It hasn't been much time since another member was added to the Nokia Lumia family, the Nokia Lumia 620, powered by Windows Phone 8. It's a lot cheaper than the other ones, but has awesome features and is really worth the price.
If you've recently bought a new Lumia 620, read this post to know about the 10 great things you probably never knew your Lumia 620 could do!
1. Share data wirelessly!
The Lumia 620 comes packed up with NFC (near-field communication) which allows you to transfer data (files, images, contact details) to other NFC-capable devices without the need to connect any cables.
Enable the NFC feature from the Settings page and go to Tap+Send. Once turned on, enable Bluetooth also found under the Settings page. Do the same for the other device.Now open up the files you want to share with another device, choose the Tap+Send option, and 'pair' the back of the devices together.
2. Take a screenshot!
Taking a screenshot has, at last, been made easier. To take a screenshot of what you're seeing on your Lumia 620, press the power key and the Windows (start) key simultaneously. You'll hear a capture voice and you're done!
Go to Photos > Albums > Screenshots to view your screenshot.
3. Voice control
Finally, Microsoft now isn't much behind the Apple's Siri and Samsung's S Voice in creating a virtual assistant!
To control your Windows Phone 8 with voice, press and hold the Windows (start) key until you hear a voice speaking.
Ask to call a contact, compose a new tweet, start an app, send email and much more!
4. Connect with and control your Xbox 360
You can use your Lumia 620 as a keyboard and a mouse to control your Xbox 360. Go to the Windows Marketplace and download and install the app 'Xbox SmartGlass.' Once it's installed, start it up and after pressing the three dots in the bottom right, tap 'Connect to your Xbox.'
Make sure your Xbox is turned on and is using the same Wi-Fi connection as your Lumia 620. Now, tap the 'Connect to Your Xbox' button from the app home.
Once successfully connected and no errors arise, browse with Internet Explorer, play a game, swipe left or right or do pretty much anything you want and you'll see it being done on your TV.
If errors do pop up, check that your Lumia and Xbox 360 are connected over the same Wi-Fi. Still no luck? Reinstall the app, or if needed, restart your Xbox and mobile.
5. Find your destination and routes
With the Nokia Lumia 620, reaching to your destination and finding routes have become an easy job to do. With Nokia's HERE Drive app, you get real-time directions for your destination while driving, and there's no need for a data connection!
Many Lumia phones have this app already installed in them, but if you can't find it, download it from the Windows Marketplace for free!
Once installed, start the app, go to settings, and select Manage Maps. Now tap the + button and download the maps for the country where you live, this way you can enjoy your way without the need to connect to a data connection.
Wait for the map to download. Now go back, tap Set Destination, and type in your desired destination. You'll see a list of destinations, select yours and tap Drive To. Drive, and watch yourself on the map moving!
6. Create animations!
Create cool (well, not cool, but nice and funny) animations with the Cinemagraph app from your Lumia 620. Find someone doing something funny or amusing, open up the camera and press the button located at the bottom of the screen with two small arrows. Select the Cinemagraph app, if it's not there, do the same old step, download and install it from the Store.
Now focus the camera on the moving object doing hilarious things, and press the screen to record its actions. You'll see a round bar loading, inside which you'll have to focus that object. Once recorded, increase or decrease the length of the animation loop. Select the areas that you deny from being animated and, that's it!
You can then share your animation with friends via your Nokia Account.
7. Discover close places with your camera
Searching for places with your phone has never been easier and so much fun! No, it's not the same old method in which you turn on your GPS and open up Google Maps or any other maps to search for nearby locations.
With HERE City Lens by Nokia in your Lumia, you explore nearby attractions using your device's camera! Move the camera left or right, and you'll see hotels, shops, restaurants, cinemas and play areas, famous and historical city attractions and almost everything else!
Download and install the HERE City Lens app or open it if it's already in your phone. Select what you want to explore, move the camera wherever you want to, and click on the place you want. The app will tell you its distance and rating. You can get its direction, save it to favourites, or share it. There are some places which are smaller and clogged up together, tap to expand and see them clearly.
8. Use your Lumia 620 as a Wi-Fi router!
Via Internet Sharing, you can transform your Lumia 620 into a Wi-Fi router and let eight people use it!
To enable and set up Internet Sharing, go to Settings and turn it on. Tap Setup and choose a broadcast name for others to identify the network and create a password so that only those people use it to whom you offer it.
