Since the moment the iPhone 3 was launched, I became an "Apple" man through and through.  I would never even consider transferring away to a different brand.  Apple do have the best marketing team after all...

However, working with a number of clients with large mobile fleets, it is not always cost effective to provide 100+ iPhones on a contract, and let's face it, how many businesses would be prepared to swallow the cost?

So for the last couple of years, I have been recommending the Lumia range to my clients. They have great features and a range of phones that suit all levels of user.  

Then a couple of months ago, I dropped my iPhone and smashed the screen.  While I was awaiting to renew my contract and upgrade to the latest iPhone, I got hold of a 1320 Lumia (or huge tablet as my children tell me).  Once I got over the size of the device (which I have since come to love), I started using all the features that I have been promoting for the last few years and now, I can honestly say, I will likely never move away from a Lumia!!!

So why is the 650 Lumia so exciting?  For me, it is a great handset that you can give to literally anyone.  A colleague of mine recently bought a Lumia device for an elderly relative in replacement of their old, basic Nokia that they have had since pre the invention of colour screens (if you can remember back that far).  It is always a risk introducing new technology, but they absolutely love it and find it very simple to use. WIN!!  Ease of use has to be a key point when deciding on your mobile fleet, not all users will embrace new technology, so if you can provide a device that is simple and easy to use, you are saving yourself hours of training and complaints.

This simple and easy to use device is also incredibly feature-rich. The main one being that it runs Windows 10 and easily integrates with all Microsoft services that you use everyday in business.

As a business, we are fond users of all Microsoft applications: notably Outlook, the entire office suite, Yammer, Onenote etc etc.  With the Lumia range, all of this integration is at your fingertips, on the go, wherever you are.  The best way to describe how this works is with a scenario I faced the other day:

I was returning from a client meeting and sat on a train platform waiting for a very delayed train (I am sure a few of you will have been in this situation).  Usually, this would be a frustrating time; knowing that I would never get those hours of my working life back and that they would likely just be added on to my day, after office hours.  But not this time - I had my trusty fablet with me.  

I managed to catch up with my emails, schedule my meetings in the shared Outlook calendar for the following week, update my meeting notes in OneNote and even write an article in Yammer for the rest of the company to see (it was about how great my Lumia is).  Before long, I was on the move and returned to the office without a stack of emails and messages. What a productive train delay.

So, why is the 650 Lumia so significant? You are buying a device that literally anyone can use, that creates a remote working environment to link in with your Microsoft Office Applications, along with all the features that you could possibly want, all for less than £150.00.