WP 8.0 update?

Thinking about the issue of the new Microsoft Windows Phone 8.0 version and present Lumia phone models I must say the problem is perhaps exaggerated. As the life span of a present Smartphone is about two to three year at max the need to have the latest version of WP is probably not my first priority. From my experience Updating to a new operating system on a platform designed for use with a previous version is usually not very wise and often just leads to the notion that net new version runs slower, as the hardware was not designed for it.  Another thing to keep in mind is that the difference of one version with another is often marginal and mostly “cosmetic”.  For the Lumia 800 and 900 owners (as I am) I would say, just use it and install the updates and improvements you get from Nokia, WP 7.5 is great as it is. When the new series come which are designed for WP 8 you will have the option to update the complete phone. There will be interesting new hardware features waiting, the Pureview super camera to mention one innovation.

The WP system is getting more and more relevant applications, for example free software (Secure Pics) to put your images behind a lock to protect them if your phone gets stolen (you might end up on Facebook or Youtube unintentionally). As a matter of fact, it is very wise to use the automatic screen lock feature (although it is a bit of a nuisance), I met people who had to pay thousands of Euros after their phone was stolen, as somebody used it to make very expensive long distance calls.

Exciting new features in WP 7.5

The recent updates of WP to WP 7.5 have introduced some new exciting features.  Possibly the most interesting one is the possibility to use your phone as a Wifi hot spot. From the settings panel you can choose the new internet sharing tab. This gives you the possibility to give access to the internet through your Lumia to a maximum of five devices. You can use VPA protection or create an open WLAN. It works well, and I had no problems connecting to the internet using the Lumia as a Wifi hotspot. I used this before in my Nokia N900 using JoikuSpot to connect my laptop to the internet using the N900 as a hot spot. Now I can do the same with my lumia 800.

Another new innovation is the possibility of face recognition, when uploading images to Facebook or SkyDrive. More or less the same feature as you find in the Picassa image storage program from Microsoft. Picassa by the way, is my favorite program to keep track of all my digital images, it is free and  orders your images by person (face recognition), date or location, it uses the GPS coordinates your smart phone attaches to the images. It is great to see where your geotagged phone images were actually taken. 

Improving Nokia Lumia Navigaation

The Car navigation App was recently updated with the possibility to save locations, like your home, or the place you parked your car. This is a significant improvement; however, it would be even better if it could sync with the places stored in the on line Maps application. These saved locations can be pinned as tiles to the start view. You can change the names or delete them by pressing long on the saved location.


 I still miss information on petrol stations and the like in the off line mode. This would be of great help when driving abroad. For example, during my last trip in Holland I needed a petrol station and I could not  find any on Nokia Drive in offline mode.  the ability to create and store routes would be a welcome feature.

Another App worth mentioning is Creative Studio; it is free and can do all kinds of funny thing with your pictures. The best thing I noticed was that is able to create panorama images, and functions much better that the AutoPanorama application.

Find it difficult to read Lumia SMS messages, here is a suggestion

If you have trouble reading the small text of the Lumia SMS messages, perhaps you forgot your reading glasses. Here is a trick which helps; press the text body of the message long and choose the copy option. Then leave SMS and go to Microsoft Office and create a new Note. In the empty note you can now paste the copied text message and enlarge it using the pinch gesture with two fingers. Works great, and you can also do this the other way, copy a note and paste it into the SMS message.

Driving with Nokia navigation on the Lumia 800

When I arrived at Amsterdam airport I rented a Toyota Auris hybrid, which has a build in GPS navigation system, the only thing missing was the SD card with the maps.  Fortunately I had installed all necessary maps on my Lumia 800, the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France.  To save money I turned off internet roaming and started the navigation application. I searched for my destination near Middelburg in the province of Zeeland.

Now driving in the Netherlands is different from driving in Finland, as in Finland traffic is easy and one drives in the same direction for long distances. In the Netherlands and Belgium to get from one place to another one has to change lanes and make turns every few kilometer or even more often. Therefor a good and reliable GPS navigation system is a great help if you are not familiar with the area. And it is also a lot safer if you know beforehand which turn to take.

To test the Lumia navigation I even started the phone without the SIM code, so no network assistance was used at all. And it worked great, all the way from Schiphol to the direction of Rotterdam and to the south along the western coast down to Zeeland went without any mistake, which saved fuel and nerves.

The offline maps contain a lot more than just roads and addresses. A vast body of information related to tourism, road services, you name it, it’s there. For example the picturesque medieval city hall of Damme in Belgium was easy to find. A great App, provided standard on the Nokia Lumia Windows Phones.   Of course there is still room for improvement, for example there should be a link to your favourite locations of Nokia Maps and the possibility to save locations directly from the navigation App.