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Nokia Lumia 800 Review

Welcome to the FoneArena Nokia Lumia 800 Review. It is barely eight months after Stephen Elop’s infamous burning platform memo, Nokia has announced their first ever Windows Phone 7 device and has even begun shipment to retailers in Europe. Many thought it was impossible, but Nokia did it anyway. Is this a sign that the once complacent giant has finally woken up to the reality of mobile phone business in the 21st century?

Speak to many Nokia employees and in their views are the same: the Lumia 800 is Nokia’s comeback phone. It isn’t the high end device that many hoped for, but it is the first step. After all you need to learn to walk before you run. For Nokia to be able to get the Lumia 800 into the hands of the press eight months after they started working on this device is impressive, but would that be enough. Read on to find out what we think about the new Lumia 800. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 800 Review”

Nokia Lumia 800 unboxing

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZpUgHDtY_Y

A week after the Nokia Lumia 800 was announced, and less than a week after Nokia World 2011 ended, Nokia has begun sending samples of the Nokia Lumia 800 to the press. This is an impressive turnaround compared to previous years. In addition to that Nokia has also announced that the Lumia 800 will be released on 16 November, two weeks from now. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 800 unboxing”

Nokia World 2011 Live Blog starts later today

nokia world 2011 blog

The FoneArena crew just landed in London yesterday for the biggest Nokia event of the year – Nokia World 2011. We except the Finnish handset maker to handset it’s first devices running on the Microsoft Windows 7 Operating system. All eyes are on Nokia at this point of time as these devices are going to be crucial to Nokia’s smartphone portfolio which is currently facing stiff competition from the iPhone and Android phones. Can the Microsoft partnership to bring Windows Phone devices work out for Nokia ? Find out in the FoneArena Live Blog of Nokia World 2011 later today. The keynote by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop starts at 9AM London Time which is roughly about 1:30 PM India Time.Do bookmark the link below to get all the latest updates Continue reading “Nokia World 2011 Live Blog starts later today”

Nokia N9 Review – a Swipetastic Device from Finland

It’s been a week since I picked up my (test-) Nokia N9 from the kind of folks of Grayling, an agency for Nokia Austria in Vienna. Of course, I was not too anxious to get it in my hands as soon as possible, i just wanted to save them some money for the delivery 😉 In this week I have tried and tested almost everything possible, and to give you a first conclusion of what i think: I love the N9. This is no fanboy rubbish or something like that, I simply speak as an honest, independent blogger, who has tried Android, Windows Phone, Symbian and even iOS. The N9 does not have the most powerful processor, it does not have the most Megapixels and thank god not the biggest display. It’s a smartphone with solid hardware, and the one thing Nokia needs so desperately: a decent OS. Yes, I know the whole story around Meego’s end before it really started, however, this is not subject of this review. For now, let’s have a look at what the N9 has to offer and what you can expect from it!

Nokia N9 front

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The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 3: How Windows Phone Can Change The Tide

Nokia World 2011 is scheduled for next week in London and it is undoubtedly the most hyped and the most important event in recent Nokia history. Throughout this week, FoneArena will take a look at expectations, realities and myths related to this particular year, in preparation for the big reveals that will come on October 26th and 27th. Join us in this journey, comment, share your thoughts, and feel with us the excitement as the big days approach!

In yesterday’s post, we discussed the need for Symbian and Meego to remain available in the near future in order to cater to long-time Nokia fans. However, we stopped short of explaining Windows Phone’s place in the battle, moving forward. This is what we will do today. Continue reading “The Road To Nokia World 2011 Part 3: How Windows Phone Can Change The Tide”

iPhone 4S At a Glance

Apple has released another addition to the iPhone series this year and they named it the iPhone 4S. As many of you remember the S indicates upgrades in hardware and software alike. In June of 2009 Apple made this very same bold move by releasing the 3GS which was a performance boosted 3G. Many claim to be “disappointed” by the decision yet the record sales disprove that claim abruptly. Whether you approve of the decision or not the 4S claims to be a faster, more efficient version of the wildly popular 4 released in June 2010. Let’s take a few minutes and look at the noticeable differences at a glance. Please note this is not a full review of the hardware or software. With that in mind lets move along to the good stuff. Continue reading “iPhone 4S At a Glance”

Apple iPhone 4S Unboxing

The iPhone 4S hit stores in many countries across the world yesterday including the United States.FoneArena’s Sloan Bowman takes a quick look at the iPhone 4S for AT&T and unboxes the device for us. As a bonus we have a interesting comparison between the iPhone 4 and the 4S. Watch the video after the break.

