Can we call October the Month of Metro, even if Microsoft isn’t keen on the idea? Hot on the heels of its Windows 8 invitation, the company is asking us to head out a second time to see a street-inspired OS, inviting us to Windows Phone 8’s formal launch on October 29th in San Francisco. The teaser doesn’t say much about what Microsoft will show, although there’s a real chance we’ll get firmer launch schedules — not to mention more opportunities with the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X than staring lovingly at their home screens. You can be sure that we’ll report back with the full details.
It has a breakthrough camera, wireless charging and a gorgeous screen. And it’s headed to AT&T–and only AT&T. When I heard the news that the Lumia 920, Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 device, was going to be exclusive to one carrier, I felt compelled to tweet the following. “I don’t think that’s good for Windows Phone adoption.” More »
AT&T just announced today that its bringing Nokia‘s flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920, to its network as an exclusive, as well as offering the Lumia 820. Sadly, no details on pricing or availability were mentioned in the press release, other than that the two devices will be hitting Ma Bell sometime this fall, just in time for the holiday season.
Nokia’s Lumia 920 is the company’s flagship device that runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8. It has a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 that touts a “super-sensitive touch” screen that allows for even glove-friendly use. The phone also packs in a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB of RAM.
However, the biggest feature of the Lumia 920 (and most controversial as of recently) is its camera. It’s capable of shooting full-HD 1080p video at 30fps and uses a new technology the company calls PureView. Nokia has seen its share of criticism lately for faking a demonstration of their new image stabilization technology in a commercial.
Nonetheless, if you’re wanting in on a Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920 might be the phone you’re looking for. Again, there’s no pricing or availability yet, but if rumors are true, we could see the new device hit AT&T stores on November 2. For more info on the Lumia 920, check out our hands on session, as well as the extended hands on with the PureView camera.
Surprise, surprise — well, not really. Nokia’sLumia 920 and 820 will be making a splash stateside on AT&T’s lineup with the former as an exclusive. Like most of the carrier’s otherannouncementsas of late, there’s no concrete ship date set for the devices outside of a November bow. As a refresher, the Lumia 920 is the undoubted Windows Phone 8 flagship here, bearing a 4.5-inch Pure Motion HD+ 1,280 x 768 display, 1.5GHz dual-core S4 CPU, 8-megapixel PureView camera with OIS and a 2,000mAH battery. While the line’s mid-ranger, the 820, reps the same chipset as it elder sibling, a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 ClearBlack OLED display and 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera. Both are set to launch with LTE radios in tow, with the 920 available in red, white, black, yellow and cyan and the 820 in a lone black hue. Stay tuned for official word on pricing and release. In the meantime, check out the PR below.
Nokia refreshed its web browser for the Asha line with the outing of the 308 and 309 last week and now it’s spreading the love to Lumia. Announced today via the company’s Beta Labs site, Nokia Xpress leverages the cloud to compress internet data up to 85 percent, help users keep tabs on their consumption habits and even reformats favorited sites into a magazine-like layout. The Windows Phone app also enables users to make “smart searches” for content across Bing and YouTube with a simple tap of a selected term, as well as translate the contents of a foreign language page easily from the settings menu. Unfortunately, the app isn’t yet available on the Marketplace, so for the time being, you’ll have to download it direct from the source below.
Those of you wanting to get in on the Windows Phone game with Nokia‘s next-generation smartphone lineup but don’t want to shell out the cash might be happy with what’s been leaked today – a Nokia Lumia 510. I emphasize “might”, especially since this device has been tipped as coming with Windows Phone 7.8, the version that was revealed with Windows Phone 8 with nearly – but not quite – the same features as the futuristic Microsoft mobile OS. This device has been spotted in a blurry photo and in hands-on video format.
What you’ll be working with here is a single-core 800Mhz processor from Qualcomm and shell that looks rather similar to the Nokia Lumia 710 [see our review here]. The big difference is in the physical buttons and the fact that this device does not appear to be working with a USA carrier at the moment – though there is an international version of the 710 too, for those of you wondering. This handset is more than likely set to be released in China first and foremost for those just jumping in on Windows Phone.
Please excuse the terrible quality of the video, but do note that the device does appear to pretty much be a legitimate model if not a final working device.
For everyone else, the specifications of this device might not impress fully – a 5 megapixel camera on the back, no front-facing camera, and a 4-inch LCD up front as well. This device will fit in your hand perfectly will and will likely come in a variety of case colors on the back. Look for this device to appear in your local China-based mobile carrier within the next couple months, more than likely. This device has been tipped to be costing aproximately $150 USD (converted) with a 2-year contract) and will be working with 4GB internal memory and 256 RAM.
Have a peek at the timeline below to get a handle on what else is coming from Nokia in the weeks ahead – it’s a Lumia festival. Along with the Nokia Lumia devices we saw in New York City what seems like yesterday, you’ll be getting Windows 8 compatibility with full Windows Phone 8 software integration. Nokia is one of Microsoft’s best buddies on this set of devices, so you’ll be getting the full Windows Phone 8 experience without a doubt!
Earlier in the day, we talked about how an unannounced smartphone from Nokia, the Lumia 510, was spotted in the wild, and here we are with word that there is a video of it available online. Unfortunately, by the time we wanted to view the video, we were faced with a message in YouTube that this video is meant for private viewing only. I guess all of these unofficial “confirmations” and sightings of the Nokia Lumia 510 can only mean one thing – the smartphone itself is well on its way to be released to the general market, and just to refresh your memory, the Nokia Lumia 510 has been speculated to feature a 4” display, carry 4GB of internal memory and 256MB RAM, with a price tag that will not break the bank. Just how much will it cost? GSMArena’s source speculated that even when unlocked, it will retail for a nigh affordable $150. It ought to be released to the mass market in time for the holiday season, which is not too far away considering how time seems to zip past us quickly these days.
After the launch of Apple’s iPhone 5, we knew it would only be a matter of time before sparks flew. We already saw Samsung’s advertisement about the Galaxy S III that bashes Apple’s latest offering, but now it’s Nokia‘s turn. The company released a video advertisement on YouTube that features the manufacturer’s Lumia 920 flagship phone and attacks the iPhone 5 at the same time.
The video is pretty subtle (and kind of weird, frankly) and doesn’t include any dialogue whatsoever, but it gives you a clear idea that Nokia simply thinks the iPhone 5 is boring. More specifically, the only difference between a boring phone and great phone is apparently the color of the device.
Nokia boasts that its lineup of vibrantly-colored Lumia devices is the one thing that separates them from Apple’s boring black and white iPhone 5 models. Apparently, having a selection of colors to choose from when picking out a smartphone is a huge deal to Nokia, and they think that it’s one of the biggest reasons that users will switch to the company’s Windows Phone 8-powered Lumia devices.
The video advertisement is part of Nokia’s “switch” campaign to sway users away from iOS and Android. In an odd way, the video reminds us of Apple’s famous “1984″ ad that was for the original Macintosh. It includes some of the same eeriness and subtle messages that were in Apple’s Macintosh ad.
Nokia has managed to sidestep ruin with its Lumia smartphones that are doing surprisingly well in a market that’s already saturated with iPhones, Android handsets, and Blackberries. They’ve successfully carved out a small niche with devices that genuinely have something new to offer in terms of UI and capabilities. So why has it pegged its new Apple attack ad on on something as mundane as color? More »
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