If you cast your minds back a couple of weeks, you may remember my tentative pledge to take on the challenge of using a Windows Phone 8 device for an entire two weeks, in place of my beloved iPhone. This, on its own, is not much to shout about, but considering I had never previously acquainted myself with Windows Phone in any way, shape or form, I suspected my fortnight with the Nokia Lumia 820 would be one of trials and tribulations.

Back in the late 90s, Nokia was the first mainstream phone company to allow customers to snap out their default phone cases and snap their own cases on, creating a custom look: this was back with the Nokia 5110. Adapting to passing times (in quite a huge way, we must say), Nokia is now allowing customers (at least those with 3D printers lying around, or able to afford a one-off print-off) to print their own cases for the Lumia 820.

Windows Phone is Microsoft’s fledgling response to the overshadowing forces of iOS and Android in the smartphone industry, and having partnered up with Nokia to bring a very slick user experience on WP7.x, the two companies are a collaborative force once more, and at the forefront of the big Windows Phone 8 push.

You’ve seen the Samsung Galaxy S III; you’ve heard about the iPhone 5; but as of November 9th, a third flagship device will also be available to those on AT&T in the United States. I am of course talking about the Nokia Lumia 920, and with a new, Windows Phone 8 interface, a tweak on an already award-winning design and a camera already proven to outclass any other on the smartphone market, Steve Wozniak isn’t alone in his hype of the device.

Nokia’s Lumia range accounted for the only devices worth checking out on Windows Phone 7.x, so naturally, all eyes are on whether the Finnish company can deliver the goods for the yet-to-be-released Windows Phone 8 platform. The omens are good, and as well as packing the best tried-and-tested camera in the smartphone market in the Lumia 920, Nokia also offers a cheaper, mid-to-high-end smartphone in the Lumia 820, and both come in a slew of vibrant colors.

If you are growing tired of deciding whether or not to wait for the next-generation iPhone or grab one of the latest and greatest Android powered devices, then it might be the right time to extend your mindset and cast your net a little further afield. Microsoft has been attempting for quite some time to nurture and grow interest in their Windows Phone platform, and partnering with Nokia during the Mango stages indicated their intention to eventually make a mass assault on the smartphone market.