[superails]

5MP downsample, resolution falls well short of what a 38MP camera should (theoretically) be capable of, runs windows phone 8 (fewer apps), phone has awkward shape not shown in commercials, low screen resolution, and as the following review puts it:

http://www.everyjoe.com/2013/07/13/technology/nokia-lumia-10...

"You might think that despite all of these negatives, at least the Lumia 1020 blows all other phones out of the water when it comes to the camera. You’d be wrong. There’s a noticeable lag when between taking a picture, saving it, and being able to take another picture. The Lumia 1020 comes with three different camera apps, each with their own function, so good luck figuring out what does what. Annoyingly, every photo you take has an on-screen caption that reminds you which app took the photo, but at least it doesn't show up in the picture itself"

[Spearchucker]

Image quality is not about mega pixels.

The 1020 uses silicon and software to compensate for the physical limitations of a short focal length and small aperture. Instead, a huge sensor captures many more pixels than you need, and then software algorithms distil this down to a five-megapixel image of great richness and detail.

The sensor is 41 megapixels, creating as a first step a 34 megapixel image; the other pixels being put to good use interpolating the image. For a technical explanation, see [1]. The phone actually keeps a master copy of the image at full resolution, and presents the five-megapixel image to you right away for editing and sharing.

[1] http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/15/nokia_lumia_1020_tec...

[bcoates]

I've been playing around with a 1020 for a few days, that article is really lame.

That first picture is showing it with the weird camera case accessory, you wouldn't normally carry the phone around with that attached. It looks just like it does in the ads in person. It fits my pocket fine (less awkward than the 'chin' on some Androids) and the weight and balance are comfortable for reading and making phone calls. I never got on the "shitty screens with crazy high DPI" bandwagon so I'm satisfied with 330ppi OLED. I'm not gonna give up OLED to get another 200ppi.

The slow cycle time is annoying but I've gotten used to it as a standard issue with cameraphones, it's not much worse than others I've used. There's a burst mode app so the lag doesn't affect your ability to do action photos. The 5MP downsample is a feature, you wouldn't normally use a photo bigger than that for small-screen display, and the non-downsampled image is still saved for printing or crops (there is a nice in-camera crop tool that adjusts the area the image is cropped from).

Honestly the biggest issue I had was that there isn't a light meter or exposure preview so it's hard to do manual exposure control when taking flash-less photos in very dark settings that have lights in the background. The multiple camera apps are an odd choice but not actually an issue in practice.

[lttlrck]

Slow cycle time is not standard issue. Cycle-time is non-existent on my iPhone 5. Low-cycle time became a key selling point in DSLRs and P&S cameras 5+ years ago. It's jarring to experience it in 2013.

[spongle]

Please don't spout the "fewer apps" rubbish.

Debian has fewer apps. Ubuntu has fewer apps. Does this mean anything? No.

I actually only use three "apps" that aren't built in on my WP8 device.

[acchow]

It does have fewer apps. No instagram, vine, youtube, dropbox, G+ hangouts (really important for a lot of software engineers), tripadvisor offline city guides, starbucks app, airline check-in from many carriers (United surprisingly does have)...

That was just going through the main homescreens on my Android.

> I actually only use three "apps" that aren't built in on my WP8 device.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here... You can't use apps that don't exist, so it's not surprising at all to me that you "only use three apps" that aren't built into the device...

[Maarten88]

My WP homescreen has several Nokia HERE apps: Drive, Commute, Transit, Maps, City Lens. You'll have a hard time finding anything that good on iOS or Android.

Then there are clone apps for allmost all the apps you mention (Instagram, Vine, Youtube, Dropbox, Starbucks, Hangouts). Probably not as good [1], but they work and often there's a native way to accomplish the same thing, making an app redundant (i.e. install Filters and share from the Pictures Hub instead of using Instagram).

[1] http://pocketnow.com/2013/08/14/missing-apps-on-windows-phon...

[acchow]

> (i.e. install Filters and share from the Pictures Hub instead of using Instagram)

That's not how social networks work.

