And before you ask, yes, my one year old has a wp7 device and can use it to some extent. He dropped it off of the balcony at a hotel we're at and it landed flat on the concrete below missing the pool by mere inches. Thusfar, I see no scratches on the device and the only discernible fault from a second story fall is a looser power button that is still perfectly functional. I was scared to drop test mine, so it's cool to know it can take a beating.
looks like the build quality of the device is amazing thank you letting us know how good Nokia Lumia is
Wow, that's amazing! I'm gonna check a proper drop test video now
So for those who have cracked their polycarbonate housing, badly scratched it or simply got tired of the old colour there is a way you can replace the housing yourself and it's a lot easier than it sounds and will cost you about 70 GBP if you are in the UK.
WARNING! I spoke to Nokia about it and this obviously voids your warranty so only do it if you don't care I did it myself and it worked, if you break something along the way I will not be responsible! Perform this at your own risk!
That being said the actuall process is very very easy and anyone with a screwdriver, a bit of common sense and a spare half an hour will be able to do this.
So first of all you need to order the spare parts. If you are changing the colour you'll need to order three: the housing, usb cover/flap, sim tray. If you replace with the same colour you dont need a new sim tray as you can use the old one. You also dont need to buy the USB cover as the old one can be taken off and put on the new body(however this requires you pulling it off with quite a bit of force which could result in breaking it or making it fit less firmly in future so i suggest that you do buy the new USB door either way) The process of placing a new one on is way easier than taking it off.
I ordered my parts off ebay from "Headlane Ltd"
here is the link for the cyan battery cover:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-N...ps=63&clkid=6717331277486914548#ht_1577wt_854
Search for other parts simply changing the colour in the name or just type " lumia 800 sim tray" or "lumia 800 Usb door"
Anyway once you've ordered the needed items it's time to watch a youtube giude.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS9azQLWNAI
Now this is a FULL-FULL guide on how to completely tear the device apart. If you are only changing the housing then watch the first couple of minutes and the last ones.
Basically you only need these steps:
1. Taking off the screen
2. Taking off the battery cover
3. Taking out the battery
4. Taking out the motherboard
The rest (flash, side buttons, headphone jack, speaker, various antennas etc) stay in the old body and will be supplied in the new one so dont take them out. Although the middle of this video talks about how to do that. But i'll repeat again:
if you are just replacing the housing you dont touch those, it will be supplied in the new one. Basically you'll be able to see it when comparing what your new housing looks like to the one you just took off your phone. When they look the same, stop, FF to the end of the video where its being put back together and start doing that.
I did this myself in less than 20 minutes having watched the video prior to process. I wanted to change my black housing to cyan and did just that.
I've uploaded two images, one is work in progress and the other is finished work!
I'm in a bit of a hurry now otherwise i would make it more detailed, so if there are any questions post them! Plus the video is very very good at explaining this so thumbs up for the maker!
UPDATE:
Just wanted to add a couple of things now that i have a bit more time:
1.If you are changing the housing cover only whether it's to the same or different colour the relevant part of the video is up to 4:47 and from 14:27.
2.The things that come supplied with the new housing and therefore should be left in the old one are:
Speaker at the bottom
3g/gsm antenna next to the speaker
Wi-fi + BT antenna on the left
Heaphone jack
Camera flash (not the camera)
Side buttons
Small magnet that holds the USB cover in place
3.I used my thumbnail to remove the screen and in the whole process left absolutely no scratches/dents on the case or screen. It wasnt too hard to do.
4.In the video, the maker talks about the screw thats under the usb door telling us to leave it in at first as it wouldn't come out, mine fell out straight away when i flipped the case so be careful! Don't lose it! Put it back in when you re-attach the screen.
5.I found taking out the top left part of the screen quite hard using my thumbnail, so i used a screwdriver to push out the metal ring under the usb door (the one in which the screw was in). It's kind of common sense when you see it.
6.I also found it a bit harder than described in the video to take out the metal battery cover after unscrewing 6 screws. Maybe i was being too careful but within two minutes i managed to find the right pressure point and it snapped out easily.
7.Be very careful unscrewing the screws. I almost messed it up on the top right out of the six that hold the metal cover. It was in very tight and i twisted the head a bit withought the actual screw moving and it started to look very bad. Solved it by using a larger T6 screwdriver. Others were fine with T5 just dont rush.
8.I didnt use a magnetic screwdriver and theres no need at all.
my second picture work done!
Nice work! Thanks for sharing
There is nothing wrong with my phone at all... but the white lumia is soooo nice....
