Discussion on:

Nokia Lumia 710: Less is not more

Why is a Linux/Open Source guy reviewing WP7 anyway? More bashing from an obvious anti-MS stance has become so old. Android and iOS isn't all that cool anymore. Just ordinary.

Please stick to Linux and Android Jack...

I don't understand what you are saying, I love my WP7 UI.

I am in IT and love my Windows Phone 7!! I am now using a HTC Titan which is much bigger than the 710 and has capacitive buttons.

Obviously, there is a difference in use between the IOS, Android, and Windows Phone. You have to go in with a positive attitude and a willingness of change. This author is not. Social not efficient? I beg to differ. I can tap on my daughter and see her wall with one tap!

He's became the "Rodney Dangerfield" of TechRepublic! If he would only
read some of the comments, maybe he would stay with something he has at
least an introductory knowledge of...like his typical "Linux Distro Flavor of
the Week"...
My wife and step-daughter absolutely love their Windows Phones...I gave
them both a Samsung Focus for Christmas. If my wife can make a phone
work, perhaps there's hope for Jack Wallen yet...IF (big if) he would only
actually USE ONE instead of plagiarizing the anti-Microsoft rhetoric at ZDNet.

Seriously I cant believe they let idiots like you review products. If you can not give an un biased review don't review it then.
and as for you comment about companies having difficulty supporting windows. are you taking the piss.
I cant stand reviews like this your supposed to be providing an un biased opinion to help folks make an informed decision.

Its a cheap smart phone that works better than android for the price kudos to nokia.

Review the Limia 710 for what it is and stop comparing it to higher spec, much more expensive devices. Compare it to similarly priced phones. I bought a Lumia a few weeks back and it's what I expect from a cheaper phone. It does what I want and more, and the interface is fine for me.

You complain that the phone feels cheap and is an entry-level phone. Since it's free with contract, the logical response is "duh!" You admit that the OS is snappy is responsive even with several push accounts but claim that it does not matter because the UI is different. So lag is acceptable to you if you like the UI? Like iOS, you cannot customize the interface which is a disadvantage for WP7 but an advantage for iOS.

To prove your argument that the UI is inferior, you need to provide some metrics. Post a picture to Facebook or reply to an email with a Word attachment. Count the clicks and time it. If common tasks are slower on WP7, then you made a point. Don't hate it just because it's different. Give examples where the differences are slower or less obvious.

"Storage: 8 GB internal (out of the box is more like 6 MB)" What does this mean? Are you claiming that there was only 6 MB of free space of storage when you opened it? Examples, or it's a bogus claim.

Come on, give the WP7 (.5) OS a chance. Your review above as you quite rightly stated was doomed from the start. Considering you've been writing about this stuff for over 12 years I would expect better in the fact that you slated it right from the start and to have given it a chance. You also quite rightly state that the OS in no way slows the phone down and even after a number of apps have been installed the phone still seems to want to give more. I am a WP7 fan and currently own the HTC HD7 and soon intend to upgrade to the HTC Titan (with a forward facing camera). This is in anticipation for the forthcoming Apollo update which from what I understand will be as big a leap as 6.5 to 7 was (despite not having ever properly used WP6.5 I do appreciate that this was a very very poor offering from Microsoft although I cannot say this with any authority). I mention Apollo since it is understood that this update will include the newly acquired Skype as well as bringing more synergy with Windows 8; an update that will also update the phone to WP8. Please no more Microsoft badgering, at least give it a chance. Remember, this is a Windows world!! A huge percentage of corporate servers are in fact running Windows Server a fact that I can indeed testify to.

seems superior to this windows phone. We support the samsung focus at work, along with iphones.

If you think iOS and Android reviews are biased, this one goes far beyond them. Merely the assumption that WP7.5 is no different from it's previous WinMob predecessors exemplifies the level of bias seen here. In fact, the level of bias almost indicates a probable fear that WP8 may just steal Android's thunder by simply being easier to use and more reliable.

Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how well the new Windows phones will do. Admittedly they have a horrendous reputation to overcome but from what I've read so far the difference between WP7 and previous WinMob versions is almost night and day. It seems Microsoft has finally learned that you can't put a desktop OS interface on a mobile device and expect any kind of reliability. On the other hand, the quality of the hardware makes a difference as well and Nokia is well noted for reliable handsets compared to most of the other OEMs.

