My Journey with Windows Phone: Challenges and Surprises from the Heart of Redmond

Recently, I found myself using a Windows Phone. This wasn't a flagship device or a special edition from Microsoft's local office—just a spontaneous decision. One morning, I thought:

"Hey, Slava, you've had your fill of iPhones and Androids! Isn't it time to broaden your horizons and see what the modern IT world looks like?"

With just 1.1% of users accessing Lifehacker via Windows Phone devices today, it's not exactly a trend, but someone had to give it a shot.

So, I visited an electronics store in Kyiv and picked up the only Nokia Lumia 625 in a bright orange color. It wasn’t a top-tier model; none were available in the three stores I checked. Therefore, this review won’t focus on the camera (yes, it's subpar), the screen (grainy), or headphone sound quality (definitely not iPhone 5s level). Instead, I’ll share my user experience navigating the software environment to make it work smoothly, akin to Apple and Google's ecosystems. I live-tweeted my journey using the hashtag #mysweetlumia, so all images here are embedded from my Twitter account.

How I stopped fearing and started loving #mysweetlumia ;) pic.twitter.com/iyHNhpEKgH — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

Getting Started

My experience nearly ended before it began. The phone refused to create a Windows Store account, flagging phishing warnings even on safe sites.

#mysweetlumia also considers Gmail and Facebook* very dangerous pic.twitter.com/dkejJoV8fP — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

It even warned about phishing on Lifehacker’s site, which I knew was safe!

Microsoft itself wouldn’t let me register an account — connection error. Creating a new account was impossible #mysweetlumia pic.twitter.com/7a8Y3zL9WM — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

After hours of struggle, I discovered the root cause: the store had set the phone’s time incorrectly. Despite having an automatic time setting enabled, it simply didn’t work.

Guys! I logged into MS! The problem was wrong time settings. Auto time didn’t work as usual for MS #mysweetlumia pic.twitter.com/RTNx1i2qWj — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Next, I faced issues with Gmail's two-factor authentication, which the mail app didn’t support.

#mysweetlumia won’t let me access Gmail web or mail app because it doesn’t support two-factor authentication. Damn — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Once the date and time were corrected manually, the phone stopped being a brick. However, it continued showing odd messages. For example, when opening the Music app, it suggested connecting to a computer to see content.

#mysweetlumia tells me to connect to a computer to see something :) pic.twitter.com/GH8WiQYAeA — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

#mysweetlumia "apparently" %} And this right after launching the Podcasts app pic.twitter.com/xxkRSoLZ0d — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Feels like the #mysweetlumia interface translations were done by someone clueless about what they were translating pic.twitter.com/eUB2RQOty5 — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

When the browser finally worked—it was still Internet Explorer, true to its predecessor’s legacy—Lifehacker’s website didn’t render properly. Of course, the issue was on our end, not Microsoft's browser. Mobile Safari and Chrome handled it fine, but not here.

On all iOS and Android devices, @ru_lh looks perfect. But not on #mysweetlumia :) pic.twitter.com/snSFgvMy4o — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Remember, IE6 had similar issues not because of the browser itself. Web versions of popular services also felt stuck in the past—about four years behind. To see the contrast, check Twitter.com on your Android or iPhone, then compare it to the Windows Phone screenshot.

Here’s how http://t.co/g53g4djGYY looks in the browser. Friends, I’m laughing out loud. Haven’t seen this in 3 years #mysweetlumia :) pic.twitter.com/b98iNG6CSo — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

And now back to your smartphone… and again to the Windows Phone screenshot…

Let’s continue…

The Store Experience

After fixing the time bug, I went shopping for apps. Many say Microsoft invented the tile design, and everyone else copied it—that’s true and not worth debating. But they also created some bizarre alphabet distortion; for example, the app store showed up as "МАГАЗИ".

МАГАЗИ? What kind of design is this? #mysweetlumia pic.twitter.com/0dTziJhW3B — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Thankfully, Apple and Google didn’t copy everything. "Steal like an artist," and you’ll always be ahead :)

I then tried to install Telegram, which is a single, well-functioning app in the App Store. In Windows Store, there were many options, but no official or quality app.

With Telegram on #mysweetlumia, it's a mix of good and bad. No official app, but many alternatives. pic.twitter.com/2K08mKh46Y — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 6, 2014

Our Ecosystem Rocks!

Microsoft often boasts about its seamless ecosystem, but my experience tells a different story. After buying the phone and battling time settings, I checked for OS updates, expecting smooth integration since Nokia and Microsoft joined forces.

Surprisingly, the cloud service was still called SkyDrive, not OneDrive as rebranded years ago.

My brand-new #mysweetlumia doesn’t know SkyDrive was renamed OneDrive. Our ecosystem rocks!! pic.twitter.com/vWgFmJC0OU — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

Remembering Lumia’s business focus, I opened the calendar app, which I use extensively. I was shocked to find no red or colored line indicating the current time on individual days. So, when checking appointments, you have to constantly switch between the time display and scheduled events.

Also… #mysweetlumia is a business phone with a calendar! But it doesn’t show the current time line on the day view! How?! pic.twitter.com/d4o7KjcGqz — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

The Bright Side

The tile-based design is genuinely impressive. I loved how the wide tile shows calendar events, making app arrangement neat and intuitive—unlike iOS. Windows Phone widgets are exactly what’s needed, unlike Android’s chaotic designer experiments.

To truly appreciate the tile power and app design philosophy from Redmond, try the adidas miCoach app on Windows Phone. Its design is stunning, with the wide tile perfectly displaying your training week and upcoming workouts—highly usable and convenient.

Can’t get enough of this app on #mysweetlumia! pic.twitter.com/aE3J88myTZ — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

Man, adidas miCoach on #mysweetlumia is pure bliss! Incredibly beautiful and cool app! pic.twitter.com/EYO9kd3x3y — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

There aren’t many standout features, but they’re delightful. For example, you can pin a Facebook* page to your home screen and get live updates from pages that matter to you.

Great feature — pin a favorite FB* page to the home screen and see post announcements. #mysweetlumia pic.twitter.com/GHfaelndKi — Slava Baransky (@baranskyi) May 7, 2014

And despite everything, my $200 Lumia runs lightning fast—always. If you just want a reliable phone, this is an ideal choice. At this price point, you won’t find better. Why anyone would spend $500, $600, or $700 on flagship devices, I don’t know. Maybe you can tell me?

P.S. For those who missed the joke about the black guy on a horse…

*Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are banned in Russia.

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