Year on year, the numbers are even more dismal, with overall volumes stopping 22-percent. In the same period, net sales dropped 34-percent.

Nokia blames “lower operator and distributor demand for Lumia as well as our efforts to prepare the distribution channel for the upcoming sales start of new devices” for the drop in North America, while sales in China were down because of “competitive pressures” trampling on Symbian interest.

There’s frustration ahead for existing Lumia owners, however, with the news earlier this year that their hardware would not be compatible with the next version of Windows Phone. Instead, they’ll get Windows Phone 7.8, a UI refresh, but few of the underlying software improvements. How that might impact the warm, fuzzy feelings toward the Finnish firm by early-adopters remains to be seen.

All hopes are now on Nokia’s new Windows Phone 8 line-up, which currently consists of the Lumia 920 flagship and the Lumia 820 mainstream handset. Nokia is also focusing on wireless charging as a differentiator, though the company has been criticized for the relatively high prices of its charging accessories.

If you use the Nokia Lumia 900, 800, or 710, you’re in luck. These devices will have access to City Lens starting today. All you’ve got to do is follow the following directions to grab it quite quickly! You’ll be using your device’s camera to see a QR-code first and foremost – from there you’ll get the download and you’ll be on your way! Note that you do need an internet connection to grab this download, so make sure data or wifi are on!

1. Press the Search button on your Nokia Lumia and then tap Vision
2. Scan the barcode
3. Tap on the link when it appears on the screen
4. Install the application from the Windows Phone Marketplace

You could also, of course, just go straight to the Windows Phone Marketplace, but that’s not nearly as fun a process! Have a peek at our hands-on with City Lens through the eyes of the Nokia Lumia 920 here, and note that the final version for the 920 and the 820 will vary just a bit from the version you’re seeing for your 900, 800, or 710 today.

With Windows Phone 8 as it appears on the 920 and 820 you’ll find some features that only appear on Windows Phone 8 devices and above. With this version of City Lens, you’ll be able to pin to start any category tile. You’ll also be able to add your own favorite searches, and you’ll be able to use City Lens in both portrait and landscape modes. Check our timeline below for more City Lens action!

[via Nokia]

That takes a track or artist as its seed, and – in what Nokia calls “CREATE” – musters up a playlist of similar music. The generation engine uses a library of millions of songs, and there’s no advertising interspersed, as you’d get from a free Spotify or Pandora account.

Offline playback is supported – synchronizing playlists to your Lumia for when you’re without a data connection, such as when on a plane – and there’s Gig Finder functionality to flag up nearby live performances. Playlists can be pinned as a homescreen tile.

Owners of the Nokia Lumia 900 and Lumia 710 in the US can download Nokia Music from the Marketplace from today. Of course, we’re also waiting on Nokia’s new Windows Phone 8 range, expected to be revealed at an NYC event on Wednesday; check out our full rumor-roundup for all the details we know so far.

Bonetti explains the process of buying a Groupon deal on your phone in a post on the Nokia Conversations blog – when you’re looking for something in Nokia Maps, you’ll be alerted to Groupon deals at nearby places. Each deal listed on your map comes with an “exhaustive description,” and deciding to buy one will take you to the Groupon mobile site where you’ll complete your purchase. Unfortunately, those living outside the US are out of luck for the time being, as Groupon Now! deals are currently only available in the US due to their “geographically limited” nature.

Support for Groupon Now! isn’t the only thing Nokia is touting with this update. Nokia has introduced a new feature called “advanced route setting” in this update, which allows users to plan trips within the Nokia Maps app. Select your starting point and destination, tell the app if you’ll be walking, driving, or taking public transportation, and you’re good to go. Nokia also says that users can save the route to their start screen, so it will be ready for future trips.

At this point in time, Nokia Maps is only compatible with the Nokia Lumia 610, 710, 800, and 900, so if you don’t own one of those models, then this update doesn’t apply to you. Users can get the update by either waiting for the notification from the Windows Phone Marketplace or downloading it from the Nokia Collection. It sounds like an excellent update, so if you’re a regular user of Nokia Maps, be sure to grab it.

WiFi Tethering is as you would expect, enabling you to share your phone’s internet connection with up to five devices, while flip-to-silence will mute any incoming calls or alerts once you reposition the phone. The Camera Extras app includes Group Shot, which takes five photos and determines the best faces from the selection, while Action Shot serves as a burst mode, allowing you to choose the best photo from the handful that are taken. Self-Timer and Panorama mode are self-explanatory.

As mentioned above, Play To will allow you to stream video and music to other DLNA compatible devices, and there’s also a Contact Share feature that will let you send business cards using SMS. Nokia says that the Tango update will start rolling out to the handsets now through the end of July, and once you’ve upgraded you’ll have access to the new apps. If you want to check for the update you’ll need to plug your phone into a computer and fire up Zune, so hop to it.

