As part of the new Lumia Home Trial Campaign, Microsoft has recently begun sending Lumia trial kits to some users (including me) to try the new phone and provide feedback to help shape up the future of the platform.
The Lumia Home Trial Campaign begins on December 11th and ends on January 1st. Through the campaign, participants will go through nine "fun" challenges to help master the skills using a new Lumia 950 handset.
And Microsoft is making sure participants have everything they need to go through every challenge. The Lumia Home Trial Kit sent invited members a very elegant package containing:
- One Lumia 950 handset pre-installed with Windows 10 Mobile build 10586.0
- One Microsoft Display Dock
- One Microsoft Arc Mouse (Black)
- One Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard, which connects via Bluetooth to any Windows, Android, iOS device
- One USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- One USB Type-C to USB 3.0 cable
- One USB 2.0 to mini-USB cable
- Two charging cables with USB Type-C connectivity (one for the phone and one for the dock)
- One month of AT&T service
- User guides and warranty information
Lumia Home Trial Kit Unboxing Gallery
As a participant of the #LumiaVoicesTrials, I got my hands on the one of the kits, and here are a few pictures of the equipment unboxing:
Lumia 950 specs
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Windows 10 Mobile |
| Display | 5.2 inches WQHD (2560x1440) AMOLED, ClearBlack |
| Rear Camera | 20MP Backside-illuminated image sensor PureView True 16:9 sensor Fast Focus High resolution zoom 4K Video Recording |
| Front Camera | 5MP Still image capture Video call Video recording |
| Processors | 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Hexa core 1800 MHz |
| Memory & Storage | RAM: 3GB Internal storage: 32GB (expandable up to 200GB) |
| Network | GSM Bands: 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz LTE Bands: Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 12, Band 17, Band 20, Band 28 Wi-Fi: MIMO WLAN IEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Ambient light sensor Barometer Gyroscope Magnetometer Proximity sensor |
| Location | A-GLONASS A-GPS Cellular Wi-Fi network positioning |
| Dimensions | 8.2 x 145 x 73.2 mm |
| Ports | Micro USB Type-C |
| Battery | 3000 mAh |
| Other | Wireless charging built-in Fast Charging NFC Bluetooth 4.1 |
The ultimate goal of the program by putting great new hardware in the hands of people is to collect honest feedback to understand better what people think (good and bad), and other issues that may exist with the new devices and features.
Eventually, this feedback will help Microsoft to improve its products, features, and services. Of course, this also includes trying to push Continuum -- perhaps one of the most exciting features that can transform your phone into a PC-like experience to get things done quicker on the go -- to more people.
I have tried the Lumia 950 and Continuum for phones many times in the past, but they were all store demos. This time around with the Lumia Home trial kit, I have the chance to get hands-on with the new handset and Continuum using the Microsoft Display Dock on my terms.
Thus far the experience has been great, the Lumia 950 is a fantastic device, even more, when you configure Windows Hello. In addition, Continuum is extremely easy to set up with the Microsoft Display Dock, just plug the peripherals and tap on the phone screen to start Continuum. Although, this solution won't be replacing my main machine, it's a unique solution for those times when you don't have your primary machine nearby.
Unfortunately, there is no way we know of to sign up for or enroll in the Lumia Home Trial Campaign.
What do you think about the Microsoft approach to keep building momentum with its new Lumia devices? Are you part of the Lumia Home Trial Campaign? Let us know in the comments below.
