Nokia Users

We got our hands on a Lumia 900 last week and spent a day with it, trying to use it as our primary device. Windows 7.5 is an easy OS to use, though it is different enough from Android and iOS that it does take some time to get familiar with. Before we get into the pros and cons of the device, here is a little refresher about the specs of the device:

- 4.3″ AMOLED ClearBack glass touchscreen
- 1.4 GHz processor
- 16 GB Internal Memory
- 512 MB RAM
- 4G LTE Connectivity
- 8 MP Carl Zeiss camera; 1 MP front camera
- 5.6 ounces; 2.7 inches across, 5.03 inches tall, 0.45 inches thick
- Micro SIM

This phone feels sturdy in your hands, and while it has a little more body to hold onto than a lot of phones hitting the market today, we never felt like it was too big to use. Windows 7.5 (Mango) is a beautiful Operating System, and while using it we never hit an error or lag when moving between apps. Admittedly, it would be hard to transition to from an Android or iOS device with the lack of apps, but if you were taking your first steps away from a BlackBerry or feature phone, the Lumia 900 and Windows Phone in general, would be a great place to start.

The battery life was impressive, having just made it through the day without charging it while testing it extensively, it should be no problem with normal use. The mail and messaging applications are easy to use, and concisely show your messages. It was really easy to transition from Facebook chat, to text messaging, to Windows Live Messenger without skipping a beat.

The camera software was intuitive, and the Carl Zeiss hardware fantastic. The only complaint we (and every other reviewer on the Internet apparently) had was that the actual image files seem to come out with slightly different colors than how they looked when being taken.

Long story, the Nokia hardware is good, the Windows Mango OS is good, and if Microsoft can get the droves of developers that some of the other platforms have brought to the table on board, then maybe there really can be a third competitor in the Smartphone arena.

Yep, you read it right, the first Nokia Windows Phones are set to hit the UK and Europe first, according to a Dutch executive over at the Finnish firm Nokia. The new phones along with the new operating system is set to be rolled out towards the end of this year, spelling the start of the Nokia/Microsoft reign as smartphone associates.

Along with the UK, the likes of Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands will be on Nokia’s hit list first, according to a statement made from Nokia Europe vice president to the Dutch website All About Phones. It appears Nokia are gambling all that they have and all that they are on Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, which has also caused Nokia to start to discontinue development on its own Symbian and MeeGo operating systems – with that said, Nokia promised to keep the Symbian software updated for years to come.

There has been much scepticism across the globe from Microsoft and Nokia fans alike as to whether this partnership would ever work – some believing it’s going to work out for the smartphone ecosystem yet others believing the whole partnership is flawed and some even believing this is the start of the end of both companies in the smartphone market.

Elop has been doing his rounds on the conference circuit lately bigging up the Windows Phone operating system to anyone and everyone. He says the platform offers much more vision for Nokia to separate itself from other mobile phone manufacturers out there, who are developing and releasing one Android phone after another like its out of fashion.

The Windows Phone does, however, offer an alternative for people who aren’t fans of Android or Apple’s iOS, who are the dominant force in the market at the moment. The Windows Phone interface is charming and elegant with a tile-based interface that has been received exceptionally well and will be part of the basis for the new and upcoming Windows 8 PC software – though let’s just hope the Windows Phone becomes more of a dominant force as its desktop counter-part is – at least for the sake of the smartphone ecosystem.

When release, will you be divulging yourself with a Nokia Windows Phone smartphone, or will you stick with your tried and trusted Blackberry, iOS or Android mobile phone? I personally will definitely see what it has to offer, something I hope will be more than each manufacturer and provider have on their own.

According to the analyst company IDC, Microsofts alliance with Nokia could make way for Windows Phone to be ahead of competition such as the hugely popular iOS and Blackberry – at least in around 3 and a half years time. Their latest research apparently predicts that the Windows Phone 7 will struggle in the market until the new set of Nokia Windows Phones are released in larger volumes.

IDC analyst Ramon Llamas wrote in a press release; “Until Nokia begins introducing Windows Phone-powered smartphones in large volumes in 2012, Windows Phone 7/Windows Mobile will only capture a small share of the market,” the research note reads, “as the release of Mango-powered smartphones are not expected to reach the market until late 2011.”

If all goes well with the new Microsoft and Nokia partnership, the firm expects the Windows Phone to have around a 20 percent stake of the smartphone market by the year 2015 – that means it will have a larger market share than iOS who are expected to have a 16.9 share and the Blackberry, which is anticipated to have a 13.4 percent share – and of course the Android phone is predicted be the market leader with a whopping 43.8 percent share.

The hotly anticipated partnership is not yet even formed, but with firms like IDC expecting big things from the partership it looks like the next few years could be big for Nokia and Microsoft. The way the phones are marketed will be a huge factor in the success of this alliance and indeed the Nokia Windows Phone platform, but only time will tell if the success will turn the smartphone market on its head.

I personally believe they’re on the right tracks, but whether or not it will be as successful as predicted i’m not all too sure – I hope so though, if not only for a better and more competitive smarphone market, after all competition usually develops in to technology advances in these sort of markets.

