Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone from AT&T, My Non-Tech Review of a 4G Phone!

I was asked if I was interested in reviewing this phone a few weeks ago. I had used one at a blog event and fell in love with the 4G aspect of it, so was ready to say yes to the review without hesitation.

Firstly, this is a Windows phone. In the 15+ years that I have been using computers, I have always used only the Windows operating system, and in fact, my desktop (my preferred method of computer usage) and my laptop, both run on Windows 7 which is the  best Windows program I have used thus far. So to have the Windows operating system on my phone is a huge plus.

Additionally, I have a 3G Blackberry. I have not been happy with the phone for a very long time, but have been locked into a contract. Well, it looks like I will be leaving my Verizon contract to move to AT&T. My son reminds me of the map from the commercial saying AT&T has less coverage, but if it does, it is the tiniest of differences. There is a 3rd phone company that asked me to do some work for them, but their service is several percentage points less, that I wouldn’t even try their phone. So in answer to your next question, I do not review everything, just the quality products that cross my desk.

I have already committed to it, and accessorized my phone. And while my old company gives me 20% off when I bundle my accessories, AT&T did even better, they let me buy 2 items and the third was free. I got a case, a cover, and a portable charger. Since I am a couponer I can tell you that 33% off from AT&T is better than the 20% I last got from Verizon.

Before I continue with my non-tech review, here is some useful information from the company about the Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone from AT&T, available on AT&T’s super-fast LTE network:

• · People Hub/Camera – Updating social networks has never been easier or faster than with built-in Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. With Windows Phone, it takes only four seconds to take a picture and upload it to a social network. It’s simply faster than other phones.
• · Office Hub – With the Office Hub, you can edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents right from your phone. You’ll even be able to skip out a few hours early and play hooky at the baseball game by sending email and updating those documents from anywhere.
• · Groups – Put Dad in charge of the family reunion this year. With Groups he can easily group people together – family, friends, or colleagues – and pin them to his start screen. He can then check on all their social media updates in once place and keep everyone updated on the annual family get-together at once.
• · Music + Videos – The Music + Videos Hub in Windows Phone puts all of your media in one place. It’s the destination for all things media and entertainment, including finding and playing your favorite songs, videos or podcasts; listening to FM radio; and downloading or streaming music from the Web. And, if you hear a great new song but don’t recognize it, you can use the new Bing Music feature to identify the song and go to the  Zune Marketplace to purchase or stream it.
• · Apps–
  • o ESPN ScoreCenter: Bringing scores, news, and standings from hundreds of sports leagues around the world. ScoreCenter offers the most comprehensive global sports coverage available on the Windows Phone.
  • o Flixster: be the first of your friends on the block to see all this summer’s blockbuster action flicks. With Flixster, you can view the top box office leaders, upcoming movies, and new DVD releases, and watch high quality trailers for over 15,000 blockbuster and indie flicks
  • o MSN Onit: Every day, you will find new photos of beautiful cars, financial tips and fitness tips, style advice and sports updates, DIY from steak grilling to demolition–plus a touch of science, a touch of entertainment, and a laugh or two.

The Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone from AT&T is a premiere device priced at $99.99 with a two-year contract, making it an affordable gift for Dad or anyone, that doesn’t skimp on quality or user experience. That’s the Father’s Day push, and you will see this on my guide going up on Sunday!

Back to my lay person’s review! Here is the picture of the back of my new phone showing the camera:

At first I was not thrilled with the camera function – you push the button on the side of the phone. I quickly realized that you can also tap on the phone and it will focus and take the picture, without using the side button. By the time I was depressing that button, I was no longer in focus. Thankfully there is an alternative, I always like to have options. Additionally, the camera button is also the phone’s “wake-up” button, so when things are happening fast (like in my busy blogging life!), you can start the phone and take a picture within seconds. How awesome! Lastly, you can upload the pictures to Facebook or Twitter without changing Apps, you can upload directly from the picture screen. Talk about convenient.

I am a blogger and constantly trying to stay in touch on as many social media networks as possible. I am also a retired fundraiser so when everyone was learning how to operate computers, I was on the phone asking people for money. This is why I consider myself very “un” tech. I am a fast learner, but not great when it comes to being able to figure out the tech on phones, which at this point are not becoming, but already are, mini computers. My new Nokia Lumia 900 on AT&T’s 4G network makes it easier for folks like me who want their complex phone to be able to work for their simple needs.

Regarding the sizing, this AT&T device has over a 4 inch screen. I am of the school that prefers a larger screen to a smaller screen. I do not have small slender fingers, so when I need to tweet on a phone, I want a larger keyboard which this affords me. It also shows me the letters as I type, that is a huge improvement over my current Blackberry, which also has even less than a 3 inch screen as it is only 2/3’s of the phone. I love the full screen size on the new phones. If you want a tiny little lightweight phone, this is not for you. It is my preference.

The other major tool I use on this phone in addition to Twitter, is Facebook. Again, it is all about picture taking and posting to my Facebook fan page during the day. I do have a 10 inch tablet that I love, but it is not practical to carry that around with me all day. On the other hand, some might consider this a 4 inch tablet, I like that idea, a lot.

And I can “pin” and put a tile on the front screen of the phone. That means I can create a shortcut to access my favorite sites, the ones I go to often throughout the day, and hit them up immediately without going through a browser first. “Unpinning” is also an easy task, if you are on vacation and want to pin the local Zagat’s restaurant guide while you are there, and take it off when you get home, it is all very easy and quick.

This is a 4G device. How can anyone still have 3G? I waited a year to buy a tablet because having only 3G on it was unacceptable. Same with my new phone. I need the fastest smart phone out there. I am an obsessive blogger, trying to grow my business. I check my stats several times during the day. I love the fast Internet action on this phone! And it is the 4G power that enables my tweeting and Facebooking to hit the airwaves fast. Plus I never was able to tweet pictures right with my Blackberry, I cannot blame the phone for that, but now I can do it all day long on this AT&T phone.

Lastly, lets talk about Apps. Everyone always talks about the millions that are available from the various companies. I need less choices, not more. I added the wordpress app, I can now blog on the run. I also added Skype, which wil always be remarkable to me, I am so old I still remember when the talk of seeing who you were talking to on the phone was thought to be something that would happen in futuristic times. Well, the future is here, I can see who I am talking to on my new phone!

To recap, here are the specs of the Nokia Lumia 900 from At&T: