I created a .vcf file from my PC's Outlook 2010 then emailed myself the file. I opened the file on my Nokia Lumia 820 and I opened each entry within the .vcf file and then at the bottom of the screen it was just pressing the '+' and then '+' again to add the person to my phone and each individual entry was there...no need for a Hotmail account even though I have one.
Once all the entries were done (I had 47) I quickly created 2 'Groups' one for family and friends and the other for business, which is easy on Windows Phone. I then 'pinned' each group to the start screen and it works wonderfully. I don't see that this would not work on any Windows 8 phone regardless of manufacturer.
Note: My wife had an old Nokia 5320 and I bought her a Nokia Lumia 520, I sent her existing contacts from her old mobile to her new mobile using Bluetooth but it didn't work on my Lumia 820...strange.
Another note: What a calamitous decision by Microsoft to link contacts to Hotmail and restrict transfer etc. Those of us who predominantly use our phones in business do not want to have Hotmail accounts on our phones. I find Windows Phone 8 to be a great system but this badly thought up idea is a big negative point.