Microsoft Lumia 535

Efour · 16 Jun 2015 at 13:48

Is the Microsoft Lumia 535 a good MUM phone ?

She's 60 - pretty clueless but not hopeless.

I guess the home screen can be configured to just have camera, phone and other Tiles on it... The tiles on windows OS look very simple for an older woman to handle...

Any advice ? lol

OspreyO · 16 Jun 2015 at 14:15

In general I would say yes. Windows Phone is great for the basics.

Unless there a specific application you want, that isn't on Windows Phone. Once you get into more complex things I find it a bit lacking.

Efour · 16 Jun 2015 at 14:33

Oh god no she really just wants a Camera with a phone built into it.

I saw these going really cheap on Tesco Mobile, so her old SIM will work, (when chopped to micro/nano) out of the box.

I got her a Android 4.4 tablet and she gave up on it because it was too confusing.
I thought this time id give her Win OS and all the pretty square colours.

Scottland · 16 Jun 2015 at 14:56

My mum manages ok on a Windows Phone, I don't think she could manage Android or iOS.

The only issue she has is that you can't lock the tiles in place, so she moves them around inadvertently.

OspreyO · 16 Jun 2015 at 14:57

It will be great for basic stuff.

Its better then a cheap Android for basic stuff as it doesn't have all the google and Samsung/OEM bloat that smothers lower end hardware. My Lumia is about 2yrs old, but its as fast as it was on the first day. Love it for phone calls and text.

I find it hard to recommend though as someone gets one then says I want to install this app say for their local bus service or such and then you find its not on WP or its brutal app. Also some of the other stuff is confusing. Never quite sure if the back key is going to exit and app, or bring you back to the previous page. I've no timer app that works. No agenda on the homepage. Stuff like that drives me batty.

OspreyO · 16 Jun 2015 at 14:58

Theres also a kid mode where you just have certain apps enabled.

Scottland · 16 Jun 2015 at 15:05

OspreyO said:
Theres also a kid mode where you just have certain apps enabled.

That only appears to enable access to kid mode via swiping left from the lockscreen. What I could do with is an admin mode where you can lock settings in place and disable changes for the tiles.

Efour · 16 Jun 2015 at 15:16

Mum mode

Good advice thanks!

OspreyO · 16 Jun 2015 at 15:52

Scottland said:
That only appears to enable access to kid mode via swiping left from the lockscreen. What I could do with is an admin mode where you can lock settings in place and disable changes for the tiles.

Not tried it much in truth.

If they only have a few tiles, phone, text, camera what difference would it make. if the unlock is pin locked etc. You can also download an app to colour code some of the tiles.

Yeah it not an admin mode. You can download apps to do that on Android though. Never done it myself.

Scottland · 16 Jun 2015 at 15:56

OspreyO said:
Not tried it much in truth.

If they only have a few tiles, phone, text, camera what difference would it make. if the unlock is pin locked etc. You can also download an app to colour code some of the tiles.

Yeah it not an admin mode. You can download apps to do that on Android though. Never done it myself.

Yeah well to be fair you can't really set up a phone like that out of the box with Android or iOS either.