See what Mumsnetters think of the Microsoft Lumia 735, Xbox One and Linx tablet *NOW CLOSED*

[KathrynMumsnet]

This thread is for the 10 Mumsnetters who have been testing the Microsoft Lumia 735, Xbox One Console with Kinect and a Linx tablet.

Here’s what Microsoft’s marketing manager says, “As a marketing manager for Microsoft and mum of 2 boys, I know that things at home and at work can get pretty busy – especially this time of year with present buying, decorating the house, nativity play outfits, pantomimes……you know the rest :-). That is why we wanted to show you the collective power of some of these Microsoft products and how they can be used for the whole family. We would like to find families that can try out a Nokia Lumia phone, XBox One console and one of the new very affordable Linx tablets. All of these work together in a way that your family’s life can be fun and organised, productive and producing lots of laughs.”

Testers:
Once you’ve had the chance to try out all three products, please answer the questions below.

1. What were your initial impressions and how did you find setting up the devices?
2. Overall, what do you think of the following products? Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not? a. Microsoft Lumia 735 b. Xbox One console with Kinect c. Linx tablet
3. Who uses each of the products the most and what do they use them for?
4. If it came up in conversation, do you think you would recommend the Microsoft Lumia, Xbox One with Kinect and LInx tablet? If so, why? If not, why not?
5. Do you have a favourite aspect about any of the products? If so, what is it?

Microsoft would love to have some video clips of your thoughts about the products or seeing them in action. You can use your Microsoft Lumia to film this very easily. If you choose to do this you can upload your clips onto YouTube and please post the link to the film on the thread.

Microsoft has made these products to sync up together allowing a more inclusive experience.

To ensure the Mumsnetters got the most out of the products, Mumsnetters attended an event at Microsoft’s offices in London.
From this event Microsoft would like to know:

1. Did you find this event useful for outlining the various opportunities offered by the products both as individual devices and collectively? If so, why? If not, why not?
2. Do you think the products work well together? If so, why? If not, why not?

If you complete your feedback as above you will be able to keep the products you were sent.

Thanks,
MNHQ

All ready to head to meeting tomorrow, have lots of questions as would like to use as family device not just for one person, and would like to keep my emails etc still personal.

I'm now sitting on train in way back from London.

1: Event was good, but went far too fast over the tablet. Certain level of knowledge was assumed, and I for one didn't have it. Fell would have liked more time. Although they did spend ages setting up my phone and tablet which I am grateful for.

2: Think they will/would work together but unsure if we as a family will take advantage of this. Will will see as time goes on.

I think when they say easy to set up take with a pinch of salt.

I'm also on my way home. :-)

1. Did you find this event useful for outlining the various opportunities offered by the products both as individual devices and collectively? If so, why? If not, why not?

YES. It was a great morning, especially after the Mumsnetters calmed down and stopped cackling like naughty school kids.
It was lovely having the products explained and demonstrated in person. And the opportunity to ask questions afterwards was great.

I must admit, I'm mainly blown away by the Xbox. Seeing the voice activation and how it can now control my TV too was unbelievable.

2. Do you think the products work well together? If so, why? If not, why not? I loved hearing how OneNote can sync my PC, tablet and phone so I can take my office anywhere. I'm a writer so that's REALLY useful. It was also fascinating to see how SmartGlass can turn the phone and tablet into a remote control for the XBox, and interact with games, and be used as a keyboard for google searches, etc. it'll also be nice for one of my kids playing the game via the tablet while the other one's on the Xbox. I can see that stopping a lot of rows. It was also great to see how quickly changes made to my tablet settings were synced over to the phone. SO useful if, like me, you forget things within seconds. I'm typing this on my new phone. :-)

Oh, forgot to say: The Kids Corner feature on the phone is a GODSEND. Basically, you can collect your most kid-friendly apps into your "kids corner", and these can be accessed via one swipe on the (locked) phone screen. But the rest of the phone remains firmly off limits. So you can hand your phone to your child and let them play, not worrying they'll break into your Facebook page or surf the Net. Really useful if you need to distract your child temporarily (like when you're at the doctor's, or travelling).