[infinite_snoop]

I have a Win 8 tablet and the app store is a complete joke. I don't think the "use the browser" argument really holds any water. Lots of UX features are only really available when you go the native route, i.e the new "picture in picture" feature in the Android Youtube app.

[miguelrochefort]

Windows 8 is not Windows Phone 8.

[hexley]

>Lots of UX features are only really available when you go the native route, i.e the new "picture in picture" feature in the Android Youtube app.

Could you think of a less worthless feature to demonstrate with though? The YouTube app is getting so bad (certainly on iOS, I assume with Android too) that it's getting where the website will have a better UX than the native app shortly.

[nightski]

Excellent alternatives exist for all but maybe one of those apps. This is coming from someone who owns and uses a Lumia 1020 daily.

[spongle]

Seriously? As i said below there is a web browser too.

None of those have any real value for me personally so I can understand where Android might be more suitable but I really don't need an app for any of those.

As for trip advisor city guides, Nokia Here Maps does the same stuff offline (and a load more!)

The only missing point from above is that YouTube works fine in the browser. The press are full of shit about interoperability there. Not only that there are a multitude of quality youtube apps but you don't need them.

[preemrust]

Yes it means something when phone is the only device you use and you don't have the app for your banks or airlines or insurance company. A lot of whats there on the windows app store is also shoddy.

[spongle]

You have heard of a web browser haven't you?

Everything that there isn't an app for you can do on the damn browser which is good as its the same as full desktop IE10.

This is a poor excuse and justification.

As for shoddy apps, Google Play has its fair share as well don't forget.

[preemrust]

It is not an poor excuse. When I use my bank site via a browser or try to book an airline ticket, there are lots of distractions or offers etc. The app is more usable with minimal distraction and often can retain information offline. I travel extensively and use booking.com app to book all the time. The app stores my hotel booking offline so if I show up in a country where I have not had time to buy a local data SIM, I can still access my booking. As someone who is always converting money, I could use something like xe.com but try using that site on a mobile browser, it is not a good experience and certainly not something you can do with one hand (you are in a cross border town and your other hand is holding your bags or maps etc). Compare that to this new app I am using called Converted. The developers must have really spend time understanding the situations where someone is changing money and the importance of doing your calculation with one hand. And yes Google Play has shoddy apps but Windows is more terrible. Try finding a half decent podcast player on Windows.

[spongle]

Bank site? Mine doesn't have apps as far as I'm aware for any platform (HSBC). They require two factor auth which makes the app idea pretty pointless as you have to carry two things around with you.

I travel without a smartphone. It's not hard and at least if you lose it (which has happened to me), you're not totally fucked. I really couldn't possibly depend on something like that for anything critical. So many horror stories from colleagues on that front as well. I carry a USB stick with truecrypt encrypted documents on it only.

As for conversion, it's not hard. Any old calculator app (even the s40 calculator) is usable for this. Even a pencil and paper is good enough. The base rate+commission is easy to calculate and is always available on hand. You don't need an app for that. Plus if you want to argue with them and barter which you can do in some places, it works better without a smartphone. In fact its fucking rude to whip one out on half of the planet.

It just sounds like you're justifying the use of a smartphone for these functions rather than specifying a platform advantage when the greatest advantage is gained from not using one.

[damon_c]

It's really ironic that Microsoft's OS is being bailed out on its lack of apps by the web.

Embrace, extend, extingu..... Embraaaaaaaaaace!!!

[spongle]

Oh please. << insert this isn't reddit/Slashdot >>

It isn't Microsoft's job to write the damn apps, even though they did write a lot to start with themselves to get a good value proposition to start with.

And let's apply your flawed logic to other things:

"It's really ironic that Windows is being bailed out on its lack of apps by the web".

Doesn't work then does it?

[damon_c]

I didn't make it up... It was Microsoft's internally used phrase.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish

The irony I was pointing out is that while at one time, Microsoft's Windows ecosystem had a huge advantage in number and quality of apps, now they are the ones relying on the web to fill in gaps where 3rd party software exists on other platforms but has not been written for their minority OS.

Sorry to have offended you.