[via ZDNet]

This doubling in sales is due in no small part to the introduction of the Nokia Lumia 710 and the HTC Radar 4G. Both of these devices run Windows Phone 7 (of one type or another) and the Lumia device has been one of the top five selling devices at T-Mobile since its introduction earlier this year. This same device has had, as T-Mobile puts it, “some of the highest handset satisfaction scores among all of our customers.”

T-Mobile has referred back to the IDC report released earlier this month which had Windows Phone surpassing the iPhone and iOS by the year 2016 and says “We’re bullish on the future of Windows Phone.” With all of the news released today on Windows Phone 8, we’re having no trouble seeing why. Have a peek at our Windows Phone 8 news in the timeline below and get all caught up on the future of this platform!

[via T-Mobile]

Once you fire up the app, you’ll see local restaurants, landmarks, hotels, and shops overlayed on top the live camera image, with the markers and information shifting in and out of view along with your movements. When you tap on an item, you’ll be taken to the relevant information which includes a description and reviews.

Nokia has also included a built in sharing function, so if you see something that takes your fancy you’ll be able to beam it over to friends using email or SMS. Want to play around with City Lens? Head over to the Nokia Beta Labs for the download link. Nokia will keep a track of feedback and update the app accordingly based on user suggestions and reviews.

[via Nokia Conversations]

WP7.nl scored the screenshots, which show an update to 1600.3030.8773.12120 for Windows Phone. That update seemingly grants both the Lumia 710 and the 800C the ability to tether using WiFi. Looks like Refresh (aka Tango) won’t just be bringing reduced spec requirements then, and certain Lumia owners will be receiving a nice little bonus.

The update so far is available in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Vietnam, but there’s no word yet on when we can expect it in other territories. You may have noticed above that the Lumia 800C, the Chinese model, is receiving the update and not the original Lumia 800. Since this seems to be a regional update, it’s probably specific to the 800C’s hardware, and we imagine a separate update for the 800 will make its way to users eventually.

The same goes for the overall Refresh update: Microsoft previously staggered the Mango update across devices and countries, so the same will probably occur here too. Keep your eyes peeled, and drop us a tip if you see the update hitting your device!

[via Nokiapoweruser]

“Our disappointing Devices & Services first quarter 2012 financial results and outlook for the second quarter 2012 illustrates that our Devices & Services business continues to be in the midst of transition,” CEO Stephen Elop said in a statement today. “Within our Smart Devices business unit, we have established early momentum with Lumia, and we are increasing our investments in Lumia to achieve market success. Our operator and distributor partners are providing solid support for Windows Phone as a third ecosystem, as evidenced most recently by the launch of the Lumia 900 by AT&T in the United States.”

Overall, devices and services net sales are expected in the region of €4.2bn ($5.52bn), with smartphones – not limited to Windows Phones – comprising €1.7bn ($2.2bn) of that, at 12 million units. Average selling price for a Lumia Windows Phone was €220 ($289), and Nokia says it has “ seen sequential growth in Lumia device activations every month since starting sales of Lumia devices in November 2011.”

Still, the company isn’t leaving anything to chance. Nokia is apparently pumping more money into Lumia, so as to broaden the number of markets in which its Windows Phones are available, while tweaking pricing lower for its dumbphones for the “Next Billion” segment; it will also accelerate new dumbphones in Q2 2012.

“We are continuing to increase the clock speed of the company,” Elop insists. “The change is tangible, and we are proud of the way Nokia employees are quickly responding to the needs of consumers and partners.” Full Q1 2012 results will be revealed on April 19.

Like Nokia Drive and Nokia Music, the Transport Beta is intended as a value-add for those who opt for a Nokia-flavored Windows Phone. A free download, it offers walking, bus, metro and tube directions for multiple cities around the world.

When we installed, the app automatically located us in London, UK, and confirmed that it had Transport for London (TfL) data to work from. A list of other coverage is available too, with around 33 locations currently supported: cities include New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Helsinki, Denmark, Berlin and Greater Toronto, among others, and more are in the pipeline.

Your current location automatically populates the “From” field, with search for the “To” field that shows results – with their distance from you – as you type. Select one, and you have a grid of possible routes, organized by time. Scrolling right shows later routes, and you can pull the pane further right again to load even later journeys. Periods of walking, bus rides, train, and other elements are shown in different colors – the Tube lines match the official London color-scheme, for instance – and each shows the estimated duration.

One thing that wasn’t working at MWC was pinning a favorite route to the homescreen. That’s a matter of searching for a journey and then choosing “Pin to Start” from the pop-up menu; a new tile is added, which takes you directly to the latest transportation times.

