A year later and everything has changed – Again. This time Nokia has managed to seriously shrink the camera down and pack it into a slender 11mm case. The Lumia 1020 takes 41 megapixel images, but this time it is powered by Windows Phone, and carriers around the world are looking to launch it on their network. But can a smartphone with a 41 megapixel camera take pictures that people really care about. Can it really be that good, or is this just a gimmick to sell devices? I’ve been using the Lumia 1020 for the last couple weeks looking to get a feel for this “ground breaking” device. Megapixels are only part of the equation in capturing amazing pictures. Can the Lumia 1020 live up to the hype?

Let’s start by looking at the specs for the Nokia Lumia 1020. It measures in at 130.4 x 71.4 x 10.4 mm (length x width x thickness). As already mentioned, the camera is a whopping 41 megapixels with a Xenon flash. The display is 4.5″ with 334 ppi (pixels per inch) density at a 1280×768 resolution, and features the super sensitive touch screen technology allowing you to use the screen even while wearing gloves. It’s powered by a Dual-0core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage space. The phone also has a 2000mAh battery, NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, MicroUSB port, and (currently released models) supports LTE bands 1, 3, 7, 8, and 20.

Perhaps the biggest omission is wireless charging. Nokia has been champions of wireless charging for the last year. Talking up the technology at every chance. For those that bought in to it, they will be disappointed that the 1020 doesn’t offer it. However, for a small fee they can pick up a case that adds wireless charging. Similar to the 820 series, but instead of a swappable back, this is a case that clips on allowing a wire-free experience. Getting the case has proven a little difficult to date. Hopefully that will improve in the not too distant future.

Looking in the box, you’ll the typical USB charge cable, along with the standard wall adapter. Of course, you will find the Lumia 1020, but you won’t find a wired headset. Yes, there is a 3.5mm jack on the phone, Nokia just decided not to package a wired headset with this device. In its place, you will find a lanyard. Yes, that’s right – you will find a little loop that you can put around your wrist to protect from an accidental drop. Given the heavy push to stop people from Texting and driving, I’m more than a little surprised that there was no headset in the box. I think the lanyard is a nice addition, but I don’t know that it should have been at the expense of a wired headset.

41 megapixels is a whole lot of megapixels. In fact, it’s more than any other smartphone on the market today, and even more than many DSLR cameras offer. If the camera can live up to its PureView name and hype, Nokia could destroy the point and shoot camera market for good. And do some serious damage to the semi-pro market as well. The point and shoot market has been in trouble for a while, this would really be the final nail in the coffin.

First off, I should explain how the camera works. Every time you take a picture, the phone will actually take 2 pictures at the same time. The first is a 5 mega pixel photo and the second is a larger 38 megapixel. Then, the camera will oversample data from the larger 38 to the smaller 5. The result is a small image with an amazing amount of detail in a small footprint that’s easy for emailing to friends and family, or sharing on your favorite social network. All the while, still having that larger image to pull data from for editing.

The larger 38 megapixel image is always at full resolution. If you choose to zoom in while taking the picture, the 5 megapixel image will be cropped to match your zoom, but the 38 will still be at full resolution. This means you can adjust your picture at a later time. Zooming back out and at then in again on a different part of the image. You can also adjust the crop and rotation of the image. All of this is done by pulling information from the larger 38 megapixel image.

Having an awesome camera is only part of the solution. You still need to control the camera, adjusting the flash, white balance, ISO, etc… And to help out in that area, Nokia has added their own ProCam app that gives you control over the fine details when required, but also letting you trust in the camera and run in Auto mode.

With Nokia ProCam you can tap on the items along the top bar and toggle the settings to set things just the way you want. Or, if you slide the on screen shutter button to the middle all of the controls will display in a neat dial type layout in the middle of the screen. This makes it really quick and easy to adjust multiple at once. The end result of all that is a super crisp image that is easy to share. Here’s a couple pictures I snapped while out on a hike over the weekend. Click on the images to see the original “share” version. I haven’t uploaded the larger original images yet – I’ll think those here soon.

