Conserve Windows Phone battery life

Conserve Windows Phone battery life by managing background apps

We heard and experienced for ourselves some rather crummy battery life with the Nokia Lumia 920Windows Phone. It's a mixed bag of results with some report fantastic battery performance while others are struggling to make it through half a day.

While Nokia is looking into things, they've reminded us that managing the apps that are running in the background could help with battery life.  And this power saving technique isn't exclusive to the Lumia Windows Phones.  If you want to conserve power on your HTC 8X or Samsung Focus 2, shut down some of the apps you don't need that are still running in the background.

To see what's running in the background, go to your Windows Phone's settings and swipe over to the applications page. There you will find "background tasks" setting at the top of the list.

Once inside the settings, you'll see a list of all the apps running in the background. To shut it down, just tap on the app and tap the "block" button. To confirm that you've shut down the app, press and hold the back button to view any open apps.

Nokia has received reports that if Nokia Drive is left running in the background can contribute to high power consumption. They also note that Angry Birds: Star Wars may also be consuming higher than normal power. There's nothing definitive about either, just suspicions that are being researched.

Along with shutting down apps operating in the background, consider disabling the NFC feature (touch + share feature in your settings menu). We aren't sure if there's a connection but over the past two days with NFC disabled, our battery life has improved dramatically.

It's nice to see Nokia taking an interest in the Lumia 920's performance and if we here anything definitive on the 920's battery concerns, we'll pass it on.

Source: Nokia Support

http://www.wpcentral.com/conserve-windows-phone-battery-life-managing-background-apps

Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Lumia 920

Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Lumia 920 Windows Phones: First Impressions

If you currently own a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone you're probably considering the Lumia 920 as your next Windows Phone. But how do the two compare?

Sure, the Lumia 920 has NFC support, the Pureview camera and Windows Phone 8 but how do these two Windows Phones compare with regards to design?

Here's the tale of the tape on the two. The Nokia Lumia 900 measures 5 x 2.7 x .45 inches and weighs 5.64 ounces. The Nokia Lumia 920 measures 5.13 x 2.79 x .42 inches and weighs in at 6.5 ounces. On paper the Lumia 920 is longer, wider but thinner than the Lumia 900.  The Lumia 920 also weighs almost an ounce heavier than the Lumia 900.  While on paper these differences are easily noticeable, in the hand the differences are not.

While I can tell the Lumia 920 is the larger phone when held, the 920 doesn't feel larger. In a blindfold test, it would be tough to tell the two Lumia Windows Phones apart just by the way they feel.  The extra weight is nicely distributed to avoid feeling heavier and the larger screen size is accommodated by a balance of making the phone's frame wider and taller.

There are some design changes that will give away the Lumia 920. Such as the charging port now on the bottom of the phone and headphone jack centered at the top but feel alone, these two phones are very similar.

Nokia did a good job of increasing the size of the 900 without adding to the bulk.  With regards to design and feel, the 920 is a refined version of the 900. If you like the fit and feel of the Lumia 900, you'll like the Lumia 920 just as nicely.  

Link: http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-lumia-900-vs-lumia-920-windows-phones-first-impressions

Nokia Lumia 920: Developer edition

Developer edition of the Nokia Lumia 920 is a one of a kind pentaband

With BUILD 2012 now behind us, we can talk a little about those Lumia 920’s that were handed out en masse to all the developers in attendance (media did not get them nor the Surface).

Seeing as BUILD attracts developers from all over the world, it would be a bit inconsiderate to give out a phone with limited 3G/4G capabilities as some would get the full package, while others would be restricted to their network. The problem is multi-dimensional as 3G GSM and 4G LTE networks vary quite widely, not to mention the combination of the two often required for great performance.

As it turns out, the Lumia 920 that was given out at BUILD is a “frankenphone” of sorts, with mixed components and from what we are told, it won’t be made again. That 920, as evidenced by the photo above from game developer Marios Karagiannis (Monster Up creator/karios.gr), shows the broad supported bands of this Nokia device, including:

• WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 2100, 1700_2100
• LTE 700, 850, 1900, 1700_1900

We’re not 100% sure on what networks that specific device will run on but we’re guessing it will work on more carriers than an unlocked AT&T version.  Anyway, if you are a lucky recipient of such a phone or can get your hands on one, we suggest you hold on to it as it could be the most “universal” Lumia 920 made.

Of course if you're a bit jealous, just remember that this 920 only came in boring black. While we know some of you prefer that color, we're just going to say the 920 "pops" a bit more in those other optical variations.

Link: http://www.wpcentral.com/developer-edition-lumia-920-one-kind-pentaband