New images of a Nokia Lumia 800 handset running on wpbench revealed a list of Greek names for what we can only assume are codenames for upcoming Windows Phone-powered Nokia handsets. Shared by the My Nokia Blog, the images came from a user running the Windows Phone 7 benchmark on his Lumia 800. The names include Nokia PureLambda, Nokia Phi, Nokia Pure Phi and Nokia Alpha.
Nokia's Lumia 900 represents the pinnacle of the company's new smartphone strategy, pairing premium components with a unique design and Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. In our full review, we try to determine if the LTE radio, large display and other high-end features will help Nokia and Microsoft fulfill their dream of finally reestablishing themselves in the US smartphone market.
First introduced at Mobile World Congress, Nokia's Reading app and related e-bookstore for the Windows Phone-powered Lumia range of smartphones will launch in Europe. The two will reach users in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, and the UK, PaidContent reported. The idea is to bring local-language e-books to markets that haven't yet seen a widespread adoption of the medium.
Nokia is still in the beginning stages of its smartphone transformation, which focuses on the Windows Phone-equipped Lumia lineup. The Finnish company did not bring any new hardware to CTIA this week, however representatives did allow Electronista to take an early look at several of its Windows Phone apps, including the augmented-reality utility City Lens, that aim to differentiate the Lumia series from other smartphone platforms and other devices in the Windows Phone realm.
Nokia is continuing its push to differentiate its Lumia line of handsets from other manufacturers' Windows Phone offerings, announcing today a range of partnerships with various app makers that will see the Lumia get timed exclusives for several apps. The deals mean that apps like Groupon, AOL Entertainment Hub, and others will, for a limited time after launch, hit the Lumia before coming to any other Windows Phone handsets.
Handset maker Nokia has come under legal fire, CNet reports today, and now faces a suit seeking damages for the company's poor and deteriorating performance. The suit argues that Nokia's executives have done a disservice to shareholders, and that shareholders are entitled to damages.
Habitual smartphone experimenter Steve Wozniak in a podcast (embedded below) gave strong compliments to Windows Phone. Having picked up a Lumia 900 weeks earlier, the Apple co-founder still picked the iPhone as his favorite but argued to aNewDomain that Windows Phone was better than any Android phone. It had the "most beautiful" visual experience of any platform, Wozniak said, and its presentation made him feel like he was "with a friend, not a tool."
Nokia faced its third credit rating cut in a month on Friday in signs of a further confidence problem. Standard & Poor dropped Nokia's rating to junk status based on a shortfall in cash strength. While its existing cash was a "positive factor," the firm said, it expected the phone designer's cash to drop from a predicted 4.9 billion euros ($6.5 billion) to no more than four million euros ($5.3 billion).
Samsung has achieved a milestone in toppling Nokia for the crown of top cellphone maker, Strategy Analytics estimated in a new study. Using unofficial figures for Samsung as well as official data elsewhere, it had Samsung leading with 93.5 million cellphones sold, or 25.4 percent of the entire space. Nokia's rapid decline in smartphones saw it tumble from 108.5 million phones at the start of 2011 to 82.7 million a year later, or 22.5 percent.
Nokia's emphasis on color for the Lumia 900 may be driving strong sales at the company along with leading to more colors. Both online checks at AT&T and new verifications by CNET on the retail situation have confirmed that, while all examples were in high demand, the cyan and new white versions were "especially difficult to find," according to an AT&T spokesperson. Shipments were going out daily, but AT&T couldn't say when it would have consistent supply.
Updates for the Nokia Lumia 710 and Chinese market-specific 800c have been spotted on Navifirm, allowing upgrades to the variant of Windows Phone 7.5 (WP7.5) known as Tango. The upgrades are only currently available in China, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Vietnam.
White models of the Nokia Lumia 900 are now available in AT&T stores, according to photos posted by Mobility Digest . The white version of Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 7 smartphone, previously revealed in an accidental post on the company's Facebook page, arrives two days prior to that model's intended April 22 release.
