Ah, back to school season, a marvelous time that evokes memories of crisp blank notebooks, spiffy backpacks, trendy new school clothes, and of course, the latest gadget. And who doesn’t love showing off their new technology? In a world where the latest and greatest is a not just a luxury, but a necessity, it’s nice to know there are affordable options that keeps your title as cool mom intact while keeping moths from fluttering out of your wallet.
Given how technology is constantly changing and offering up new possibilities, it takes a great deal for a product to stand out amongst the competition. Although the dream of gaining a few more hours in the day is merely a pipe dream, technology is there to give us a boost and help us manage the time we do have. For many families, life is a fast paced whirlwind of activities and obligations, and in order to make it all work and run smoothly, large doses of serendipity and luck need to be found. It is for that reason that technology must work similarly, but with greater purpose, helping to simplify your life. Whether the device you seek is meant for mom to help manage the family schedule and stay on top of the local news or for the kids to have a way to stay in touch on the go and post to the ever-present social media sites, a smart phone is a must-have item in every home.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest impression, such as the sleek and slim Nokia Lumia 635. With a body that’s 5.10 x 2.63 x 0.36 inches large and 4.73 ounces light, this handy phone is perfect for pocket or backpack. Among affordability as a major selling point, this small device packs some major wow factors. Considering the amazing price, you might expect a lesser quality product, but not so with the Nokia Lumia 635.
With the same capabilities as a high-end Lumia smart phone, this device is great starter phone with a wide range of capabilities and features that everyone in the household will love.
Here’s a power-packed list of features and reasons that the Nokia Lumia 635 is a great family phone:
As a mom of two young children, it’s important to have a durable phone. The fact that this model is equipped with a plastic shell rather than a glass or aluminum back means it is more likely to bounce when dropped rather than scratch and break when my toddler decides to use it like an airplane. This is a feature I can get behind. I can’t tell you how many phones I’ve gone through in the past with “delicate” high maintenance phones. What I need is a smart phone that can stand the test of a teething one year old, the trials of a curious toddler who likes to borrow Mommy’s phone for play time, and energetic, well-meaning middle school kids who have a tendency to suffer the dropsies.
Another nice exterior feature is the easily removable back that makes changing my look or replacing a crayon-stained face plate a painless act. Wrap it all up in the 4G revolution package and I am loving the incredible service it brings to my phone. Faster single band WiFi mobile internet service without the hefty price tag of other 4G capable devices? Yes please!
Now for the great technical features:
Equipped with Windows 8.1 and quad core 1.2 GHz with Snapdragon 400 CPU with 512 megs RAM, this phone packs a punch. The micro SD card slot is compatible with cards up to 128 gigs, so it’s prepared to handle all my apps and pics. Loaded with the great HERE drive+, maps, and transit Nokia Navigation, this super handy phone is ideal for all those out of town soccer games. With my lousy sense of direction, I cannot live without this GPS feature.
Although I consider myself tech savvy, I do have my moments when I could use a little help. The Nokia Lumia 635 is prepared with Microsoft exchange tech support. One small step for mom…
The Bluetooth 4.0 and HD voice calling makes for excellent calling quality, meaning I can hear clearly every new word my little one learns. Speaking of voices, I’m loving that the Cortana voice assistant. Now when I’m caught talking to myself, I can blame it on Cortana.
The five mega pixel camera runs through an app for those can’t-miss moments. While it doesn’t have a front featured camera, perfectly fine avoiding blurry selfies in favor for memorable, Facebook-worthy shots of my kids. And when I’m ready to transfer these pics to my computer, the micro USB 2.04 charging and transferring port handles file conversion formatting when I am ready to move files to computer.
When you activate your phone on the Rogers LTE network you can take immediate advantage of faster speeds for keeping up with social media, playing games and accessing the thousands of apps available through the Windows Phone Store.
With the Nokia Lumia 635 you can turn on WiFi sense so that it will automatically connect to any open WiFi network to save on mobile data usage.
Fun features:
With features such as SMS messaging, wide viewing angle for easy browsing individual volume controls, headphone jack, calendar and news applications, I’m set with all the quality features of a more expensive phone. As a jogger, the Nokia MixRadio was a huge seller for me. I cannot hit the pavement without my tunes, and the six skips an hour meant I didn’t have to listen to a song that didn’t pump me up.
The customizable background is so much fun. I am guilty of changing it as often as I change my Facebook status. The live tiles are a fun and easy way to gain quick access to all my favorite apps such as Facebook and Skype which are a few of the applications that come pre-loaded on the device. I also like how you can see all chats, social updates, and setting with one swipe thanks to the new Action Center. Convenience is the name of the game. Making a nice segue into games, when my daughter asks for entertainment when waiting at the dentist office, I’m glad for this Nokia’s Xbox game app. I let her download a game and she sits quietly while we wait. That right there makes it worth its weight in gold.
Closing thought:
Overall, that the Nokia Lumia 635 is a great phone at a great price with added touches to elevate it above lesser budget phones. The device is super easy to use and given its unexpected power, its priced to move. I’m always on the go, running errands, taxiing kids, and so on and so forth. This phone is great because it not only keeps up with me, but it is a perfect distraction for my little one and is easy enough to send with my oldest when she heads off to a friend’s house. Definitely an A+ phone.
Disclosure: I am part of the #NokiaBTS campaign and received product as well as compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.