back to article Review: Nokia Lumia 520

A few years ago the late music magazine The Word coined the phrase "landfill indie" to describe the thousands of generic groups it encountered. Today the shops are full of "landfill Android": utterly generic, non-too-inspiring handsets. It’s into this Valley of Death that Nokia tosses its new Lumia 520. In the UK, the average …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'll check it out.

    It sounds like the perfect phone for the requirements of SWMBO. I'll give it a thorough once over. Very useful review,

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'll check it out.

      Beware folks. Now you get downvoted for finding a review useful. Don't let me see it happening again ! :D

    2. dajames
      WTF?

      Re: Very useful review,

      Is it?

      I'm glad you found it useful ... but that's not the same thing as the review being "a useful review" per se.

      If a review is to be useful I'd expect it to at least contain the full spec. of the device in question -- preferably in a table, so one doesn't have to sift through all the text to find every detail -- as well some comment as to how the device in question actually performs. Such a review would be considerably longer than the four screenfuls or so that this one takes.

      It might also help if the reviewer eschewed the opportunity to ride his own hobby-horse by slagging off other devices before he got started.

      1. Martin Huizing
        Facepalm

        Re: Very useful review,

        Dude, the guy said he thought it was useful. Take a chill-pill !

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Very useful review,

        >expect it to at least contain the full spec. of the device in question -- preferably in a table, so one doesn't have to sift through all the text to find every detail

        There is a site that lets you view the specs of any two phones side by side... sorry, I can't remember its name but it can't be more than a few clicks away.

    3. N13L5
      FAIL

      Re: I'll check it out.

      Really...

      He talked about how "cute" the phone is, and the dual-tone paint job err, what?

      Then he said "People friendly" Windphone 8...

      What's people friendly about Windphone? I can't even arrange things the way I like....

      Ohhh he must mean that all your semi-random facebook contacts automatically get merged with your actual address book?

      And his coining of the "Landfill Android" phrase shows bias if not outright shilling for M$...

      So, if you prefer fogging, propaganda and spin over plain facts, then this was definitely a nice review.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: I'll check it out.

        Normal people do not buy a phone based a on a list of statistics. It would be like buying a car purely for it's bhp and 0-60 rather than things like ride comfort, styling. etc.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I'll check it out.

      Well, I DID check it out, and it works really well. Whether you like the tiles or not is a personal matter of course, but her indoors found it handy as opposed to them little icons elsewhere.

      What did however kill it dead was the absence of an FM radio receiver, which IS apparently in the hardware, but not enabled in Win8 (or so I was told). This is supposed to get enabled in future update of Win8. At which point SWMBO muttered something along the lines of 'idiots Nokia Microsoft etc'. and stomped out of the store, angry at me for taking time out of her busy schedule to waste time looking at a useless phone.

      Nokia and Microsoft, you made me looke like an idiot, and I will not be forgetting this in a hurry.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    OK, I'm confused... if there's no compass, how does navigation work?

    1. Fuzz

      compass not required

      Compass tells you which direction you are facing, this isn't required for navigation which only requires GPS or some other sort of satellite location service which this phone has.

    2. Martin Huizing
      Go

      I guess its got GPS (no mention in the article and too lazy to look for it)

      The software simply calculates from where you were a moment ago to know which direction you are heading.

    3. Dave's Jubblies

      By GPS aggregation... when you are moving, it's easy enough for it to work out which way you are heading...

      By watching which way you are heading...

    4. Nick L

      same way as all other GPS devices without compass work... i guess they plot the delta from now and the last GPS coordinate and work out direction of travel from there. Of course this won't give you a direction when you're stationary, but that's not exactly an issue.

    5. Michael B.

      The 520 appears to have a GPS chip but no compass so it can tell you where you are but not which direction you are looking in. From a practical standpoint this would stop virtual reality apps such as City Lens from working fully but Nokia Drive should be fine.

