Grab The T-Mobile Nokia Lumia For $129.99

Last year, Nokia turned the entry level smartphone market on its ear with the introduction of the Lumia 520 series devices. The Lumia 520 quickly became their best selling device of the year and the 521 consistently ranked in Amazon.com’s top five in no contract phone sales. The devices were more than aggressively priced, had enough features to make them relevant and delivered an experience that was better than anything Android could throw at it in the price range. Fast forward a year and to new competition from devices like the Moto E and G series, and Microsoft Mobile has stepped up their game to match with the Lumia 635.

The Lumia 635 is part of the new Lumia 630 series. The devices are identical across the board except for the inclusion of the LTE radio systems that will work in the US. The Lumia 635 features a 4.5” display, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, a MicroSD slot for memory expansion and ships with Windows Phone 8.1 installed. It is sad to see that the memory sits at 512MB as this does rule out playing some of the more intense games on the Lumia 635, but as an entry level handset running Windows Phone goes, the Lumia 635 has more than enough power to make the average user happy.

The other amazing feature of the Lumia 635 is that you can activate this device on T-Mobile’s $40 Simple Starter plan, Spot Mobile, Simple Mobile or any other T-Mobile MVNO and save cash off your bill every month. That can make the 2 year cost for the Lumia 635 as low as $1089.99 with the $40 unlimited plan from Spot Mobile. Comparing this to the AT&T Lumia 635 GoPhone package, you are going to save $450 over that 2 year period.

The T-Mobile Lumia 635 is definitely a deal if you have strong T-Mobile coverage in your area. If not, the AT&T version is due out July 25th. Click the link below to grab the Lumia 635 before they are all gone.

Link: Lumia 635

Nokia Lumia 635 Coming To GoPhone Plans

If you love your AT&T service and were  on the fence about getting a new Windows Phone your life just became much happier. Beginning July 25th, you can snag the new Nokia Lumia 635 for under $100 without that pesky contract. This is fantastic news for people that use services like Red Pocket Mobile, Straight Talk or Net10. They can also grab one of these locked AT&T GoPhones for under $100 and use them on their MVNO of choice.

Keeping in mind that the 635 is an entry level device is hard when you look at the specs. The 4.5” display, 5MP camera, 8GB of internal memory with expandable SD card slot and it ships with Windows Phone 8.1, making it possible to install Apps to that SD card.

Again, the 635 will be available on the 25th of July for those that want to give Windows Phone a real chance, for those that need a back up handset, or for those that just want to upgrade their smaller 520’s.

Get A Free Lumia 630 From Cricket Wireless

Wondering if you should try a Windows Phone? How about grabbing the Nokia (or Microsoft) Lumia 630 for free and still not having to commit to a long term deal? Yes, right now, Cricket Wireless (AT&T) is running the Lumia 630 at a $50 off promo price, plus there is a $50 mail-in rebate as well. This brings the price of the mid-range Windows Phone down to zero. There is also no contract with Cricket.

The Lumia 630 features a 4.5” display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, a 5MP rear camera and Windows Phone 8.1. It can be activated on the $40, $50 or $60 a month plans and you can save $5 a month on service if you use the auto-pay system.

The 630 also works great with service from Red Pocket Mobile, my preferred AT&T MVNO. So get on over to www.cricketwireless.com and get one of these beasts before they disappear.

Game Review: Level 22 Restores My Faith In Stealth Classics

I’m just going to say this first, I am not a fan of the “Zelda” style of gaming. Those long, drawn out follow the map and complete the level styles of games just drove me to boredom too quickly. Even as a kid, Zelda barely held my interest. That makes reviewing Level 22: Gary’s Misadventures a bit of a chore for me as that is exactly what this game reminded me of.

As game play began, the controls were simple enough to figure out. You simply tap the screen where you want to go and  your little man made a run for it. Now, that seems simple enough, but then something strange happened and I realized why they bill this out as “the first stealth game set in the merciless and frenetic world of work!”

