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Tag: Nokia Lumia

  • Nokia Announces the Lumia 1520, a Lumia Tablet, and More

    After months of rumors Nokia has officially unveiled its first six-inch Windows Phone 8 smartphone, the Lumia 1520. Along with the smartphone, Nokia also announced five other mobile devices, including a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet, the Lumia 2520.

    The Lumia 1520 is precisely what consumers might have expected – a high-end Lumia smartphone with a larger screen. The device comes with a full HD six-inch screen, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM. It also touts a 20MP rear camera, which is higher-end than most smartphones, excepting Nokia’s own Lumia 1020 that was just announced back in July. Nokia has priced the 1520 on the high end of the smartphone market, retailing for $749. The device is expected to launch sometime during the fourth quarter of this year.

    In addition to the 1520, Nokia announced another six-inch smartphone, the Lumia 1320. The 1320 is a lower-end version of the 1520, with an identical look but coming in different colors (orange, yellow, white, and black). It has only a 720p display and will retail for the relatively lower price of $339. According to Nokia the 1320 will launch sometime during the first quarter of 2014.

    The Lumia 2520 (the tablet) will be one of only tablets besides Microsoft’s Surface 2 to come running Windows RT 8.1. The device is Nokia’s first Windows tablet, sporting a 10.1-inch 1080p display. Running the software will be a 2.2GHz processor and the tablet also has a 6.1MP front-facing camera. Nokia will be launching the tablet with a variety of accessories, including a keyboard and a cover, sometime during the fourth quarter of 2013. The device will retail for $499.

    “Now more than ever, mobile devices are at the center of consumers’ lives as they look to capture, curate and share experiences on the go,” said Stephen Elop, former CEO and current EVP of Devices & Services at Nokia. “Today we’re inviting people around the world to switch to Nokia.

    (Image courtesy Nokia)

  • Nokia Lumia 1520 Rumored For October Release

    Back in July, Nokia followed in the steps of Android smartphone manufacturers by announcing the Lumia 625, a Windows Phone 8 smartphone with a 4.7-inch screen. Now, with Samsung marketing its 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 and other Android makers selling smartphones with screens over 6-inches, Nokia is rumored to be preparing its own “phablet” device.

    DigiTimes today is reporting that Nokia is set to release a 6-inch Windows Phone 8 smartphone sometime next month. The report’s unnamed “industry sources” are cited as saying the new Lumia 1520 will be announced during October. The device is also rumored to the first from Nokia to come running the latest version of Windows Phone 8.

    Oddly, the DigiTimes report also speculates that Nokia’s move toward larger smartphones will “accelerate” Apple’s transition to larger devices as well. Though the iPhone 5 and IPhone 5S have slightly larger screens than previous iPhone models, Apple has appeared reluctant to raise screen sizes significantly for its new iPhone models.

    It was recently announced that Microsoft will acquire Nokia’s hardware division for a bit over $7 billion. The deal ensures that Nokia’s current strategy of focusing on being the top player in the Windows Phone market will not be changing. It also brings Nokia CEO Stephen Elop back to Microsoft, where he once headed-up the business division. Elop is now a top contender to take the place of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who recently announced his impending retirement.

  • Nokia Lumia 1020 Smartphone With 41MP Camera Announced

    Nokia today announced what it is calling the “next chapter in smartphone photography,” the Nokia Lumia 1020. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced the device today at a Nokia event.

    The 1020, like its predecessors, is a Windows Phone 8 device. Also, Nokia is once again betting that smartphone consumers will value great cameras over access to This particular Lumia’s claim to fame is an impressive 41-Megapixel camera. Much of the smartphone’s announcement was spent demonstrating the camera’s capabilities, such as optical image stabilization, 3x zoom, 1080p video, and a “Nokia Pro Camera” mode.

    The smartphone’s hardware specs are only a bit improved over Nokia’s current flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920. The 1020 has a 4.5-inch screen with a 1280 x 768 resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 2GB of memory, a 2000mAh battery, and 32GB of internal storage.

    More than anything, the 1020 seems to be a 920 with a ridiculously nice camera for a smartphone. If nothing else, it may become a competitor device to Samsung’s Galaxy Camera. It does beg the question, though, of why Nokia is so focused on high-quality smartphone cameras. Consumers seem generally happy with the camera quality of Apple’s newer iPhones or high-end Android devices. Professionals will require something even more customizable and powerful than the 1020, meaning a real DSLR. A large enough in-between market almost certainly not exist to push Nokia (and Windows Phone) into real competition with Apple and Samsung. With this much clear, perhaps the camera technology being developed by Nokia says more about where the company is headed in the future than where it really expects the smartphone market to go.

  • Nokia Announces New Lumia Smartphones, New Feature Phones

    Nokia is to be commended for sparing everyone the groans a mini-tablet announcement would have caused. Instead of launching itself into that quickly-flooding category, the company decided to focus on what it is good at: budget-priced phones.