      1. Chairo

        No compass

        The compass is extremely useful in pedestrian navigation.

        Calculating the walking direction only from the position information, usually doesn't work so well, due to the precision of the GPS signal. Especialy in urban environments.

        It's quite nasty to walk a hundred meters or so, just to realize you are walking in the opposite direction.

        For me, the lack of a compass is a no go, but who only uses car navigation, will most likely be fine.

    6. David Webb

      I'd guess it uses GPS to just trace out a route of where you are to where you are going and as you move it'll update the map every now and then to show where you are compared to where you're going. Of course, if you're totally lost on a really long road with no points of reference you may end up going the wrong way, in which case you use the hour hand and the 12 o'clock position on your watch to deduce North and, err, that may not work if you have a digital watch... so find a tree and look for some moss, the moss only grows on one side of the tree and that side is north, or south, maybe east, could even be west... umm.... how did people cope with normal maps before GPS?!

  3. hplasm
    Windows

    Landfill Android

    An ironic term used to describe any Microsoft device with a Tiled Display. See also TIFKAM.

  4. JDX Gold badge

    No Gorilla glass

    Surely everyone puts a screen protector on their pricey smartphone anyway so the smeariness issue is moot?

    I'm very tempted to upgrade from my 610 but I guess I'll wait a bit. At this end of the market, it does sound a very good deal - for a basic smartphone apps are less of an issue I would imagine too since that's not what we want a budget phone for.

    1. Professor Clifton Shallot

      Re: No Gorilla glass

      "Surely everyone puts a screen protector on their pricey smartphone anyway"

      I never have - are they any good?

      They seen to me to either be so cheap that if they were any use the manufacturer would be applying them in the factory or so expensive that you want some kind of protector for them . . .

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: No Gorilla glass

        hmmm ?

        Why would the manufacturer not fit something that would prevent you having to buy a new phone the first time you put it in the same pocket as your keys?

  5. Dazed & Confused
    Stop

    Where's Eadon....

    AND HIS CAPS LOCK?

    1. Dave's Jubblies
      Trollface

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      maybe he has

      KEYBOARD FAIL

    2. The lone lurker
      Thumb Up

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      EADON APPEARANCE FAIL!!!

    3. Laurent Cargill
      FAIL

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      In his absence I'll oblige....

      [Insert generic and predictable anti-MS bo**ocks here...]

      WINPHONE FAIL

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      He usually doesn't turn up if he's pre-empted, not always, but we can at least hope that we can have a non-trolly discussion about a phone.

      Why do they invoke so much fanboyism, they're just phones.

      1. Turtle

        "Pseudo-Ethical"

        "Why do they invoke so much fanboyism, they're just phones."

        Not for Eadon they're not. No, for Eadon they're part of a whole fucking pseudo-ethical bourgeois ideology.

    5. Adam 1

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      EPIC LANDFILL FAIL

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Where's Eadon....

        I'm Eadon

        ...... and so's my wife

    6. MondoMan
      Alert

      Re: Where's Eadon....

      Who cares about Eadon, where's amanfrommars these days???

  6. Martin Huizing
    Pint

    "and be glad of the larger screen, which makes typing more comfortable"

    I believe what you are trying to say is "makes texting (or sexting) more comfortable".

    My God, am I that old that I suddenly remember my old IBM keyboard? The clicking sound reminiscent of a writer desperately trying to get thoughts on paper; That was comfortable. This, as well as typing on my s3 or big-ass screen fondle-slab, is not. Beer O'Clock!

  7. IHateWearingATie
    Go

    Hmmmm

    Tempting IT dinosaur parent phone at that price.

    Good to see Nokia back on form in at least one market segment!

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sony Xperia E

    Beats this in every way imaginable. Wherever there is a Windows Phone, there is a better Jellybean Android device.. Sorry....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Sony Xperia E

      Competition is good though? No?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sony Xperia E

        Not inferior products, no.

