Just ordered a Nokia Lumia 520

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Ordered a Lumia 520 today and should get it on Monday. I had some Discover Card rewards points, so it came out to $33.55 after taxes.

Not going to use it with any sim card/data. I'm mainly going to use it for the GPS and mount it on my motorbike. Will also use as an iPod and to play around with the Windows Phone OS. I figure I'll get more than my money's worth for the GPS alone.

I've also been looking hard at the Lumia 1520 to maybe give something new a try. So I'll get to see how good or bad WP is on the 520 before I make any decisions about the 1520

So the only three phones I'm looking at are the ....
Note 4
iPhone 6
Lumia 1520 <<< Needs apps damn it!!!!!

 

[jamezr]

Ordered a Lumia 520 today and should get it on Monday. I had some Discover Card rewards points, so it came out to $33.55 after taxes.

Not going to use it with any sim card/data. I'm mainly going to use it for the GPS and mount it on my motorbike. Will also use as an iPod and to play around with the Windows Phone OS. I figure I'll get more than my money's worth for the GPS alone.

I've also been looking hard at the Lumia 1520 to maybe give something new a try. So I'll get to see how good or bad WP is on the 520 before I make any decisions about the 1520

So the only three phones I'm looking at are the ....
Note 4
iPhone 6
Lumia 520

How will you use GPS without a sim card with a data plan?
Unless you use it on WiFi only.......

 

[aeboi]

How will you use GPS without a sim card with a data plan?
Unless you use it on WiFi only.......

Nokia navigation works without network data, kinda like a standalone GPS

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

How will you use GPS without a sim card with a data plan?
Unless you use it on WiFi only.......

It has offline GPS. You can download maps of whatever states and areas you want. Will use my wifi at home to download maps.

The price and offline GPS is the main reason for purchasing.

 

[jamezr]

Nokia navigation works without network data, kinda like a standalone GPS

Oh! Very nice!

----------

It has offline GPS. You can download maps of whatever states and areas you want. Will use my wifi at home to download maps.

The price and offline GPS is the main reason for purchasing.

Now i get it......sorry.
That make perfect sense and a great bargain!

 

[ozaz]

It has offline GPS. You can download maps of whatever states and areas you want. Will use my wifi at home to download maps.

The price and offline GPS is the main reason for purchasing.

Free offline navigation from a trusted provider is the best thing about Windows Phone IMO, when compared to Android and iOS.

The screen on the 520 is very small. For your use (mount on motorbike) I would have thought 625 or a 1320 would be better budget to mid price options.

1520 seems like it would be overkill if being used as a non-primary device.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

The screen on the 520 is very small. For your use (mount on motorbike) I would have thought 625 or a 1320 would be better budget to mid price options.

I know where I'm going most of the time. I'm just going to use the GPS occasionally and I'll depend more on voice via bluetooth rather than just the screen.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

So I been playing with the phone for about three hours now. It's very well built for a dirt cheap phone. WP 8.0 is pretty nice, everything is straight to the point and loads fast with no hiccups. The offline GPS works great, screen is bright, just the right size for my needs, and size is exactly perfect. This is going to make a great GPS and iPod. Even has FM radio with headphones on. Some of the things it's lacking, seems like 8.1 update will add it. So I'll be waiting for the official update which is only weeks from now or sooner. This does not act or feel like a low spec phone.

The HUGE downside is the app selection. Damn, I didn't know it was that bad. There doesn't seem to be an official app for about 85% of the popular apps I use. Dare I say, Blackberry has a better selection. And what's strange about that is, it's that's not the case on the Metro side of Windows 8.1 on my laptop. It has an official Dropbox app and other popular apps. Probably the same with Windows RT. All WP seems to have is clients of a service/app. Damn near all of my credit card and banking apps don't exist. Etrade was the only one I found.

Based on the app selection, I don't think I could ever use a Windows Phone unless more apps are included. Sad, cause the Lumia 1520 would be an absolute killer device if WP had a great app selection. So I guess I'll scratch out any WP as a main phone until app selection improves.

Being that said, the Lumia 520 is an amazing buy for what it can do right out the box. Not disappointing at all, but it couldn't be my daily device.

 

[Lloydbm41]

So I been playing with the phone for about three hours now. It's very well built for a dirt cheap phone. WP 8.0 is pretty nice, everything is straight to the point and loads fast with no hiccups. The offline GPS works great, screen is bright, just the right size for my needs, and size is exactly perfect. This is going to make a great GPS and iPod. Even has FM radio with headphones on. Some of the things it's lacking, seems like 8.1 update will add it. So I'll be waiting for the official update which is only weeks from now or sooner. This does not act or feel like a low spec phone.

The HUGE downside is the app selection. Damn, I didn't know it was that bad. There doesn't seem to be an official app for about 85% of the popular apps I use. Dare I say, Blackberry has a better selection. And what's strange about that is, it's that's not the case on the Metro side of Windows 8.1 on my laptop. It has an official Dropbox app and other popular apps. Probably the same with Windows RT. All WP seems to have is clients of a service/app. Damn near all of my credit card and banking apps don't exist. Etrade was the only one I found.

Based on the app selection, I don't think I could ever use a Windows Phone unless more apps are included. Sad, cause the Lumia 1520 would be an absolute killer device if WP had a great app selection. So I guess I'll scratch out any WP as a main phone until app selection improves.