Mega Maniac said:
There is nothing wrong with my phone at all... but the white lumia is soooo nice....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're right) i changed mine only because i wanted a cyan since a had a cyan N9. And i must say that i have made the right choice! I actually ended up with better build quality than i had on the N9 even though i did the lumia myself (the screen fits tighter, nothing squeaks etc.)
about the white, i havent yet seen a white housing for sale anywhere.. Perhaps its too early because i havent noticed any other coloured housing covers until recently..on ebay at least.. Anyway if someone finds one share the link!
I was looking at the same seller on eBay. Been searching for a white housing as well no luck yet.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
frankieboyo said:
I was looking at the same seller on eBay. Been searching for a white housing as well no luck yet.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
truth be told I was actually disappointed in how the white one looked when I saw it in phones4u yesterday. I think the white and the black are best suited for the minimalistic design of the n9. However I see cyan and magenta look cooler on the lumia even though before, I also thought the white would look awesome. That's just my opinion but I do advise you to go and check it out first
Mmm thanks might have a look first then.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Is there any way to buy a housing in the US? The only one on eBay seems shady as it's listed as for an 800 but there's no camera button on the side.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Origin...Cover-Faceplate-Nokia-Lumia-800-/280837607741
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
ShotSkydiver said:
Is there any way to buy a housing in the US? The only one on eBay seems shady as it's listed as for an 800 but there's no camera button on the side.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Origin...Cover-Faceplate-Nokia-Lumia-800-/280837607741
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That one definitely does not look OEM. Aside from the missing camera button, the flash is much closer to the lens few a few mm.
ShotSkydiver said:
Is there any way to buy a housing in the US? The only one on eBay seems shady as it's listed as for an 800 but there's no camera button on the side.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blue-Origin...Cover-Faceplate-Nokia-Lumia-800-/280837607741
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the camera button can only be seen (or could) on the right one, but thats the housing for N9 look at the flash placement(two golden squares). The one on the right is supposed to be lumia's because the flash is in the right place but yes it's too close. Looks like this seller doesn't know what he's doing.
I dont know anything about US parts sorry. Does Headlane not ship to US? Or would that be too expensive?
Nah, you can see enough of the left item to see it's missing the shutter button.
Rusty! said:
Nah, you can see enough of the left item to see it's missing the shutter button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
either way the flash is in a different place on those two so they cant be the same case. so i would definitely not get whats on this picture. The seller might be selling actual parts just not know much aout them)
aslan93 said:
either way the flash is in a different place on those two so they cant be the same case. so i would definitely not get whats on this picture. The seller might be selling actual parts just not know much aout them)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Judging by the photo, it doesn't look like an OEM N9 nor Lumia 800. The N9 has the flash to the side of the lens and the Lumia 800 has the flash several mm above the lens. This is a cheap knock off.
The one on the right has the flash on the side of the lens, the one on the left doesn't.
It's just a mish-mash of crap
ok guys like i said before, the one on the right is the one for the N9, i have one and i know.. it also looks very legit (for the n9) at least it looks the same watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSJtUbnM46E
esp (2:33)
The one on the left is... i dont know wtf that is.. but the seller doesnt know what he is doing so i wouldnt buy from him.
Agreed. Looks dodgy. Headlane have there own eBay site and stock all the housings. Just emailed them asking when to expect the white to be stocked ;-)
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Ok just got a reply very quickly. Might have the white in a few weeks . £60 not too bad.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
aslan93 said:
Well the camera button can only be seen (or could) on the right one, but thats the housing for N9 look at the flash placement(two golden squares). The one on the right is supposed to be lumia's because the flash is in the right place but yes it's too close. Looks like this seller doesn't know what he's doing.
I dont know anything about US parts sorry. Does Headlane not ship to US? Or would that be too expensive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funnily enough, a week ago when I found this auction the pictures of the housing were clearly a Lumia 900, with the flash on the side. The pictures changed to what they are now a few days ago so.... definitely shady.
Yeah, the problem with Headlane is they don't ship to the US at all. They don't even come up in the search on the US site.
ShotSkydiver said:
Funnily enough, a week ago when I found this auction the pictures of the housing were clearly a Lumia 900, with the flash on the side. The pictures changed to what they are now a few days ago so.... definitely shady.
Yeah, the problem with Headlane is they don't ship to the US at all. They don't even come up in the search on the US site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They may have been images of the N9 housing, which also has the flash on the side.
Hi!