        I would never buy an inferior products (cough Xbox360 cough) just because some random internet mantra told me that Sony had a dominant position and competition is good for gamers...

        It doesn't take an idiot to work out where this all originates from... The underdog with deep marketing pockets..

        Microsoft need to make a product that people want, not spending their money on trying to tell them what to buy...

        1. Chika
          Trollface

          Re: Sony Xperia E

          Why not? It has worked before. :)

    2. FlossyThePig

      Re: Sony Xperia E

      Screen resolution?

      Sony 320 x 480, Nokia 480 x 800

      Internal storage?

      Sony 4GB (plus 32GB microSD), Nokia 8GB (plus 64GB microSD)

      Offline SatNav?

      Sony ?, Nokia yes

    3. RyokuMas
      Go

      Re: Sony Xperia E

      Scope for a side-by-side comparison article here, eh el Reg? I'd be interested to see it (and too lazy/skint to do it myself!)

    4. Andrew Orlowski (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Sony Xperia E

      "Next year's landfill"

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sony Xperia E

        Ironic given that all the millions of CURRENT unsold Lumias are being buried in the frozen wasteland outside Salo....

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Now, this is more like it...

    Fist things first, lets get any thoughts of bias out of the way. I own a iPhone 4. Haven't seen anything to Make me want to upgrade from Apple, Samsung, HTC or any of the other Android crowd.

    I don't mind a walled garden as I want my phone to listen to a little music on, check mail on and use to actually call people.

    With the kinds of deals available using sim free or cheap contract this and the 620 are really tempting me,

    As someone said the other day OS isn't really that important and I've long since reached the view that needing to use a phone to watch video is too much of a compromise - buy a cheap tablet rather than an oversized phone.

    So this is a tipping point. Previously I'd not have even considered win phone 8, because the cost of entry was no different to IOS or decent android. Other family members have cheap android and frankly it's grim, so I didn't want to go there, nor did I want to pay IOS/Decent Droid price.

    So now I have an option that really suits me. Good radio performance, decent battery and low price.

    I'm very tempted...

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: Now, this is more like it...

      I've gone the other way. Cheap Nokia Lumia 710 (on WP7) to iPhone 5. This is for the work phone, and I bought the Nokia myself because the Android on the contract was too annoying. I like the OS, but the lag was pissing me off. I definitely think that the really cheap 'Droids are to be avoided. If you need a cheaper one, buy last year's (or 2 years ago) top of the range. Although if Android security starts to be a real problem, you could end up a bit sad and lonely with less likelihood of security patches. Lots of the mid-price 'Droids look pretty good, but I've not seen a £100 that I liked.

      The biggest downside of Win Pho is the apps. Unless that's massively improved in the last 6 months. There weren't very many, and lots of them were poor quality. That also helps with the modest hardware. The OS seems to be pretty light on that, whereas I've seen lag just navigating round the home screen on cheap 'Droids. But if you care less about apps then you'll be less worried about low processor/RAM as you won't be doing much multi-tasking.

      In my opinion the built-in email and contacts management are better on Win Pho than iOS or Android. Though with Android you can just install better ones. If you mostly use your phone for email and calls, then a cheaper one is a good plan and for that Nokia looks pretty good to me.

      One big note of caution though. The lack of Gorilla Glass. I'd wonder about going up to the 720, if it's not too expensive, just for that. Although a decent case also solves that problem.

      1. The_Regulator

        Apps

        While win phone is certainly still behind android and IOS they really are picking up the pace on official apps over the last couple of months and there are some very talented 3rd party devs creating good alternatives for others. I would love to see what some users here would consider as must haves in terms of apps to do a comparison because there is not much I feel I am missing on wp8 right now.

  10. joeW

    Android Android Android

    I think you managed to mention Android more times than the phone you were reviewing!

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: Android Android Android

      Well Android is the rival at this price point. And dominates the market. So it's what this phone's got to be measured against. If you're going to do a review, then the big question is 'do I buy this phone'. And to decide that - you have to refer to the alternatives.