After a few short moments, it became apparent that there was a large amount of trickery involved in getting pas certain levels and obstacles. The little sleeping security guards, the cameras and a plethora of other traps were waiting for me inside the game. Instantaneously, this became a bit more fun than my old Zelda comparisons.

As I began to find my way around, my little Gary man told me that there might be some stuff to find, or how to sneak past certain areas. After about 10 minutes, Level 22 sucked me in for the long haul.

Of course, all good things have to come to an end, and Level 22 eventually killed the battery on my Lumia 925. While I was a skeptic at first, Noego completely won me over in the end and made me a very happy camper. With a $1.99 price tag, Level 22 isn’t an easy – just download me title – but if you are a fan of stealth games, it is, in my opinion, the best game for you on Windows Phone today.

So, take it for what it’s worth, and give Level 22 a try. You might enjoy steal games a bit more than you thought you would. I know I did.

Level 22

Meet The Amazon Fire Phone

Today was the day that Amazon unveiled the newest member of their digital devices family, the Fire Phone. While the device itself is quite neat, there are very few features that the Fire possess that aren’t already main stream in most mobile devices. The 4.7” display is clear and bright. The 2GB of RAM should power a few Apps on top of their customized Kindle-esque OS. The 32 and 64GB of storage should be enough for most people and the 13MP camera should be capable of capturing those family memories nicely. Those aren’t the interesting parts to the Fire in my mind though, and I hope most Windows Phone users agree with me.

The first feature that peaked my interest was the Home Carousel. It offers one glance access to your data. Emails, appointments, photos and websites right on your home screen. Sound a bit familiar? Sure, the look is a bit different, but it’s awfully similar to the Hub system that Microsoft is slowly moving away from in Windows Phone. The first version of Windows Phone 7 was designed to give uses a one peek access to all their data – a phone to save you from your phone. Remember? Sounds like Home Carousel is a step back in that direction for Amazon.

Their X-Ray service is awfully close to the original Bing button in Windows Phone. I know that Microsoft has moved on to Cortana now, but a long press of the X-Ray button on the device will allow you to listen to music and get lyrics, look up products online and get prices, and even view IMDB information. Again, a striking similarity to where another OS just created a void.

Whispersync is the craziest feature yet, because when you combine this with the new Second Screen feature, you have someone beating Microsoft to the 3 screen concept. Yes, I said it. If this works as well as the demonstration did, Amazon just beat Microsoft at their own game. Your Fire TV is hooked to you big screen. Your Fire HDX is your new portable computer. Now the Fire Phone is the portable handheld that completes the circle. When you have all three working in harmony, you have the dream that was the Three Screen concept that Windows Phone originally was.

Overall, I think this device will be somewhat of a flop, though the concept is the best I’ve seen on the market today. Linking your shopping and personal lifestyles over 3 separate items is brilliant. Now, if they had skipped out on the exclusive AT&T deal, lowered the price to $299 and $399 for the 32GB and 64GB respectively, I think Amazon would have hit a home run. Perhaps they will learn a thing or two from this, though they obviously didn’t learn from the Facebook Phone debacle, and come back with something stronger and more palatable for the next generation device. Until then, We are just left with a fine example of a concept that Microsoft should have completed years ago and should own right now, but due to mismanagement and poor decision making, is still struggling to make work.

Back To Android: A Month Later – What Android Got Right

My usage of the Android operating system is entering the end of the first month. I now have spend adequate time with the OS to really compare where Windows Phone 8.1 is at and what it is missing to truly compete with the most popular OS in the world. There are areas where Windows Phone completely destroys Android, but there are far too many basics where Android simply has better functionality than WP does, and to be very honest, a few of these would push devices like the Lumia 1020 to the front of most people’s shopping lists.

1) The HTC One features direct DLNA playback from the stock music and gallery Apps.

The HTC One has streaming DLNA playback available right from the stock music and video players. The Lumia series requires PlayTo to use this feature – and PlayTo only works when running in the primary App position. This means if you leave PlayTo running in the background and switch over to check your email, PlayTo will stop playing at the next song. Android allows the App to continue to play regardless of what is going on in the foreground.

