Microsoft & Nokia Reach Market Dominance In 2015... Or Not

BOLD PREDICTIONS FIZZLE AS 2015 COMES TO FRUITION

A few years ago, I was on the bandwagon of belief when all of the tech pundits made bold predictions that Nokia & Microsoft would reach total market dominance over Android & Apple by the year 2015. What happened?

We all bought the story because of the reasoning, that Nokia once dominated the world of feature phones, and that Microsoft dominated the world of operating systems. Windows Mobile plus Nokia hardware was supposed to equal unparalleled success in the smartphone market.

But what happened?

All of the cards foretold of fortunes to be made by these two tech juggernauts, and the planets were supposedly lined up to create the stage for the impending takeover of the smartphone world. But now that we have reached 2015, where is Microsoft and Nokia in the grand scheme of things?

Apple continues to dominate with the new iPhone 6 and 6+, with the new iOS 8 platform. And Samsung continues to squash the Android market with its flagship Galaxy products, powered by Android KitKat. But our "match made in heaven" comprised of Microsoft and Nokia seems to be lagging far behind, as they always have.

I thought Microsoft and Nokia had a great start with the Lumia 920 smartphone, and all of the later versions of their device. The operating system was supposed to be super easy to use, and a much better match for those of us using Windows based PCs. I thought I would be a prime target for converting to Windows on my smartphone, since I use a PC and a laptop every day.

But it never happened. I've tested and tried the Nokia devices using the Windows Phone platform. While I did find it easy to use, I worried about not having the ability to find all of my most favorite apps under their system. When I switched from Apple to Android in 2012, I was able to download about 80% of my most used apps on the Android platform.

I'm hard-pressed to believe that Windows will capture the attention of developers around the world and motivate them to bring all of my favorite apps to the Windows Phone market. It hasn't happened yet, and I don't have much confidence believing it will in the near future.

While the Windows-based Nokia devices are super slick and durable, I have found them to be a total pain-in-the-derrier when it comes to servicing and repairing the hardware. As the owner of a smartphone repair shop, I have learned to send Nokia smartphone owners to my competitors down the street. Cracked screen? Busted LCD panel? Take it somewhere else, because it's not worth the headache.

That might be part of the reason why Nokia failed to dominate the market as predicted. It might just be that Microsoft and Nokia never became "cool". Whether their devices and operating system functionality is great, or a pile of crap, nothing matters until their products become a "thing".

The smartphone market is like the fashion industry. Until Microsoft and Nokia become "cool" in the minds of consumers, they will never hit critical mass and dominate the market. I would love to see a competitor break into the Apple/Android monopoly, but I don't believe we will witness such an even for a few years if anything.

In the meantime, It's Samsung & Android for me on the smartphone front, Apple's iPad for my tablet, and my Windows-based custom PC for my desktop.

What do you think the reasons are behind the failure of Microsoft and Nokia to fulfill the predictions of the past? I'd sure like to hear your opinion!

Carlton Flowers
The Gadget Guru

The Monstrous Nokia Lumia 1020 Is Coming To AT&T

NEW LUMIA COMING PACKING A 41MP CAMERA

Camera buffs and smartphone afficionados might want to take note. There's a monstrous new Nokia Lumia coming this summer via AT&T!

The new Nokia Lumia 1020 packs a hefty 41Mp camera, taking a huge leap ahead of the pack for those that want to combine the quality of a professional digital camera with a smartphone with its ability to also record video in full 1080p HD at 30 frames/second.

It features the new Gorilla Glass 3 display for maximum durability, and is super sensitive to to touch. You can even operate the device with gloves.

I would expect this to be an excellent device, based on my experience testing the previous Nokia Lumia 920. It's a solid phone with a composite body, and the Windows Phone operating system is a competely intuitive system that you can pick up and immediately use without looking at the instructions.

I'll hopefully get my hands on one later this summer to test out and give a full report. I'd love to try this device out for shooting video, and with the super fast frame rate, it might even be useful for shooting production footage.

Stay tuned, we'll have more details soon!

Carlton Flowers
Smartphone Watchman

In Your Face With The Nokia Lumia 920 (AT&T)

SIDE SWIPED BY THE NOKIA LUMIA 920 - INITIAL THOUGHTS

Well it's test time again, and the newest device up to the plate is the Nokia Lumia 920 on the AT&T network. I've only had the device for a day, but I have enough of a reaction that I'm ready to tell you about it now.

There's a reason I said "side swiped" in the header. That's what Windows Phone 8 experience practically makes you feel, compared to iOS and iOS on steroids (Android).

The Windows environment on the Nokia Lumia 920 hits you upside the head with a completely unique and different way to interact with a smartphone. With zero smartphone experience, you canpick up this phone and figure out how it operates immediately.

I haven't even thought about breaking out the users guide for this device yet. It's just way too simple to operate. This is the epitome of intuitieve operation, period.

The look and feel of the Nokia Lumia 920 is strikingly similar to the previous version, the Lumia 900. But don't be fooled, there are several upgrades on the new edition. We'll get into that later.

After a day of use, I have yet to plug the phone up to the wall charger. I don't know what Nokia has done differently than the competitors, but it appears that they've got the jump on conserving the juice.

I seem to drain the essence of my Samsung Galaxy S2 a lot faster, and there's no question that the iPhone 4S and even the iPhone 5 have less battery power. I'm impressed with that.

The phone feels like the most solid of all the devices I've tested. I would give the iPhone 5 second place to the Lumia 920 as far as quality of build. But the Lumia 920 has a much smoother feel than the iPhone with its gorgeous rounded edges and composite body design.

As far as text input, the Lumia 920 is by and far the champion of all smartphones. The combination of the responsiveness and the soft keyboard layout make it super easy to text accurately and quickly.

Today I got to play around with the Carl Zeiss camera that the Lumia 920 is packing, and it lives up to all of the hype. I can safely say that it will perform and compete with the best of what's on the market.

So that's my initial "out-of-the-box" thoughts on the Nokia Lumia 920 smartphone from AT&T Wireless. Next, we'll talk about the hardware, and we'll also look into why a lot of people who formerly owned an iPhone have made the switch to Nokia's flagship device. Plus we'll talk about whom it is that I think this phone would be the best fit!

Stay tuned, Nokia fans.

Carlton Flowers
Gadget Master

CHECK OUT THE NOKIA LUMIA 920 ON AMAZON NOW! GREAT VALUE AT ONLY $99!