    2. Dan 55 Silver badge

      Re: Android Android Android

      The odd thing is the true competitor for a WP8 that price point is S40/Asha made by, er, Nokia.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The Nokia 520 ISN'T an Android phone???

      That's not a joke either. I don't know anything about smartphones and I read the entire article under the impression that this Nokia 520 was an Android phone; it was only the last few sentences that made me think it might be a Windows 8 phone.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Android Android Android

      That's because you can't talk about a Nokia phone without some blinkered fanboy posting that Nokia should do an Android phone.

      So people are actually trying to quantify why Nokia are doing Windows phone, quite simply because they care about their reputation and the OS scales better. A cheaper WP8 phone provides a better experience than an Android phone at the lower level. Much of the Android phone market is mid range phones with the exception being the Galaxy phones.

  11. Dunhill
    Unhappy

    here lies a/the problem

    > For many tech-savvy Reg readers the Lumia 520 has too many compromises,

    there you go ,

    > but I’ll bet you know somebody, a friend or a relative, who would welcome a basic-but-functional smartphone too.

    Yep and than i am the one who needs to solve their/the (un)solvable problems with the wp8 and they will ask ME, why, i advised a phone that does not do like an iPhone or an Android.

  12. 1Rafayal

    Personally, I dont see the point in making 'landfill' devices at all - Android or Windows.

    Sure both camps should be trying to concentrate on delivering the best device and experience in class?

    Or am I looking through rose tinted spectacles

    1. Chris 3

      You're missing the fact that...

      ... they sell. There's a big market for cheap n cheerful.

      1. 1Rafayal

        Re: You're missing the fact that...

        yeah they sell, which makes people happy.

        I just wonder how much harm these types of devices cause in the long term

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nice Phone

    Shame about the OS

    1. Shagbag

      Re: Nice Phone

      My sentiments exactly.

      I was burned by the WinPho7 Lumia 800 not being upgradable to WinPho8. So I sold it (£250), went back to an HTC Wildfire (£40) and installed Ice Cream Sandwich on it.

      That's quite an upgrade path for a £40 phone. I don't think I'll get that with a WinPhone, though, so I'm staying away from that platform - despite the low cost of this Nokia. Once bitten, twice shy.

      Fuck you MSFT. You hear me? FUCK YOU.

      1. Dave's Jubblies

        Re: Nice Phone

        HTC gave you that upgrade to ICS did they?

        1. Shagbag

          Re: Update to ICS

          No Dave, HTC did not give me the upgrade to ICS.

          They DID give me the ability to unlock the bootloader.

          An hour reading XDA-Developers and I had ICS running smooth as silk with the CPU overclocked to 700MHz.

          As to the other gonad on here questioning my sales price. You might be correct. I can't remember whether it was 250 or 180 but I do know it was >£100. So my original point remains.

          1. Dave's Jubblies

            Re: Update to ICS

            Ah, I see.

            Should anyone question you, you will resort to random name calling, and attacks.

            I didn't think they allowed the internet in little school?

      2. JC_

        @Shagbag

        I was burned by the WinPho7 Lumia 800 not being upgradable to WinPho8. So I sold it (£250)

        Really? You sold your second hand Lumia for £250? That's more than they cost new six months ago when WP8 was released, so you must be quite the salesman.

        Even before WP8 non-compatibility was confirmed the 800 was going for less than that in any colour you like on eBay (I know 'cause I was looking).

    2. Slartybardfast

      Re: Nice Phone

      "Shame about the OS"

      Why?

      If this phone was running either Android or IOS it would be pants. If it was running Android the battery life would be awful & if running IOS6+ its performance would probably be crap (like it is when running on some of the earlier iPhones). Hate to say it but WP8 like WP7.8 does appear to be slicker and and better suited to less powerful phones than either of the two other choices. So why the hate? It's a phone, get over it.

