Posts by pstancer

Microsoft's own operating system should finally start working on its own hardware ... 'in the coming weeks'

Don't hold your breath. This bug has been around since November 2019 on the Insider Build. They keep promising it's fixed, and sometimes it goes quiet for a couple of days after an update, but it'll be back.

Microsoft's carefully crafted Surfaces are having trouble with its carefully crafted Windows 10 May 2020 Update

Windows Insider Bork bork bork

I'm a Windows Insider and I've been reporting some of these new Surface borks since November 2019, although it's a Green Screen Of Death for me on the Insider track.

Sadly Microsoft QA is not what it was. I'm turning off Insider builds (even the supposedly stable slow ring) after this next update goes on to my system. It's just not worth the hassle any more.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950XL: Clear thoughts of Continuum with a snazzy camera

Just arrived, now sending it back.

Sigh. I was looking forward to this phone. It arrived today and I was hopeful. Sadly, it's a let down.

I have a Nokia 1520 which has proven its worth over the years. But the lure of a large screen dual-SIM phone I could use as a backup laptop during my frequent travels, seemed too good to be true. Er, well, It is.

First the good, Continuum: the free dock didn't arrive (apparently you have to apply for that after you've activated your phone) but I was able to pair the display through wifi to one of our office TVs. Pretty good. That is a potential winner for people who only need Office in their lives. The 200Gb supported additional SD card makes this attractive. Once the Win 10 Universal apps start to gain some traction in the store, then things should improve. I've been on the Win 10 beta program for a while now on my Nokia so I am not wowed by the change. The mail app is pretty decent so I have no complaints.

Now the bad. The screen sucks. It's clear and bright yes, but smaller than the 1520, around the same size as the large iPhone 6, but stupidly they've opted to make the three windows buttons soft, i.e. part of the screen. You can swipe them away, but most of the time it just steals screen space.

Headphones: er, none in the box. You would thing for a supposed high end phone (£500+) you could stump up a set of headphones.

Wireless charging ... hmm ... well it works on a flat plate, but if you've invested in the Nokia standup DT-910 charger then it won't work. I tried it on two. NFC picks up, but it won't charge. Helpfully there is an app that tells you what accessories work with the phone, but you have to buy the phone first to use it.

Finally, the main reason this phone is going back: it's only single SIM! Despite 15 minutes on the phone to Microsoft while they checked and confirmed before I ordered, the damn thing only has one slot. When I queried this again today, they changed their mind are now only selling the dual-SIM phone in Germany at the moment.

If the Microsoft team that designs the Surface 4 gets to design a phone, then I may take another look, but for now I'm sticking to my trusty Nokia.