Why I Switched from an iPhone to the Nokia Lumina 900

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Five years ago today, the first generation iPhone (also known as the iPhone EDGE) was released to the public. People stood in lines to get the new smartphone up to a week in advance. 5 years later, the iPhone has become part of our lives. Except for me, because I just switched to the Nokia Lumina 900 with Windows Phone 7 software.

Why I Switched to the Nokia 900

Really, it was no more than getting a phone to try. Before I had an iPhone, I owned the HTC 8125 Windows phone. I was a fan of that one, but it’s age dictated the change. My iPhone was a 3GS model – so it’s age also dictated the change to the Nokia Lumina 900.

Initial Thoughts of the Nokia Lumina 900

One thing I really noticed was the size. Imagine putting a very thick case on your iPhone. That is the Nokia. 127.8 mm high, 68.5 mm wide and 11.5 mm thick, it’s definitely larger than my iPhone. The screen looks a bit crisper than the iPhone (although I did not have a 4S).

The Lumina works on the GSM band, and is complete with 4G LTE. There is a noticeable difference on the speed of calling up a webpage. I am able to surf at a decent rate – even on wifi (iPhone always felt draggy).

The Windows 7 interface does take a little time to get used to. Once I started organizing the tiles, functionality really improved. Now, I have messages at my fingertips

I Have Office on My Phone!

I think that is the greatest part of this phone. Office365 connection with SkyDrive – Microsoft’s cloud solution. I use Office a lot. It’s nice to get to review documents on my phone.

What I Don’t Like on the Nokia Lumina 900

I first of all miss the “Silent” button. The switch is in the software on this phone, so I have to go through 4-5 prompts to turn off the ringer. The phone is a little hard to hold when I am talking on it. It felt like it was going to slip out of my hand at times. I ended up purchasing a casemate case with rubber grips. That improved the feel and comfort of holding the phone.

The phone didn’t come with a headset. That was not a big deal, since I have a couple headsets from Monster and Sony. Still, I felt a little slighted that it was without earphones out of the box.

What I Don’t Like about Windows Phone 7

The biggest thing is the email. I have 3-4 email boxes. I would rather see them take up one tile than 4. The iPhone was easier to flip through messages from inbox to inbox. I’ll get used to the new email system, but really wish I had one tile to rule them all.

The tiles on the front page felt organized. When I hit the arrow to the next page, organization was gone. It’s just one big list of programs on my phone. It would be nice if I can put them into categories so I can flip through the page easier.

I am already missing some apps. I used Stitcher to listen to podcasts. I can easily get into the Zune feature. I hope Stitcher makes a Windows phone version soon. Facebook is nice, but there is no “Tweetdeck” or “Hootsuite” for this phone that I have found yet. I have multiple social network accounts and like the single app so I can follow.

There is no Google+ app for Windows Phone 7

You can go to plus.google.com and get your feeds. The mobile app is limiting, though. Of course, in all fairness, the Google+ app sucks on iPhone as well. So I guess that is a wash.

What I Don’t Like about AT&T on Windows Phone 7

They try to suck you in on the AT&T Universe. 30 days for free, then a $9.99 a month charge. Same thing with AT&T radio and Navigator. At least I can easily remove the app.

Will I Go Back to the iPhone?

Yes. But not right now. I want to give the Lumina a full chance. In all reality, I will be getting the 6th Generation iPhone when it comes out this October. That is, unless it doesn’t have 4G LTE. If that is missing from the new iPhone, I will most likely stick with the Lumina. That’s how much of a deal breaker that would be.

What are your thoughts of the Nokia Lumina 900 or Windows Phone 7? Let us know! Twitter at @Methodshop