      1. CJatCTi
        Happy

        Re: Nice Phone

        Not all Sub £100 Android phones are "landfill Android" the Huawei G300, runs 4.01, has 4" screen at 800x400and 6 months on still goes 2 day between charges - as 2 of my sons will testify.

        Oh! as it's an Android you get lots of apps too!

      2. garyc2011
        FAIL

        Re: Nice Phone

        " If it was running Android the battery life would be awful"

        Its running WP and the battery life is awful..........

        read engadgets review, they really slate the crummy battery life...........

  14. Norphy

    Where can I get it from SIM free for £100? Expansys have it for about £150. Carphone Warehouse is the same. Various Amazon sellers and eBay sellers have it for £150 SIM free. Seems to me that the only way you can it for £100 is to get it on PAYG.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Carphone Warehouse don't lock their PAYG phones, so they are effectively SIM free. Although you do have to buy a £10 top-up, which you'll probably end up wasting.

    2. Nick Thompson

      Get it on PAYG and chuck the SIM away? I got my 710 from carphone warhouse like that and it wasn't locked (although I am still using that sim).

  15. Bassey

    dumb (phone)

    If you only want to make calls, check mail and play music then why get a smartphone? Any £10 dumb phone will do that and with a battery life measured in weeks.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: dumb (phone)

      'Citation Needed'

      Please can you point me to a link where I can get a 3G phone that has 8mB of memory for tunes etc (maybe SD expandable) and easy email access for £10

      1. Dan 55 Silver badge

        Re: dumb (phone)

        Probably something like an Asha 311 by Nokia, for about 90 quid SIM free.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: dumb (phone)

          Thanks Dan, but the OP promised me a phone for £10

          1. Bassey

            Re: dumb (phone)

            http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-Ericsson-Walkman-W705-Luxury-silver-Orange-Mobile-Phone-/281096395828?pt=UK_Mobile_Phones&hash=item4172a69c34

  16. Maharg
    Thumb Down

    Meh

    After being with Nokia for years I have switched to Sony, Nokia seems to just be churning out really ‘meh’ phones, the things they used to be great at, ease of use, and decent cameras have gone to the way side, now they are just the ‘other’ phones.

    1. Dave's Jubblies

      Re: Meh

      Not sure which recent Nokia's you've used, but just going ont he 920...

      Decent camera?

      By all 'quality' review opinions and test, best in class, especially in darker shots, and class leading video image stabilisation too.

      So I'd call that a 'decent camera'.

      And ease of use? I presume you've not used WP8 much? Again, by any reasonable review, it's THE easiest to get into, and just 'use'.

      To avoid flame war: Android and IOS each has their advantages, but on the two things singled out here, I really think the Nokia has it won against a Sony Android.

      1. keitai
        Mushroom

        Re: Meh

        Decent camera - shame you can't use it to share pictures on instagram. And when it gets to WP, there is going to be some other app that just isn't available. Snapseed? Good luck..

        1. Dave's Jubblies
          FAIL

          Re: Meh

          For what it's worth, Instagraph does just this, but seriously, how many ways do you need to show off your latest sodding baby picture?

          1. jason 7
            Facepalm

            Re: Meh

            Indeed, I hate to break it to all those Instagram fans but really we just don't care about your pics.

            If they weren't there the world would keep turning just fine.

        2. Maharg
          FAIL

          Re: Meh

          Who said anything about instagram? If I want to make all my pictures brown I will rub a used teabag on them, seriously, I think you missed the point, I was talking about the N8, 12 megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss optics with an Xenon flash, great at taking shots in all light conditions, this came out in 2010, compare that to any other Nokia apart from the 808 and you will not find a better camera, it’s hard to find any type of phone at anything less than £25 a month that’s equal or better to the N8.

          This was a camera phone for people who liked photography, you can’t carry an SLR with you at all times, and I stopped using my digital camera because the phone was better.

