Microsoft's Lumia 950 XL wants to make its big presence felt

Lumia loyalists should know what they'll be getting with this one: a Windows Phone-powered device packed with neat features that will make you feel that you've shrunk your ol' reliable Windows PC or laptop.

Microsoft's taken huge strides - both literally and figuratively - with their mobile devices, and now they've further added to their big line-up. So for those who prefer large mobile devices, here's another option for you: the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL. And Lumia loyalists should know what they'll be getting with this one: a Windows Phone-powered device packed with neat features that will make you feel that you've shrunk your ol' reliable Windows PC or laptop.
As with any flagship, Microsoft decided to keep its identity with the device's design - simple and crisp. You won't be lacking space with its 5.7" display, which is a fair size given the ?proliferation of bigger phones nowadays. It's perfect for those who feel shortchanged with a 5.5-incher and/or a bit uncomfortable with a six-inch talker.
As always, the Live Tiles on the home screen will make sure they catch your attention with every flick. And the Windows 10 OS has done a good job in ensuring you will endure almost no lags. As for the 20MP snapper, I am pleased to report that it's pretty ?neat and can churn out decent shots - even in dimly lit situations. The battery life, however, failed to reach the day-and-a-half finish line with a combo of ?usages. I also noticed that the device heats up a bit, especially when you fire up a game or watch a video.
Ratchet it up a bit with the Microsoft Display Dock. With it, you can connect your Lumia to an external monitor for that full Windows experience - all keyboard- and mouse-ready. The device comes with a USB-C port, so no more guess-which-side-is-right dilemmas. 
AND SO.
If you think the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is a bit big for you, fear not; it's got its little brother in the Lumia 950 - and they can both boast of being the first ?devices to come pre-loaded with Windows 10.
They're still Windows smartphones that will appeal mainly to the true-blue Microsoft leg-ion. The lack of apps not seen on those other platforms will continue to haunt it - although they're pushing to get more content on it - but if you're after a good mix of productivity, performance and style, go ahead and shortlist this biggie.
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

EXTRA BYTE 'Takes the work out of working together' While we're on the subject of Microsoft, what about the Office 2016? To start off, Office 2016 has a fresher, more colourful look, and it's further boosted its already-neat colla-boration and sharing features - something Microsoft has worked on tediously to make Office more than what it was meant to be. As highly touted by CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft's aim is to create a harmonious environment in its Office suite - and they seem to be making good on their promise, with some new cool features. Word's co-authoring is better. It's now live, so the edits you do will be seen even without refreshing or saving docs. Then there's the Smart Lookup feature that performs a search on Bing on a selected item in a document. In Excel, I feel that the new chart styles are very appealing, while Outlook has a very convenient new feature that lists all off your most recently-used Office stuff in its Add Attachment button. Of course, it's available via subscription basis, but I think it's still a fair price a pop.

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