Leak: Alcatel’s first Windows Phone handset, allegedly runs WP 7.8

Windows Phone 8 is set to officially launch on October 29th. Every Windows Phone that’s currently on the market will sadly not be able to upgrade to the new version of the OS, but Microsoft doesn’t want to alienate those people, so they’re going to launch Windows Phone 7.8. Don’t be fooled though, it’s basically Windows Phone 7.5, but with the new ability to have small, medium, and large tiles. In other words, it’s the old version of the OS, but with a slightly new theme. Continue reading “Leak: Alcatel’s first Windows Phone handset, allegedly runs WP 7.8”

Leak: Nokia Atlas for Verizon Wireless (warning: it’s hideous)

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system is due to launch on the 29th of October in San Francisco. Devices will start shipping soon after, which means the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are still several weeks away. Now when it comes to pricing, different markets have different business models. In many parts of Europe and Asia, people buy their phones unsubsidized, meaning they pay the full price of the device. That makes buying something like the iPhone 5, which sells for about 680 EUR, a very painful proposition. In America however, consumers sign two year contracts in exchange for a substantial discount. Continue reading “Leak: Nokia Atlas for Verizon Wireless (warning: it’s hideous)”

Nokia Transport v2.3 Beta for Lumia brings transport mode and POI icons, improved search and more

Nokia has released a new update for the Nokia Transport app for the Lumia Windows Phone devices in the Beta Labs. The version 2.3 update brings glanceable icons for transport mode and Points of Interest, easy access to previous destinations, improved search and more. Continue reading “Nokia Transport v2.3 Beta for Lumia brings transport mode and POI icons, improved search and more”

Nokia Lumia 610 new software update to bring improved system and camera performance


Nokia has announced that they would roll out a new software update for the Lumia 610. The Nokia Lumia 610 was announced  at MWC 2012 and it was launched in India in July. While all are waiting for the Windows Phone 7.8 update, this new update would bring improved system performance, camera performance and would improve the overall usability of the device. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 610 new software update to bring improved system and camera performance”

Microsoft Surface RT and Windows Phone 8 to be officially launched this month

Microsoft has announced the Surface RT and Windows Phone 8 launch events in San Francisco scheduled for the end of this month. The Microsoft Surface RT event is set for October 25th, and the Windows Phone 8 event is set for October 29th. Microsoft announced the Surface Tablet back in June and the Surface RT would come with a 10-inch (1366×768 pixels) touch screen display and would be powered by an ARM processor. It would have a micro SD card slot, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae for better WiFi connectivity. Continue reading “Microsoft Surface RT and Windows Phone 8 to be officially launched this month”

Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 coming to AT&T in November

AT&T has announced they would sell both the Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia’s latest Windows Phone 8 devices. Both these devices were announced last month at an Event in New York, and the price of these phones were revealed for some European countries last week. The Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display, while the 820 comes with a 4.3 inch-inch (800 x 480 pixels) OLED  ClearBlack display. Both these phones are powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and has a 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video recording. Both these devices would run on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.  Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 coming to AT&T in November”

Nokia might sell their main office in Finland to get some much needed money

Nokia is headquartered in Espoo, Finland, a city that takes less than 15 minutes to get to via bus from the center of Helsinki. The building they occupy is a stunning architectural achievement made out of steel, glass, and ample quantities of wood. According to Reuters, Nokia is so desperate for cash right now that they’re considering selling the building. It’s estimated that the property is worth between 200 million Euros and 300 million Euros. Does this mean Nokia is planning to leave Finland? No. In fact, Nokia probably isn’t even going to leave the building at all. They’ll likely sell it to someone who will then rent it out to them. This sort of arrangement means Nokia can spend less time worrying about real estate, which is a good thing, but it also means that Nokia can decide to leave the building whenever they want. Continue reading “Nokia might sell their main office in Finland to get some much needed money”

Nokia Lumia 510 spotted again, specs and pricing leak out

The Lumia 510 is supposed to be Nokia’s first entry to the sub $200 smartphone market, and it was leaked out, a month ago, with pictures from China’s search engine “Baidu”. Now it has been spotted again, in pictures, and the specs and pricing have been reportedly confirmed by the anonymous tipster who sent this to GSMArena.

Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 510 spotted again, specs and pricing leak out”

Analyst says Nokia isn’t going to recover, the company should be broken up

Credit Suisse, one of the largest financial services companies in the world, recently told investors that they’ve lost confidence in Nokia. They say the stock is likely going to hit 1.60 EUR ($2.07), and that Windows Phone 8 isn’t going to fix the Finnish handset maker’s problems. Their most bold suggestion, by far, is that Nokia should split itself up:

“Apple may be interested in Nokia’s IP (intellectual property). Ericsson, Huawai, ZTE may be interested in parts of Nokia Seimens Networks. No company would likely be interested in the entire company with its 114,000 employees.”

