Image: Nokia

A Nokia Lumia 2520 eval unit arrived the day before Thanksgiving and two days later I am venturing out to purchase my own Lumia 2520 while my 3rd generation LTE iPad goes up for sale.

A couple weeks ago I bought an Apple iPad Air after Kevin convinced me to go look at one on MobileTechRoundup show #309 . It wasn't enough of an upgrade over my existing 3rd generation to justify the $900 (I bought a $829 64GB model with tax) and I returned it two days later.

To be honest, I am a bit surprised there isn't more support for the Nokia Lumia 2520 when it is priced $230 less than the comparable iPad. There is even more value when you add in a microSD card for a third of what Apple charges to increase storage capacity. Nokia has a keyboard offer until this weekend too so that is another $149 savings, making the Lumia 2520 a great deal at $500 with no contract.

I listed the things I do with my iPad and the apps that I use regularly. My primary usage is watching different forms of media (Netflix, ABC Player, Hulu Plus) and using it to write articles for ZDNet while I commute on the train. I am more of a phone guy and use my smartphones for all the apps and other daily tasks.

Listed by side-by-side with the Lumia 2520, I am able to access all the same media sources and enjoy a rich writing experience with either Word or a text editor. Nokia also provides their HERE maps for offline navigation so just looking at the apps I use and experiences I look for in a tablet, the Nokia Lumia 2520 matches my iPad usage.

The original Surface Pro is still in my collection and serves the role as my primary home computer. The LTE in the Nokia Lumia 2520 is a key factor in my purchase decision and when Microsoft includes that in its Surface products, likely in 2014, then it will be a tougher choice between the Surface and Lumia 2520.

A full review of the Nokia Lumia 2520 will be posted next week, but in the meantime I am loving the display, enjoying media playing from the loud front facing stereo speakers, finding all the apps I need in Windows 8.1, having fun customizing the Start screen and Live Tiles, enjoying the durable feel of the plastic and Gorilla Glass (I've tended to set it down without worrying so much about scratching it like I do with my iPad), and absolutely finding use for the split screen functionality that is looking to improve my functionality and efficiency.

I personally enjoy the Windows 8.1 experience, especially on a touchscreen device. I don't yet have the keyboard accessory and can't wait to give that a try. In the meantime, the tablet experience is working out just fine and I might give my universal Bluetooth keyboard a try soon.

Given the large cost savings of at least $230, really about $300 when you add in a 32GB microSD and compare directly to the 64GB LTE iPad Air, and the free $149 keyboard/battery offer it is an easy decision to switch to the Lumia 2520 given my usage needs. My only decision now is whether I purchase a Verizon or AT&T model. I'm definitely going for the matte black model as I like that better than the glossy red fingerprint magnet I tried out for a bit a couple weeks ago.

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