The following pictures I snapped with both the Lumia 1020 and my Nikon D60 DSLR camera. The top image is from the Lumia, and the bottom image is from the Nikon. Of course, there are lens and F-Stop differences, but both cameras where set to Auto with the flash turned off. No modifications, just straight from the cameras to the review.

I’ve snapped some nice images over the last couple weeks. But if you really want to see this camera put to the test, there are 2 resources you need to check out. The first is Gear Diary’s Judie Stanford. She took the 1020 as her only camera on a trip to Paris and managed to take an insane amount of pictures over the course of her trip, including some spectacular low light images. The 1020 was a solid performer throughout the trip. Check out the library of images and I’m certain you will be impressed. The second thing you should check out is National Geographic’s Stephen Alvarez. As a professional photographer, Stephen put his regular camera down and shot some of the American mid-west using the 1020. The results are some stunning images that show just how far the world of camera phones have come.

While zooming and re-zooming are the cornerstone of this new camera, the camera does display some weakness when trying to take close up shots. It has problems focusing when you’re too close. Which normally isn’t too big a deal, especially when you have a zoom as powerful as the 1020. But it does become a problem when you are trying to use the camera to scan barcodes. The older 920 never had a problem capturing the barcode off a product. Unfortunately, with the 1020, I have yet to capture one successfully.

The Lumia 1020 has a very similar width and height as the popular 920, but when it comes to thickness, the 1020 is thinner – mostly. The part where the camera sticks out is similar thickness as the 920, 10.4mm on the 1020 compared to 10.7mm on the 920. The rest of the phone is thinner and it’s noticeable. It feels great in your hands and in your pocket.

Technically the battery is the same as 920. But for whatever reason, the 1020 seems to last much longer on a charge. I’m still plugging it in every night, but it runs much later in the night than the 920 did for me.

Now that you have a hugely powerful camera in your phone, there will be times you want it to behave more like a camera and less like a phone. Nokia took that into consideration and they have an accessory to solve that very problem. The Camera Grip is basically a case with a little bump on one side to give you that point and shot camera feel. It has a shutter button that feels much more like a real camera button and not the softer phone buttons. On the bottom of the camera grip is a tri-pod mount, allowing you secure the camera and capture those extra special images. And finally, Nokia packed an extra battery with 1020mAh into the grip. By sliding your phone into the grip, it will automatically start charging allowing you to shot all day on a single charge.

The other accessory that you’ll want to check out, is the wireless charging case. If you’ve already invested in the wireless charge pads for your current phone, or you want to enjoy the benefits of cable free charging, you’ll need to pick up this accessory. It’s one thing that I wish Nokia had left in the phone, but I do understand the limitations they are working within. I would rather the phone be 1mm thicker, than have to add a case for wireless charging.

When it comes to software, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is powered by Windows Phone 8 and comes with the GDR2 and the Amber update preloaded. Most of the current devices have already received this update, unless you’re on AT&T. They’re doing a good job of holding that release as long as possible. The latest version of Windows Phone brings enhancements to the Xbox music hub, SMS and call filtering, FM radio, glance, and of course a whole selection of patches and minor tweaks.

Both Telus and Rogers have the Lumia 1020 available for pre-order. Rogers has listed the device for $199.99 on a 2 year contract and I would expect pretty much the same price from Telus. For those of you in the United States, AT&T is selling the device for $199.99 on a 2 year contract, or $609.99 outright and it’s available in White, Black, and Yellow. There’s no word on colors from Rogers or Telus, although it’s believed that they will have the same 3 color choices.

With a 41 megapixel camera strapped on the back of the Lumia 1020, I’m sure you can guess what it’s key selling feature is. And this smartphone won’t disappoint. Again and again, the 1020 took pictures with brilliant detail, and amazing color. If you carry a camera along with your phone, or if good quality pictures are something you’re longing for with your mobile device, then Nokia’s Lumia 1020 is the only phone for you. The addition of Nokia’s ProCam and SmartCam apps make the camera even more powerful than one would expect from a smartphone.