Remember, this feature can be costly because it uses your data connection. And it might not be much useful as it would be much slower when altogether eight people would be using it—of course!
9. Hide your identity
Hiding your Caller ID (your number) can be useful when you're calling an anonymous person or someone who spams your caller history so that he doesn't disturb you once the talk has been done.
To use this feature, open up your call history and go to Settings by pressing the three full stops on the bottom right of the screen. Now, under the 'Show my caller ID to' label, change the setting to 'no one'.
10. Create a child corner
If your child uses your Lumia 620, it's a great idea to set up a Kid's Corner for him. Via that, the access to your phone by your child is limited. You don't have to keep an eye on him, or have the fear of all contacts or images being deleted, other people being spammed by random emails or buying something unaffordable.
To enable the Kid's Corner on your Lumia 620, under Settings, tap 'Kid's Corner' and turn it on. Select what can your child access in the Kid's Corner (incl. games and apps, music and videos).
Once done, press the Lock button on the right side of your phone twice. Now swipe left and you'll see a different background than that of your lock screen with the title Kid's Corner. Make your kid slide it upside, as you do it with your lock screen and you don't ever need to keep an eye on him!
11. Linking email account inboxes
Forwarding emails one by one from multiple accounts to an email account inbox or opening inboxes one by one can be a tedious and tiresome work if you have multiple email addresses.
To accomplish this task without wasting your time to open every single inbox and forward emails to another account, the Lumia 620 offers a very great and easy feature to do so!
To put in all your emails into one inbox, go to your email account and press the '...' button. Select 'add email account' and select what email address you want to merge into the current one. Enter your details, and sign in.
This way, you link your other email accounts with your current one.
12. Got late? Notify everyone!
If you're getting late for an office meeting or a birthday party, remind everyone with this great useful feature.
This way you won't have to manually send each message to every single person in order to notify them.
Go to calendar and select the event that you're running late for, press the three full stops as usual and select the button labelled 'late' with an image of an unlucky stickman running for an event.
You'll see a message already written for you, if you're in a hurry, hit the send button. If you want, edit the message. Every attendee would receive your message. If you're the only one attending the event, this feature would be hidden.
13. Notify people when an event has been cancelled
If the event you were attending has been cancelled, you can send a message to all the attendees involved with that specific event.
To do so, go to Calendar and select that event. Now press the Delete button on the bottom (the one that's a shape of a bin). You'll be asked whether to notify the event attendees that the event has been called off. Type in your message in the Comments box and automatically send your message to all the people involved.
The Nokia Lumia 620 is a budget-friendly and a great Windows Phone 8 smartphone and is really worth its price. If you have any more tips, do comment in the comments section below!
Enable the NFC feature from the Settings page and go to Tap+Send. Once turned on, enable Bluetooth also found under the Settings page. Do the same for the other device.Now open up the files you want to share with another device, choose the Tap+Send option, and 'pair' the back of the devices together.
2. Take a screenshot!
Taking a screenshot has, at last, been made easier. To take a screenshot of what you're seeing on your Lumia 620, press the power key and the Windows (start) key simultaneously. You'll hear a capture voice and you're done!
Go to Photos > Albums > Screenshots to view your screenshot.
3. Voice control
To control your Windows Phone 8 with voice, press and hold the Windows (start) key until you hear a voice speaking.
Ask to call a contact, compose a new tweet, start an app, send email and much more!
4. Connect with and control your Xbox 360
You can use your Lumia 620 as a keyboard and a mouse to control your Xbox 360. Go to the Windows Marketplace and download and install the app 'Xbox SmartGlass.' Once it's installed, start it up and after pressing the three dots in the bottom right, tap 'Connect to your Xbox.'Make sure your Xbox is turned on and is using the same Wi-Fi connection as your Lumia 620. Now, tap the 'Connect to Your Xbox' button from the app home.
Once successfully connected and no errors arise, browse with Internet Explorer, play a game, swipe left or right or do pretty much anything you want and you'll see it being done on your TV.
If errors do pop up, check that your Lumia and Xbox 360 are connected over the same Wi-Fi. Still no luck? Reinstall the app, or if needed, restart your Xbox and mobile.
5. Find your destination and routes
With the Nokia Lumia 620, reaching to your destination and finding routes have become an easy job to do. With Nokia's HERE Drive app, you get real-time directions for your destination while driving, and there's no need for a data connection!
