I regret getting a Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone 8 : I really should have gotten an Blackberry with a QWERTY keyboard

Getting a new phone is more of a hassle than anything else. I didn't mind the flip phone that I had, which was replacing my old Huawei u8350 Boulder (QWERTY with Android 2.3.4 - Icy Tiramisu custom ROM) which did not support CDMA, but now I was roaming all the time so I had to change carrier.

Koodo Mobile is the only one that made sense given I am travelling in Canada. Phones are not exciting, nor are they objects of prestige. They are consumer devices with which we use to communicate with others, or use as forms of entertainment. Spending anywhere from 200$ to 700$ on a mobile phone is not for me, so getting an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S4, was out of the question.
My choices were limited to the Blackberry 9320, the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Samsung Galaxy Ace.

Given my main operating system is Windows, I thought it would make sense to get the Nokia Lumia 520 Windows Phone. Unfortunately, I wish I could have my old u8350 back, or should I say that I should have gotten the Blackberry.


Windows Phone is very slick and smooth, but when it comes to typing a message, word suggestions just can't match a physical QWERTY keyboard. Furthermore, it is tiring to browse through pages with finger swipes. Why not just a page down or a side button? What annoys me the most of the touch screen phone is the fact that the screen is huge, but whenever you have to type something, ie. a text message, an e-mail or a web-search, you have to touch the are where you will write, and then half of the screen is lost to the keyboard.


Touchscreen are a good concept, but for day to day input, they are more trouble than they are worth. Were I not in a remote location, I would exchange this phone right away and get myself a Blackberry or an Android with QWERTY keyboard.

A few other gripes I have about WP8 (Windows Phone 8) is the access to the files via Windows, which was very easy with Android, inability to customize the notification sounds and lastly the non persistent status bar. 

What I do like of the Nokia Lumia 520? The dedicated camera button is excellent, the Nokia apps are just fine and the sound is stellar.

I would now consider spending the extra money and getting a Blackberry Q5. We'll see how often I have to use the phone. Hopefully not that often.