Hi. Thank you for today! Here is my response to them event questions. The rest to comes when we have tested more....

1)Did you find this event useful for outlining the various opportunities offered by the products both as individual devices and collectively? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I found it very useful. I am an apple girl through and through and know ferry little about windows devices. I had handed over set up of the equipment to my teenager over the last few days and he was going toasted today and learn and ask questions but he got sick last minute so didn't come. This was actually a good thing as I had to learn a lot today and not just leave it to him. The Maine message I took home today was how much more the Xbox is than just a gaming device. I had certainly thought it was just for the kids to play games on but I learned about how it dam really be a central control hub for all the entertainment we usually do on the TV. I was really impressed with this and plan to set all that up over the next couple of days.

2)Do you think the products work well together? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes. Again, being used to the easy synching of Apple devices, I was sceptical. But they certainly showed us how you can integrate the devices using your account. I loved the idea of how the office 365 account allows you to use any of the devices as well as your computer to work on documents seamlessly. I also loved the extra functionality that the tablet provides when you are watching movies to access additional material through the google glass app.

I'm pleased that we're already using some of the additional functionality eg. voice recognition and SmartGlass app. I'm also enjoying using Office on the tablet. DH has spent a lot of time digging around the features. But kids are also enjoying learning and considering their feedback. It's all been taken very seriously by them (making notes etc )

A really excellent feature that I just discovered....

My teenage son is using the phone. He was trying to download some apps and it said that I neededto enable It all through "family" on the windows phone website. Basically, as the parent I had to sign into my Microsoft account and add him into the phone. Then I could set what I would allow him to download (free/paid, ratings or none at all). Once I had done this, he could use the phone. I thought this was an excellent feature!

I posted on the other thread, but will post the same again and then do some feedback on today later on.

It is taking us a while to set up as we have never had any games consoles of any sort, the older children who no longer live at home are green with envy, but are none the wiser in set up either.

Slowly. slowly, I have got the phone sorted out, do I need to put credit on the (very kindly supplied) sim card to make it work, I have used the one out of my current phone to try it quickly.
Note, credit now applied and phone is brilliant.

As Windows is all completely new to me, I feel a bit like a dinosaur, but the screen on the Nokia Lumia is lovely and bright, very clear and good colour. The battery life does not seem that good, as I haven't really done anything and it has needed charging twice since Friday, perhaps something is running that I can't see?

The Linx10 tablet, is lovely, again, taking a while to get to grips with it, but as others say, it is an incredibly busy time of year and not a lot of spare time to actually sit and 'waste' an afternoon! Too many parties plays, relative visiting etc as we are away abroad as don as school breaks until the new year. Two of the devices will certainly be going with us!

Also, my Linx has frozen and appears to be dead for the last 2 days, a hardware issue so I'm told, so a new one is on it's way to me, so give me a couple of days!

Sitting together as family outing all Microsoft accounts onto the tablet and other devices!!

Amazed that sobs laptop is now on the tablet, technology is amazing.

One complaint, I don't seem to be able to get some of my fave apps on the phone. London midland app and Meet mobile, I will miss theses ones.

DS1 is now after my iPhone but unsure if I'm going to survive without them.

Also cant get mumsnet app

I had a Nokia Lumia before my current phone and apps was one of the reasons I changed. The range available is not as good as IPhone or Android

1)What were your initial impressions and how did you find setting up the devices?

I didn't find the devices the easiest to set up prior to the event, but being an Apple mac person I tend to expect plug and play with everything technical and all gadgets! After the vent, it has spurred me on to explore as there is an amazing amount to see and use.

2)Overall, what do you think of the following products? Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not?

Microsoft Lumia 735
The phone is lovely, the screen is clear and the colours bold and exact. The cover to access the battery is very fiddly to remove and one mums netter has damaged hers slightly in doing so. There IS a knack and once shown by the techie, it is a whole lot easier. Press your thumb into the camera recess, get your nails under the edge and twist. Not good for newly manicured nails though!