Many Lumia phones have this app already installed in them, but if you can't find it, download it from the Windows Marketplace for free!
Once installed, start the app, go to settings, and select Manage Maps. Now tap the + button and download the maps for the country where you live, this way you can enjoy your way without the need to connect to a data connection.
Wait for the map to download. Now go back, tap Set Destination, and type in your desired destination. You'll see a list of destinations, select yours and tap Drive To. Drive, and watch yourself on the map moving!
6. Create animations!
Create cool (well, not cool, but nice and funny) animations with the Cinemagraph app from your Lumia 620. Find someone doing something funny or amusing, open up the camera and press the button located at the bottom of the screen with two small arrows. Select the Cinemagraph app, if it's not there, do the same old step, download and install it from the Store.
Now focus the camera on the moving object doing hilarious things, and press the screen to record its actions. You'll see a round bar loading, inside which you'll have to focus that object. Once recorded, increase or decrease the length of the animation loop. Select the areas that you deny from being animated and, that's it!
You can then share your animation with friends via your Nokia Account.
Searching for places with your phone has never been easier and so much fun! No, it's not the same old method in which you turn on your GPS and open up Google Maps or any other maps to search for nearby locations.
With HERE City Lens by Nokia in your Lumia, you explore nearby attractions using your device's camera! Move the camera left or right, and you'll see hotels, shops, restaurants, cinemas and play areas, famous and historical city attractions and almost everything else!
8. Use your Lumia 620 as a Wi-Fi router!
Via Internet Sharing, you can transform your Lumia 620 into a Wi-Fi router and let eight people use it!
To enable and set up Internet Sharing, go to Settings and turn it on. Tap Setup and choose a broadcast name for others to identify the network and create a password so that only those people use it to whom you offer it.
Remember, this feature can be costly because it uses your data connection. And it might not be much useful as it would be much slower when altogether eight people would be using it—of course!
9. Hide your identity
Hiding your Caller ID (your number) can be useful when you're calling an anonymous person or someone who spams your caller history so that he doesn't disturb you once the talk has been done.
To use this feature, open up your call history and go to Settings by pressing the three full stops on the bottom right of the screen. Now, under the 'Show my caller ID to' label, change the setting to 'no one'.
10. Create a child corner
If your child uses your Lumia 620, it's a great idea to set up a Kid's Corner for him. Via that, the access to your phone by your child is limited. You don't have to keep an eye on him, or have the fear of all contacts or images being deleted, other people being spammed by random emails or buying something unaffordable.To enable the Kid's Corner on your Lumia 620, under Settings, tap 'Kid's Corner' and turn it on. Select what can your child access in the Kid's Corner (incl. games and apps, music and videos).
Once done, press the Lock button on the right side of your phone twice. Now swipe left and you'll see a different background than that of your lock screen with the title Kid's Corner. Make your kid slide it upside, as you do it with your lock screen and you don't ever need to keep an eye on him!
11. Linking email account inboxes
Forwarding emails one by one from multiple accounts to an email account inbox or opening inboxes one by one can be a tedious and tiresome work if you have multiple email addresses.
To accomplish this task without wasting your time to open every single inbox and forward emails to another account, the Lumia 620 offers a very great and easy feature to do so!
To put in all your emails into one inbox, go to your email account and press the '...' button. Select 'add email account' and select what email address you want to merge into the current one. Enter your details, and sign in.
This way, you link your other email accounts with your current one.
12. Got late? Notify everyone!
If you're getting late for an office meeting or a birthday party, remind everyone with this great useful feature.
This way you won't have to manually send each message to every single person in order to notify them.
Go to calendar and select the event that you're running late for, press the three full stops as usual and select the button labelled 'late' with an image of an unlucky stickman running for an event.You'll see a message already written for you, if you're in a hurry, hit the send button. If you want, edit the message. Every attendee would receive your message. If you're the only one attending the event, this feature would be hidden.
13. Notify people when an event has been cancelledIf the event you were attending has been cancelled, you can send a message to all the attendees involved with that specific event.
To do so, go to Calendar and select that event. Now press the Delete button on the bottom (the one that's a shape of a bin). You'll be asked whether to notify the event attendees that the event has been called off. Type in your message in the Comments box and automatically send your message to all the people involved.
The Nokia Lumia 620 is a budget-friendly and a great Windows Phone 8 smartphone and is really worth its price. If you have any more tips, do comment in the comments section below!
