Bloomberg is reporting that Nokia will announce its new range of Windows Phone 8-powered devices at the start of September—with the intention of shipping them in time for the holidays. More »
Nokia’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphones could be revealed as early as September, sources claim, as the Finnish company attempts to beat Apple to the next-gen handset unveil. One or more new phones running Microsoft’s latest smartphone OS are set to be announced next month, Bloomberg‘s insider says, though availability is only pegged as in time for the holiday shopping season. In contrast, while Apple isn’t expected to confirm the iPhone 5 until midway through September, the company is likely to have the much-anticipated handset up for grabs within a month of that.
Nokia itself has declined to comment on the rumors, though the company has already confirmed it will be holding at least one event in early September. Rather than the sizable Nokia World of previous years, for 2012 the company plans a series of smaller, “more intimate” events more akin to SXSW in tone.
The first of those to be publicly announced is for carrier and channel partners, and will be held in the first week of September in Finland. The expectation, though, is that a similarly-timed launch for press is also on the cards.
Exactly what the new Nokia devices will look like is unclear, but the company will probably stick to its polycarbonate unibody style – as on the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 – for at least some of the models. A new flagship is also more than likely, pre-emptively challenging the new iPhone and other high-spec Android devices, while it’s possible that Nokia could use some of the advanced camera technology from the 808 PureView for a photo-centric model.
That’s something Nokia has been whispering about for some time now, though the eventual production model is unlikely to pack the same 41-megapixel sensor as in the Symbian-based 808. Instead, Nokia is expected to balance bulk with camera abilities, with a more conservative sensor that still punches above its weight for cameraphone photography.
Nokia Windows Phone 8 reveal in early September tips insider is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Bloomberg is reporting that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Nokia will bust out its Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World 2012. The shows, which kick off September 5th, will tour various locations to drum up trade for the new kit. The news agency is also reporting that any revamped Lumia phones will be ready to purchase for the Holiday buying season — hopefully dropping close to the October 26th release date for Redmond’s newest OS. Unfortunately, Nokia isn’t giving anything away, saying that it “never comments on rumor or speculation,” but at least we don’t have long to wait.
Filed under: Cellphones
Bloomberg: Nokia will announce Windows Phone 8 handsets at Nokia World next month originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
I’ve sung praises about it for years, but it seems like only now the industry is getting on the same train of thought. It could be my unnatural adoration of travel, or just an entirely healthy fear of getting lost, but offline navigation has long since been a top priority for me when choosing a mobile device. Or, more importantly, a mobile operating system. For the longest while, iOS forced my hand to Android due to Google Maps Navigation being available only on the latter, and while even that wasn’t offline, it still far surpassed any other routing app in terms of system integration, map updates and general silkiness.
Even dating back to our 2010 mobile GPS shootout, Nokia has been a player. At that time, it was the outfit’s Ovi Maps leading the pack, offering the only legitimate offline solution amongst a legion of ho-hum alternatives that required bits of data to keep you on track. But frankly, there wasn’t a Symbian device in Nokia’s stable that could show up my Nexus One in terms of overall utility, so begrudgingly, I pushed it aside. Eventually, Google came around and added caching to routes, which effectively downloaded all routing guidance along your path as soon as you plugged in a destination. The killer, however, was that it wouldn’t take too kindly to veering far from that path should you ever drop signal. Close, but no cigar.
Fast forward to today, and we’ve got Google Maps already working in offline mode for Android 2.2+ devices. Furthermore, the company’s Brian McClendon confessed to us at its June 2012 ‘Maps’ event that it’s “committed” to bringing all of the app’s features to iOS (and potentially other platforms). But in my haste to find something in the here and now, I recently turned to the Lumia 900 for guidance. Literally. Back in late March, the Lumia-exclusive Nokia Drive application gained full offline access, and I sought to use the handset exclusively to navigate a 1,900-mile trek through some of America’s most remote locales. How’d it go? Join us after the break to find out.
