Nokia is holding a special event at CES 2012, where it's expected to unveil the Nokia Ace, or Lumia 900. The phone should ship with 4G LTE when it arrives on AT&T, and may be accompanied by other surprises. Check our live coverage page for in-person details as they emerge from the Las Vegas show.
AT&T at its Developer Summit has just confirmed the first-ever LTE-equipped Windows Phones. HTC's Titan II adds the much faster 4G speeds as well as a virtually record-setting 16-megapixel camera. The resolution is twice as much as on the original Titan and only has peers in just-launched Japanese phones.
AT&T is starting its Developer Summit in Las Vegas. The event, which started at 12PM Eastern, is expected to talk about both consumers and developers. A Nokia developer track and a hotspot at the event have already confirmed that the Nokia Ace, or Lumia 900, is at least at the event and may be unveiled there. Check our live coverage page for news as it happens.
Two anonymous sources have spoken to a pair of outlets that may have confirmed the Nokia Ace, also known as the Lumia 900, coming to AT&T. Both Bloomberg and the New York Times received very similar information, possibly from the same contacts, that the flagship Windows Phone would be launched on AT&T at CES next week. The former trade publication supported beliefs that it would carry 4G LTE and understood that AT&T was aiming for $249 on a contract.
Nokia's Lumia 900, possibly called the Ace on AT&T, should be followed up by the first phones based on the Tango update in the spring, if a rumor late Thursday is accurate. Taiwanese contract manufacturers reportedly told Digitimes that they would be making Nokia's "entry-level" smartphones, which need Tango to work, in the second quarter. The Lumia 900's production was being brought into Nokia itself for unknown reasons, even after the Lumia 800 and 710 had been made by Compal.
Plans between AT&T, Microsoft, and Nokia, to heavily market the Nokia Ace are just the start, Windows-focused writer Paul Thurrott claimed after tapping sources. Key to the strategy would be to pay store staff to recommend Windows Phones, giving them between $10 to $15 per phone depending on the quantity they move. Store workers have so far preferred Android and iPhones and usually turn to Windows Phone only if the customer insists on it.
The Nokia Ace will get top-tier treatment when it arrives on AT&T in March, according to rumors on Tuesday. AT&T would give the phone hero-level treatment, BetaNews heard, both advertising and pushing it at every level. The carrier is considered the main partner for Windows Phone, but until now purportedly wasn't giving Microsoft's OS full attention.
The Nokia Ace has had some of its few remaining details hashed out in a leak Tuesday. Now known by PocketNow to be one and the same as the Lumia 900, the AT&T version of the Windows Phone as mocked up would largely be an upsized version of the Lumia 800 with LTE for 4G. It's believed to have 1,700MHz 3G support that could let it run on T-Mobile 3G for those who buy unlocked.
Samsung in a prelude to CES upgraded its most important budget smartphone. The Galaxy Ace Plus keeps the 320x480 resolution but bumps up from a 3.5-inch to a 3.65-inch screen. A faster 1GHz processor (up from 800MHz) and an extra 1GB of internal storage, for 3GB total, keep it fresh relative to others in its class.
The Nokia Ace looks to have been seen for the first time after an inadvertent leak from a Microsoft partner. An animation from a "#1 group" intercepted by PocketNow shows a device clearly different than the Lumia 800, with a front-facing camera and a very different speaker grille. The presences of both the AT&T badge and a "4G" status market leave no doubt that it's headed directly to the US carrier.
Quickly coming on the heels of the HTC Radiant and Samsung Mandel leaks, a second potential scoop may have filled in considerably more detail with US launch plans. Windows-focused writer Paul Thurott understood that the Mendel and Radiant would be joined by the Nokia Ace, likely the Lumia 900, on AT&T. All three would have LTE-based 4G and ship before mid-2012, with an introduction at the AT&T and Nokia events at CES.
Ace Computers will add two new models to its LMS range of HTPCs, unveiling them at the CES show next week, both under the LMS 250 designation. Both will include CableCARD support, allowing users to view and record encrypted digital TV programming. The key factor is that Ace will price the PCs starting at just under $1,000, or about $500 less than competing models with the same CableCARD support.
iGiki has released its Ultra Games Bundle II for Apple's iPod touch and iPhone. The compilation for Apple gadgets includes more than 40 games, software to create custom games, and widgets as well as various extras. Users can create custom iPod touch and iPhone games without writing a single line of code, according to iGiki, while widgets offer games like Block and FaceOff modified for use with multi-touch displays. iGiki Games Bundle II is priced at $35.
Both AT&T and Sprint are set to receive unique 3G phones from Samsung in the near future, according to a pair of leaks. The Access for AT&T (pictured) would adopt a candybar shape reminiscent of the UpStage but drop the dual-sided design in favor of a larger screen and directional pad. It will have only a 1.3-megapixel camera but will also support HSPA broadband for AT&T's streaming music and video services. Other specifications are uncertain but are likely to include Bluetooth and a microSD slot for storage. Its release date is uncertain but anticipated for the near future.
