Robert Reid in “Rhymes with Blah, Blah, Blah” – This Week in Travel #152

Thomas Crook

Dear Chris, Jen & Gary,

As usual, I enjoyed this week’s episode of This Week in Travel, especially guest Robert Reid’s comments on guide books.

I would like to offer a gentle correction and some additional information regarding the Nokia Lumia 1020 camera phone. First, the OS is Windows Phone, not the late, unlamented Windows Mobile. While Windows Phone still has some catching up to do to iOS and Android in breadth of features and apps, its user experience design is far superior to the old Windows Mobile and has garnered praise from experts in the design community. Indeed, the flat design elements introduced in iOS 7 were anticipated in Windows Phone 7 three years ago.

Second, the Windows Phone app situation is not nearly as dire as some make it out to be and the assertion that there is no way to post to Instagram with the Lumia 1020 is demonstrably incorrect. If you look at my Instagram profile, http://instagram.com/traveltekker, you will see 90 photos, all posted directly from Windows Phone devices using Instagram apps. While Instagram itself has not released a Windows Phone app, it has explicitly approved the Hipstamatic Oggl app for Instagram posting and has by all accounts implicitly approved the use of another app known as 6Tag. I use the excellent 6Tag app for most of my posts and it has become the most widely used Instagram client on the platform.

The Lumia 1020 has its pros and cons, but no other smartphone camera comes close in terms of resolution and overall quality.

Best Regards

Thomas Crook
@TravelTekker
TravelTekker.com