I love the way the voice recognition is so precise, Siri, eat your heart out, Cortana is streets ahead! It has so many functions and as I learn to use it more competently I will report back.

Xbox One console with Kinect

Well, this is gong to take forever, so so much to explore, it is truly amazing. It is not just a games console, it can run your life!
Never having had a games machine, beyond a game boy and Nintendo DS, this is serious entry level for us! It needs time, time, and more time to explore all the functions and possibilities on it and I can see that we will still be learning in months to come. It is truly mind blowing!

c.Linx tablet

Mine had a hardware issue and froze, so I am waiting on it being replaced, therefore I haven't had the opportunity to explore it very much beyond the tutorial at the event. This also look amazing and the

3)Who uses each of the products the most and what do they use them for?

For the time being I have monopolised all three, greedy I know, but the children are on the younger age spectrum - under 8, so need some guidance and it is extremely busy at the moment with social events, Christmas, parties, relatives and holiday to prepare for. Tiredness is dominating, so post new year when we have plenty of time - school doesn't start back until the 15th Jan, we will set to!

4)If it came up in conversation, do you think you would recommend the Microsoft Lumia, Xbox One with Kinect and LInx tablet? If so, why? If not, why not?
As much as I have experienced only a little of the items, I would say, yes, they are all amazing. The Linx is a very reasonably priced tablet for children, especially as our local schools are demanding that children have their own tablets, and though I have the 10, I saw the smaller one and they seem ideal for school use. The ability to work seamlessly from school, home and work will be a huge plus for many.

5)Do you have a favourite aspect about any of the products? If so, what is it?

So far, it has to be Cortana on the Lumia, it is a real WOW! The map apps are amazing too. The kidstuff area is great, you can shut down most of your phone so they can play happily and not delete or access any vital information.

1)Did you find this event useful for outlining the various opportunities offered by the products both as individual devices and collectively? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, for me the event was very useful as an introductions to Windows and the devices, though as watfordmum says, there was a certain assumption that we had a little prior knowledge, whereas we both had none, and we weren't the only Apple mac geeks there!

The event really wasn't long enough, but I can understand constraints on time etc, though the techs were more than willing to answer questions and were very patient. We had no time for chit chat!

Microsoft staff were very welcoming and charming, refreshments and a light lunch were provided too.

2)Do you think the products work well together? If so, why? If not, why not?
When one manages to sync all the devices, it will be truly seamless, and I am still stunned by the way the Xbox says hello to you, from the moment you walk in the room, just by face recognition!

Thank you so much Mumsnet and Microsoft for giving this opportunity, it is something we would never have purchased all together, so truly amazing!

We have hit a technical issue if anyone can help? We tried to connect our bt Youview box to the Xbox so we could watch TV through it (one of the features they showed us yesterday). We followed all the instructions and set up but it did not work :( That box isnt even listed on their drop down menu. I did Google for help but didnt find anything. Anyne?

Marking my place, because it's a busy week at work for both of us, and finishing the set-up is going to take some time (we only had the things delivered on Monday afternoon).

I made a bit of a hash with the Microsoft Accounts when I did the inital set-up. The lovely people at the MS offices talked me through what I need to do to get everything set up properly with the right ownership for the right device, so I think I know what I need to do, but it'll take a spare hour for me and DH with no distractions.

Inital thoughts.

The phone took a bit of getting used to but is now feeling good, to me at least, DH is the one who'll be using it in the future, and it's his very first smartphone, so he's going to take a lot of persuasion. I hope that once I show him the super-useful data-free sat-nav app it comes with he'll be happier.

I'm not sure about the tablet yet - everyone who has a tablet says they're really useful and I'm sure that's true, but it'll take a little while to work out where it would fit into my life.

When it says HDMI is needed for the XBox One it really really means it - there is literally no way to make it work with an older TV without an HDMI input, so anyone thinking of buying one needs to bear that in mind (we had to rearrange our home to some extent to make it work).

