Guide: How to get the latest Lumia 800 update now.

Waiting for updates to be released can be annoying and like many when I heard about the new update I instantly wanted it. Fortunately there is a way and hopefully by following this guide you'll be able to get it as quickly as I did. This guide is for the Lumia 800 1600.2487.8107.12070 update but it can be adapted for other updates if you have the necessary update files.

Disclaimer: Following this procedure is entirely at your own risk, neither I, Nokia Inspired or it's owners accept any liability or responsibility for any failures, undesirable results, data loss, loss of warranty or damage to the device. The information contained within this guide and the tools to carry out the procedure have been collected from forum posts made on the XDA Forums.

This guide is based on carrying out the procedure using Windows 7, it may be possible to do it on other operating systems, please see the source link at the end of the article for more information. What you will need (click the links to download the software):

The latest version of Zune.
The WP7 update tool.
The WP7 update cab sender tool.
The software update file.
Software capable of opening .rar files.

1. Make sure Zune is installed and working correctly with your phone. You must have it set so that it's the primary sync relationship, if the sync relationship is set to guest mode the update will not work.

2. Double click on the WP7 update tool, inside you'll find two versions, x64 is for 64bit versions of windows, X86 is for 32bit versions of windows. To check which version you have click your windows start button, right click the  "computer" button, select "properties" and you'll find the information in there.  Now you know your version open the correct folder and you'll find a file called "Setup-UpdateWP-Xxx.exe", run this file and it will install itself. You'll see it start to install then disappear, that is normal.

3. Extract the contents of the WP7_Update_Cab_Sender.zip file to an empty folder on your PC, you'll see two folders and a batch file "Wp7 Update Cab Sender".

4. Copy the software update .cab file you downloaded to the same folder as the batch file, this is important. Do not extract the contents of the .cab file.

5. Connect your phone to the PC, allow it to sync with Zune as normal, then close Zune leaving the phone connected.

6. Run the "Wp7 Update Cab Sender" batch file and you'll see a DOS style text window asking you to select a letter. To start the procedure press the letter "S". Do not close the text window, as it shows you the progress of the procedure or any warnings. Do not disconnect your phone until it is up and running again.

7. Sit back and watch as the progress is updated in that window, first the phone will reboot then it will display an updating screen. After a while a white bar will start to move across the screen showing the progress, when it's finished the phone will reboot. From sending the cab file to the phone to the procedure completing it takes around 10 minutes. When the phone reboots it will tell you that the update completed successfully, now enjoy your freshly updated phone!

You should find that your phone updated without any loss of data at all and that it is still the correct regional version. I do not believe that this procedure voids the warranty, but I cannot guarantee that. No carrier branded is added or removed by using this update.

  

Source and thanks to: XDA Forums

Samsung's answer to the Nokia 808 Pureview

48 megapixel monster! ;)

A Quick Friday Funny

Nokia Lumia 800 - Two Months On

Little over two months have passed since I started using the Nokia Lumia 800 so it’s about time I wrote a follow up to my previous article. Usually I’m the kind of person that gets bored with a phone very quickly or starts to get annoyed when little issues start stacking up, fortunately this isn’t the case with this phone.

It’s been quite an interesting learning experience with the Lumia getting to know it’s features and foibles and have extremely enjoyed it. I can safely say now that it’s the phone I’ve enjoyed the most in recent years and hope to continue using the Windows Phone (WP) operating systems on Nokia hardware for the foreseeable future.  In recent years I’ve tried Meego, Symbian, Android (eclair-honeycomb), iOS and found that WP suits me the best overall. Many throw complaints at WP saying it’s missing this or lacking that but I’d say it’s better than the sum of its parts and has a great future ahead of it.

The single most stand-out feature for me is still the speed, everything is just so quick and responsive which really does make the user experience enjoyable. I believe it’s this that’s responsible for why I feel so positively about the device after extended use. I used to be a fan of multiple home screens but now when going back to devices with them they just seem cluttered, guess I’ve become a fan of the minimalistic metro design on WP without realising it. I really do love how the design is used on many apps too, makes them instantly recognisable and easy to use.

