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Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone

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I recently bought an AT&T Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone.  I'm not an AT&T subscriber, but I am interested in trying out the software and hardware.  For the price, you can't find a better bargain of a smartphone.  I purchased it to gain the experience of using a windows phone device.  I saw a deal for a few weeks and took the plunge.  I bought the Lumia 520 direct from Microsoft for $60 plus tax.

You can now find the same deal on Amazon Nokia Lumia 520 GoPhone (AT&T)
* Updated  4/30/14 * - You can get a refurbished one for 39.99

There is another deal, which is even better than what I paid - the Metro PCS Nokia Lumia 521 for $49 ($29 if you decide to get phone service for a few months or more).  This works on the T-Mobile LTE network.

You can find the full specifications for the Lumia 520 here.  The 521 specs are here.

Hardware specs:
Here are the ones that matter to me:

  • Charging connectors: Micro-USB ( universal to most recent chargers )
  • AV connectors: 3.5 mm audio connector
  • Wi-Fi: WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
  • Battery capacity: 1430 mAh
  • Removable battery: Yes
  • Processor name: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4
  • Processor type: Dual-core 1 GHz
  • User data storage: In device, Memory card, OneDrive cloud storage
  • RAM: 512 MB
  • Mass memory: 8 GB
  • Expandable memory card type: MicroSD
  • Free cloud storage: 7 GB
  • Main camera sensor: 5 MP
  • Radio features: Internet Radio, FM Radio (yes, a radio without using up data!)

RAM is on the lower end, but for this price it's very hard to find hardware with 1GB RAM.
Mass memory storage is high for the price range.  Being able to expand storage through MicroSD is a big bonus.

The processor is one of the best you can get for this low end price range.  The windows OS makes very good use of the processor features.

If I decide to use it as a phone - the below just means it will work with most us and international networks.  It doesn't quite support full LTE speed, but 4G speed it does.

  • WCDMA network: 850 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz
  • WCDMA max data speed DL: HSDPA - 21.1 Mbps
  • WCDMA max data speed UL: HSUPA - 5.76 Mbps
  • GSM network: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz
  • GSM max data speed DL: EGPRS 236.8 kbps
  • GSM max data speed UL: EGPRS 236.8 kbps

OneNote - a great app for taking all kinds of notes.  The windows phone eco system has been getting better and better lately, so you will be able to find most apps you are looking for.  It's not as robust as the Play Store or Apple App Store yet, but it's good enough for most.

I have iOS devices and android devices, but up to now, I never had access to a windows Phone.

The Nokia 520 family of phones is THE MOST POPULAR Windows Phone out there.  I really like the phone and use it on a regular basis for games, browsing, email, music, videos - basically anything you can do with a smartphone these days.

I'll write more about my Windows Phone 8 experience with the Nokia Lumia 520 in some future posts.

If you have a Windows Phone, share your thoughts in the comments.

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