Nearly gave myself RSI trying to set up all the passwords for the XBox using the controller, so by far the most exciting thing for me is SmartGlass which enables you to use your phone/tablet to control the XBox - including the keyboard. Very cool.

Project Spark (the game-creator game) seems to be exactly what my DC want from a game. Beautiful, lots of work and huge potential. Really looking forward to trying it out.

I agree with everyone else that
a) KidZone on the phone is a brilliant idea, and
b) that the event was a bit rushed - two hours actually wasn't enough time to cover everything we needed to know - and I speak as someone who already has Windows 8 on my work laptop, so it must have been even worse for the testers who'd never seen it before.

Will post in detail at the weekend.

Many thanks MNHQ and Microsoft

Ok here are initial impessions.....this was written by my son aged 13 as he did most of the set up and the testing.

The initial impressions of the Xbox were of its impressive Kinect technology. One of the first things we did was to Skype using the Xbox, and it was a completely different experience to Skyping using other devices. Initially, we were surprised by the size of the Linx, but it quickly became natural. The whole interface was very intuitive and it took very little time to set up. The phone was similar; it was very natural and intuitive, and very easy to set up. Within 10 minutes my eldest son stuck into personalising the phone.

We find the hardware of the Xbox One to be very impressive. The graphics and framerates are excellent, and the Kinect software is very impressive, with a only few voice-recognition errors here and there. However, while most of the games we received were very good, there is a general lack of family-friendly games on the system, as well as a lack of diversity.

I really like the Linx tablet: it is portable and light, but big enough to use for more things than a phone. I also love the operating system-it’s just the right mix between PCs and traditional tablets. The only small negative about it is the lack of Windows apps: compared to other app stores, there are very few available.

The phone is very good, and easy to use. It’s a very good size: big enough to be useful, and small enough to be portable. It’s also highly customisable, making it very convenient; it’s very easy to customise it to suit each person’s preferences.

The children use the Xbox One the most, and almost entirely for playing games. However, it is used sometimes for Skyping by the whole family.

Phone: My eldest son uses the Nokia Lumia the most, mostly for texting family and friends, and also for a more portable option for other applications.
Tablet: The whole family uses the Linx tablet as a lighter, more portable alternative for a computer. It is also used with the Xbox SmartGlass app a lot, in conjunction with the Xbox One.

Above from my son, below from me.....

I am not familiar with windows so do not find it intuitive at all - sorry! I am an apple user and find windows very different. However, for my son it is perfect as he is very familiar with windows and everything he uses integrates so naturally with it. I have tried to use the tablet, but I rrallya, much more comfortable with my iPad. I do think partly it is just about what you are used to. I am not testing the phone as it was given ton my son who reviews it above. I have used the Xbox which I have been surprised by in a positive way. The concept of using it as a whole family entertainnet system where everything is own one place is wonderful. So far, that is only partly working for us. Unless we can get the by you view box successfully connected, I think it will fail on that front. But I think we need much more time, especially over Christmas, to learn all the functions it has.

More once we have done more testing!

Another thing about apps.....

My son says you get an app for Dropbox and Google chrome on the tablet but not on the phone. It seems odd that if the idea is to be seamless between the two, the same apps are not available

Ok now on day two still loving the tablet and xbox but phone and I are falling out.

Although I'm loving having zedge back for ring tones, the lack of apps is very annoying.

As a family we only have one living room, hence I have always insisted that games are played on tvs upstairs (I know I know against mumsnet rules!!),but with the kinnet it does seem a waste hence it's in the living room, but we (I) don't particularly want to watch them playing on a console all evening!!!

Seems ungrateful, but as a family will take getting used to.??

Haven't set up Xbox yet, so will come back with feedback once I have done that (I could already ramble on for ages about the phone and tablet but will (mostly) restrain myself!).

But as far as Tuesday's event goes...