Most of my gripes still stand but they've faded and I’m enjoying the positives that the Lumia has to over way more than the negatives.  Since my last article a major update was released and I now get improved battery life which is always a bonus! Hopefully we’ll see more tweaks and fixes from both Nokia and Microsoft to make the Lumia even better. The only app that’s really given me any trouble is spotify, it can be quite unstable at times and is in need of a major update, hope this happens soon.

I’ve given the camera quite a work out over the last couple of months and whilst not the best it’s certainly possible to get some good results from it, you can find some samples lower down. It’s been enjoyable using silly apps such as face swap and face mask too, great for having a bit of harmless fun at others expense!

After two months would I still recommend the Lumia 800 to friends and family? The answer is still a massive YES! In fact one of my work mates recently bought one and loves it, says it’s her best phone ever. Many others I’ve shown it to like it and would consider it, or its successor when their contract is due for renewal.  Me, I’ll be sticking with it until Nokia release a Lumia with a truly N8 beating camera comes along!

Testing out the macro mode using lego, that was my excuse anyway!

Don't ask, all good fun ;)

Our rabbit, "Rocket" digging in the snow, loves the stuff!

Fat cat "Robbie" taking over the sofa as usual.

Early cold morning walk.

Late afternoon stroll past the reservoir. 

Nokia CC-1031 Lumia 800 Soft Case Review

It's great that Nokia gives us a free case in the box with the Lumia 800 but what if you fancy something a bit more colourful? If that's you then you will want to check out Nokia's range of coloured cases.

Many people that have already purchased the Nokia Lumia 800 will be familiar with this case as it's identical to the one included in the box, except that this one is red.

The soft cases offer better protection than the hard CC-3032 case that I recently reviewed plus you get the reassurance that they are easier to grip and harder to drop.  The downside is that more of the phone is covered so less of the Lumia 800's beautiful design can be seen. It's hard to show on pictures but the colours used on these cases really are striking, bright but also deep and have a real quality look to them.  After normal usage picking up normal dirt and grease the colours do start to fade but a quick clean and they are back to looking their best again.

I would strongly recommend these cases to anyone that likes the case included with the Lumia 800 but would prefer a splash of colour to make their phone stand out in the crowd. I purchased my red case from amazon for just under £10, other colours are available such as green, cyan, magenta and black.  There's also a white version of the case but at the moment they seem to be limited to promotional packs that some retailers are giving away with the Lumia 800.

Any questions about the case? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below the images.

Nokia CC-3032 Lumia 800 Hard Case Review

Recently I purchased a Cyan Nokia Hard Case CC-3032 for my Lumia 800 and thought i'd share my thoughts on this product with you. The first thing that struck me is that it doesn't look like the pictures of it that you find on online stores or Nokia's sites, it looks so much better. To make it look realistic i've had to take most of these pictures without using the camera's flash as the case is very glossy.

The case is made from good quality smooth plastic that's nice to hold and look at. It has a glossy finish and the colour is very striking, it really stands out in the crowd. It's also slightly transparent so when the case is on the phone it ends up a little darker making it a nice shade of blue on my black Lumia. It doesn't give you the sure grip or all round protection that the case included with the Lumia 800 does but it does add a lot of style. Using the case makes the phone as slippery as using the phone without a case and as expected it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet.

This is definitely a case for people that want to add a bit of style and colour rather than those wanting protection as it leaves a lot of the phone exposed. That being the case it does show off the Lumia 800's great looks more than other official cases. So if you are looking for a case that really shows your phone off then this is the perfect product for you!

Many stores are selling this case for around £20 but can be found much cheaper if you shop around. I picked it up for £10.61 in total from Amazon, it's also available in Silver, Black and Magenta.

Any questions about the case? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below the images.

Nokia DC-20 Universal Dual USB Car Charger

This week I purchased a Nokia DC-20 Universal Dual USB Car Charger as I needed a new one with a higher output (1000mA). After looking around this one had the specs I was looking for and the price too (£10 on Amazon UK). It has two ports that can both give the full output so you can charge any two USB powered gadgets at the same time.

There's not much you can say about a car charger other than it works well, is well presented and very good value! I would strongly recommend it to anyone that needs one, not just Nokia users.

Nokia's product link for the DC-20: http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/accessories/car-and-navigation/car-chargers/nokia-dual-usb-car-charger-dc-20