The only downside of this fantastic camera phone, is its inability to manage close up pictures. Most of the time, it’s not a problem as you can simply zoom and crop after the shot. However, it simply fails when you’re trying to scan a barcode. Hopefully Nokia can address that in one of the upcoming software updates, because barcode scanning aside, this is one spectacular camera!

We’re excited to announce that the Lumia 1020 will be coming to Canada available on Rogers, TELUS and Black’s! pic.twitter.com/KXKNBbpqVa

— Nokia Canada (@nokiacanada) August 30, 2013

In case you’re not familiar with the Lumia 1020, it’s the latest premier device from Nokia. It’s thinner than previous Lumia devices that have been released in Canada, and lighter. It also sports a 41 MegaPixel camera – yes, you read that right – 41MP. The one thing you won’t find on the 1020, is wireless charging. That was removed in this model, presumably to help make room for the camera assembly and to keep it as thin as possible. But don’t worry, if wireless charging is something you want, there is a case you can add that adds it back in. The phone will be available in the yellow and black.

It’s expected that this phone will hit the stores in mid-October, but there’s no official date at this time. As soon as we hear details about pricing or availability, we’ll let you know.

I’m not an expert photographer, by any means. I’ve snapped thousands of pictures with my DSLR, P&S, and various camera phones over the years, and occasionally I’ll stumble upon an amazing picture. If you shot enough pucks at the net, eventually one will go in. Certainly, my DLSR has been the go to camera for those fast motion pictures, for the close ups, and for the extreme zoom. Over the last few years, I find that I’m using it less and less as my smartphone becomes better and better. So I find this National Geographic assignment is very interesting. I’ve already picked up the Lumia 1020, and from my initial few pictures, it’s clear to me that the old DSLR’s days are numbered. All I need is someone to make a case that allows me to connect my Nikon lens to this camera so I can still use that awesome zoom.

The new Windows Phone App for Desktop provides a basic tool for syncing music and pictures with your Windows Phone 8 device. There is no music library management functionality in the app. In fact, it’s so basic it’s missing features like “Expand All” or “Collapse All” when you’re browsing your music, picture of video libraries. It’s also missing simple things like “Select All” and, of course the reverse “Unselect All”. These simple features would make it much easier to find and sync content with your device.

So, back to the topic at hand; The other day while I attempted to sync some new music to my Nokia Lumia 920, Windows Phone App for Desktop decided to pop up a vague and generic error message: “Something’s gone very wrong, so the app needs to close. If this keeps happening, you can call Microsoft support for help.” All I know is that when I attempted to start a sync with my device, this message would pop up. I rebooted my PC and reinstalled the app, but neither provided any improvement. Unfortunately, there’s no error code, so it’s not like I can go searching the web with any accuracy.

After scratching my head for a short time, I got to thinking and realized that while the app was starting up the first time and indexing my music collection (this can take a little while depending on the size of your collection), I was running the Zune client and updating my playlists. As it turns out, this vague error was result of something so simple like updating my playlist while the app indexed my collection. To fix it, I simply deleted the cached data from Windows Phone App for Desktop. Unfortunately, this means you have to sit through another long index cycle, but the plus side is everything now works.