1. Did you find this event useful for outlining the various opportunities offered by the products both as individual devices and collectively? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, up to a point. What we were shown was very useful and the presenters universally lovely and helpful but I agree that it was very rushed, and there was no time to demonstrate much of the Family functionality (e.g. managing child accounts on the Xbox) -- this seemed like an obvious thing that the Mumsnet demographic would be interested in so it was a surprising omission (Ian did try to show a small group of us quickly at the end but didn't have the Xbox's 6-digit code so couldn't demonstrate).

In the time available, though, it was a great lightning gallop through the possibilities.

I was blown away by the possibilities inherent in the Xbox and also by Project Spark -- just a bit nervous of introducing DS to it as he may just never do anything else ever again...

2. Do you think the products work well together? If so, why? If not, why not?

I think many aspects of the products work well together. The ability to keep the phone and tablet synced, and the way in which OneDrive is central to a large part of the experience, will be very useful. Once we get the Xbox set up SmartGlass will be a godsend (indeed, I'm very glad that we didn't set it up before the workshop as it'll save a lot of finger strain!). I'm starting to think of the phone and tablet as extensions of each other (which leads to a niggle the buttons on the side of the phone are arranged volume up - volume down - on/off while the buttons on the side of the tablet are arranged on/off - volume up - volume down and I've already found myself ineffectually jabbing at the volume down button on the tablet wondering why it won't turn on). That said, it did take me a couple of minutes to work out how to get a photograph I'd taken with the phone actually physically saved to the tablet's internal storage (rather than just accessible from OneDrive) so that I could use it as the photo password lock (a second niggle I'd love to have photo password lock on the phone as well rather than having to use a code).

(am having fun trying to match usernames to the people at the event...)

Hello - finally up and running with everything so here is my review:

1)What were your initial impressions and how did you find setting up the devices?

Loved both the phone and the tablet - sadly there was a fault with our tablet but it was replaced on the day. Setting both of these up was an absolute doddle, in fact when I turned the phone on and set it up it automatically downloaded all my songs and even Microsoft don't know how as wasn't plugged into a pc at all. I had been using an iPhone and it's lovely to get away from iOs - I find it more intuitive. I have downloaded apps and remotely accessed my work pc from the linx yesterday - love it so much considering getting rid of Chromebook and getting keyboard for it instead. Set the xbox up last night - took a while, but mainly as we had been v sloppy at plugging in new tech - and thus there were 5 scart leads loitering around the tv plus dust like you wouldn't believe.

Two small gripes - my phone was slightly damaged when I opened it the first time (only using fingers) - doesn't affect it's use but I found opening it awkward - would be really hard for anyone with arthritis or other mobility issues. Two, didn't realise it would take so long to install the games, we've gone to work today leaving Project Spark running in so it will be ready once we're home.

2)Overall, what do you think of the following products? Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not?
a.Microsoft Lumia 735 - I do love this phone, screen is so clear and bright, really really intuitive to use - can get my banking and supermarket shop apps - and think the Here Drive is awesome - really great that it doesn't use data, don't understand why more isn't made of this as would be grat for someone considering buying a smart phone. Really love the onedrive on it too - lovely being able to open mobile enabled Office docs/spreadsheets.

b.Xbox One console with Kinect

This is just wow - although it's slightly like having a fourth child as in I'm only sometimes heard and even less obeyed - think my voice commands need some work. It is also going to take some adjusting for the kids that just because the xbox is there and we watch tv through it doesn't mean they can start gaming at 6am! Love love the way it's a hub - and the way the tablet/phone interacts - I have downloaded smart glass but it didn't work with what we were playing last night, think that's user error.

c.Linx tablet

Again love this - we have the 10 inch version. Up until now the only tablet we have is a 7in android- and this knocks the socks of it - really fast, great screen, and much more like a computer - makes our old one seem like a glorified phone without phone capability. As mentioned I worked from home on it yesterday, accessing word/excel and remotely accessing my work pc to access all our work databases/systems no problem - really was amazing. I haven't tried to do the photo password or save locally yet, but a massive thumbs up from me. Only thing lacking is lack of apps, BBC iplayer won't let you download and no sky go app.

