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Hands On With the Nokia Lumia 1020
adeelarshad82 writes "Nokia's new phone, Lumia 1020, feels very similar in the hand to Nokia's Lumia 900 and 920, with one exception: it has a camera bump. The 41-megapixel uber-camera projects out very slightly as a black disc on the back. In terms of functionality, though, the camera provides for smooth zooming only a pinch away. However, it takes a noticeable amount of time to lock focus and save images. At one point during hands-on testing, the camera app crashed so hard that it required a phone reboot, which is hopefully just a pre-release firmware issue. The phone itself carries a brightly colored polycarbonate body that rolls around the edges to cradle a 4.5-inch, 1,280-by-768 screen. Lumia 1020 is powered by a dual-core, 1.5-GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 processor which plows through apps well. Speaking of apps, there's a ton of bloatware on here, as you'd expect from any AT&T device. AT&T adds four apps right at the top of the app list. Nokia Lumia is set to hit AT&T shelves on July 26th for $299."
The nice thing about "bloatware" on Windows Phone is that it can be uninstalled completely, cleanly and very easily.
With a camera phone, I'd say that the time it takes "to lock focus and save images" is arguably far more important than the number of megapixels.
Even with DSLRS, we've long ago reached the point where the average person needs more MP than are available, and none of *them* are at the 41 MP count. They also have far better optics than what is almost certainly in this (Zeiss nametag or not), and it is well understood in that domain that the importance of glass far outweighs the importance of whatever body you happen to be using.
If the point was just to get better low-light performance by packing on more pixels and then binning them, I wonder why they didn't just design sensors with bigger photosites - at least then, reasonable save times and storage consumption would be a possibility. I know that camera novices get sucked into the MP marketing hype, but does anyone buy a phone for the MP in the camera ?
What exactly is wrong with Windows Phone?
The UI concept is very elegant and better than anything iOS or Android has to offer. Windows Phone has excellent developer tools, easily the best. I'm not crazy about the system being locked-down, but this is the standard for phones. iOS is considerably worse in this regard and while I will concede that Android is a bit better, it's still quite locked down but not without major security flaws (SD Card permissions for example).
or has smartphone technology reached something of a plateau? I mean, I had a iPhone 3GS for years and I held off from upgrading until the 5 was released, thinking that there'd be a step change or paradigm shift of some sort. When the time came I left Apple because looking around it seemed that all of the top of the line handsets are basically the same. I don't exactly push the envelope with my phone useage, and despite what people say I don't know many that do. In terms of the core functionality and interface experience, I couldn't find much to choose between Apple, HTC, Nokia or Samsung.
The iPhone was fantastic back in the day. The touchscreen and build quality were a real step forward and set a new standard. But these day smartphones are just another part of the scenery. Any it's not as if they're really moving forwards. The handsets have gotten as small as they can practically be, and then bigger again. Most handsets use the same style screens. Sure, we get more processing power and what not, but seriously how many cores do you need to check e-mail and post to facebook?
I'm using a Lumia 900 right now. And I'n going to stick with it until the next device comes along that changes the game on the same scale as the iPhone 3G did.
I have. He's right.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
If you check email, surf the web, do some multimedia, make phone calls - Windows Phone absolutely rocks. If you want apps, not so much. I have Windows Phone and have been tempted by Android, but not enough for me to switch to Android. I prefer WP over Apple and BlackBerry. I would guess half of the negative Windows Phone comments on here are people who probably didn't even pick up a device for 2 minutes. Just fashionable to hate on MS here it seems.
If you're comparing a phone camera with a DSLR then it means it has already won. Anyway, here's more technical details.
Sample photos from the phone http://www.flickr.com/photos/87544844%40N00/sets/72157634597356196/
Review of the photo tech http://pureviewclub.com/2013/15270
Whitepaper from Nokia on the tech http://i.nokia.com/blob/view/-/2723846/data/1/-/Lumia1020-whitepaper.pdf
Sample photos from the predecessor http://www.flickr.com/groups/nokia808/
Nokia presentation showcasing the phone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Q3bxo7vJI&hd=1
This space for rent.
