Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Post the Nokia event: "Nothing to see here..."

I don't say that to belittle these devices or deride Nokia. I am coming to accept that for Windows Phone 8 or moving forward with the platform, there is no other OEM bringing such value or choice to Windows Phone. This is much more than I expected when this partnership was first announced in 2010.

It was news when Elop leaked the Nokia 800 during a company meeting. It was news when 2 devices were brought to market, though somewhat belatedly with the roll-out of Apollo.

But these devices are not as ground-breaking as the hype for this show might have indicated. There were rumors of a tablet (not going to happen, at least until Windows Blue). There were rumors of a phablet (same thing. WP8 doesn't support all the resolutions necessary yet). Then there is EOS. That is a holiday item yet to be unveiled.

Here is my observation on today's announcement of the 925:
   
  1. It is not positioned as a successor to the 920, so those with 920 can feel good about the choice they made and not that they need something more on AT&T. Most comments I have read fall along those lines.
  2. This is designed to be T-Mobile's flagship as the 928 is Verizon's. Lately, I was worrying that Nokia was only positioning themselves for the low-mid-tier devices. Leaving many of us looking all too seriously at other devices or even platforms.
  3. People who buy their phones outright unlocked and sim free have been waiting for these announcements. I am thinking in some form or another, all three (920, 925 and 928) will be available in other markets sim free. Now I get to choose whether to finally go for a discounted 920 or wait a little longer for one of these.
  4. As for the 925. The 16GB is a waste of time. No device can now be called a flagship with less than 32gb. Windows Phone has far too many compromises. If you want expandable memory or even more than 32gb, you must lower your expectations for screen, or camera, or abandon PureView. If T-Mobile is only getting a 16gb model, that is not good enough. Apple drops their older machines to bargain status, and their top player has 2-3 levels available from 16 clear to 64gb. 2011 saw a single Windows Phone with 32gb and until the 920, it has basically stayed that way. Even the Ativ S, which was touted as getting a 32GB model w/MicroSD expansion has been no where to be seen.
  
I currently sport an HTC Titan. 8mp camera, 16gb storage. While I understand moving up to Windows Phone 8, NFC, wireless charging, dual core make a difference, not enough to jump at a WP8 device, or I would have popped for an 8X long ago. Dual core means not nearly as much as more memory. I am bumping my head on that ceiling, and going anything less than 32gb is a waste of time and money.
 
For my money though, while nothing really new was announced, I do see a path to a new device ahead of me. Likely, either this month or later this summer, I will be sporting a Nokia, and all the goodness that comes with one.

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