You also get some other apps, like Angry Birds, Slacker Radio, Scout, and T-Mobile TV, which can all be uninstalled if you don't need or want them. Nokia has made them available in the Windows Phone store to all WP8 devices in order to acquire more user-generated data for a better overall experience. These apps are no longer exclusive to Nokia phones, though. Nokia Music allows you to buy music or listen to premade playlists for free. Here Maps is a very attractive set of interactive maps, and Here City Lens is an augmented reality app that places nearby points of interest over your camera's view. Nokia includes a number of its own home-grown apps, like Nokia Drive+ Beta, which offers voice-enabled turn-by-turn GPS navigation. Since Microsoft doesn't allow any modification of its operating system, one of the biggest differentiators between Windows phones is the included apps. Live tiles now come in different sizes, which shows that Windows Phone is more configurable than Apple's iOS, but still nowhere near as customizable as Google's Android. The Contacts menu in particular aggregates information from your email, Facebook, and Twitter feeds, into one great big People Hub. These tiles continuously pull information from social networks, the Internet, messages, and local content stored on your phone, which is both useful and fun. Windows Phone 8 itself is Microsoft's mobile operating system, which is built around a series of live tiles on your home screen. It takes a little longer for apps to open, but I didn't encounter any sluggishness or performance hiccups. Luckily, Windows Phone 8 is a light, fast operating system, and using the phone never felt slow. The benchmark scores confirm this-the 521 turned in scores about 30% less powerful than competing devices. The Lumia 521 is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, which is less powerful than the 1.5GHz chip you'll find in nearly every other WP8 handset. These are excellent rates compared with competitors like AT&T and Verizon, and further enhance the Lumia 521's appeal as a solid budget phone. $60 gets you 2GB of high-speed data, and $70 gets you unlimited high-speed data. T-Mobile's new contract-free plans start at $50 per month, and that gets you all the talk and texts you want, along with 500MB of high-speed data per month, after which your speeds are slowed to 2G. The speakerphone is not loud enough to hear outdoors, but calls sounded fine over a Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset I had no trouble using the headset to control Microsoft's voice command software. ![]() ![]() A little wind noise made it through but noise cancellation is otherwise pretty strong. Calls made with the phone sound a little muffled and digitized, but not distractingly so. Voice quality is very good, especially through the phone's earpiece. It also supports 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi calling. It's a little disappointing that it doesn't support the carrier's faster HSPA+ 42 or LTE networks, but it still managed to pull in some good data speeds, with an average of 5.4Mbps down and 1.5Mbps up. The Lumia 521 can hit up to HSPA+ 21 speeds on T-Mobile's network. (Opens in a new window) Read Our Nokia Lumia 928 (Verizon Wireless) Review It measures 4.88 by 2.52 by 0.39 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.48 ounces, which makes it extremely comfortable to hold and use with just one hand. The front of the phone is a glass panel with a 4-inch display, and a little too much bezel, especially on the bottom. Most of the phone is encased in a sturdy, white matte plastic shell. The Lumia 521 ($99.95 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window) may not be expensive, but it certainly doesn't feel cheap. But it's a good place to start for smartphone newbies, or anyone else looking for a decent low-cost smartphone. It's not a phone for power users, and Windows Phone still lacks many of the apps you'll find on iOS and Android. This cute, capable smartphone costs just $29.99 down (or $149.99 in total), and gets you a good mix of performance and features with one of T-Mobile's inexpensive new Simple Choice plans. ![]() How to Set Up Two-Factor AuthenticationĮveryone's attention might be on the Lumia 925 and the Lumia 928 ($110.00 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window) right now, but it would be a shame to overlook the Lumia 521.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.
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