3)Who uses each of the products the most and what do they use them for?

Currently we all use the xbox as it's now our media hub - we watch Sky through it. Phone and tablet are MINE - I will let others use them but kids would spend all day on tech if I let them - they really do need to do other things too. I haven't tried accessing the kids school work portal yet - I suspect it won't work though as tablets don't seem to on the whole - if it does this will be a massive win for us. Tablet I use for just browsing internet and doing online shopping - it and the phone works brilliantly for Ocado.

4)If it came up in conversation, do you think you would recommend the Microsoft Lumia, Xbox One with Kinect and LInx tablet? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would absolutely recommend them 100% - am going to lend DH the phone so he could swap his iPhone for it. I love the way the linx is more like a pc and even has the familiar desktop and file manager - a massive win for me. On a practical level our unit is much less cluttered with only the xbox and sky box now - so many fewer wires. The graphics and gameplay are just stunning - and it is so much less effort to let the kids play a game, previously we would have to faff with scart leads and swapping things over - would often be enough to not bother.

5)Do you have a favourite aspect about any of the products? If so, what is it?

To be fair I think the best bit is One Drive for me, as it means we can seamlessly link everything together - which is what we desperately needed. All of these things together are wonderfully enabling and freeing - I am already spending far less time on sorting stuff out (like uploading photos from yesterdays carol service) they were just there on the xbox for me to play DH the video - just wonderful. I love the way the linx is more like a pc and even has the familiar desktop and file manager - a massive win for me.

Thank you so much for this opportunity - I think I have already bored the pants off my work colleagues and am becoming rather evangelical about these - just wonderful. So grateful for the session at Microsoft too - although as I had already set my phone and linx up I found it a bit frustrating that not all the other testers had so time was taken up with more basic things and so didn't go through some of the more detailed stuff - but am sure I'll figure it out - and the whole point is that a full range of Mumsnetters test so I understand that.

Well I have three sick kids today and we have downloaded muppets most wanted through Xbox video (which was the cheapest of the three options given to us in the movie app) and are all currently watching it through the Xbox. Excellent!

One thought on the phone: would it be really expensive/impractical to include a paper User Guide? When I get new techy stuff, I like to sit down with the gadget and the user guide and work through every section. With its built-in Lumia Help + Tricks user guide, I can't do that! Because I'm already using the device, I can't stop and play around with what I've learned.

To find out how to do something VERY simple (close apps), I had to resort to Googling!

What were your initial impressions and how did you find setting up the devices?

I'm writing this on my linx8 as I've banned myself from using any other gadgets until I've tested these thoroughly! Initial impressions were very very good. The phone is much better-looking than my iphone4 as the screen is bigger, its lighter and it came with a funky orange cover. The linx8 tablet is gorgeous too. There was a bigger 10" version, but I prefer the 8" as I feel its more portable and easier to use on trains and in cafés.

The Xbox is obviously amazing! My partner set that up for us, so I can't comment on how easy it was, but I didn't hear any swearing and it didn't seem to take very long. Having the ability to connect the TV into the Xbox was easy, and freed up an HDMI slot on the TV.

Setting up the tablet took me a while but that was only because I was trying to set up my Microsoft account so I could sync that, the phone and my Windows laptop together. The demonstration day showed some VERY flashy syncing, with themes etc all changing instantly on all the devices. I want that! I must admit I haven't managed to do that yet, but that's not the gadgets' fault, its mine.

The phone was pretty much intuitive to set up. Like I said earlier, the Kids Corner really is excellent and it was easy to create children accounts for the kids.

2)Overall, what do you think of the following products? Do you like them? If so, why? If not, why not?
a.Microsoft Lumia 735
YES I DO. I like this phone far, far more than I expected. I've been an apple girl forever and really didn't think I'd be tempted to cheat, but I think i'll keep this phone now instead of my iPhone. The maps are just so much better, the ringtones and sounds are lovely, cortana is VERY GOOD and I really like the camera. The filters and features on the built-in selfie app are great fun, teenagers would love them, I've slimmed down my face and whitened my teeth and even made my eyes bigger.