Just got the Lumia 800 yesterday and I have to say so far, I'm totally blown away with the phone and the OS. For the past few years, i've regularly switched between iOS and Android and this phone and OS is like a breath of fresh, cool air!!
I do have a couple of minor questions though.
1) Is it possible to get the battery icon to display a percentage?
2) Is it possible to get some sort of visual notification of an email / text? Maybe the screen could come on for 10 seconds or something?
3) I bought a used phone but the blue cover that was supposed to be included was lost. I know they can be bought for £10 or so, are they worth having?
4) I live in an area where we have very poor 3g coverage. Is it worth turning 3G off or does it not make a difference to battery life?
Sorry for all the questions, I'm just eager to learn how to use the phone properly!
1) at the moment no because you need interop-unlock to install an app that display battery percentage.
2) notifications behaviour is not customizable w/o a full root access, dunno if it's that you can find some app in the marketplace searching for "live tile" "notifications" and search for something usefull.
3) this is my personal opinion but the silicon case is really in handy because the lumia 800 is not "scratch proof" as its big brother lumia 900, so I find it useful .
4) sure turning off 3G in poor reception area improve battery life - as with any other cellular devices.
Ok, thanks!
suzughia said:
3) this is my personal opinion but the silicon case is really in handy because the lumia 800 is not "scratch proof" as its big brother lumia 900, so I find it useful .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personal opinion, as you say, because I stopped using the cover. It completely ruines the the feeling when holding the device in your hand. It feels thicker, and the polycarbonate just feels more premium than the rubber. The only scratches I have so far, are on the camera plate on the back.
_Madmatt said:
Personal opinion, as you say, because I stopped using the cover. It completely ruines the the feeling when holding the device in your hand. It feels thicker, and the polycarbonate just feels more premium than the rubber. The only scratches I have so far, are on the camera plate on the back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly why I ditched the in-the-box case. With the phone in my pocket by itself, no scratches on the camera chrome yet.
1） 2） same as suzughia
3）i don;t think it;s worth,My phone become much more beautiful after I removed that cover
4)yes,even you you r in an excellent reception area ,turn off 3G saves a lot battery life
You need to install some notification app from marketplace which could show you information in live tiles.
Turning off 3g definitely will improve battery life.
Agree with going naked on the phone. I do stick a piece of clear tape onto the metal chrome at the back to protect it from scratches thou.
Didnt even stick a screen protector. But I got myself a small scratch on the screen.
I've previously read a thread stating that someone's Lumia 800 was making a distinct 'click' sound when opening/closing the camera app, or anything that uses the camera (could not find the thread). I can confirm that my ‘old’ Lumia 800 RM-801 (bought in February) do this, while my ‘new’ RM-819 (bought in July) doesn’t. There must be a hardware evolution that changed the behavior of the lens…
There are more differences I did notice in between those two units.
The micro-USB ‘door’ is tighter (harder to open) on the newer unit (might just be the wear on the old one).
Included rubber case is pretty hard to put on the device; the edges are rougher (molding traces are way more evident to the touch) and is more tight with the device.
Maybe Firmware related as well. I can't hear it anymore on my Rm-801 with the newest firmware. I remember it was there earlier though.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
Just upgraded to Lumia 900 (Cyan)
It's a unit out of Hong Kong, unlocked and shipped with Tango already installed - although when I connected to Zune it went through a fairly large Nokia firmware update.
So I noticed I had to change the keyboard right off the bat to English USA since the characters were originally all Asian.
Also, wouldn't log in using my hotmail ID. I had to change my Live ID to my same name @live.com and then it worked fine.
Nice upgrade..
1) Windows really pops on the larger format!
2) My Lumia 800 had a bluetooth fluke where it would disconnect every 30 seconds in idle; GONE
3) Pink camera spot - GONE (sort of) - in low level incandescent/halogen light, you see the spot in the viewfinder, but when you take the actual photo, the camera software completely erases it!
If any of you are interested, I'm letting my Lumia 800 go for real cheap on eBay. My name there is adamlamar101
I listed it at one cent; it's now up to a whopping $22 and something - so my Priority Mail is at least covered at this point.
Phone even with flukes was enjoyable. But had to sell confessing very heavy usage. Bought it as soon as the unlocked versions appeared last November and was my daily phone since. Suffered two drops on concrete when I was trying to take photos while doing other things - and was too vain to use the silicone skin! So corners chewed a little but screen completely untouched!
Anyway, this was a great community for me - got a lot of help here - thanks all very much!!!
Cheers,