Now, since this error is so generic in nature, I can’t say with any certainty that this will solve the same problem you might be having. It’s fairly harmless to try it and see. The only thing you will really lose, is time. Here’s what you need to do:

• Close the Windows Phone App for Desktop, and disconnect your phone from the computer.
• Open Windows Explorer and type %AppData% in the location bar and press enter. This should take you to Computer > OS (C:) > Users > {UserAccount} > AppData, or if you prefer the older format, it should be C:\Users\{UserAccount}\AppData\. This is typically a hidden folder and depending on your settings, you might not be able to browse directly to this location. It’s easiest to just type %AppData% into the location bar.
• Once you’re in the AppData folder, you want to switch to the Local subfolder, and then switch to the Microsoft subfolder. The new path in your location bar should read: Computer > OS (C:) > Users > {UserAccount} > AppData > Local > Microsoft.
• The amount of folders you see here will depend greatly on what you have installed on your machine. Look for a folder by the name “Windows Phone” and pay no attention to any of the other folders. Highlight this folder, right click and select Rename from the menu. Simply add the word Old to the end of the folder name and press Enter to save the change. It’s important to note, that we haven’t actually deleted anything, just renamed it. If this solution doesn’t work for you, just come back here and rename the folder back. Also, the only real data in this folder is cached data about your music, video, and picture library. Your playlists and other content are not actually stored in this folder.

• Launch Windows Phone App for Desktop. This will take a while to start because it has to re-index your library again. Just wait patiently while that happens. Once it’s done, select the content to sync and you should be good to go.

There you go! Happy Sync’ing!

• Data Sense – while it’s not a new feature, it’s nice to see that this is getting a slightly wider audience. Data Sense allows you to track how much data you’re using and even prevent applications from using data in the background if you’re getting close to your limit. If you’re carrier supports it, there’s also a feature that lets you compress web traffic and greatly reduce overall data consumption. Because this compression feature requires that the carrier implement a backend server that connects into the carriers billing and accounts system. And this is where a good feature like Data Sense can go horribly wrong. Carriers that have no implemented the backend services, are choosing not to deploy the Data Sense component. Which results in no way for you to track your data usage. I have a Lumia 920 on Rogers, after updating this device to the GDR2/Amber release, it now has Data Sense. Adversely, I have a brand new Lumia 1020 on AT&T that shipped with the GDR2/Amber release pre-loaded, but no Data Sense.

• Configure camera button action – Thanks to the camera advancements that Nokia has brought to the world, we now get the ability to select which camera app runs when you press the physical camera button. Right now, I only see Nokia’s Smart Cam and Pro Cam apps listed. I wonder how long it will be before an enterprising developer finds a way to list their app in that list?
• Call and SMS Filter – Pretty much exactly what it sounds like, this feature lets you block calls and text messages based on numbers. In order to block a number, you need to find it in your recent calls list, tap and hold the item and select “block number”. The same process works with text messages. The advanced settings also allow you to block calls from numbers that are withheld. I haven’t had the need to block anyone on my mobile number yet. But it’s good to know I’m covered if the situation ever arises.
• Nokia has added a new page under the Display+Touch app called “Glance”. Glance shows the time and charge status when the device is sleeping. You can choose from Peek – which lets you wave your hand over the screen to have the time displayed, Timed – will display the time while the phone is inactive for up to 15 minutes, and Always On – which will continually display the time when the device is sleeping.  You can also define a time range for night mode, so the screen won’t be a bright during that time. Another small but awesome improvement is under the Display tab. Look for the checkbox that says “Double tap to wake up phone”. Selecting this means you can double tap on the screen to wake up the device and then proceed with unlocking and using the device. It’s a small feature, but I’ve already grown attached to it.

• Hidden under the Audio section of settings, swipe to the enhancements page and you’ll see a new “Flip to Silence” feature that Nokia was kind enough to add in. This functionality is pretty straight forward, flipping the phone over will silence the call. Enjoy!
• FM Radio – For some, the addition of FM Radio was a big part of Windows Phone 7, or even their Zune. This latest update brings FM Radio back for devices that support it. You can find it under Music + Video’s, swipe over to Collection, and then tap on Radio. Again, only if your device has the hardware under the covers.
• If you’re a Gmail user, you’ll be happy to hear that the GDR2 update brings support for Google’s decision to drop support for Exchange Active Sync and instead focus on CalDAV and CardDAV for syncing contacts and calendars with Windows Phone.
• Xbox Music – Microsoft has made a number of fixes and enhancements to the Xbox service. You should notice less skipping and pausing of streamed music because it will now fetch the next song before the current song ends. Also, there’s improvements to the playback of DRM’ed songs, removal of duplicates when syncing between cloud and PC, and lots more. Overall, your Xbox Music experience should be significantly better.
• If you’re one of the people that has their voice mail sent as an attachment in an email, you will be happy to hear that Microsoft has improved the codec support for audio playback of WAV files.