          If all I was doing was instagraming baby pics, do you think I would give a crap what the camera was like? I want a phone I can ring people, text, and has a decent camera on it, Just because you’re an app whore who needs to be online all the time to distract you from life and feel wanted doesn’t mean everyone else is.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    @ Andrew

    What happens when you plug this into a Linux box, if you have one handy?

    What I really want to know is: How easy to transfer music to it, and get photographs off it.

    I have searched for this, but the info is a little mishmash.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @ Andrew

      With a recent arch linux, the 800 shows just an empty pseudo-filesystem. I admit I didn't try moving music there, as before (wp 7.5?) it had an intentionally broken MTP implementation, and by the time I upgraded it to 7.8 and found out it now shows up in Linux I had already given up on using it for more than a feature phone, so I had no incentive to test it more.

    2. Dave's Jubblies

      Re: @ Andrew

      On a Windows box, it indentifies as mass storage, so I'd imagine it'd do the same.

      You have my interest peaked now, I shall try this when I return home thisn evening...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @ Andrew

        Would appreciate your results inc the distro you tried it on...!

      2. foo_bar_baz

        Re: @ Andrew

        http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/07/29/has-your-curiosity-been-peaked-or-piqued/

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @ Andrew

      I just plugged my Lumia 820 into a laptop running Red Hat and it appeared as two filesystem devices, one for the card and one for the built in storage. It did throw up a few errors, such as can't connect to camera, but I could load images off it. I didn't try to write to it as I'm not at home and hadn't taken a backup, but I can't imagine that you'll not be able to write if you can read.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @ Andrew

        That is exactly the same as my CM i9100 on linux mint when in mtp mode so sounds promising. If I can get music to it I may consider on as a next device...ta.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: @ Andrew

      latest Ubuntu 13.04 supports the correct MTP protocol and lets you copy and move files to the device ;)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @ Andrew

        Thanks for that, Anon. Appreciated!

    5. The_Regulator

      Mass Storage

      Should show wp8 devices in the same way you would view an external hdd

  18. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    Nokia is only cannibalising Nokia

    The comparison with cheap Androids is not really relevant, I suspect. This phone maybe a calculated risk for those already on the Windows Phone train to kit out their kids but at what cost? Won't people just start looking at the Nokia range and going for the cheapest? And if they think that a phone is somehow light on features then they'll go Android. Personally, I think leaving off the flash on a cameraphone will deter punters. Point, click and "share" being one of the main reasons for buying a phone nowadays.

    1. The_Regulator

      You Get What You Pay For

      I would not expect a 100 quid camera to be as good as a 500 quid camera so why would I expect the same from a cell phone camera? Not sure why you would make an argument about removal of higher end features from a budget device....doesn't make much sense.

  19. Big_Ted
    Thumb Up

    Well I have owned one

    for the past week as a backup to my Galaxy Note 2 (Had a heart attack 3 months ago so want a backup phone on a different network just in case)

    My experience of it is that as a basic smartphone its very nice and once you get used to windows phone 8 it turns out to be a nice OS to use for the basics like phone, SMS, browser etc.

    This has taken me to the point where I would seriously consider going for a top end windows phone, most likely the Nokia 920 or similar next time.

    OK theres not that many apps, and you can't set the OS UI like you can with android, but then again its a phone and I have my tablets (Nexus 7 & Galaxy Note 10.1) for that....

    Got a family member like your mum etc who is not yet trained on phone OS like Android ? Well I would go for this instead of a very expensive iPhone any day.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Re: Well I have owned one

      thought you might like to know that if an emergency crops up and you need an ambulance dialling 112 off your mobile will ALWAYS get you connected no matter what network you're on. some really useful info in this youtube vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPZv_8dABfU&feature=player_detailpage

    2. James Hughes 1

      Re: Well I have owned one

      I have no idea why your post got any downvotes at all. Purely your experience and sensible commentary, and yet somehow some moronic commentwat has time to spend downvoting it.