2) The HTC One allows for connecting external USB Flash Drives.

With a $2 cable from Amazon, you can expand the storage of your HTC One in seconds. Any external drive that does not require power can be hooked right in to the MicroUSB charging port and be used for storage. This means you are no longer limited to the on device storage for photos and videos. This feature would make a device like the Lumia 1020 the ultimate device on the planet. Can you imagine having unlimited storage in your pocket to go with the Lumia 1020 and the camera grip? It would be pure magic.

3) The HTC One offers true VPN setups and usage.

While the average smartphone user probably doesn’t even know what a VPN is, corporate and educational users sure do. With full VPN support baked into the system, Android has a leg up on the suffering Windows Phone version. Will Microsoft get there, of course, but will they get there fast enough to make an Android user skip the Galaxy S5 or the HTC One M8 before next year? Probably not.

4) Microsoft gives better Apps to Android than Windows Phone users.

This one really bugs me to no end. I can honestly say that the OneDrive, Outlook and OneNote Apps in Android gave me a better overall experience than their counterparts in Windows Phone. I know that the Outlook App is technically baked in to the system, but seriously, the Android App is quite amazing. All three of the services simply shine on the HTC One. It actually made “switching over” easier than the HTC program that does all the work for you.

I have to admit at the moment to being torn between my beloved Nokia Lumia 925 and the HTC One. HTC has done a superb job of crafting the One into the best feeling hardware I have ever owned. The metal chassis reminds me of my two favorite Windows Phones so far, the Titan and the Radar. I honestly have to admit, that if HTC releases that rumored W8, which is the HTC One M8 body loaded up with Windows Phone 8.1, I might be tempted to let my 925 go. Of course, if they would just build in support to write to a USB flash drive to my 925, I probably wouldn’t have to look at another device until the 2015 Windows Phones are released.

Game Review: Traffic Racer

Remember those top down view “racer” games like Spy Hunter and well, yeah, that was the only one I came up with also, If you were a fan of that style of play, Traffic Racer by Soner Kara is the next App you need to download to your Windows Phone. While the style of game play is similar though, I am sorry to tell you that I didn’t find the oil slick or the machine gun option anywhere in the game – but I am going to keep playing until I do.

The game starts off easily enough with picking your vehicle type and color. When you play, you earn money to buy more vehicles, colors and options. Starting out, select the color of your truck and press play.

 

Choosing your gaming mode is next. For learning the controls and how they play with your device, I would recommend a free ride to start with. This is just a continuous game mode that resets your vehicle if you crash. There are two endless modes where you drive until you crash. The first features traffic only driving the same direction as you, where as the second has the traffic on the left coming towards you. Time trial is basically a race to see how far you can get in a limited time. All three of the competition options bring something different to the table.

Driving is quite simple with Traffic Racer. Tilt your device left and you turn left. Tilt it right and you move to the right. The lower right hand side of the screen is your gas pedal and the lower left is the brake. If you keep your fingers low enough, they don’t interfere with game play at all with these controls.

 

Playing Traffic Racer is almost as easy as using the controls. Simply move left or right to avoid the traffic and keep going for as long as you can. When you hit another vehicle, your game ends. The graphics on Traffic Racer are great, and the play was smooth on my Nokia Lumia 925. I did find myself wanting to buy new cars faster than I was winning cash, but that’s probably my issue, not one with the game.

Traffic Racer is a great old fashion driving classic. It also give the feel of the modern day runner style games, so if you are a fan of those, it’s worth a look as well. I think the only negative to the game is the 91.65 MB storage size that Storage Sense reported it using on my device. That said, 100MB for a great graphics game like Traffic Racer isn’t that bad in my head.

If you want to give Traffic Racer a look, it is available for free in the Windows Phone Store. I think it would be a great fit if you fall into the category of loving driving games or like those new style runner games. Either way, you should be thrilled with the play from Traffic Racer.

Store Link: Traffic Racer