they use in future don't have this issue, I want glance when I come to upgrade. AMOLED makers' conspiracy no doubt.
I suppose they have the glance in the style I use, on for a short time with a pocket removal or hand-wave, switching the display on properly and displaying the minimal info. Worse battery usage than now but better than a full screen start and slide etc.
...where it says "the beefy Lumia weighs in at a huge hefty titanic biceps snapping 20 grams more than the iPhone!"
Like somehow the human race has become enfeebled and cannot carry anything more weighty than a feather in case it snaps their wrists.
Note to Smart Phone reviewers, some of us are still capable of getting ourselves dressed in the morning.
I could be tempted by a WinPho, since I have only had one Android handset before and I know that I'm not too bothered by apps - I'm not really 'invested' in the Android ecosystem.
However, the Snapdragon 800 powered LG G2 can be had for less than £300, and has very good battery life, screen, performance, camera and audio. Not the best in any one category, but amongst the top three in each.
Gave a trial 920 on WP8.1 Beta code to our most picky end user who's an iPhone obsessive and .....
They loved it, we're well into "when you prise it out of my cold dead fingers" territory when we talk about the trial ending.
The win was that it actually works with MS Office apps, calendars especially as they're very important in this use case, just goes to show that there's a market for Win Phone, might just be the one person though :-)
Could be a killer business phone if it has a strong battery life. El reg was hyping the 63X for business for some unknown reason - this is a different animal and I can see the appeal. The camera comes into play as a "screenshotting" tool for people who don't know what "prnt scrn" means or for those scribbles on whiteboards and flip charts. OCR?
What it needs is a decent hook in with "non Microsoft" business tools - e.g. syncing nicely with salesforce.com.
You aren't allowed to say anything negative about Windows Phone here, posts just get rejected. You are seeing a one-side conversation between the 10 real customers, 20 paid shills, and some paid-off "journalists" all having a WinPho lovefest.
All the while, nobody else cares.
Yes anon,
We were just being a "paid-off" shills when we rejected 1) a comment accusing a company of legally actionable wrongdoing for which you provided no evidence 2) a comment calling someone a "pathetic pleb" and 3) random abuse hurled at people who disagree with you.
For heaven's sake, just say that you don't like the Lumia 930 and say why. I'll help you: it still doesn't have a heck of a lot of apps...
Love,
Your friendly El <del>Mod</del> Shill
Because even a pseudonym gives people the chance to look back at previous posts, and build up an idea of the persona behind it. I've had the same nom-de-plume on here for many years now, and that carries some meaning to those who visit regularly. It wouldn't make any difference if I gave my real name, except it would make me a bit nervous about making some comments - the world we live in makes certain opinions dangerous in the eyes of employers etc.
It really isn't so much different from going down to the pub, or being a member of a club (ate least for me) - I know people who only exist in that environment, as far as I'm concerned. I don't know their full names, what they do for a living, marital status etc. It makes no difference. I'd be extremely wary of anyone that came in and said "I'm not giving you any name at all", though.
Some people have reasons for being AC, which they will often justify. Others hide behind it to try to cause trouble with no reason. Based on your published comments and those in your linked page, you seem to fall into the latter group, though your anti-Windows stance does sound like a previously banned ex-commenter - long term readers will know who I mean.
It is Jason actually.
But one of millions of course. However, as the poster above me says at least people can track back and form a opinion of what I say as Jason 7 on this forum.
Whereas you hide so bravely behind the AC moniker. It's so much easier when you see a nutcase post and realise "Oh it it's just that window licker Eadon at it again!"
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