Being that said, the Lumia 520 is an amazing buy for what it can do right out the box. Not disappointing at all, but it couldn't be my daily device.

Yep, that is the downside to WP. More official apps seem to coming out weekly, but many apps needed by people are 3rd party clients. I'm lucky in that my bank is on there, as are apps like Doorstep that I really like for tracking packages. WP does have some really great apps, but it can be like finding a gem in a mountain of coal.

P.S. Why not put 8.1 on there now? It's extremely easy and adding the 8.1 preview will not stop you from getting the official OTA when it does roll out. WP is not like iOS and Android in that respect.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

P.S. Why not put 8.1 on there now? It's extremely easy and adding the 8.1 preview will not stop you from getting the official OTA when it does roll out. WP is not like iOS and Android in that respect.

Cool I look that up now, thanks.

Damn that was easy, downloading now. LOL

 

[Lloydbm41]

Cool I look that up now, thanks.

Damn that was easy, downloading now. LOL

It will take a while to finish and you may have to download all 3 of the 8.1 updates in succession. It is worth it though. Also don't forget to go into Settings -> Start + Theme -> Increase tiles to 3 across

If you have any questions or would like app recommendations for something feel free to ask? I'm a big WP fanboy.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

It will take a while to finish and you may have to download all 3 of the 8.1 updates in succession. It is worth it though. Also don't forget to go into Settings -> Start + Theme -> Increase tiles to 3 across

Yea, I had to update like 3 times just to make it to the 8.1 update. Now I'm update the most recent version on 8.1.

If you have any questions or would like app recommendations for something feel free to ask? I'm a big WP fanboy.

Sure, I'll appreciate some recommendations.

I was having a little fun creating an app and sideloading it. MS has a cookie cutter option of doing so. With some time and a little coding research, any dummy(like me) can create a productive small app.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Yea, I had to update like 3 times just to make it to the 8.1 update. Now I'm update the most recent version on 8.1.



Sure, I'll appreciate some recommendations.

I was having a little fun creating an app and sideloading it. MS has a cookie cutter option of doing so. With some time and a little coding research, any dummy(like me) can create a productive small app.

Some apps that I use and are quality. Some you may not be able to DL because the 520 doesn't have 1gb of RAM required to run the apps. Some may cost money (I like to support devs that make good apps).

Amazon app
American Airlines
Angry Birds Epic
Atmosphere Weather
Bing Rewards
Clearer - same as the iOS app.
Doorstep - great for tracking packages
English TV - is what it says
FidMe - loyalty cards
HD photo viewer 8.1
Hot Tiles! - good for customizing your homescreen
LastPass - password and logins
Locktemp - Adds a nice temperature icon and local temp on lockscreen
Mobilligy - Bill reminder and pay capabilities from your phone
Moliplayer Pro - video player
MyTube - YouTube app
Pako - don't ask. Just download it
Photostream
Pocket File Manager
Print Now
Quick Controls - you'll need this for bike riding
Songza
Start Perfect
Torrex Pro - Torrent Downloader
TVShow - keeps track of all your TV shows and can auto-populate your calendar and send notifications when shows are about to start! This is an awesome app.
WPCentral

 

[saintforlife]

Some apps that I use and are quality. Some you may not be able to DL because the 520 doesn't have 1gb of RAM required to run the apps. Some may cost money (I like to support devs that make good apps).

Amazon app
American Airlines
Angry Birds Epic
Atmosphere Weather
Bing Rewards
Clearer - same as the iOS app.
Doorstep - great for tracking packages
English TV - is what it says
FidMe - loyalty cards
HD photo viewer 8.1
Hot Tiles! - good for customizing your homescreen
LastPass - password and logins
Locktemp - Adds a nice temperature icon and local temp on lockscreen
Mobilligy - Bill reminder and pay capabilities from your phone
Moliplayer Pro - video player
MyTube - YouTube app
Pako - don't ask. Just download it
Photostream
Pocket File Manager
Print Now
Quick Controls - you'll need this for bike riding
Songza
Start Perfect
Torrex Pro - Torrent Downloader
TVShow - keeps track of all your TV shows and can auto-populate your calendar and send notifications when shows are about to start! This is an awesome app.
WPCentral

That was great. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Lloydbm41]

That was great. Thanks for sharing.

No worries. Finding the gems in the WP app store is like finding a needle in haystack. Takes time and patience.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Some apps that I use and are quality. Some you may not be able to DL because the 520 doesn't have 1gb of RAM required to run the apps. Some may cost money (I like to support devs that make good apps).

Amazon app
American Airlines
Angry Birds Epic
Atmosphere Weather
Bing Rewards
Clearer - same as the iOS app.
Doorstep - great for tracking packages
English TV - is what it says
FidMe - loyalty cards
HD photo viewer 8.1
Hot Tiles! - good for customizing your homescreen
LastPass - password and logins
Locktemp - Adds a nice temperature icon and local temp on lockscreen
Mobilligy - Bill reminder and pay capabilities from your phone
Moliplayer Pro - video player
MyTube - YouTube app
Pako - don't ask. Just download it
Photostream
Pocket File Manager
Print Now
Quick Controls - you'll need this for bike riding
Songza
Start Perfect
Torrex Pro - Torrent Downloader
TVShow - keeps track of all your TV shows and can auto-populate your calendar and send notifications when shows are about to start! This is an awesome app.
WPCentral

Thanks.