I have to think they names it the "1020" just to put technical people on edge. So close...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
"What good is a man with a stump?"
I can tell you're not a typical slashdotter or you'd already know the answer: 3d printing.
Bubble, my ass.Nokia smartphone unit is loss-making since the declared Symbian phones dead and sales collapsed. Source: Nokia quartely earning reports. Exactly up to this point smartphones sales were increasing and the smart devices unit was profitable. They fired a lot of people (and the smart ones left), sold business units, and even their head quarter to stay a float. Other units like NSN are profitable which a helps. As a smartphone vendor the fall from number 1 to 10. And here a nice picture about the colllapse caused by the switch to Windows Phone: http://www.asymco.com/2013/04/18/lumia-is-the-light-visible/
$299 seems kind of cheap for a flagship product with this feature set. Is it really $299, or is it $299 + a lot more $ in contractual obligation over the next 2 years?
In other words, everyone in the world is like your family and do not have different needs, likes and preferences. personally I could say exactly the same about Symbian in my family back when it was still actively developed. - it seems the guy you replied to (lets just assume that everything on the internet is true) gave it a try but still found it to be lacking. there was no hate in his post, infact i read it more like he was sad it didnt work as well as he hoped.
The iPhone's lens is a 4.1mm focal length f/2.4, so it's 1.71 mm wide. The Rayleigh criterion for a 1.71mm diameter lens in the red spectrum (700 nm) is 0.0286 degrees. That's the smallest angular separation you can resolve using that lens. It gives a view equivalent to a 33mm lens (in the 35mm format), which corresponds to a 57x40 degree field of view (I dunno the aspect ratios on these camera phones so I'll assume 3:2) . So the maximum resolution it supports is 1999x1398, or 2.8 MP.
The Bayer filter means only one pixel in 4 is red, so the camera's 8 MP is effectively capturing only 2 MP of red image data, which is less than the 2.8 MP limit I just calculated. The extra "data" bumping it up to 8 MP is "made up" by the Bayer filter processing algorithm. Unless they go with a bigger lens or a wider field of view, the camera simply can't resolve more than about 8-10 subpixels of data (counting each color pixel as separate). Increase the pixel count and you'll just be capturing two blurry pixels instead of one sharp one. You can see this if you compare a cell phone pic with a DSLR pic at 100%. Because more of the data is "made up" by the Bayer algorithm in the cell phone pic, it looks blurrier than the DSLR pic where adjacent subpixels are getting truly different optical data.
I haven't seen specs on the Lumina 1020 optical hardware. But its predecessor the 808 uses a 8.02mm f/2.4 lens, which is 3.34mm across - nearly twice as wide as the iPhone's. It has an angular resolution limit of 0.0146 degrees. Its field of view is a 26mm equivalent, or 69.4x49.6 degrees. That puts its maximum capture resolution at 4737x3386 pixels, or 16 MP. The 41 MP sensor means about 10.2 MP of red data is captured, which again is less than the 16 MP theoretical limit.
In practical use, the "you need a big lens to capture that much resolution" rule only applies to telephotos. In fact the Rayleigh criterion was derived while probing the theoretical resolving limits of telescopes. If you're using a tiny lens, what you give up in angular resolution you can make back with a wide field of view.
But what about optical quality? One of the advantages of using such a small lens is that it's a lot easier to grind it "perfectly". It takes a lot of work and quality control to grind a professional chunk of glass 77mm in diameter within a fraction of a wavelength to the desired shape. It's much easier to grid a 2mm wide lens into the desired shape, and it doesn't cost you much to just chuck it in the trash if it didn't come out perfectly.
Sounds like you want a modern Nokia... but the TRUE Nokia, how it would be now if the Microsoft plant hadn't destroyed the company. So, you want a Jolla.
Circumcision is child abuse.
If you want a phone with Meego, wait for the Jolla. It's the closest you will ever get.