Microsoft saw its Windows unit partly return to form on Thursday as it once again reported gains. Following Windows division losses in the fall, the group has seen its revenue go up four percent to just over $4.6 billion. The segment succeeded mostly on the back of business desktops and infrastructure, Microsoft said, suggesting that home users and pro notebooks were still struggling.
Nokia saw its dire quarterly results joined by both an executive shift and a key phone launch. The company's executive VP of sales, Colin Giles, will leave as of June 30. The exit gave the company a chance to simplify its structure, as all its regional senior VPs would now talk directly to the executive of Markets, VP Niklas Savander.
Best Buy and Microsoft have teamed up on a Behind the Tiles series of events to spur on Windows Phone sales that borrow a handful of Apple cues. Running from Thursday to as late as May 17, some stores will be holding workshops that both let users try the overall lineup and undertake a "deep dive" into the Lumia 900 with an instructor. The events will be catered, and even developers and enterprise users will get the "latest info," Microsoft said.
Windows Phone saw mixed performance Wednesday as talk of strong sales was dampened by an abrupt executive departure. Nokia briefed AllThingsD that the Lumia 900's demand was still high and it was producing phones "as quickly as possible" to meet demand. Very few were opting to replace their phones to solve the missing data bug and were instead updating firmware, suggesting that the shipments weren't replacement units.
A quartet of European carriers' executives have leaked word that Nokia's Lumia line still wasn't manifesting significant sales. Keeping the sources anonymous out of client sensitivity, Reuters understood that stores rarely if ever had customers explicitly ask for a Windows Phone, or else were being steered towards Android or iPhones like they are in the US. Carriers were urging Microsoft and Nokia to either discount the phones more heavily or put in heavy marketing, neither of which they were seeing.
Moody's on Monday downgraded Nokia's debt rating a level from Baa2 to Baa3. The credit rating giant based its decision on Nokia's lowered outlook and saw it as a reflection of longer-term, more systemic issues. The company was being pinched both at the low end, by a wave of very cheap phones and Chinese discounts, and at the high end by a "more challenging" transition where Symbian was falling faster than Windows Phone could replace it.
Nokia has inadvertently let some owners of the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 get full control over their phones. A discovery by XDA-Developers member biktor_gj has found that some phones ship with Qualcomm's stock bootloader, not the Nokia-customized version, and can load any custom firmware. Accordingly, he had already posted an interop unlock that lets owners load virtually any app, not just those cleared through the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Nokia gave a surprise for the weekend with word that its promised data fix for the Lumia 900 was already available. The new update solves a problem where all cellular data would stop working after the phone was restarted, requiring an extensive trick to get it back. Nokia had previously pinned the flaw on a memory management hiccup.
AT&T showed early clues that the Nokia Lumia 900 may be selling well enough to be positive for the company. Retail president Paul Roth in remarks late Wednesday asserted to the Wall Street Journal that sales had 'exceeded expectations.' At least some stores had sold out, most often of the more distinctive cyan model, by Tuesday night.
A preliminary estimate by IHS iSuppli puts the base manufactured cost of the new Nokia Lumia 900 at $217. This would translate to a reasonable margin for AT&T if it were to sell it for its listed $450 non-contract price, but a significant loss at its planned contract price is $100.
Early investigations have suggested that Nokia and AT&T attempts to have staff use the Lumia 900 may not be having an impact on actual recommendations in the short term. A tour by CNET of five Manhattan-area AT&T stores just after launch showed that staff not only didn't know much about the Windows Phone flagship but were actively steering users to the iPhone. A companion check by IDC researcher Ramon Llamas in Massachusetts showed one Windows Phone recommendation, but most recommended Android hardware like the Galaxy Note.
Nokia sent out a warning on Wednesday that its results for the first quarter of 2012 would be worse than expected as its smartphone sales continued to struggle. Its operating margin would now be down by three percent instead of flat, while that for the just-started spring quarter would be similar or lower. "Competitive industry dynamics" and tighter profit margins were to blame, Nokia said, making clear allusions to fiercer competition from Android and the iPhone.