So what do we make of all this? Let’s look at the facts. Nokia sold 4 million Windows Phones during the second quarter of 2012. They’re going to announce how many Windows Phones they sold during Q3 in roughly three weeks. In July, Microsoft held an event where they showed off parts of Windows Phone 8, but more importantly they finally confirmed to the world that today’s Windows Phone aren’t going to get updated to the latest version of the OS.

In early September, Nokia held an event to show off two new Windows Phone 8 devices, but they forgot to mention how much they were going to cost and when they’re going to come out. Which brings to last week, when week Nokia finally issued some press releases that said we’re not going to see any of their Windows Phone 8 handsets until mid November. The high end device, the Lumia 920, will cost 650 EUR, which is what’s expected of a flagship phone. The Lumia 820 on the other hand, the “budget” model, is priced at 500 EUR, and that’s simply too much.

Microsoft gives Nokia $250 million every quarter to stay alive, but Nokia is burning through that at a rate that isn’t sustainable. If these new Lumia phones don’t break sales records, we honestly don’t know if the company can stick it out until the end of 2013.

Huawei to unveil two Windows Phone 8 devices on September 25th

Samsung was the first handset maker to announce a Windows Phone 8 device, the ATIV S. They showed it off in Berlin in late August. Nokia was next in line a week later in New York with the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920. Then there was HTC with the 8X and 8S, again in New York. Now it’s Huawei’s turn. According to ITProPortal, the Chinese handset maker is going to hold an event on the 25th of this month, probably in China, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet, to announce the W1 and the W2. The latter is set to be the higher end device that will allegedly rival the Nokia Lumia 920, whereas the former is a “midrange” device. Continue reading “Huawei to unveil two Windows Phone 8 devices on September 25th”

Leak: Nokia Lumia 510 found in China, runs Windows Phone 7.8

What you’re looking at above and below are photos of what is alleged to be the Nokia Lumia 510. It’s supposed to have a 4 inch screen, an 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227A processor, 256 MB of RAM, and a 5 megapixel camera. It’s also supposed to run Windows Phone 7.8. We have no idea how much it’s going to cost, but let’s put it this way: Nokia’s cheapest Windows Phone, the Lumia 610, can currently be had for roughly $225 depending on where you go. If this thing is one whole product tier under, we’re assuming that based on the model name, then it may very well be Nokia’s first sub $200 Windows Phone. Continue reading “Leak: Nokia Lumia 510 found in China, runs Windows Phone 7.8”

HTC’s new Windows Phone 8 devices get priced in the UK

HTC recently announced two new Windows Phone 8 devices, the flagship 8X, and the “mid range” 8S. The company said they would both ship in November, but they failed to say how much they were going to cost. Thanks to the UK online retailed Clove, we now have some pricing data. They’re selling preorders for the 8X for roughly $650, while the 8S goes for a more reasonable $385. Both of those prices include tax by the way. To put those numbers into some perspective, Clove also sells Samsung’s 2012 flagship device, the Galaxy S III, for $750. Apple’s iPhone 5, which launches in the UK tomorrow, starts at $850! Continue reading “HTC’s new Windows Phone 8 devices get priced in the UK”

HTC Windows Phone 8S with 4-inch display, 1 GHz dual-core processor, Beats Audio announced

HTC has announced Windows Phone 8S, their new device in the Windows Phone 8 range followed by the Windows Phone 8X. It has a 4-inch (800x 480 pixels) super LCD display and is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor Snapdragon S4 processor. It comes with a 5MP auto focus camera with  LED flash and720p HD video recording. Continue reading “HTC Windows Phone 8S with 4-inch display, 1 GHz dual-core processor, Beats Audio announced”

HTC Windows Phone 8X with 4.3-inch HD display, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Beats Audio announced

HTC has announced Windows Phone 8X, their new Windows Phone 8 device. It has a 4.3-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display and is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. It comes with a 8MP auto focus camera at the back with LED flash, BSI sensor and 1080p HD video recording and 2.1MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video recording.  Continue reading “HTC Windows Phone 8X with 4.3-inch HD display, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, Beats Audio announced”

Analysts say Stephen Elop has until the end of Q1 2013 to prove he can lead Nokia

Nokia’s current CEO, Stephen Elop, became head of the Finnish handset maker on September 21, 2010. That means that this coming Friday, the day of the iPhone 5 launch in the United States, he’s going to “celebrate” being in charge for two straight years. According to analysts interviewed by Reuters, Elop has until the end of the first quarter to prove that what he’s doing is actually helping the company or sending them straight to the grave. Juha Varis, a Nokia shareholder, says: “The Christmas season is a lost cause. For Nokia, if there is any chance, it will be Spring.” The lost cause he is referring to is of course the recently announced Lumia 920. That device would have been more impressive had Nokia A) Said when it would launch, B) Said how much it’s going to cost, and C) Show off what’s new and interesting about Windows Phone 8. Continue reading “Analysts say Stephen Elop has until the end of Q1 2013 to prove he can lead Nokia”