Circumcision is child abuse.
smart devices contribution margin:
2010 Q2 8,1
2010 Q3 9,3
2010 Q4 11,6
2011 Q1 6,2 (Symbian declared dead)
2011 Q2 -6,2
2011 Q3 -5,9
2011 Q4 -7
2012 Q1 -18,3
2012 Q2 -32,9
2012 Q3 -48,9
2012 Q4 -21,6
2012 Q1 -16,2
Because they are still selling bucketloads of Symbian phones to China. That "burning platform" is what is keeping their arse out of the fire.
Half the reasons on that list were obsolete before WP8 even came out (and WP8 is more different under the covers from WP7 than WP7 was from WinMo6.5), and about an eighth of them were never true. Most of the rest have been obsoleted since. That list has been trotted out so many times it's *probably* got more links to it than the number of point-by-point refutations, some of which have been posted right here on Slashdot.
At this point, it's the equivalent of claiming that Windows 8 is still based on DOS because it includes cmd.exe (yes, I've seen people make that claim, both on here and elsewhere). It does nothing but label you as an idiot who badmouths things with no concept of how they work and likely no actual experience with them either.
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
"new standard" of 1080p phones? I know exactly two models with that resolution and a screen that big or larger. The vast majority of brand new smartphones are still less than 5" and are at most 1280x768; most are actually 1280x720. Quad-core is similarly still uncommon, and is mostly a benfit on Android with its love af battery-killing background tasks.
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
http://www.nokia.com/in-en/phones/phone/nokia-808/ (And yes, with all the updates Symbian is not too bad as an OS. People mostly bash it because others do.)
808 proved to be lot better in photos than 8mpix sensors.
it's a bigger sensor, bigger lens than usual. it takes better photos in better resolution. vastly better.
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
Linux is probably more widespread than Windows. Unless your wireless router is from Apple, it probably runs Linux. Same for tablets, ebook readers, and phones, of course. Windows only owns the desktop, which is here to stay, but gets less and less relevant each year.
I'll reply to this, not as an AC, and not as an MS Shill. In fact, I've had this Slashdot account for years.
I recently switched to a Windows Phone (Lumia 920) from the iPhone 5 through that promotion that Nokia is running for trade ins. Yes, I voluntarily funneled out $450 for a Lumia 920 (of which I'll get $360 back when I send 'em my iPhone 5)
Anyways...
Overall, I've been happy with the phone. It works reasonably well. And while the lack of apps can be a problem, it hasn't detracted from the functionality of the phone itself. The best I can say is 'different'.
I also like the live tiles over notification center...
I've not had an Android phone, but I have an iPod touch, as well as a new Lumia 520. I'll say that I'd be fine w/ either the Lumia or the iPhone.
I've seen Windows 8 on desktops and can see how ugly it would be there. However, on the phone, it's just fine. It does a great job guessing words when one is typing, and I can easily see it as being as good as iOS. In other words, great for e-mail & sms. I also like, amongst its features, its mapping and GPS capabilities, as well as some of the general apps, such as the calculators, currency converters and the camera software. They do a good job w/ Skydrive, although one would wish that one didn't have to create a Hotmail/live.com account to use it. Music, video and MS Office are good as well.
The shortcomings of a Windows phone - which may or may not be temporary - is the variety of games that they have on it. They do have the common ones, like Angry Birds, Temple Run and so on, but many major ones are missing. For instance, in my iPod, I have Trivia, Monopoly, Risk, Stratego, Clue and Civ War, among some others. Few from that list are available on Windows Phone 8. Also, some really good iOS games, such as searching pictures for objects, don't seem to be there on this platform.
In short, if you're not much of a gamer and use the phones only for serious work, it's a good choice - the maps, for one, particularly justify it. It's also excellent for typing for something in that form factor, and also, the Metro interface, while justifiably maligned on the PC, is certainly good here. But yeah, if you are looking for the latest & greatest of games, this platform is just not there, unless one happens to be an X-Box user. That's where this platform seems to get a lot of its games.