Nokia in a statement said it would temporarily cut the price of the Lumia 900 even further. The firm told AllThingsD that it would compensate buyers hit by the disappearing data bug on the Windows Phone by either giving them a retroactive credit or with the purchase. The deal will last until April 21.
Nokia's Lumia 900 has now arrived in Canada in LTE guise, with Rogers offering the Windows Phone for $100 on a three-year voice and data contract. At the same time, Pocket-Lint reported that the HSPA+ version of the handset will be available in the UK on April 27. Electronics retailers Phones 4U and Carphone Warehouse will stock the handset at that time, with the former of the two offering the white version as a UK exclusive.
AT&T has earmarked as much as $150 million for promoting the Lumia 900 launch, insiders claimed Monday. An Ad Age leak had AT&T going beyond conservative estimates depending on conditions. AT&T declined to comment on the assertion, although it has publicly promised a major ad campaign with TV ads and other promos in effect.
Nokia's Lumia 900 launch has been partly soured by a bug encountered by early adopters. Both an AT&T source for Phone Arena, as well as buyers on Nokia's forums and those at WPCentral, have complained of the Windows Phone losing all data connections if the cellular link is restarted at any point. The problem incldues anything as innocuous as airplane mode.
Nokia has matched its Lumia 900 blitz with efforts to fuel the Lumia 710's sales as well. T-Mobile is now offering the Windows Phone for free instead of its usual $50-plus on contract. The deal lasts until at least April 17, although it will typically need a mail-in rebate.
Microsoft and Nokia swung their marketing for the Lumia 900 into full gear on Friday night with three pushes at once. Nokia revealed at the last minute that its Times Square event's special performer was Nicki Minaj, paralleling the appearance of Deadmau5 at the London Lumia 800 event in the fall. While the exact crowd numbers weren't revealed, thousands were visible in both official and unofficial shots.
AT&T has begun shipping the Nokia Lumia 900 ahead of schedule. The Verge reports that some customers who ordered the Windows Phone when it went up for pre-order last Friday have already received their units. The black and cyan versions are scheduled to arrive this Sunday, with the white version to follow April 22.
Microsoft's financial support of Windows Phone ports of iOS and Android apps is more direct than once thought, an investigation uncovered late Thursday. While the full extent of the catalog isn't known, the New York Times found that Microsoft paid outright to cover development of Foursquare's Windows Phone app and did the same for a third-party making a dedicated Facebook app on the social network's behalf. Rovio's sudden reversal on Angry Birds Space has raised suspicions that Microsoft, after learning Rovio wouldn't voluntarily port to Windows Phone, quickly offered cash.
Nokia has quickly confirmed brief rumors by launching a new TV service for Lumia owners. Nokia TV will let Windows Phone users stream TV shows from "catch-up" services among local broadcasters without needing an account. Similar to the BBC's iPlayer, it's not intended as a live service but can help users watch shortly after a show airs if they missed the original broadcast.
The Nokia Lumia 900 received an Apple-like simultaneous blitz of early reviews that have shown a positive overall outlook that still posed trouble for Nokia and Microsoft. Advantages from our hands-on (above) like the quality screen and beautiful design still held true. Windows Phone is still considered an accomplished operating system, and the addition of LTE like elsewhere gave it a large speed boost in speed online.
AT&T is continuing with its planned next round of LTE services. The carrier will be bringing Muncie and Bloomington in Indiana, as well as Bryan-College Station in Texas, on April 8. The 8th is the date that AT&T announced that it would begin shipping two LTE-aware Windows Phones, the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II.
Android now makes up more than half of all smartphones sold in the US, comScore found on Tuesday. As of February, Google's platform had climbed to 50.1 percent, giving it an absolute majority of the country's smartphone share. The iPhone was still gaining share, however, and was now up to 30.2 percent.
Microsoft posted word late Monday that Nokia will be holding a special event in New York City to formally launch the Lumia 900. The gathering, at Times Square on April 6 at 7PM, will have a "special guest" performing, Nokia's marketing copy said. It didn't name the guest, although Canadian electronic musician Deadmau5 oversaw a similar event in London for the Lumia 800.
