Guest photoblogger Harry Myhre has had his new Nokia Lumia 928 for a week and here presents his unboxing photos and thoughts, largely positive, with special appreciation for Microsoft's SkyDrive as a 'file system' in the cloud. Note that the Lumia 928 is an exclusive design for Verizon in the USA - it's unlikely that any of the regular AAWP writers will get to try the device in a real world capacity.

Harry writes:

I have been using the Nokia Lumia 928 for about a week now. Verizon Wireless users have waited for a long time for a flagship Windows Phone. When Windows Phone 7 launched, Verizon had one model – I believe the HTC Trophy. No matter, the past is the past. When Windows Phone 8 launched, Verizon picked up the Nokia Lumia 822, a mid-range device known as the Nokia Lumia 820 on AT&T. The Verizon model was generally panned by the press. I did have a look at the Lumia 82x series in various guises and to me they looked like serviceable phones.  

Nokia Lumia 928 box is made from recyclable materials

When I arrived at my local Verizon Wireless store to pick up my new Nokia Lumia 928, the salesman pulled out his own Lumia 928 out of his pocket and smiled. Good to see that some of the Verizon sales people are enjoying Nokia phones. The salesman showed me some low-light pictures he had taken the night before at a party. Then he showed me a picture taken with the Xenon flash and people gathered around us remarked at how true the colours looked.  

Note the black fascia even though most of this 928 is white

I have been listening to the All About Windows Phone podcast and Phones Show Chat, each since episode one, plus I've also enjoyed listening to Mary Jo Foley on Windows Weekly, so I pretty much knew what to expect with Windows Phone as an OS. 

AC charger and USB cable

Nokia Lumia 928 (screen protector has been applied)

What I have heard about Windows Phone is exactly what I have experienced. Microsoft has taken away a lot of the complexity of a smartphone but they have left enough options and ways to customize Windows Phone to make it suit the user. 

Lumia 928 side profile

Nokia Lumia 928 side view - left to right - volume rocker, power button and camera button visible on the side

I think my favorite feature of Windows Phone is SkyDrive - every user of the OS has a SkyDrive account. This is a huge boon to developers, since they can depend on SkyDrive being there for use by their apps. I was initially concerned that Windows Phone doesn’t have a file system, but now I see. SkyDrive is the file system for all new Windows systems. 

Backside of Nokia Lumia 928 - Xenon flash is visible. The speaker at the bottom is great. No branding on the back

Also, you will never see any fragmentation in the Windows Phone platform. The UI on all models from all manufacturers on all wireless carriers is the same. Some of the carriers may add some extra apps to the phone, but the extra apps can always be deleted by a Windows Phone user, as far as I can see.

About the Nokia Lumia 928 hardware – I preferred the polycarbonate shell used on the Lumia 920, to be honest. The Lumia 928 camera is great though, as is the Xenon flash. The phone is quite large, though my hands are also large so it’s not a problem for me personally.  

Nokia Lumia 928 - Verizon Wireless version - the phone is in a black case. Verizon logo in upper right is the only VZW branding on the phone

Any Verizon Wireless user in the USA who has been waiting for a flagship Nokia Windows Phone should head on down to their local Verizon store. The carrier's Windows Phone lineup is really taking shape. 

Harry Myhre, June 2013