Windows delight [New Straits Time (Malaysia)]

(New Straits Time (Malaysia) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Lumia 920 may be Nokia's best attempt to regain its place among the smartphone elite, writes Ana Korg ANDROID and iOS products are the current favourites with not many opting for Windows operated smartphones just yet. But the Nokia Lumia 920, which is equipped with Windows 8 OS, may change that.

Its design reflects Nokia's sleekness except for the sharp edges. I prefer rounded edges which are comfortable to handle. However, the Lumia 920 compensates this by adding a curved back panel that is easy to grip.

It comes with a 4.5 inch full touchscreen with only three buttons at the side. At less than 200g, it feels solid, thanks to its polycarbonate material.

The review unit is black, with a matte finish that does not retain smudges or fingerprints. The manufacturer's tradition of producing sturdy and durable mobile phones continues with the Lumia 920. Users like myself who are not gentle creatures can rely on the Lumia 920 to endure an active lifestyle.

Swiping motions do not require much pressure and you can even do so with long fingernails. The ambient sensor inside the self- adjusting screen responds well to differing brightness levels. Users can enjoy browsing, socialising, gaming or video watching without experiencing clarity loss due to insufficient light.

This was my first experience with a Windows-based device. I was apprehensive. However, it did not take long to get comfortable and I was delighted to find that the Windows 8 OS is very easy to use. After the first day, I breezed through normal tasks such as voice calls, messaging, and Facebook. Using tools such as Office, Bing and SkyDrive was also easy.

The live tiles is the main attraction as it gives new meaning to shortcuts. You can opt for bigger tiles to view texts or pictures while smaller tiles can be used for utility apps. Tiles flip when updates are available and with this live feed, you won't miss out on the latest news and happenings.

The camera is also fun to use. You can go into camera mode by pressing the shutter button for a few seconds. Slightly pressing on the button helps the camera focus on the middle of the frame while a full press gets you your shot. Instead of using the button, tapping on the screen is an easier way to focus on a subject while another tap shoots the picture.

Another interesting feature is the Nokia City Lens which is similar to a Yellow Pages directory. You can find the nearest restaurant or entertainment spot by pointing the camera horizontally and moving it around.

Turning the phone vertically in the same mode will give you directions to the places that spark your interest in the horizontal frame.

Gamers who are familiar with the Xbox platform will also find the Lumia 920 useful. The Xbox gaming service gives you the chance to play with your friends when you activate an Xbox account. Thanks to its sharp screen and decent speakers, you can also play music and movies well on the Lumia 920. However, the Lumia 920 is not without shortcomings. The main one is its lack of an expansion slot. If you don't need too many apps, and store pictures and video files on Facebook or SkyDrive, then you can do well with this phone. But if you need more than the given 32GB, the Lumia 820 might suit you better. Another complaint is battery life, but then with many smartphones giving you only two days of medium usage, Lumia 920 does deliver.

Lumia 920 is best used with a full or unlimited data plan as most of the apps need to have Internet connection. This is perfect for people who want functionality and don't mind not having the latest apps. Give the new OS a try and you will find it impressive, if not brilliant.

Lumia 920 is for those who want to try the latest operating system. The clean, organised and customisable tiles UI make managing daily tasks easy while personalising the tiles is also fun.

Verdict: *** 1/2 Pros * The live tiles make it easy to view activities, plus it is highly customisable.

* User friendly, you won t feel like operating something that is completely alien.

Cons * Unexpandable storage.

* Limited apps, for now.

Lumia Manufacturer: Nokia Price: RM1,999 SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions: 70.8 x 130.3 x 10.7mm Weight: 185g Display: 4.5 inch Capacitive Multipoint Touch Camera: 8.7 mega-pixels Battery : 10 hours of talk time in 3G mode Multimedia Features: MP3, MP4, Wav, Internal Memory: 32G Expansion slot: None Other features : Sky Drive storage, Nokia City Lens, Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive+ Beta (c) 2013 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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