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In a stylish new promo video (below), Nokia has chosen to show the photo and video capturing prowess of its 41-megapixel 808 PureView smartphone. Instead of simply recording the phone at work, the video itself was shot entirely using the 808, taking advantage of its 41-megapixel resolution to zoom in and out of scenes without losing detail.
Nokia are today rolling out its previously announced Belle Feature Pack 1 firmware for the Nokia 701, 700 and 603. Over the air updates now available include a processor boost from 1GHz to 1.3GHz, a version 8.2 web browser, and new widgets, amongst other improvements.
Nokia has put up its 808 PureView smartphone up for pre-order on its Italian website. The phone is most notable for its 41-megapixel camera and that it still runs the Nokia Belle (Symbian) OS instead of Windows Phone. Nokia is expected to begin shipping the phone SIM free (unlocked), priced at €599 ($785 USD) in May.
Nokia's Smart Devices Executive VP Jo Harlow in commentary this weekend gave hints that the 808 PureView's extreme camera technology would come to Windows Phone devices soon. Echoing some sentiments from the end of the live event at Mobile World Congress, she told Aamulehti that it would "not take very long." She couldn't divulge when, although it's possible that Apollo (Windows Phone 8) in late 2012 may be an opportunity.
Nokia has provided many more details of Belle Feature Pack 1, which will arrive on some of its new smartphones starting this spring. The first to get it when it arrives is the 808 PureView. While the focus will be on boosting the entertainment experience for users, Nokia in a surprise step said it would boost the processor speed of the Nokia 700 and 701 by a full 30 percent with the update, from a 1GHz clock to 1.3GHz.
Nokia might be winding down Symbian, but it has given the old platform one big last hurrah in the 808 PureView. The design centers on a seemingly reality-defying 41-megapixel camera. We got to try that sensor, and the phone, and you can read-on for some first-hand experiences.
Nokia is holding a special event at Mobile World Congress that's expected to be device-focused. The lineup could include an international version of the Lumia 900 as well as a low-cost Lumia 910 and possibly new Asha messaging phones. Check out our live coverage page for updates as they appear from the Fira de Barcelona.
Nokia and Microsoft this week released the first batch of productivity apps for the former's handsets running on Nokia Belle phones. Called Microsoft Apps, the free productivity suite includes four programs usually only found on Microsoft's own platforms. A common thread with multiple smartphone OS bases is OneNote, which lets users create documents containing text and images.
Nokia has just detailed its new Nokia Public Transport app (free, Ovi Store), for its Belle-powered smartphones. It offers bus, train, underground and suburban train schedules for nearly 80 cities and urban areas around the world. Users can also bookmark often-visited locations such as their home or work.
Nokia has told Astound smartphone owners that they won't be upgraded to the latest Symbian OS release, Belle. Apart from thanking owners for their patience, it didn't say more. Its international equivalent, the C7, is getting the new version.
Images of an upcoming Nokia smartphone, the 801, have been shared online by SmartphoneGeeks. The handset sports the Nokia Belle OS update and will soon get officially announced, with the existence confirmed by a number of relatively reliable sources, including Eldar Murtazin. Early, unconfirmed specs include a four-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, which may share a 360x640 resolution from other Nokia phones.
Nokia has began releasing its promised Nokia Belle software updates for a number of its handsets on Tuesday, a day earlier than expected for some. The handsets that will benefit from the changes now include the Nokia N8, E7, E6, X7, C6-01, C7, and Nokia Oro, with owners of the Nokia 500 having to wait a few more weeks. There are a number of changes with the update, with the easiest to notice being the new interface.
The Belle software update (no longer Symbian Belle) to Nokia handsets will come on a wider basis on February 8, at least to handsets in Vietnam. The information was revealed by Nokia Vietnam's Facebook page. It specifically references the Anna version of the software and the Nokia 603, 700, and 701 phones already coming with Belle.
After being saddled with questions about why it dropped the Symbian name from the latest OS update for its smartphones, Nokia has responded in a blog post. Nokia's Head of Symbian Product Marketing, Vesa Jutila, wrote that the Symbian Belle name is still being used for developers, with the Nokia Belle name reserved for end-users. The explanation isn't very informative, however.
Nokia will be somewhat late in rolling out Symbian Belle to phones that didn't already have it. A statement from the company confirmed to All About Symbian that the 500, C6-01, C7, E7, N8, Oro, and the X7 will get the OS update in early 2012. It didn't explain the months-long gap between then and devices already shipping with Belle, like the 603, 700, and 701.
Nokia put out two NFC-equipped devices on Thursday where the focus was heaviest on the accessory, not the smartphone. The Luna Bluetooth Headset can use NFC when available to automatically pair with a suitably equipped smartphone. Even for iPhones and other non-Nokia hardware, however, it has a unique cradle where owners can answer just by taking out the earpiece and end the call by putting it back in.
Nokia posted on Twitter that it's now shipping its 700 and 701 smartphones loaded with the Symbian Belle OS. First announced in August, the devices didn't get immediate regional availability or pricing. They will most likely focus on Europe and Asia with limited sales in North America.
In sync with its earlier teaser, Nokia on Wednesday brought out its first three devices based on Symbian Belle. The 600, 700, and 701 all get a much improved home with six screens (up from three), more flexible widget shapes, and an Android-style notification bar. NFC support is a common thread and lets the phones not just take on mobile payments but now pair up with Bluetooth devices that recognize it just by getting close, such as the Play 360 speaker or the new Essence headset.
Nokia posted a teaser Monday confirming that it would be unveiling, if not launching, Symbian Belle this week. Saying that it was only "something new on Symbian," the phone giant has put a countdown on Facebook that should expire on August 24. When initially posted, the teaser clearly referenced it being for Belle, removing all doubt as to the actual intentions.
An upcoming Nokia handset, the RM-670, has shown up undergoing approval testing at the FCC. The device, which showed up previously as the 700 Zeta, the phone may soon arrive in the US for AT&T, T-Mobile, or both with support for both 1,700MHz AWS (T-Mobile and 850/1,900MHz (AT&T) 3G bands.
A string of updates from well-known leaker Eldar Murtazin has outlined four new Symbian phones for the summer that should replace some of its smartphones and possibly its basic phones as well. The flagship, the Helen or C7-01, should mostly be a performance upgrade of the original with a faster 1GHz processor as well as Symbian Belle, a more advanced version than Anna that has some of the look of the MeeGo platform on the N9. It should cost the equivalent of $428 off-contract.