I am working through the Lumia Hints + Tips guides slowly.

b.Xbox One console with Kinect
This is amazing. We had a PlayStation and a Wii already, but this blows them both into space. The voice activation is life-changing, especially when the TV is linked up. You can literally lie on the sofa and control the box with your voice. I haven't played a game yet but the rest of the house has and they agree its fantastic. Really really powerful and fast. We are going to get a bigger and better TV to fully show it off. I'm going to playbofer the weekend and add more reviews.

c.Linx tablet
I confess I have an iPad and I have spent a lot of money on apps over the years, so I don't see myself moving over to the Linx8 permanently, because then those apps would be lost. But - for a Windows user who hasn't got a tablet already, or for a student needing a VERY cheap computer, the Linx8 would be fantastic. Its really just like having your desktop pc or laptop in your handbag. You can switch to 'desktop' view and you're staring at a proper windows computer screen. From the train!

I'm in the process of setting up OneNote, and having my documents everywhere I go will be amazing. But ultimately I think the Linx8 will be my eldest son's. He's just started secondary school and this will be perfect for him - enough power for homework projects, really fast at surfing the internet (unlike any of the cheap pc notebook computers I've tried). I can also create a Childrens Account for him, and keep my own account on there protected with the cool photo-password feature.

3)Who uses each of the products the most and what do they use them for?
Me - phone, for calls, daily reminders, alerts, clock, Facebook, Net and messaging. I really like the messaging app.
Partner and kids - Xbox! But like I said, i'll be playing on it this weekend.
Me and eldest son - tablet. Its a really really good tiny computer. If you have a pc at work or home and want a portable version, where you can sync all your docs via OneNote, this is perfect.

4)If it came up in conversation, do you think you would recommend the Microsoft Lumia, Xbox One with Kinect and LInx tablet? If so, why? If not, why not?
Definitely the Xbox, and the phone, and the Linx8 to mums who want a great tablet for the kids. Or like I said, people who work on Windows PCs but want to take their docs with them.

5)Do you have a favourite aspect about any of the products? If so, what is it?
The phone - the lovely ringtones and the screen. that's so shallow! And kids corner is wonderful.
The tablet - the Windows operating system is more stable than my ios8.
The Xbox - EVERYTHING.

Ok, so I've had a few days to play discover these, and so far I'm impressed, will post more over the weekend, but first thoughts are:

Phone- nice size. Wasn't to sure about the bright orange, however I guess I'll be hard pushed to lose it! In time when funds allow I may invest in a less bright case, however I read that the case allows for wireless charging, which sounds quite nifty. I've always been an android girl, and I'm loving the immediate access to my one drive, before ds would do his homework on the app on my s3, I'd then have to bring it up on my (rather creaky) laptop to print. The access to my email is better, and as for the kids corner- that's a strike of genius- no more worrying about what they're fiddling with. I just need something similar on the kindle app . I get the app to transfer my contacts and an transferring them manually. I'm looking on it as an opportunity to tidy up my contacts.

The tablet- near, similar layout to the mobile. I didn't quite get how to sync the two, but again the one drive is in full use, dd1 has already done a homework on it, I'll try to attach a photo. Fp's only criticism is when using explorer there is no option to go back multiple pages, which is useful when a search or page gets itself stuck. We think it will be interesting to see how it copes as the memory is used. Dp is also keen to test the access on it once we have have an adapter for plugging in his little hard drive. Only gripe we've had so far is twice when we've gone to use it, it's half shut down and wants to finish installing an update.

The demonstration of the products working together was fascinating. I still don't get the gaming world of playing strangers, and would have liked a clearer demonstration of how the parental controls are managed, and the basics of setting it up, those felt a little rushed. The idea of being able to control my tv with the xbox, and being able to control the xbox Bourne identity style by stopping swiping my arms sound awesome, I must have lost hours of my life hunting the tv remote!