Never figured out why so many people think so badly about WM6. I am currently using a Touch Pro 2 with WM65 and once I stripped it down to 6.1 level (MS and other needs to figure out that sometimes trying make something simpler sometimes makes it harder to use) I have been happy with it. I had the options for both Android and iPhone (and Blackberry) and went with a WM (WP7 was not available yet). My company provided me with an iPad2 that I don't like and I have experimented with Android but cannot get it to sync with Exchange without buying Touchdown. So I think when my contract comes up I am just going to get another Windows phone (WP7 or 8).
(Office is a bonus)

The Windows Mobiles came from Handhelds, then it was adapted for cellphones. Accept it or not, WM 6, 6.1, 6.5 are great operating systems, very reliable and stable. I've had a HTC Touch Diamond.
But as the world turns, a new product is necesary. iOS and Android are great but if you prefer a VM over a Linux, crashing, needing a lot of resources and constant weird updates, the problem is yours. WP 7 is a great OS, stable and reliable too.
I'm very satisfied with my Samsung Omnia W which is a mid-end device as Lumia 710.
It has everything I need: nice navigation (with IE 9), Exchange Active Sync, GPS apps, Office suite, some games and so on....

Linux geeks can't bear with any MS product.

Are we talking about the same phone? It is snappy, fast and for the price you can hardly find a better build quality for a phone. Windows OS is streets ahead for usability and the most social OS I have ever used. I was shocked to read such a review, you are either biased or simply ill informed.

This guy is an iDiot!

Stupidest review I have ever read.

It reminds me of this movie reviewer for the Austin American Statesman about 25 years ago. If it was Science Fiction, he hated it because it was Science Fiction. He never reviewed a single Science Fiction movie. Each time a Science Fiction movie came out he reviewed the entire genre of Science Fiction.

Windows Phone isn't burning up the sales figures, but it still beats Android by a mile. Android is a rip off of the outdated iOS. Both lag well behind the innovation of Windows Phone, but of course Windows Phone isn't trying to copy anything, so it must be terrible.

And, for the last time, how is scrolling up and down (like Windows Phone 7) worse then scrolling endlessly side to side (like Android)? Explain that one to me please. Is side to side somehow better than up and down? I don't get it.

Crawl back under your rock, Jack Wagon, and leave the smartphone arena to people who understand it.

I take it this was meant to come out 1st April as a big joke? Cause the entire article is terrible. I can understand a Linux fanboi wanting to hurt the (obviously more efficient) competition, but this article is really just an awful read. I was on Android, I had a Galaxy S - Still probably one of the best android devices ever released, and I loved it! I loved the customisation, the hacking, the ROMs, the freedom..
But I did NOT love the stability. Having to switch it off and on again a few times throughout the day, force closing of apps, severe slowdowns for just mo reason! I've since moved on to the Lumia 710 slightly bigger bro, the Lumia 800, and am truly glad I've traded in customisation for a stable system.

I just bought myself a Nokia 710 from T Mobile and like it a lot. Because you have use of the Skydrive feature you can store many GB of documents and photos in the cloud at no cost and they won't disappear if your phone is stolen or lost. I bought this phone as a replacement for my old Windows PDA because I can sync my Outlook calendar and contacts directly from my home computer and TMobile has an inexpensive prepaid plan with data for the few times I will use the 3G network rather than free wifi.

As mentioned in my previous post on here I am a Windows Phone fan and use my phone daily for all sorts of social networking, e-mail, phone calls (obviously) and lots of other things. I work in a military environment where 'banter' is the norm and gets you through the day. I constantly receive 'banter' about being a Windows Phone user which I don't mind at all. The majority of my colleagues use iPhone and Android phones but in my opinion they are literally 'blinded by the light' in terms of what the Windows Phone can do. They're all hung up on the fact that Windows Phone 6.5 wasn't very good. I am constantly berated and being asked if my phone had crashed or experienced a BSOD?!@@!! I just laugh it off and sit there with a chuffed look on my face since I know that I own a superior phone operating system. Let's all 'BIG UP' the Windows Phone!! (the Apollo update looks like it's going to be awesome!)

I don't get this review. First he states " it???s speed. I can say, with assurance, the same hardware using the Android OS would bog down as soon as you attempted to use a single app"
then "no one in IT is going to want such an underpowered..."
So if its really snappy... how is it underpowered? Cause some spec out there says you need dual cores? You look at performance metrics on most any server and you will see its highly underutilzed - its just sitting, eating power. This is the whole concept of virtual machines - so we can take advantage of overpowered systems. This reviewer needs to get over cpu cycles and cores. They are meaningless. If I can do the same amount of work on a single core, then why would I need a dual? I think less is more - period. I have an android phone and am tired of forced quits, endless email in my trash (and no easy way to empty).
How about a review from someone less wrapped up in GHZ and more in tune with time it takes to get stuff done!