Hasta La Gadget!

If you were pretty impressed by what Nokia managed to do with Windows Phone 8 with the recent release of their Lumia smartphones, then you might want to cozy up to T-Mobile, as the mobile carrier in the US has just announced that they will be making available a variant of the Lumia 820 – calling it the Nokia Lumia 810 instead, sporting T-Mobile livery, no less. It does beg the question, how come there does not seem to be any variants of the higher end Nokia Lumia 920 instead? Having said that, let us take a closer look at what the Nokia Lumia 810 brings to the table.

The Nokia Lumia 810 is definitely a thing of beauty, there are no two ways about it for sure. It sports a minimalistic design and industry-leading navigation services, and will come packed with a sharp and gorgeous 4.3-inch OLED screen which boasts of a ClearBlack display. What is ClearBlack all about? Translated to English, it means that your colors will come in an eye-popping array, while blacks remain just as that – deep and dark. It also makes perfect sense if you are a fashionista and want to get the most out of the Lumia 810, as it comes with interchangeable charging shells which will arrive in black and, allowing you to juice up your device without having to mess around with the tangled web of modern day man known as wires.

Not only that, the Lumia 810 comes with an 8-megapixel camera that is accompanied by a Carl Zeiss lens. Should you want to perform video calls, fret not, as the Nokia Lumia 810 alone comes with a front-facing camera which enables you to hold video chats in crystal clear HD resolution. Of course, the smoothness of the video call depends on your network, so don’t blame the Lumia 810 for choppy video!

Preloaded software include Nokia Music, where you are able to enjoy free music that is streamed from a collection of more than 17 million tracks, meaning even the most picky person will still be able to find something that he or she likes. There is no word on pricing as at press time, but we will just wait for the end of the month, hoping that T-Mobile would have more concrete information by then.

Press Release
[ T-Mobile announces Nokia Lumia 810 in the US copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Yesterday’s lab installment gave us an opportunity to pit the Lumia 920 against competing smartphones in a low-light capture scenario, but Nokia’s standard battery of tests is used to evaluate and improve far more than stills shooting. Several stops throughout the day brought us to a foam-filled sound chamber tasked with analyzing call quality in a variety of environments, a room with industrial freezers and ovens used to push the limits of operability, and a rig that can shoot with interchangeable sensors and apply image quality algorithms in real-time, without a handset in sight. Unfortunately, due to proprietary technologies and processes, we weren’t permitted to photograph these first facilities, though we did manage to snap away at two other stations — a platform that shifted up and down at adjustable speeds to test the Lumia 920’s optical image stabilization, and a machine that drops smartphones against a block of concrete, used to simulate that all-too-frequent occurrence of handsets plunging towards pavement.

We’ve seen plenty examples of the 920’s OIS capabilities this week, so we won’t go into much more detail on that front, but specialized (and pricey) equipment enables engineers to introduce consistent processes — this machine simulated hand shake at different speeds, and even with exaggerated movement, the benefits were clear. A separate building contained the drop test contraption, which releases devices from an adjustable height, letting them land directly on a block of polished concrete. We tested both the 808 PureView and a Samsung Galaxy S III in this manner (with roughly 100 Lumia prototypes currently available, Nokia wasn’t quite willing to risk sending one to its death). Both smartphones remained in perfect working order following the drop, so it’s likely that they’ll be able to handle a similar fall during regular use as well (company reps offered to test our iPhone 5, but we declined handing it over). That wraps up our week at Nokia’s facilities in Finland — there will be plenty more to explore once we have a Lumia sample in hand, but you’ll find the OIS test and concrete plunge videos ready right now, posted just after the break.

Continue reading From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 packs the industry’s best image stabilization — there’s no questioning that — thanks to a camera module that pairs both sensor and lens-based optical IS. The iPhone 5 also offers a notable improvement over its Apple-made predecessor on the video front, but considering that its stabilization is of the digital variety, we wouldn’t expect it to top Nokia’s new flagship. We had an opportunity to test both smartphones in a head-to-head demo at Nokia’s research and development facility in Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of the company’s Espoo headquarters. In fact, we’re told that this is the very first such comparison shoot in the world, considering that the iPhone made it to market just last week and the only opportunity to shoot with a Lumia 920 is currently in the European country where the device was born.

As expected, the Nokia phone was able to capture far smoother video than what we snapped with the iPhone, with both devices secured side-by-side in a homemade foam holster. Unlike our handheld interview shoot earlier today, we pushed the limits a bit further this time, running through Nokia’s parking lot and turning every which way as well. It’s important to note that the Lumia 920 we used was a prototype, but its performance was still quite solid. You’ll find the side-by-side video just past the break — the Lumia 920 is on the left, with the iPhone clip on the right.

Continue reading iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s time to open the book! We’re live from Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland, with Stephen Elop. The smartphone maker’s CEO has set aside 30 minutes to answer your questions about anything and everything Nokia. If you haven’t already submitted your questions, it’s not too late! Head over to Twitter and give us a shout @EngadgetLive — we’ll be pulling our questions directly from there, along with the comments section of yesterday’s post. Unfortunately we won’t be able to get to everyone, but we will be setting aside the second half of the session to respond to your follow-ups, so keep an eye on the Q&A and fire off your queries. Click the image above to get started — this page will go live just before the clock strikes 4AM ET.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Engadget Live: ‘Ask me anything’ Q&A with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may have since forgotten, but today was the original kick-off day for Nokia World 2012. With the big show canceled and the devices already launched, we instead opted to drop by the smartphone maker’s headquarters just outside Helsinki. We’re spending three days here in Finland, meeting with executives to get an inside look at the company’s next-generation smartphone lineup. Our first face-to-face is with Nokia’s chief executive himself, Stephen Elop, who has generously offered up 30 minutes to answer your questions. Because of the time constraints, we won’t be able to accommodate every request, but we’ll certainly do our best.

There are two ways to submit your questions: leave a comment below, or you can send us a tweet @EngadgetLive — once the session begins, we’ll only be able to accept messages through Twitter, and you’re welcome to ask questions before we start and as a follow-up to Stephen’s responses, as well. In order to accommodate the largest possible audience, we’ll be using our liveblog tool to post both questions and answers, so bookmark this page and hop on over there at 4AM Eastern tomorrow. As always, you’ll also find the local time just below. Now about those questions…

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Engadget Live: Join us at 4AM ET for an ‘ask me anything’ Q&A with Nokia CEO Stephen Elop! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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