It seems like the storm is beginning to pass for Nokia and things are starting to get brighter for the company. Its recently launched T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521, a low-end Windows Phone 8 prepaid smartphone, is turning out to be a hit with consumers and is sold out across the U.S. It's pretty well documented that the past few days haven't been the best for Nokia. CEO Stephen Elop had to face Nokia investors and try to save face once again while trying to convince his board that Windows Phone was the only way to go for Nokia. He shot down any hope of there being an Android Nokia smartphone on his watch and vowed to take on Android and Google with Windows Phone.
While this was going on, Nokia was also launching a very important smartphone, the low-end and pre-paid T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 521 smartphone for $129 at Walmart. The Lumia 521 is the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device on the market and best of all, it is sold unlocked. This means if you use another carrier's microSIM card in the Lumia 521 it will work, as long as the radios support the network. It also supports T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. Not bad for a $129 Windows Phone 8 device, is it?
The Nokia Lumia 521 has turned out to be a bigger hit than Nokia and Microsoft were expecting. The smartphone officially went on sale a few days ago and is completely sold out on Walmart's online store and virtually every Walmart where the smartphone is being sold. Walmart provides a tool to track the smartphone down at nearby stores.
Since I have never really used a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, I have always thought about wanting to try it out, but I'm pretty much an iPhone guy and have been happy with iOS. But there was always something about Windows Phone 8 that was clean, innovative and wasn't just another cookie-cutter mobile operating system with a similar UI to its rivals. I finally got hold of one, and I'll be sharing more on it in the next few days.
I will say this: having used other Windows Phone smartphones at tradeshows, they don't compare to what Nokia adds to the whole Windows Phone experience. This little phone is proving to be one very impressive device for consumers and to this iPhone 5 user; the price is going to move many units. I spoke to a few different Walmart store reps and was told that the smartphone was completely sold out, I was told they might get one or two later in the day, but they usually sell out within minutes of being taken off the truck. A clerk at a Walmart in Secaucus, N.J. told me that the cellphone department telephone does not stop ringing with people asking for the Lumia 521.
"It's driving me nuts," she said.
Maybe this is a sign of the upcoming trend of smartphone makers targeting the mid- to low-end market, as Apple is also believed to be entering it very soon with a low-cost iPhone, and consumers are going to benefit by the cheaper prices, while manufacturers put a greater emphasis in giving the user the best features of the platform and attention to smartphone design. If companies provide an amazing experience from the beginning they will hook the customer. If you create a great first impression, consumers will more than likely move up to a higher-end smartphone that they are already familiar and happy with. Stay tuned for more on the Nokia Lumia 521 as I put it through its paces in the coming days. Hats off to Nokia on the Lumia 521.
