Microsoft has never prided itself on being the lusted after company of tech. Perhaps at one point in time, the company had far-off aspirations of being so, but the unfortunate reality is that there are far better-suited companies for that now. What Microsoft does offer the new technological frontier is the same thing they’ve been offering all along — real world functionality. With more recent campaigns, it seems hopeful that Microsoft is beginning to realize that their best asset in competition is their unsung users.
Meet business exec, tech blogger, and family man Eric Chan. Eric, the executive of the a research and development arm of a major automotive company, believe it or not, uses Microsoft products to ‘Do more’. Eric uses Outlook email, Sharepoint, Office, and Lync to keep in contact with his research team and he does it all from a Lumia 830.
Eric first became interested in tech back when he first attended Carnegie-Mellon University for a bachelor’s in business and a masters degree in software engineering. As he dipped his toes into the mobile space, his phone usage ranged from Motorola to Apple. “My first cell phone was a big brick of a device. It was the Zach Morris phone,” he confesses.
Now, when working at his office in Silicon Valley or traveling out of the country, he prefers to use his Microsoft’s Office Suite on his Lumia 830. “A lot of times, I’m not at my desk, and I’m not lugging my laptop. So it’s nice to know that my phone is always accessible,” he explains. With universal apps finally making their way to Windows Phone, Eric is sure to find his Lumia 830 even more of a necessity in the future.
Eric’s Lumia use case is not limited to just his office or airplanes. Eric uses his Lumia on his commute to and from work, where he’ll load up the Waze app as he navigates traffic. Eric also gets a kick out of the built-in Cortana integration. “Cortana has been very useful too. She reminds me when I should leave for my appointments because of traffic. And I use her to read some of the daily news for me.”
Some will be quick to note that the Windows Phone platform does lack in the app department. However, Eric doesn’t seem to mind; he still uses his Lumia 830 to help him with his social media presence and technology blog, Mobileslate.
Eric’s blog, Mobileslate was started back in 2005 on a dare from a college friend. Since then, he has taken to it rather impressively. Eric will post observations, reviews, and personal musing about the current state of tech and he finds that his Lumia is also an excellent go-to device for his social media reporting. With ongoing support for Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram, the Lumia 830 covers Eric’s needs fairly well.
The Lumia 830’s 10-megapixel and fine tuning capabilities has Eric obsessed with experimenting with the Lumia photography suite and posting to Instagram. “I really, really love the camera. My other device is lacking in quality and resolution,” he said.
“I’ve been following Windows Phone, the operating system, for a while,” Eric clarifies, “And every time I see a new device and a new version of the OS, I’ve been pretty impressed. My next project is to test of the Qi wireless charging feature of the Lumia 830.”
Some will still clamor for a flagship device or exhibit irrational bouts of #technolust for new devices. There are another group of people out in the world who just use a tool for what it is and how it also allows them to ‘Do more’.
Further reading: Instagram, Lumia, Microsoft, Office, SharePoint, Waze, Windows, Windows Phone
