Nokia's (NOK) Lumia 900 Gets (Unsurprisingly) Bashed by Noted Tech Writer
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With Nokia's (NYSE: NOK) Lumia 900 slated for launch on April 8th, investors are clamoring for some goods news behind the device.
Nokia's venture into bringing its Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Phone into the realm of 4G LTE connectivity should be an exciting one. However, one prominent tech reporter sees things a little differently.
Walt Mossberg, of the WSJ, recently put the Lumia 900 through its paces and the results may not be too surprising.. not to mention a little discouraging.
To date, developers haven't exactly been lining-up outside of Microsoft's offices in an effort to spend time creating apps for a mobile operating system which has garnered minimal followers at best. The mobile industry has been dominated by giants Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) with offerings of iOS and Android operating systems, respectively. Mossberg puts it rather succinctly near the beginning of his article: "I've been testing the Lumia 900 and found that it provides the best home yet for the attractive Windows Phone software, but still doesn't measure up to rival smartphones."
Mossberg does laud the device, saying the large screen doesn't make the phone big and bulky, and the 4G network allowed for download speeds between 10 and 15 megabits per second. He noted that 8-megapixel camera and clear, reliable voice calls.
Amid the praise, Mossberg gets down to brass tacks in saying he couldn't recommend the Lumia 900 over the Apple iPhone. Key elements include quality of pictures, battery life, a weaker content ecosystem, and the browser.
Really, Mossberg doesn't stop at simply berating the Lumia 900, he basically asks why Nokia would select AT&T (NYSE: T) as its launch partner. Mossberg explains that AT&T's 4G connection is not only available in 85 percent less markets (31, versus 203 for rival Verizon (NYSE: VZ)), but the overall 4G speeds are less than that of Verizon.
On the browser, the Lumia 900 uses a mobile version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. He notes that the browser did fine on LTE, but was slower and stalled in rendering pages on his home Wi-Fi connection. Mossberg noted that he tested out an iPhone, Android device, and older Samsung to better results.
Other issues included a tough on-off button to distinguish from a dedicated camera button and syncing problems with the Mac version of Microsoft's Windows Phone. Screen resolution is 800 by 480, which is notably lower than the iPhone's.
The Lumia 900 has a single-core processor that Mossberg said performed well.
Now, opinion from Streetinsider.com:
What we're befuddled with is why Mossberg keeps trying to compare the Lumia 900 to the iPhone. Yes, the iPhone is the benchmark with which all other mobile devices should be compared to, but Nokia isn't aiming at the iPhone with the Lumia 900. It's the same with tech writers who keep comparing the Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) NOOK tablet or Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle Fire to Apple's iPad; the iPad is amazing, but the other two devices aren't aiming to take the iPad's market share.
Really, astute investors are probably keeping their sights on Windows 8. The Lumia 900 is using an operating system which even Microsoft isn't 100 percent focused on making better or developing a stronger ecosystem around at this point. Many of the resources available are geared toward later in 2012 when the new OS makes its debut ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Grabbing attention even more should be comments made by a Nokia executive just a few weeks ago, who said the Espoo, Finland-based OEM has an iPhone killer in the works.
Shares of Nokia are indicated lower Wednesday.
Nokia's venture into bringing its Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Phone into the realm of 4G LTE connectivity should be an exciting one. However, one prominent tech reporter sees things a little differently.
Walt Mossberg, of the WSJ, recently put the Lumia 900 through its paces and the results may not be too surprising.. not to mention a little discouraging.
To date, developers haven't exactly been lining-up outside of Microsoft's offices in an effort to spend time creating apps for a mobile operating system which has garnered minimal followers at best. The mobile industry has been dominated by giants Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) with offerings of iOS and Android operating systems, respectively. Mossberg puts it rather succinctly near the beginning of his article: "I've been testing the Lumia 900 and found that it provides the best home yet for the attractive Windows Phone software, but still doesn't measure up to rival smartphones."
Mossberg does laud the device, saying the large screen doesn't make the phone big and bulky, and the 4G network allowed for download speeds between 10 and 15 megabits per second. He noted that 8-megapixel camera and clear, reliable voice calls.
Amid the praise, Mossberg gets down to brass tacks in saying he couldn't recommend the Lumia 900 over the Apple iPhone. Key elements include quality of pictures, battery life, a weaker content ecosystem, and the browser.
Really, Mossberg doesn't stop at simply berating the Lumia 900, he basically asks why Nokia would select AT&T (NYSE: T) as its launch partner. Mossberg explains that AT&T's 4G connection is not only available in 85 percent less markets (31, versus 203 for rival Verizon (NYSE: VZ)), but the overall 4G speeds are less than that of Verizon.
On the browser, the Lumia 900 uses a mobile version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer. He notes that the browser did fine on LTE, but was slower and stalled in rendering pages on his home Wi-Fi connection. Mossberg noted that he tested out an iPhone, Android device, and older Samsung to better results.
Other issues included a tough on-off button to distinguish from a dedicated camera button and syncing problems with the Mac version of Microsoft's Windows Phone. Screen resolution is 800 by 480, which is notably lower than the iPhone's.
The Lumia 900 has a single-core processor that Mossberg said performed well.
Now, opinion from Streetinsider.com:
What we're befuddled with is why Mossberg keeps trying to compare the Lumia 900 to the iPhone. Yes, the iPhone is the benchmark with which all other mobile devices should be compared to, but Nokia isn't aiming at the iPhone with the Lumia 900. It's the same with tech writers who keep comparing the Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) NOOK tablet or Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) Kindle Fire to Apple's iPad; the iPad is amazing, but the other two devices aren't aiming to take the iPad's market share.
Really, astute investors are probably keeping their sights on Windows 8. The Lumia 900 is using an operating system which even Microsoft isn't 100 percent focused on making better or developing a stronger ecosystem around at this point. Many of the resources available are geared toward later in 2012 when the new OS makes its debut ahead of the holiday shopping season.
Grabbing attention even more should be comments made by a Nokia executive just a few weeks ago, who said the Espoo, Finland-based OEM has an iPhone killer in the works.
Shares of Nokia are indicated lower Wednesday.
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