      I despair.

      1. RyokuMas
        Happy

        Re: Well I have owned one

        @James Hughes 1: "I have no idea why your post got any downvotes at all" - really? After nearly a year since joining, I'm surprised you haven't spotted that some children automatically downvote anyone who doesn't agree with them...

        "Purely your experience and sensible commentary" is wasted on these people - they're too busy keeping their eyes closed, their fingers in their ears and screaming "I AM RIGHT, YOU ARE WRONG!"...

        I'd feel sorry for them, if I thought they were worth the effort.

  20. Paul Westerman
    Thumb Up

    I've got one

    as my 'walking about' phone (main phone is a Galaxy Note). Phone is well made and call quality excellent. WP8 runs very smoothly and is a pleasure to use, I'd give it a try before writing it off. Only downside for me is no notification LED (and no NoLED app equivalent), notifications appear on the lock screen instead.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How does it handle multiple imap accounts?

    I use K9 on the 'droid, which is a great mail program. Is there any similar functionality on the win 8 phOS?

    1. Fuzz

      Re: How does it handle multiple imap accounts?

      You can have multiple imap accounts. You can choose to group email accounts into combined inboxes. I have two on my phone, one for personal emails, hotmail and gmail and the other for work with 3 exchange accounts grouped together.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What?

    The line "the Android user experience – without the supercharged hardware and large batteries of high end Android devices – is pretty lousy" that just shows how out of the touch the author is with other OSs and the handsets running them.

    The wife's Android Acer CloudMobile is hardly "high end" but it works a treat - fast, stable, good battery life (and removable), decent 4,3inch 720p screen and it only cost her £180 unlocked.

    I'm starting to think the author of this review owes Nokia a favour.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What?

      "The wife's Android Acer CloudMobile is hardly "high end" but it works a treat - fast, stable, good battery life (and removable), decent 4,3inch 720p screen and it only cost her £180 unlocked"

      So your wife's phone cost £80 more than this one' costs. I'm beginning to think the OP owes Android a favour

  23. The_Regulator

    To the author

    Would love to see you do some kind of updated comparison of the app stores for WP, android and IOS. The windows phone store I am certain is still behind the other 2 however is improving with official apps being released it feels like weekly right now. I think the biggest knock users on the other 2 platforms have always had for WP is the available apps and it would be cool to see some updated side by sides to perhaps put away some of the misinformation from 6 months ago...

  24. DickieBoy
    Thumb Up

    True value for money

    My Japanese Blackberry devoted wife arrived in the country a week ago so we went shopping for a phone. Having bought the Lumia 800 myself in late 2011 and loving the Win Phone interface I guided her to the same OS. She ended up picking the Lumia 520 for its size and style over the other offerings from Nokia and HTC.

    I have been using it a fair amount myself and think it is superb for the money. She is still getting used to it (missing her favourite hard-key keyboard still) but is continually impressed by what it can do and how quickly too. The fingerprints on the screen really were a surprise (so many!) I have not had a low end mobile without the anti-oil film coating stuff before. We got a cover to put over it and is much better.

    Great little phone, well done Nokia!

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Landfill?

    I think the "landfill" idea is a year out of date. For similar money to the 520 and 620 on PAYG you can now get the Sony Xperia J with a bigger battery, Gorilla Glass screen, webcam and camera flash or the Huawei G510 with a 4.5 inch IPS screen, dual core 1.2GHz chip and a web cam. Both currently run Jelly Bean.

    I'm not saying either is necessarily better than than Lumia 520/620 but sub-£150 Android devices are no longer the under powered no-name junk they were at the start of 2012.

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      Re: Landfill?

      PAYG phones are also subsidised. Neither of the models you cite are "sub-£150" if you try to buy them SIM-free. Experia is £170, Huawei £160 if you buy them not locked to a network. Close to the Nokia, but still more expensive.