How do you think things will pan out between the two companies? Do you see the Windows Phone having a market share as predicted by the IDC, or is this all too confident thinking?

If you’re an owner of a Symbian^3 device then this news will probably be more than welcomed by you, at least it was for myself. Just a few days ago the Nokia Ovi Store pushed an update to bring with it in-store app updates, a better search facility, automatic suggestions and top lists among other things.

Version 2.8 of the Ovi Store is an optional upgrade for all users; however it’s unlikely that many people decide against taking the upgrade as its advantages are in abundance.

The algorithm used to show the ‘Top Free’ and ‘Best Sellers’ has been updated, which will now “make app and game listings more relevant for consumers”. The rankings are now filtered better by device and location which means an applications popularity on a particular platform won’t be calculated as a whole and therefore showing inaccurate rankings.

In the past when a user wanted to update their application they would have to be made aware by the developer that a new release was available in-app or otherwise, then uninstall and re-download the application in order to receive the update – now with version 2.8 of the Nokia Ovi Store, this is done via the store and is a more seamless and streamlined process.

Are you happy with the update, or were you expecting much more? I personally think it’s great, however there is still some way to go to make it competitive in terms of how it matches against the likes of the App Store and Android Store.

Nokia has released its’ own Instant Messaging application which is available to download via the Ovi Store after months of beta testing over at the Nokia Beta Labs. The app is due to be pre-installed with all new Nokia mobile phones and is set to rival Apple’s iMessage system and Blackberry’s rather annoying BBM (Blackberry Messenger).

What is Nokia IM?

Nokia Instant Messenger is an application that allows you to send messages to other Nokia users, along with people who are logged in to Ovi Mail, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, MySpace IM and Google Talk – pretty impressive huh?

Noka will be releasing a number of handsets over the summer period which includes the likes of the Nokia X7 and Nokia E6, of which will come pre-installed with Symbian^3′s latest version called Anna. The phones will also, obviously, include the Nokia IM application.

The E6 will come packed with a competitive 8 megapixel camera and a dual LED flash along with an impressive 8GB of built-in sotrage. The X7 will be more of an entertainment eccentric device that comes pre-installed with Fire HD and Asphalt 5 HD, a cool bonus for any would-be E6 or X7 owners.

Get your hands on Nokia IM via the link below.

Price: FREE
Download: Nokia IM

Nokia Beta Labs are asking everyone who uses Nokia Maps Navigation if they use their Nokia device in portait mode, or in landscape mode whilst driving.

They have a simple survey that would like everyone to participate, so head across to Nokia Beta Labs to let them know here, or go direct to the short survey here.

Beta Labs are also interested in as to why you use your device in your particular orientation, be it something not displaying as it should of your device, for example, call screen not working in landscape etc.

You can let the team know your issues in their discussions area on Beta Labs here.

A new video popped up yesterday from Nokia on their Youtube channel, and it covers the Nokia Wellness Diary.  If you have not yet seen this application, or heard of it, you may want to learn more about looking after yourself with this great free app.

Nokia Wellness Diary is available at http://wellnessdiary.nokia.com. As a side note, Nokia Beta Labs are looking to rename Nokia Wellness Diary, so if you have any suggestions, head across to Beta Labs and cast your ideas.

A couple of new applications I have been rocking recently on my Nokia devices are well worth checking out.  The first application is called “Borg” and is a very well done facebook client with a pleasing UI, and smooth User Experience.

Borg - Facebook client , no server proxy calls, place and checkin integrated with Ovimap, photo and video upload, browse news feed, wall, friends, groups, events , messages, public pages and posts, more on the way. (version 1.1 still in beta and free). You can download Borg from Ovi Store here, or should we say, Nokia Store?

Next up, the popular News reader application for CNN has arrived on Symbian devices via Ovi Store too, and this is well worth checking out too.

To find out more on the CNN client, head across to Ovi Daily App where its covered in detail.  My early impressions on both of these apps are that, Borg is a superb facebook alternative app for your Nokia, whilst the CNN app, although functional, is not quite as polished as it could be when compared to CNN on other platforms.

I’m sure most of you Nokia users have had Angry Birds on your device by now, but what about in physical form?  That’s right, Nokia have Officially released a series of Angry Birds hard cases for the several Nokia devices including the E7, N8, C7, X7, and C6-01.

There are three types available for each Nokia device right now for just £19.95.

The following are linked to the E7 hard cases.  Just to note, these hard cases only cover the rear of the devices.

There’s the Red Bird, the Black Bird, and Pig King. Each of these variants are available for the above mentioned Nokia handsets.

You can find all the Nokia Angry Birds hard cases over at Mobilefun here.

Our good friend tehkseven has been hard at work, putting together fine examples of Original Nokia Ringtones, but like no other, he has remixed 20 of them so they are completely custom, and one of a kind.

These original Nokia ringtone remixes have a total new take on the original and as i was playing through them, i couldn’t believe what i was hearing – the imagination and thought that’s gone in to some of these is truly astounding.

Head across to tehkseven today, and check them out, they are all completely free too! Enjoy!