And there’s lots more tweaks and improvements like – Group Messaging has been improved to support Verizon Wireless, improved Bluetooth support for more vehicles and devices, improved VOIP functionality for clients like Skype and Lync, improvements to media playback in Internet Explorer, and of course underlying support for new and improved hardware. And while it’s not actually part of the update, once your Nokia device is updated you can start taking advantage of Nokia’s awesome Pro Cam and Smart Cam apps. The Pro Cam app gives you the ability to control a lot more of the camera settings like white balance, and ISO from an easy to access interface. Of course, it still supports the auto mode in case you just want to point and shot. Smart Cam will take a burst of images and then show you which image is the best, or it can highlight the motion in the image, swap faces, remove moving objects from the background, or even produce awesome action shots. Both apps are something you need to play with.

If you haven’t received the update yet, don’t’ worry because Nokia is expecting all supported devices to get this update before the end of September. If you don’t have a Nokia device, some of you have already received the GDR2 update, and for others it should be coming soon. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting any of the extra goodness that Nokia has added in their Amber update.

There’s more to this announcement than simply stuffing the PureView sensor from the 808 into the Lumia body and powering it with Windows Phone. Nokia added the optical image stabilization and the enhanced night pictures that they perfected in the Lumia 920, along with a 3x zoom. Plus they managed to significantly reduce the thickness of the device to just 10.4mm.

Using a new feature called dual capture, the Lumia 1020 simultaneously takes a high resolution 38 megapixel image and a 5 megapixel picture. The larger image provides endless editing opportunities, while the smaller 5 megapixel image is easy to share to social networks like Facebook or Instagram. Using this dual capture technique, the 1020 allows you to zoom out on a picture and then zoom back in on a different area of the picture. Even if you zoomed in on a different area when you took the original picture. MobilityMinded.com has a good article about the space these pictures take up and how/where you will find all the pictures, especially with the dual capture larger images. It’s worth a read if you’re considering this phone.

With such an advanced camera, Nokia decided that they needed to step up the capabilities of the camera software. The “Pro Camera” app allows you a great deal of control, if you so desire. If you just want to change the ISO, you can and all the other settings will remain on their automatic configuration. Of course, you can tweak everything or nothing.

There is also improvements to the video capture, audio capture, base memory, weight, wireless charging (it’s now part of a case and not built in), and even a camera grip accessory with a mechanical shutter, extended battery, and tripod mount.

When it comes to price and availability, Nokia was very happy to announce that AT&T will start taking pre-orders on July 16th, and start shipping on the 26th for $299.99 with a 2 year contract. Unfortunately, there was no announcement for Canada. That means if you were hoping to snag one of these early, you’ll have to make a run to the US and hope you can get one off-contract and are able to unlock it. There was also talk of a few European carriers that will be offering the phone in the next few months. But no news for those of us north of the boarder.

The Lumia 1020 looks like a great phone for people that like to take pictures on the go, and don’t want to carry their phone, and a point and shot or DLSR camera. It’s not going to convert any professional photographer, at least not yet. Maybe in a few more years. I’m certainly looking forward to taking one device with me and knowing it can capture

I have reviewed Rearth cases before and found them to be very good quality and a pretty reasonable value.

Check out my full video review below.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Pros; Slim light weight protection, doesn’t add much bulk.

Cons; No screen shield included.

Overall this is great case. To check this out as well as the other cases MobileFun offers for the Galaxy S4, click here.

