Sometimes, as a human, you're bound to make mistakes. The only way to learn from those mistakes is to make the corrections and move on. That being said, I think I have made a mistake. Or two. I've actually made several, I can admit to that; but this article isn't about making mistakes - it's about correcting them. And today I've decided to correct the mistake of the assumptions I've made regarding Windows Phone and, more specifically, the Lumia line.

I'll try to make this as simple as I can. Windows Phone is, first and foremost, not my forte when it comes to platforms. The last time I actually owned and used a phone that was running on software from Microsoft was the Palm Treo Pro, a phone that was running on Windows Mobile, not Windows Phone. I think that my negative experience with the laggy, glitchy software of Windows Mobile really skewed my view on what Microsoft was capable of producing in the future because even after Windows Phone 7 came out I was absolutely, positively not interested in it at all. Yeah, I toyed with it once or twice and it seemed nice on the surface, but I was convinced that underneath that smooth interface was just another laggy, buggy software that was waiting to happen. Plus, I happened to know that the app store on Windows Phone 7 was far inferior to both Android and iOS, and as somebody who was heavily dependant on apps at the time I couldn't have any of that. Windows Phone was doomed to fail, just like Windows Mobile. 

I honestly couldn't tell you when I started actually noticing Windows Phone - it was sometime after Windows Phone 8 had been introduced. I actually think it was with the release of the Lumia 920, which coincided with when I started working for PhoneDog. Prior to that, I really had no rhyme or reason to be interested in the platform. Why? Sprint didn't give two hoots about Windows Phone. They had one choice for a Windows Phone, and by the time I left even that device wasn't available. But now that I was working for a company that dealt with all aspects of phones and all manufacturers and platforms it was probably time to open my eyes. Admittedly, when I heard about the Lumia 920 I was rather surprised and amused with the phone. I really liked it.

But even then, I think I've been talking about Windows Phone and the Lumia line with my eyes half closed this entire time. For a while it just seemed like another iteration of the Lumia 920 was coming out. The Lumia 920, the Lumia 925, the Lumia 928, coming shortly is the Lumia 929, there's the Lumia 1020, the Lumia 1520... it's a lot of numbers being thrown out there, and did I ever tell you guys that I'm bad with numbers? I'm horrible with numbers, and the Lumia line is just full of numbers. In the end, I've been pretty confused on which is what. But I have to admit, lately I've been a lot more interested in what these numbers represent and what the phone behind the numbers is really like.

I guess I was a little surprised when I found out that the Lumia line has actually been using pretty modern specs for their most recent line of phones. Although I usually like to mention in any article I write regarding Windows Phone that whatever phone I'm discussing generally doesn't need more than specs that are a couple of years old to run smoothly, I didn't realize that in some models they do have specs that are more modern, if specs are your thing. I should have been paying closer attention, but I wasn't.

So, push comes to shove at this point and I find myself looking at rumors of what Microsoft and Nokia have planned for next year. Rumor has it that Microsoft will be getting rid of the whole number model title and giving the devices actual names (the "929" is said to be called the Nokia Lumia Icon, which in my opinion helps to better identify and differentiate between models rather than using numbers). The Lumia line is still pushing the limits of having a fantastic camera on the backsides of smartphones with their Carl Zeiss lenses, which I imagine will continue to be a huge part of the brand pushing forward now that they've merged with Microsoft. Of course, Microsoft will still need to push for a healthier app store in the end, in my opinion, in order to increase numbers to a sizeable amount. Although these are just rumors and speculation at this point, if it turns out that these rumors are true I very well may be considering a Lumia as my next phone, despite all that I've said. 

Following the holiday spirit, which is technically allowed to live until January 1, I kind of feel like Ebenezer Scrooge who was just shown the errors of my ways and now I can go forward knowing that Windows Phone is taking the necessary steps to compete with the big leagues. 

Image via Uber Gizmo