Windows Phone goes from obscurity to the limelight, just like that. That's the power of Nokia and the relentless evolution of Microsoft's reborn mobile OS. When Windows Phone 7 landed in the fall of 2010, it boasted a unique UI, fast performance and the expected excellent support for MS services, but the hardware seemed dated and important features were missing. Now we've got the features: cut and paste, multitasking and support for fast LTE 4G data networks; and Redmond seems poised for a comeback. The only problem? It's a chicken and egg thing: there are only about 80,000 apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace because the OS has relatively little marketshare. If the Lumia 900 sells like hotcakes, more developers will jump on board with great apps and expand that ecosystem. But will users buy a phone whose app ecosystem is currently dwarfed by iOS and Android's? Perhaps there's nothing to worry about: apps on the Marketplace are proliferating like bunnies at Easter. We're seeing about 350 new apps added daily and Microsoft expects to reach the 100k mark in weeks.
Design and Ergonomics
The Nokia Lumia 900 is a little piece of modern art. Nokia knows high end design, and the unibody polycarbonate casing available in black, cyan and white, is a sharp study in modern minimalism. The Lumia 900 looks nearly identical to the smaller Nokia Lumia 800 sold overseas and the Nokia N9 (its MeeGo OS twin). The design is perfection on the smaller Lumia 800, and loses just a little appeal and one-handed comfort when stretched to 4.3 inches. The elegant corner taper is a little less gradual and striking, and the curved glass on the 800 is replaced with a 4.3" Gorilla Glass flat panel with a raised edge. Still, it's a great looking phone that's comfortable in the hand, though those with small hands might find it a bit too large (it's almost as big as the 4.7" HTC Titan and is the same size as the 4.5" Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket). Like the car market, Americans want something bigger than their European counterparts, and the Lumia 900 fits the US mold.
The headphone jack is conveniently located up top and the speaker is on the bottom edge where your hand might muffle it when playing games in landscape mode. Otherwise, it's a fine location for speakerphone calls and watching movies. The volume rocker, power button and dedicated camera button are on the right side, and the controls are easy to operate but not easy to hit by accident. The 1830 mAh Lithium Ion battery is sealed inside, and like all Windows Phones except the original Samsung Focus, there's no microSD card slot (Windows Phone handles removable storage in a challenging way, so manufacturers avoid the option).
ClearBlack AMOLED Display
We said it with the Nokia Lumia 800, and we'll say it again here: Nokia's AMOLED ClearBlack display is simply stunning. It has incredibly rich colors but none of Samsung's Super AMOLED cartoony exaggerated hues. Contrast is very high and blacks are inky thanks to Nokia's ClearBlack technology that also reduces glare for improved outdoor viewing. Photos look better than life, yet colors aren't unnatural.
At 4.3", web pages and videos are pleasingly easy to see and text is sharp thanks to Microsoft's keen attention to typography. Videos are vivid and photos pop. The high contrast is great for reading eBooks and webpage text. But you're still looking at an 800 x 480 display, and those with very good eyes and those who crave the best specs will feel a little second class when their buddy whips out a Samsung Galaxy Nexus or HTC Rezound with a 1280 x 720p display. The resolution is a Microsoft Windows Phone limitation; it's not that Nokia and HTC don't want to bring higher resolution displays to market. But the bottom line is how the phone looks, and I'd wager that if you handed the Lumia 900 to customers who were unaware of the specs, they'd probably pick it out as one of their favorite smartphone displays.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is available on AT&T in the US and it has a 4.3" Super AMOLED ClearBlack display, a 1.4GHz CPU, 16 gigs of storage and LTE 4G. For a flagship phone, it sells for a remarkably low $99 on contract and $449 without contract. The smartphone runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and it has a GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and WiFi 802.11b/g/n as well as an FM radio.
Design and Ergonomics
The Nokia Lumia 900 is a little piece of modern art. Nokia knows high end design, and the unibody polycarbonate casing available in black, cyan and white, is a sharp study in modern minimalism. The Lumia 900 looks nearly identical to the smaller Nokia Lumia 800 sold overseas and the Nokia N9 (its MeeGo OS twin). The design is perfection on the smaller Lumia 800, and loses just a little appeal and one-handed comfort when stretched to 4.3 inches. The elegant corner taper is a little less gradual and striking, and the curved glass on the 800 is replaced with a 4.3" Gorilla Glass flat panel with a raised edge. Still, it's a great looking phone that's comfortable in the hand, though those with small hands might find it a bit too large (it's almost as big as the 4.7" HTC Titan and is the same size as the 4.5" Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket). Like the car market, Americans want something bigger than their European counterparts, and the Lumia 900 fits the US mold.
The 5.6 ounce, 0.45" thick phone has flat top and bottom edges, making it less like a slippery bar of soap that many curvy Android smartphones. The texture is anything but slick, which is great for grip though the black version still shows some fingerprint oil. The chrome camera lens bezel is flat rather than raised, so the phone doesn't rock on the table nor does the lens make excessive contact with the tablet. Gone is the weird micro SIM and micro USB two part door from the N9 and Lumia 800. The micro USB port is exposed on the top (fine by us), and the micro SIM uses a tray not unlike the iPhone 4s.
The headphone jack is conveniently located up top and the speaker is on the bottom edge where your hand might muffle it when playing games in landscape mode. Otherwise, it's a fine location for speakerphone calls and watching movies. The volume rocker, power button and dedicated camera button are on the right side, and the controls are easy to operate but not easy to hit by accident. The 1830 mAh Lithium Ion battery is sealed inside, and like all Windows Phones except the original Samsung Focus, there's no microSD card slot (Windows Phone handles removable storage in a challenging way, so manufacturers avoid the option).
ClearBlack AMOLED Display
We said it with the Nokia Lumia 800, and we'll say it again here: Nokia's AMOLED ClearBlack display is simply stunning. It has incredibly rich colors but none of Samsung's Super AMOLED cartoony exaggerated hues. Contrast is very high and blacks are inky thanks to Nokia's ClearBlack technology that also reduces glare for improved outdoor viewing. Photos look better than life, yet colors aren't unnatural.
At 4.3", web pages and videos are pleasingly easy to see and text is sharp thanks to Microsoft's keen attention to typography. Videos are vivid and photos pop. The high contrast is great for reading eBooks and webpage text. But you're still looking at an 800 x 480 display, and those with very good eyes and those who crave the best specs will feel a little second class when their buddy whips out a Samsung Galaxy Nexus or HTC Rezound with a 1280 x 720p display. The resolution is a Microsoft Windows Phone limitation; it's not that Nokia and HTC don't want to bring higher resolution displays to market. But the bottom line is how the phone looks, and I'd wager that if you handed the Lumia 900 to customers who were unaware of the specs, they'd probably pick it out as one of their favorite smartphone displays.