      I think the landfill comment is a fair shorthand for Android's ever-rising minimum requirements and the platform's poor update management. It doesn't help that many of these performance-sapping updates are applied by stealth. When new, a cheap Android is fine, especially if manufacturer has trimmed some of the heavier features from the stock software suite, but give it a year, and it will have been rendered nearly unusable by a procession of ever more demanding system updates that seem to enable the kitchen sink by default.

      After a year, the Windows Phone will have kept the same performance it had when new. Battery life is the problem for Windows Phone, though (and Android, but Android phones seem to come with bigger batteries). Lumia 800's battery life was as bad as any Android. This series seems to be better, but still not good enough.

  26. Bob Vistakin
    Linux

    Landfill Android?

    Android is microsofts largest mobile revenue stream by miles so they don't give a fuck what users do with them.

    1. A J Stiles

      Re: Landfill Android?

      Extortion (because that's what it is, when you falsely claim that someone owes you money) isn't to be relied on as a revenue stream, though. If the manufacturers got together they could all refuse to pay the bogus patent royalties, and Microsoft wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Landfill Android?

        Clearly you have insider knowledge of MS patent portfolio in order to state that MS are FALSELY claiming people owe them money?

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    into the hornets nest

    I have had a Windows phone since last November and have been more than happy with it, I like the tile interface for a phone (though not on my desktop) and currently prefer it over whatever android or apple has to offer.

    In the end its a phone, I use it for calls, text, email, facebook, browsing, music & podcasts, reading books and the occasional game of angry birds, I'm pretty sure that all smartphones can mange that I just prefer the winphone for now. Sorry

  28. iDavid

    iP5 > Lumia 620 - and sticking

    Last year I used a Lumia 710 as my “roaming” phone (I travel a lot and have local SIMs), but when MS left WP7 users high and dry I wondered if I could really trust the platform.

    Then two triggers changed my mind: first at the iP5 launch when Jony Ive banged on about beautiful hardware. Apple should have lost me there and then, I was thinking hell I don’t want a piece of jewellery even if I can blow over 500 quid, I want a functional communications device. Yet because of my poor experience with WP7 I played safe and believed the lad.

    The second trigger was Office 365 Home Premium. Now, I live in Office all day, and it wasn’t until I subscribed to 365 that I started to appreciate Skydrive, OneNote etc. Yes I know these are all available for iOS but the prospect of consistency led me to reconsider WP8.

    The iPhone's lightness set the benchmark for my WP8 search. Non-Nokia handsets were out of the question since I’d already found their baked in apps are best of breed, especially navigation. A top end Lumia 920 would be over 50% heavier than my iP5 which drew me to the model that had least heft.

    I was about to press Buy on a Lumia 520 when I read that it doesn’t support map downloads outside its home SIM area, ie you cannot presently upgrade to Here+. Deal breaker – I need those maps wherever I travel, and can’t stomach resetting the device each time with a new locale to match my SIM. So Lumia 620 it was, and though it’s not perfect it echoes all the reasons I used to buy Nokias way back before cell phones became art – simplicity, quality and value. And the gaps in the app store are filling up, there's no more I need but a few I miss. Some apps are really elegant - Londoners could check out Next Bus UK Live for a masterclass in clean design and function.

    Android? It all seems a bit chaotic, and the features arms race between Samsung and Apple leaves me cold and makes the elegant simplicity of WP even more compelling. WP8 makes sense at present, and at 150 quid these handsets make me feel like I've been screwed all these years.

    1. Getriebe

      Re: iP5 > Lumia 620 - and sticking

      Another vote for Next Bus

      Now I want Next ThamesClipper.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: iP5 > Lumia 620 - and sticking

      @iDavid - I have a Lumia 820, but have found that SkyDrive is pretty consistent across phone, IE, Safari (on a MacBook pro) firefox and Opera. The only issue being you can't edit non-excel spreadsheets on the phone, which is a bit irritating.

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