Switching to a Windows Phone Lumia 830 #LumiaSwitch

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Lumia 830 Review

Lumia 830 ReviewI was sent a Lumia830 to review and when I started using the Lumia 830 Windows 8.1 Phone, I had some preconceptions.  It is using Windows 8, so it was going to be difficult to use and there would be no applications for it.  As it turns out, I was mostly wrong.

The Windows OS is really good for a touch interface.  The tiles are useful where they display information and flip for additional data.  Some are clear, which is nice too, but more on that later.  The tiles are also large in their default setting, you can double or half the default size for most tiles, depending on need.  Some tiles I maximized to access them easier with one hand while driving or in a hurry.

The phone has three buttons on the right side of the phone: volume toggle, screen/power on/off, and a dedicated camera button.  The audio button can get knocked around if in your pocket or depending on how you hold it.  The power button is ideally placed when I am holding the phone in one hand to launch the password screen or to lock it when I put it down.  The camera button is a bit of a pain, however.  I keep hitting it by accident or when I place it in the cup holder of my car, the button is pressed and the camera is running, looking at my feet or taking pictures of my console.

The wallpaper for the lock and home screens are in the settings, “lock screen” and “start+theme”.  You can select from several automated update sites or load your own.  The transparent icons are useful if you want to see the image behind tiles and in making designs.  There are replacement icons out there for most applications.  There are designs and apps to create designs, but that is for people with more time than I.

There are applications for the phone like navigation, social media, online video, photo editors, and games.  Most of the things you will need to do with your phone, there is an app for that.  Some of the things you will need/want to do will not be available (yet?).

The phone I had before this one was a Blackberry z10.  This one is faster, thinner, and overall better in most respects, except they share the same issue in one area: lack of application support by the mainstream.  Most banks now have a photograph a check for deposit app, but the only option is android or iOS.  Once the Windows phone becomes more popular, there will be three options for most apps.  I found that the company that handles my paycheck has a Windows app, but that is the first one I found.  There are others, I am sure, but every commercial I hear about or when someone tries to sell me on the latest app, I tell them I cannot install it.  Some get downright pushy so I hand them my phone.  I feel a little smug when they insist I don’t know what I am talking about and they prove themselves wrong.  I don’t set out to do it, just happens all by itself.

Netflix never worked on this phone.  I tried the Microsoft, Lumia and third part sources to try to fix this.  No matter what I do, I get the same error Q8156 887A0004.  The app installs, loads the different profiles, loads a show or movie, then after 99%, error.  I do not watch movies on the phone, but this is a review phone, so I wanted to run it through its paces.

Cortana has been fun to play with.  I have asked her to tell me a joke or a story, if she new SIRI and what Halo was about.  These all have interesting responses, but where she shines is setting alarms and reminders.  You can set an alarm for seven am, but to set it to repeat, you will have to adjust that manually.  You can set reminders for when you arrive or leave a location, for a day and time or when you contact someone.  I found the reminders for when I leave one location go off when I arrive and when I leave.

There is one feature I use every workday, “Cortana, what does traffic look like on my way to work this morning.”  I get a report that it is flowing, crawling, or other status, usually dead on, with an estimate as to how long it will take.  The confusing thing is, if I ask, “How long will it take me to get to work this morning”, I get a different estimated time, off by several minutes.  And if I ask her the last question, but add, “given traffic”, I get shunted to a web search for an answer.  Not that good for driving.

The navigation apps also have some issues.  When they closed part of the freeway for an accident, the apps want to take me right through as if the closure didn’t happen, even if I find the setting to avoid traffic.  On my z10, the navigation knows about the issue and routes me right around it.  This may be because the navigation apps are new or the other phone has some kind of feed the others do not.  I know the one app it not available on the other.

Image editing on the phone is fairly robust, considering it is on the phone.  There are default apps or you can add ones from adobe and others.  The Adobe app was light in features, but I use the desktop versions, perhaps I was expecting more.

Once the applications start to be written for Windows phones, the main issue with this phone should be cleared up.  Phone calls are clear as a bell, texting works fine and all the other usual smartphone functions.  Once Windows 10 comes out, I will be very interested to see the phone version.

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