Nokia has tried an unusual pseudo-guerilla marketing campaign in the run-up to the Smartphone Beta Test shows mock, backdated videos of protagonist Gary unsuccessfully trying to convince two co-workers that design flaws are important. One, "Death Grip," tries to revive the now non-existent iPhone 4 issue by chastising Gary for "holding it wrong."
Samsung should retake the edge in the smartphone space as of the first quarter, Canaccord Genuity said in early estimates. Analyst T. Michael Walkley saw Samsung going back to 28.2 percent share on the back of 41 million smartphones. Apple would have its strongest winter ever, but at 32.6 million iPhones would have a more modest 22.4 percent.
With the Nokia Lumia 900 due on April 8 at AT&T, the carrier has now begun offering the phone for pre-order. Only matte black and cyan colors will be available on April 8, with a white version expected to follow on April 22. As expected, the phone is priced at $100 on a two-year voice and data contract.
Nokia representatives have began challenging users of other smartphone owners in an effort to illustrate the superiority of the company's Lumia 800. Just for participating, random passersby were given a £50 coupon towards the purchase of a Lumia 800, and if they could beat the Lumia 800-wielding Nokia staff, they also got £10 in cash. The challenges included but weren't limited to searching, uploading, and posting images to social networks.
Smartphones are now almost exactly half of all cellphones in the US, Nielsen uncovered Thursday. About 49.7 percent of Americans who owned a cellphone as of February opted for a smartphone. The trend was only due to continue, as over two thirds of buyers in the past three months had picked up smartphones.
Nokia has begun pushing out a software update for its Lumia 800 smartphone that will mainly address issues of battery life. The third software update comes just four months after the phone's launch, and has been pushed forward, as it was originally scheduled to appear on April 18. Still, it is being released in phases, with one batch due on Wednesday, the next on April 4, the one after that on April 11, and the final one coming on the original April 18 date.
AT&T through both official and off-the-record conversation on Wednesday promised that its upcoming launch of the Nokia Lumia 900 would be its largest ever. Devices lead Jeff Bradley told CNET that the April 8 debut would be a "notch above anything we've ever done" and explicitly included the iPhone in this point of view. A major TV ad blitz, extensive staff training, accessories, and personal staff ownership would make it clear the Windows Phone was its "hero" phone, or the device it was rallying behind for the season.
Microsoft has updated its Windows Phone software developers kit. The update doesn't add much functionally, but it does enable developers to write code on Windows 8 machines. It also incorporates a second emulator for entry level devices such as the Nokia Lumia 610 that only have 256MB of RAM and which run Windows 7.5 Refresh.
When AT&T launches the Lumia 900 on April 8, it won't have the 8170 software update pre-installed, ZDNet reported. The build has many updates and security fixes. This is fine by Microsoft, as it did give permission to carriers to block one update.
AT&T quickly followed up news of Lumia 900 launch details on Monday with a similar firming up of plans for its other LTE Windows Phone, the HTC Titan II. The 4.7-inch smartphone will show on the same day, April 8. In an unusual step, the Titan II will cost twice as much on contract as Nokia's phone, at $200.
AT&T confirmed launch details for the Nokia Lumia 900 on Monday that show Microsoft and Nokia determined to carve out share for Windows Phone in the US. The first 4G Windows Phone should go on sale on April 8 for just $100 on a contract. The deal makes the Lumia 900 one of the cheapest new LTE phones ever and one of the cheapest high-end devices.
AT&T through its forums stated that it was passing on a a Windows Phone fix. Subscribers on the carrier wouldn't get the build 8107 fix, which fixes a common problem with the keyboard disappearing, for phones that didn't already ship with it preinstalled. A representative didn't have full information as to why, other than that AT&T was "not currently planning" to use it.
Nokia may try to overcome stigmas about buying Windows Phone by seeding AT&T's retail staff with free phones. Apparent leaks to WPCentral have Nokia paying as much as $25 million to let staff take free Lumia 900 phones in a Company Use program. Workers wouldn't be forced to use the Lumia, but they would have to trade in whatever they have.