If you’re looking to enable this feature, here’s all that you need to do: From the Start screen, tap or click on Desktop. When the desktop appears, right click on the task bar and select Properties from the list. Be careful to right click on a clear part of the taskbar and not on an existing application icon. You should now be looking at the “Taskbar and Navigation properties” window. From here, select the Navigation tab. On the bottom half of this window, you will see a section that relates to the Start screen. Click the box next to “Go to the desktop instead of Start when I sign in”. Be sure to click on OK or Apply to save your changes, and the next time you log in, you will go directly to the desktop.

There’s a few other cool settings in that list, and they’re worth checking out. Personally, I really like the “Show my desktop background on Start” and “Always show Start on my main display when I press the Windows logo key”. I also don’t care for the boot to desktop, so I’ve kept my devices booting to the Start screen.

As of today, you can purchase a Samsung Galaxy S4 from Rogers for $699.99. The exact same Galaxy S4 smartphone from AT&T can be had for $639.99 . With today’s conversion rate of $1USD = $1.01861 CAD (thanks to xe.com), the AT&T S4 will end up costing you $651.903. There’s still a nice gap of $47 between these identical phones.

There is a volume of scan difference between these carriers. Rogers has roughly 9 million subscribers and AT&T has about 55 million subscribers. That volume difference is going to get AT&T a better price on the Galaxy S4. This volume difference can easily explain the $47 price difference between devices.

Both AT&T and Rogers are offering the phone at a subsidized price of $199.99. That means AT&T is subsidizing your purchase by $440 and Rogers is subsidizing $500. The big difference is that AT&T is covering that $440 over 2 years, which means $18.33 a month. Whereas Rogers is covering the $500 over 3 years, which is $13.89 a month. If Rogers drops keeps the subsidy at $500 and drops it to 2 years, the monthly cost becomes $20.83 – roughly $7 more a month.

And this is where Rogers (and the other Canadian carriers) are saying you will have to pay more for that same phone – to make up that extra $7 a month they are going to “lose”.

But are they really losing money here? According to the 2012 Annual Report (page 35) from Rogers, they are getting an Average Revenue per User (ARPU) of $69.30 a month. This is down 1.4% from the previous year’s value of $70.26. Even with the small decline, it’s still significantly more than AT&T who are reporting (page 34) an ARPU of $47. That means Rogers is making a little more than $22 more per customer each month than AT&T.

So, Rogers is making more per customer each month. Maybe that’s not all profit? Surely there are expenses involved in running a cellular network. No surprise that operating expenses for Rogers is significantly smaller than AT&T – $4,217 vs $50,169 (both values are in millions).

The end result here is that we are already paying more for our phones and our service. When adjusting the subsidy from 36 to 24 months, there will be a hit of $7 per month. If Rogers wants to keep their current profit levels, then they need to increase your bill by $7 a month, or reduce the subsidy amount so the price of the phone goes from $199 to $367. This would make up the extra cost of that phone. However, the reality is they aren’t about to lose money and the actual cost of the phone will go unchanged. It’s more about how that cost is recouped. Rogers profit is sitting at about 42% compared to AT&T at 25% (profit as a percent of total revenue). I can’t see any carrier willing to take a hit to their profit margins – especially if they are already nice and juicy. The new 2 year contract timeframe will translate into a reduced subsidy (paying more upfront for a phones) or a higher monthly bill. Your carrier isn’t about to take a hit on their profit margins. Perhaps the worst part is, if you already own a phone outright, or your contract has run the course of time and you’ve repaid the phone, your monthly bill doesn’t decrease to reflect this and your carrier makes even more off you each month. Your best option is to get a phone as soon as your contract expires every time because you’re paying for it even if you don’t take it.

And to be fair, this applies to all carriers, and not just Rogers. You can look up ARPU, revenue and operating expenses for other carriers from their respective websites. Rogers currently has the largest ARPU in Canada, but I expect you will find that every carrier is sitting in and around the same numbers.