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Nokia N9 Video Recording Samples – Autofocus Action

The Nokia N9 has added a lot of new features to the Nokia smartphone range. Of course, it’s the first Meego device, and with Meego comes an almost unknown wind of freshness. One feature I’m particularly proud of though, is the enhanced video capturing capabilities. I have been using the N9 for 5 days now, absolutely love it to bits, and the new video features just add to the fun. The Nokia N9’s 8 Megapixel camera is shooting videos in 720p HD resolution at 30fps, and now finally features a very nicely working Autofocus while shooting video! As opposed to the Nokia N8, the N9 also seamless switches to Macro functionality, bringing your world up close. The one thing i love the most though, is touch to focus while shooting video. Since the N9 has no hardware camera button (which is a point not everyone might like), the whole focussing business happens directly on your display, so a decent touch AF system was the next logical step – and it’s my pleasure to report that Damian Dining, Nokia’s camera mastermind and his crew have done just that. I know this might be already present in other devices, however, it’s a well needed addition for the Nokia N9 camera, and it works oh so fine! How nice? Here are 5 short video samples, showing you what’s up:

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Video: Nokia N9 unboxing

Yes indeed, it is finally here in my hands: Nokia’s long awaited first (and hopefully not the last) Meego Smartphone, the Nokia N9! I got my test device for the upcoming weeks this Friday, thanks to Nokia Austria, enduring a rainy trip to Vienna just to get it as soon as possible! I did not waste much time and proudly present to you now, the unboxing of the georgeous 3,9″ Touchscreen device – a true pleasure for me, as i hope it is for you! Enjoy, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments and I’ll answer them as soon as possible!! Watch the video after the break!

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One More Thing – A Tribute To Steve Jobs

6th October 2011 will go down in history. Steve Jobs , the legend , is no more. Chances are that if you are reading this site you are interested in technology to at least a small extent. It is impossible for any man more so a techie to not be awed by the life of Mr. Jobs. The person was responsible for changing the game of the tech industry more times than anybody else. Without him , the world would most definitely not be the same.

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Nokia launches Symbian Belle phones in India, priced between Rs.12999 and Rs.18999

Nokia has launched the new Symbian Belle smartphones, Nokia 600, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 in India. These phones were announced last month in Hong Kong, and they come with single-tap NFC pairing and sharing capabilities, 1 Ghz processor and 512 MB RAM. The Nokia 600 has powerful loudspeaker with the audio output of 106 phon and FM transmitter and FM receiver. The Nokia 700 is the thinnest Nokia smartphone which is just 9.7mm thick. The Nokia 701 features the brightest display on any smartphone,2 Microphones for stereo audio recording. All these phones come with common connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, USB OTG support and A-GPS. Continue reading “Nokia launches Symbian Belle phones in India, priced between Rs.12999 and Rs.18999”

Just Tap with NFC on the Nokia 600 , 700 and 701

Just Tap with NFC on the Nokia 600 , 700 and 701 Symbian Belle Smartphones

Nokia is preparing to launch its latest range of Symbian Belle phones in India and I was invited to Goa last week along with a small army of bloggers from across the country. We were shown the improvements which are part of Symbian Belle and also the possibilities with NFC or Near Field Communication.We got to play the the the Nokia 600 , 700 and 701 and also get around Goa at the same time. I was personally using the 600 which is the most affordable of the lot and I was actually impressed by the all round performance.The Nokia 600 is the loudest handset of the lot , the 700 is the smallest and the 701 has the brightest display. All the 3 devices have pretty good specs , performed very well and have the potential to fare well in the market if Nokia gets the pricing right ! Continue reading “Just Tap with NFC on the Nokia 600 , 700 and 701”

Apple iPhone Event set for October 4th

Let’s talk iPhone , this is what the invite sent by Apple to some media outlets looks like and Engadget got hold of one. The rumour about an iPhone event on Oct 4th was first reported by AllThingsD and it’s turned out to be true. The event takes place on October 4th at 10am at the Apple Campus at 1 , Infinite Loop. We are not sure if Apple would launch only one device as there has been a lot of talk about a cheaper iPhone as well.

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Nokia World 2011 – Five steps to do it right!

I have been a supporter of Nokia ever since i have started using mobile phones. I guess everyone knows about the enormous downswing Nokia has experienced the last couple of years, when they basically slept when every trend was born and then tried to keep up with some rather unspectacular attempts. Even the current crop of Symbian phones can not keep up with the pace of the mobile world. Those may be harsh words, but it is as it is, and I am saying this as a long time supporter. However, the absolut lowest point in Nokia’s history was reached at the infamous February 11 keynote. Not because of the Windows Phone/Microsoft partnership announcement, it’s more the way that everything about that keynote felt last minute. Poorly executed. Poorly communicated. Poorly translated by media and blogs. And then an even worse follow-up. The end of Nokia predictions and announcements have been following, as usual. Of course, every one with an IQ higher than a glass of mustard did not buy into this, without even seeing it all play out. Average Joe on the street however, will believe those reports, and will stop buying Nokia phones because of this and that .. that is, if he didn’t jump ship already!

Nokia World 2011 is just around the corner and since I can’t make it this year, I thought I at least wanna send some hopes and wishes in Nokia’s directions. I feel like this year’s Nokia World is a very important, if not THE most important one in history, simply because there’s so much at stake. If done right, this could be the start of Nokia’s race back to the top. Sure, it won’t be easy, but it’ll be a good start. I am not sure if those are the right points to bring Nokia forward, but in my humble opinion they are:

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Apple might announce the iPhone 5 or whatever it is called on Oct 4th !

AllThingsD is reporting that Apple is going to hold its next big launch event on Tuesday , October 4th . And what else could Apple launch other than the next iPhone rumored as the iPhone 5 ? AllThingD has got the information from “sources close to the situation”. The device is expected to hit stores within few weeks after the announcement. This will be the first major product launch event for Apple after Steve Jobs resigned as CEO and Tim Cook took over.

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