Gallery: Nokia Drive navigation on Lumia 900
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software
Nokia Drive offline navigation review: taking the Lumia 900 for an off-the-grid spin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you thought the Apple and Samsung legal tussles weren’t getting interesting enough, another filing has revealed that the father of all smartphones Galaxy has at least two Windows Phone 8 devices in the pipeline. According to the filing that’s been unearthed by The Verge, both are running on a dual-core 1.5Ghz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset — which is currently Samsung’s chip of choice for LTE regions. The Odyssey looks set to be Samsung’s high-end Windows Phone, with a 4.65-inch high-definition Super AMOLED display and NFC ready for Microsoft’s own mobile payment plans. Meanwhile, the Marco will apparently forego the near-field delights and house a humbler 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen, for a presumably gentler price. According to the legal documents, both devices are gearing up to launch in Q4 of this year — after we’ve seen Windows Phone 8 in its entirety.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung spills details on Odyssey and Marco Windows Phone 8 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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I am rather surprised to hear that Windows Phone 8 is certainly taking its own sweet time to make headway in new markets, with one of the main stumbling blocks being Windows Phone 8′s relatively poor language support. What you see on the right would be Arabic in Windows Phone 8, where there is the presence of the app list which comes from the left instead of the right. It might seem rather disorienting to some of us at first glance, but when you consider the nature of the Arabic language, it makes perfect sense. After all, Arabic reads from right to left, and hence the same format applies to options and icon indicators amongst others. Hopefully Arabic for Windows Phone 8 will be polished and ready to roll out sooner rather than later.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows Phone 8 SDK shows off upcoming features, Nokia to announce Windows Phone 8 devices at Nokia World?,
The Windows Phone 8 SDK has escaped to the wild, and some sifting through the device emulator has dug up elements that Microsoft either skipped or only touched on lightly during the big unveiling in June. The most important addition may be the one customers see the least: backup. A WP7.hu search has the new OS replicating apps, settings and SMS messages in the cloud to prevent disaster, and that new SD card support will let WP8 owners shuffle photos from internal storage to the removable kind for safekeeping. There’s also more work on Internet Explorer than we saw before, with MobileTechWorld noticing that DataSense provides an option for Opera-like remote compression to save that precious cellular bandwidth.
Media fans might have the most to gain. If we go by The Verge, both the Music/Video and Xbox hubs are getting fresh coats of paint — both to integrate new ventures like Xbox Music as well as to jive more closely with the SmartGlass visual theme. Shutterbugs will like the long-awaited options to crop and rotate their work, pick multiple photos, and unify third-party camera apps under a Lenses concept. There’s even more clever features in store, such as a Maps update that finds nearby WiFi hotspots, so head on over to the sources to get a full sense of where Microsoft will be going.
Filed under: Cellphones
Windows Phone 8 SDK leaks show quiet upgrades to backup, media and the kitchen sink originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Keen to know more about what’s coming in Windows Phone 8? Well, the recently leaked preview Software Development Kit (SDK) for Windows 8 has got some of the answers. According to reports online, apps on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 are allowed to share a significant amount of code which should make porting apps between the two operating systems much easier. Direct3D support is also said to be arriving on Windows Phone, so we should see some games using DirectX and sharing code with PC titles.
(more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Windows Phone 8 goes RTM in September and Devices will come in November, Windows Phone 8 devices to be available later this year?,
This morning we’ve got mishaps, leaks, breaks, and hacks galore – it’s not like we planned it that way, it’s just that there’s so much happening it’s nuts! Have a peek first at an item that does not fit into one of those categories: the Huawei MediaPad 7 Lite made for taking on the Nexus 7 directly. Then it’s off to the races: Nokia and Android NFC exploits detailed at the massive hacker and developer convention known as Black Hat. Nokia’s Meltemi cancelled entirely. Zynga posting a gigantic $23 million dollar loss. Microsoft having its Windows Phone 8 SDK leak out early. And that’s not all!
Apple’s Power Nap is up for the MacBook Air but isn’t quite prepared for the Retina MacBook Pro. The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S III has had a local search break in its newest update to software. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 will be available on August 3rd for $99.99 for all your voice dictation needs.
Analysts are saying that the Samsung Galaxy S III is a big part of the reason that the sales for Samsung phones trounced Apple twice over in the second quarter of this year. Google Talk is down. There’s an alien solar system out there that’s not all that unlike our own.
Nokia may well be revealing several Windows Phone 8 devices on the 5th of September. Windows 8 will have simplified printing according to Microsoft. The second quarter of this year once again had the iPad taking most of the tablet cake. That rumor you saw with the $1000 Microsoft Surface Tablet was not real – not entirely real, anyway.
You can check out the Razer BlackWidow 2013 edition gaming keyboard right this minute. Also the Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse has been revealed in just about as strange a configuration as you can imagine.
SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up: July 26, 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Windows Phone 8 isn’t due to launch until the Fall, but it looks like the full SDK has leaked out of China. The 1.35GB download was served up on Chinese forums WPXAP, and includes a whole host of files that will enable developers to get up to speed with the latest version of Windows Phone. Users are still scrambling to download the SDK, although the file is also reportedly available on Microsoft’s own servers, provided you have the necessary login details to get at it.
The brunt of the download is the WPExpress.zip file, containing the SDK. Other files include PDF guides for network monitoring, battery optimization for applications, and a dashboard simulation for apps. Interestingly, a file called “Windows Phone Apollo Release Notes.htm” is also included in the package, which may reveal some more details about Windows Phone 8 that Microsoft hasn’t announced yet.
Developers will probably be the most interested parties trying to get their hands on the download, although it’s not exactly easy. Users have to download a third-party Chinese application due to the size of the file. Even when you do have the SDK, it reportedly only runs on the WIndows 8 preview edition, and Microsoft may restrict the SDK to just Windows 8 when it is officialyl released. If your interested has been perked, hit up the source link for the full details.
[via WPCentral]
Windows Phone 8 SDK leaks out is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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