    At the Mobile World Congress event today, Nokia announced several new Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices, including the Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, as well as budget phones called the Nokia 105 and Nokia 301.

    The Lumia smartphones are similar in design to Nokia’s premium Windows Phone 8 devices, the Lumia 920 and the Lumia 822, but feature less expensive hardware. The Lumia 720, for example, features a 1GHZ processor and 512MB of memory, while the Lumia 520 has a smaller 4-inch display. The 720 will sell for €249 and the 520 will sell for €139. Both will be out in March.

    The really interesting portion of Nokia’s announcements was the reveal of very inexpensive feature phones the company hopes to push in developing nations such as China.

    The Nokia 105 will sell for just €15 and offers the bare minimum of features. It offers support for phone calls and SMS, and also features an FM radio, flashlight, and 35 days of standby battery power. The Nokia 301 is a small step up and offers a camera and more feature phone perks such as social media apps. It will retail for €65.

  • Windows Phone 8 Smartphones Launch Starting this Weekend

    Windows Phone 8 Smartphones Launch Starting this Weekend

    Microsoft’s big Windows Phone 8 event wrapped up today with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer taking the stage to announce all of the new Windows Phone 8 devices and when they will launch.

    “We wanted to build a phone that would be personal for each of us,” said Ballmer. To that end, he showed off a variety of Windows Phone 8 smartphones from HTC, Nokia, and Samsung.

    He began by showing off Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone 8 device, the Lumia 920. Ballmer was present at an announcement earlier this year when Nokia announced its new lineup of Lumia smartphones. The Samsung ATIV S came next, then the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

    Ballmer then announced that these phones, and others, will begin launching starting this weekend. In the U.S., three of the major wireless carriers will be carrying windows phone, with Sprint the major carrier that wasn’t mentioned at the event.

    On Verizon, customers will be offered the HTC Windows Phone 8x 16GB model for $199 and the Nokia Lumia 822 for $49. Those phones will be available “by Thanksgiving” and the Samsung ATIV Odyssey will be available through Verizon sometime in December.

    T-Mobile customers will also be offered the $149 HTC Windows Phone 8x 16GB model, as well as a $99 Nokia Lumia 810. Those phones will be offered starting November 14.

    AT&T customers will, perhaps, have the best options. That carrier get the Nokia Lumia 920 as an exclusive, and also offers the Lumia 820 and HTC Windows phone 8x. These phones will be available sometime in November.

    In addition to being sold through carriers, Microsoft Stores will carry every Windows Phone 8 smartphone available in the U.S., and all color options for these devices will be available through the online Microsoft Store.

  • Score One For Nokia: You Can Play Angry Birds With A Banana On A Lumia Smartphone

    Nokia’s Lumia 920 is coming out this November exclusively on AT&T. It has a number of features that sets it apart from the pack, but naysayers will tell you that these features don’t make much of a difference going up against the might of the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S III. Well, can you play Angry Birds with a banana on those phones?

    Nokia’s Facebook page touted the impressive touch screen on the company’s Lumia line of smartphones. They even claimed that one could play Angry Birds with a banana due to the extreme sensitivity of the screen. Such a feat would be pretty hard on other smartphones.

    Nokia1 day ago

    The Lumia’s screen is so sensitive that you can play Angry Birds with….a banana. True story. http://nokia.ly/VyPI7L

    Powered by socialditto  1,000+ likes ·  496 comments

    Who are we to doubt Nokia’s claims? The folks at Advices Media thought somebody might, and set out to find out if a banana could actually be used.

    As it turns out, a banana is a perfectly suitable replacement for your finger on the Lumia’s screen. I don’t know really know why you would want to play a game with a banana, but it’s something that the competitors don’t have just yet. Apple will surely announce banana controllers for the iPhone 6 in response.

  • Nokia Starts Ethics Review After Faked Ad

    Some of the momentum that Nokia gained following last week’s announcement of its new Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 smartphones was halted when it was revealed that an ad for its PureView camera technology was faked. The ad featured a “demonstration” of the PureView’s image stabilization technology. However, a reflection in a window gave away that the camera filming a girl on a bycicle was actually part of a full camera crew with high-quality video equipment.

    Nokia did issue an apology immediately after their ruse was discovered, and stated that the ad was only meant to “simulate” the image stabilization that would be possible with the Lumia 920’s camera. To be technical about it, Nokia only apologized for not putting a disclaimer on the ad, but the whole thing was a silly and unneeded screw-up. The company has since released a real demonstration of it’s PureView technology, which is impressive enough on its own.

    Today, Nokia told Boomberg Businessweek that it will have an ethics and compliance officer officer conduct an investigation and prepare an independent report on the incident. Sounds like some heads are going to roll at Nokia.

