Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Mobile
    • PC Hardware

    Nokia’s Lumia 2520 Tablet Delivers What Microsoft Surface Didn’t

    By
    Wayne Rash
    -
    November 21, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Nokia has tossed its hat into the tablet ring alongside its soon-to-be corporate partner, Microsoft, by introducing its 2520 tablet based on Windows RT 8.1. But despite being nearly the same size, the 2520 is different from Microsoft’s Surface—enough so to make it a strong alternative in the small world of Windows tablets.

      The most obvious difference is that Nokia makes their tablet with cellular communications—something you can’t get from the Surface. In the United States, you can buy the Lumia 2520 from the Verizon and AT&T stores. This fact alone should help Nokia sell more tablets than Microsoft was able to since the Surface was initially available in a few Microsoft-owned stores.

      Nokia also included its Zeiss optics with the camera in the tablet, which doesn’t break any resolution records, with only 6.7 megapixels, but its f/1.9 aperture capability made taking low-light snapshots a breeze. This is especially useful since there’s no flash on this tablet. Of course, Nokia includes its well-regarded photo-editing software, Nokia Camera, and its video-editing suite, Nokia Video Director.

      The screen on the 2520 is the same size as the screen on the Surface RT, and both tablets are the same thickness, but the 2520 weighs slightly less, and the frame is slightly smaller. Using the 2520 is like using any other Windows 8.1 tablet, although the touch-screen is more responsive than some.

      The inclusion of cellular radios on the 2520 is a significant improvement. By nature, a tablet computer is intended to be mobile, and constraining to WiFi limits its usefulness. With the ability to work with LTE regardless of the availability of WiFi, the tablet becomes much more useful.

      Nokia brought a couple of other firsts to the world of tablets. One that’s notable is a pair of front-mounted stereo speakers. If you look at the screen of the device, you’ll see two tiny slots on the lower corners that emit the sound. As you might expect, these aren’t world-class high-fidelity speakers, but they are quite loud, which is a benefit in itself.

      Another is a truly massive 8000 mAh battery, which far exceeds the capacity of the competition. While estimates of stand-by time haven’t been made available, AT&T claims that the 2520 will play video for 11 hours. That’s longer than I’m willing to watch any video. While not a scientific measurement, I did note that the battery capacity seemed unaffected by steady use during this review. The 2520 can get an 80 percent recharge in an hour.

      Nokia’s Lumia 2520 Tablet Delivers What Microsoft Surface Didn’t

      Nokia follows the lead of other Windows tablets by including a number of ports and slots. These include a MicroSD memory slot, a micro USB 3.0 connector, a MicroHDMI connector, and there’s a keyboard connector. Unlike most other tablets, the 2520 supports NFC (near field communication) with the antenna location indicated on the rear.

      What Nokia did not include is some analogue to the Surface kickstand or the option for more built-in memory. While you can add another 32GB using an SD card, more built-in memory would have been useful for people who like to run a lot of apps.

      It’s also worth noting that the 2520 is not particularly cheap. The non-contract price for an AT&T tablet is $584.99, or $499.99 for the Verizon version. AT&T and Verizon customers can get the tablet for $399.99 with a two-year agreement.

      The obvious question is whether the Nokia 2520 will do any better in the marketplace than other Windows 8.1 tablets, and that’s a fair question. Microsoft didn’t exactly create a barn-burner with the Surface RT, and some would-be makers of Windows RT tablets have abandoned their projects. How is Nokia different?

      Probably the biggest difference, besides the fact that Nokia’s mobile devices unit has been acquired by Microsoft, is that Nokia is marketing its tablets through the same stores that sell its Windows phones. This means that the tablets will start to show up in places where a lot of people who buy mobile devices actually shop.

      It also means that the store employees will be reasonably familiar with the tablet when customers show up to take a look, rather than what happened to me when I stopped by a Best Buy to look at a Surface last year, only to find out that nobody had a clue.

      The attraction of getting a 2520 for less than $400, even with a two-year contract, may be appealing enough to bring in buyers. That’s a lot less expensive than buying an iPad, especially an iPad with cellular radios. And now that the Microsoft app store has a wide enough selection to make it more likely to find the app you want, the reasons to spend the extra money to buy an iPad become less compelling. Is it a nice enough tablet to be worth $400? I’d say it is, but I still miss the kickstand.

      Wayne Rash
      https://www.eweek.com/author/wayne-rash/
      Wayne Rash is a freelance writer and editor with a 35-year history covering technology. He’s a frequent speaker on business, technology issues and enterprise computing. He is the author of five books, including his most recent, "Politics on the Nets." Rash is a former Executive Editor of eWEEK and a former analyst in the eWEEK Test Center. He was also an analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center and editor of InternetWeek. He's a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×