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Microsoft has finally added screenshot functionality to Windows Phone, with a shot of what’s currently on the display now able to be grabbed with a simultaneous press of the power and Windows buttons. An odd omission until Windows Phone 8, the tool also makes sharing screenshots with social networks straightforward.

Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore from the Windows Phone team demonstrated the technology on the new Lumia 920, snapping a picture of the homescreen complete with its four columns of icons. Then Belfiore shared the screenshot straight to Twitter:

Screenshots might not sound exciting, but they’re handy if you want to send a quick map image to someone, show them how a document or presentation shows on-screen, or if you’re reviewing devices or trying to discuss problems with technical support. It will be available across all Windows Phone 8 devices.

Windows Phone 8 (finally) gets screenshot support is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Nokia thinks you’ll like the wireless phone charging on your Lumia 920 or 820 enough to want to take it on the road, and to that end it’s striking a deal to bring the cable-free experience beyond the home. Both Virgin Atlantic’s lounge at Heathrow Airport and countertops at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the US will let you top up your Windows Phone without having to hunt for a power outlet. We’re still waiting on details like the timing, but we’re glad to know that we won’t have to lug around our FatBoy Recharge Pillows just to keep living in Nokia’s vision of the future.

Continue reading Nokia brings wireless charging to Virgin Atlantic lounges, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Nokia brings wireless charging to Virgin Atlantic lounges, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia has officially announced the Lumia 920, its flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone, complete with Carl Zeiss lenses and PureView camera technology. Inside, WP8 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 chipset, while there’s wireless charging to cut the nest of cables. According to Nokia, even though there’s only an 8.7-megapixel camera inside, it will still deliver the best photos of any smartphone.

The 920 may not have the same 41-megapixels of the 808 PureView, but it does bring a new sensor and lens technology. It can smooth out hand-shake by a so-called “floating lens” system, which works for both stills and video. The latter is recorded in up to 1080p HD.

As for the screen, that’s a Pure Motion HD+ 4.5-inch WXGA higher-than-720p HD panel, with a curved glass cover and clad in a polycarbonate chassis that will be available in yellow, red, white, grey, and black. There’ll also be exclusive Nokia apps, and Nokia Maps integration including offline support with voice turn-by-turn navigation.

Meanwhile, Nokia City Lens will also be built into the Lumia 920, an augmented reality system which will float suggestions for restaurants, entertainment, and other options, on top of a real-world view of the scene ahead. Nokia Maps will also get augmented reality, triggering automatically when you shift the phone from looking ahead to looking down at your feet.

Inside, there’s a 2,000 mAh battery, which Nokia insists is enough for a full “average” day, and which can be recharged using the new Fatboy charging pillow. The dualcore 1.5GHz S4 processor is tipped to be up to 30-percent more battery-efficient than quadcores.

Nokia hasn’t confirmed pricing for the Lumia 920, but has said it will be available pentaband LTE and HSPA+ variants later in 2012.

Nokia Lumia 920 official: PureView Windows Phone 8 flagship is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It was only this past spring that Nokia crashed onto the US smartphone scene to stake its claim and make inroads into consumers’ minds and hearts. Now, just five months later, the Finnish company’s poised to overtake the buzz of its fledgling, former Windows Phone flagship, with what many consider to be a true high-end contender: the Lumia 920.

As one of the first Windows Phone 8 devices to be officially announced, this device augments Espoo’s line with a larger, curved 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 2,000mAh battery, NFC, integrated wireless charging and an 8-megapixel rear PureView camera capable of 1080p video. The display packs WXGA (1,280 x 768) resolution, is 25 percent brighter than the next best panel on the market and it’s the fastest LCD that Nokia has ever shipped on a smartphone. What’s more, the screen also boasts what Nokia calls “Super Sensitive Touch,” which promises to let you use it even when wearing gloves or mitts.

As you can tell from its humpless back, this PureView is not that of the 41-megapixel variety — it’s merely all about the branding, as the moniker will now ring synonymous with “high-end cameras.” Despite that fall from 808 grace, Nokia’s Head of Imaging Damian Dinning has assured detractors the magic is in what’s done with the optics and pixels and not sheer gargantuan sampling size. To wit, the 920 employs a “floating lens,” which, in layman’s terms, translates into hardware image stabilization and also packs impressive low-light capabilities — an area the company’s seems squarely focused upon.

In a true return to form, the 920 also hearkens back to the Lumia that started it all, opting for the “sinuous tapering” that debuted on the 800 with glass edges that blend gently into the polycarbonate hull. Unfortunately, not all of that design language has made the transition, given its chassis now appears glossier and more polished, distancing itself from that premium matte finish. Still, as looks go, the handset’s keeping to its 900 origins, appearing nigh indistinct from its predecessor save for that attention-grabbing mellow yellow hue.And as a bonus, Nokia’s imbued the device with integrated wireless charging, based on the Qi standard, which corroborates those leaks we saw just last week. The Lumia 920 will arrive in pentaband LTE and HSPA+ variants and both are expected to ship “in selected markets” later this year.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 920 official: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 8MP PureView camera, Windows Phone 8

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Nokia Lumia 920 official: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 8MP PureView camera, Windows Phone 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 launch is less than an hour away, and SlashGear is in (a very wet) New York City to bring back all the details of the company’s new Lumias. According to the rumors, there’ll be three new Windows Phones on show today, including the new flagship, the 4.5-inch Lumia 920 PureView, which is tipped to be the first device running Microsoft’s OS to bear the photography-centric branding.

That’s already met with some push-back, however, what with other leaks tipped an 8-megapixel camera on the Lumia 920. Considering the only only other PureView device we’ve seen – the 808 PureView – delivers a whopping 41-megapixels and uses some fancy oversampling to create eye-pleasing stills, there were questions around whether Nokia could do something similarly impressive with a much lower resolution sensor.

Don’t worry, though, says Nokia photography chief Damien Dinning, there’s still plenty of PureView magic to be done. The Lumia 920 is expected to be accompanied by the Lumia 820, both of which are tipped to have wireless charging.

Meanwhile, there are the inevitable outliers rumored, including chatter earlier today of a Windows 8/RT tablet that could gatecrash the event and help Nokia expand into a different segment. The company sorely needs to broaden its ecosystem from beyond just phones, especially given the array of Windows models shown off by rivals at IFA last week.

The minutes are counting down, and we’ll have all of the news as it’s announced, so keep it glued to SlashGear!

Nokia Windows Phone 8 launch: We’re here! is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.