    It’s all a shame, really, since Nokia’s new smartphones look pretty slick and well-designed. The company should be able to market the phones on their own strengths. Nokia has now fully thrown in with Windows Phone 8, tying its future as a high-end smartphone manufacturer to Microsoft’s new tile-based OS ecosystem. According to Bloomberg, Nokia’s stock is down 45% since the beginning of this year.

  • New Lumia Phones Launching in November [RUMOR]

    With all the trouble companies are going through to cram their big product announcements into the week before Apple’s huge iPhone 5 press conference, you might think the companies also have plans to release their products in a similarly competitive time frame. Unfortunately for Windows Phone 8 fans, Nokia didn’t mention any release dates when it announced its slick new Lumia phones.

    Now, rumors have surfaced that the new Nokia smartphones are set for a November launch. Reuters is reporting that unnamed sources at European telecom operators tell them the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 will begin selling sometime in November. It also reports that the price will be comparable to Samsung’s best-selling smartphone, the Galaxy S III.

    The Verge is being even more specific with its launch date rumor. It cites “multiple sources familiar with Nokia’s plans” as saying the Lumia 920 will be launched on AT&T on November 2. It points out, however, that Microsoft and AT&T are in the process of testing the device, and any delays might push back its launch date.

    As Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Android smartphones have begun consolidating the smartphone market over the past two years, handset manufacturers such as Nokia and RIM have begun having difficulties competing. As a consequence, Nokia has repositioned itself as the manufacturer of high-end Windows Phone devices. The success of Nokia in the smartphone space now rests with Windows Phone 8. How things shake out this fall will be interesting, though probably predictable.

    (via BGR)

  • AOL’s Entrance Rolls Augmented Reality And Entertainment Into One Impressive Package

    AOL’s Entrance Rolls Augmented Reality And Entertainment Into One Impressive Package

    Microsoft and Nokia are holding a big event today to show off the future of the Windows Phone platform. We’re expecting to see some new hardware from Nokia’s impressive Lumia line. The mobile device manufacturer has also been busy on the software side of things lately. They recently announced Nokia Music, a free streaming service, but a new partnership with AOL has yielded an even more impressive app.

    Say hello to Entrance, AOL’s new, and rather impressive, app for Nokia Lumia handsets. The app was built as part of a partnership between AOL and Nokia that will see AOL’s stable of entertainment focused properties, like Moviefone and AOL Music, combined into a single app.

    At first glance, Entrance seems like any other entertainment hub app. That would be doing the app a disservice, however, as its augmented reality feature is a game changer. Holding up the Nokia Lumia will display all the theaters in your vicinity alongside a list of the films being shown at each location. It also lists when the next showtime for each movie is alongside the average price of a ticket. It’s by far one of the most impressive uses of augmented reality that I’ve seen.

    AOL Augmented Reality Entertainment App

    “Entrance by AOL leverages the depth of AOL’s content, whilst demonstrating the unique and
    differentiated experiences partners can bring to Nokia Lumia smartphones. With innovative
    features such as Augmented Reality, personalized and contextual Live Tiles and beautiful app
    design, enabled through the rich Windows Phone UI, we believe Nokia consumers will love this
    exclusive one stop shop for entertainment.” said Mark Fletcher, Director, Global Partnering &
    Application Development, Nokia.

    Entrance is only going to be available on the Nokia Lumia handsets, which are exclusively powered by Windows Phone. The partnership seems indicative of a larger partnership between AOL and Microsoft, but Sol Lipman, VP of Mobile First for AOL, told WebProNews that that is not the case. He says that that AOL is “exploring how to best leverage the Windows 8 platform and our content.” He also said that that Microsoft’s “distributions channels are of interest to AOL.”

    Besides the impressive augmented reality, Entrance is playing around with the idea of interlinked content. The app brings together movies, music and TV in a way that connects it all based on actors, news and even soundtracks. AOL uses the example of looking up a movie and then being able to listen to the soundtrack right there. Of course, users can also buy and download the soundtrack if they so wish.

    Combining augmented reality and interlinked content into a single app is already an impressive feat, but AOL has higher aspirations. Lipman told us that they intend to create “the ESPN for entertainment.” It’s a lofty goal as most consumers use multiple apps and sources for all their entertainment needs. Apple has come really close to being that with iTunes, but there’s nothing that covers the wide breadth of entertainment like ESPN does with sports. AOL might just be the first do that.

    AOL’s Entrance seems like it’s from the future, but it’s actually built with Windows Phone 7 in mind. Anybody who owns a Windows Phone that’s outfitted with Windows Phone 7.5 can download Entrance right now. AOL has built it to be forward compatible with Windows Phone 8, but I can imagine them adding some exclusive features to take advantage of all the new goodies in Windows Phone 8.

    I never thought I would see the day when Windows Phone gets a killer app, but AOL seems to have created that app. I expect Google and Apple to follow suit with their own similar apps in the near future. We’ll find out later today if Microsoft and Nokia can keep the momentum going in Windows Phone’s favor.