It’s a slick little app, and since it’s based on official journey planner data you have the reassurance of knowing you’re getting the most accurate information. Many of the transportation providers themselves offer web-based planners, but they can be tricky to use while on the move in a phone browser; Nokia Transport Beta makes it as straightforward as driving directions in Nokia Drive.

You can find the Nokia Transport Beta download by visiting here on your Lumia. Let us know how you get on in the comments!

The currently shipping Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 handsets are expected to receive the new tethering support sometime soon via an over-the-air Zune update. Although Nokia hasn’t announced a specific time frame, the update will likely arrive around or slightly before the Nokia Lumia 610 and 900 launch, since both devices will have the feature out of the box.

The Lumia 610 and 900 are expected to arrive in late March or early April. Recent rumors peg the 900 for either an April 8 or April 22 launch. Adding tethering support is a wise move for Nokia to stand out because many consumers demand it while the majority of Windows Phone devices currently do not have this hotspot functionality.

[via GottaBeMobile]

To claim your free Xpress-on color cover, you can go to this Nokia portal to submit a request and select the color you desire. Your Lumia 710 purchase must have been made sometime between January 11 and March 31 to qualify. You will need your original sales receipt showing the price, date, and store as well as the unique 15-digit IMEI of your device. You’ll also need to send in one mailing envelope containing the Online Submission Form, the original sales receipt, and the original UPC and barcode panel from the packaging, which hopefully you haven’t already tossed.

Once you send all that stuff in, Nokia will ship you the Xpress-on cover to you for free. You can check on the status of your request on the Nokia Color Cover portal. Just remember the offer ends on March 31. If you don’t currently have the Nokia Lumia 710 and are curious about the free Windows Phone device on T-Mobile, make sure to check out our full review and the links down below.

The main loser, the analysts say, is HTC. Nokia and Microsoft’s broad promotional campaign for the Lumia devices saw them eat into HTC’s Windows Phones, which contributed to an overall 1.8m unit from non-Nokia OEMs.

“Nokia’s Microsoft smartphone growth during the quarter was achieved partly by capturing market share from HTC. This is a challenging development for HTC because it is also losing ground to Samsung in the Android segment. HTC is now at risk of being caught in a pincer movement between two giants of Samsung in Android and Nokia in Microsoft, and HTC must move with urgency to address the problem” Tom Kang, Director, Strategy Analytics

Still, it’s worth remembering that it’s some time since HTC outed a new Windows Phone, instead focusing on Android devices for the past few quarters. In fact, there has been little in the way of WP7 enthusiasm from OEMs outside of Nokia, aside from a flurry of OS upgrades when Microsoft pushed out the 7.5 Mango update late last year.

“Nokia is by no means out of the woods yet, and it is still on a long road to recovery, but capturing top spot in the Microsoft smartphone ecosystem is an encouraging baby-step forward for the company” Strategy Analytics conclude. The Finnish company is expected to reveal another two handsets at Mobile World Congress next, week, including a global version of the Lumia 900 and a new, budget device, believed to be the Lumia 610.

Economy of scale and a track-record of pumping out cheap phones that still maintained solid build quality was cited in Nokia’s initial Windows Phone announcement. Microsoft’s first generation of handsets, though reasonably broad in number, clustered around a mid- to high-tier price point, predominantly because of the software company’s own stringent specification requirements.

Microsoft knew it would need cheap Windows Phones to capture the entry-level market, users upgrading perhaps from feature-phones, and Nokia offered a gateway to that. The Lumia 710, though comparatively cheap for a Windows Phone 7 device versus what had gone before, was still targeting that middle tier, however.

There’s no doubting Nokia had an ambitious roadmap of devices to address that. Problem is, the playing field has evolved in the meantime, since that roadmap was drawn up. Symbian has been feasted upon by Android, cheap devices running Google’s platform being far more popular in markets traditionally welcoming to Symbian than Nokia had ever expected. That evolution in demand is likely to have an impact on revenues as early as this year, the company has warned.

Although the geeks and enthusiasts among us would love to see a true Nokia flagship Windows Phone – something with the bells & whistles to adequately compete with top-tier devices from Samsung, Apple and HTC – it’s the mass market that the company needs to tend to if it wants to turn about its dwindling fortunes. Despite a reasonable start to Lumia sales, erosion to Symbian holds the potential to undo all of Nokia’s good work.

According to Reuters, Nokia is indeed readying the Lumia 610 to do just that, though exact details of the new entry-level handset are still unclear. The 610 might struggle to hold the headlines at Mobile World Congress – the tech audience preferring to concentrate on more ambitious specifications – but if Nokia can price its new Lumia competitively, it stands a chance in the longer game. Previous leaks have tipped somewhere in the region of £100-150 (around $150-235), with a focus on the pre-pay market currently dominated by inexpensive Android handsets.

Not only would that be the cheapest Nokia Windows Phone so far, it would also present a significant challenge – and potentially open a new market – for other OEMs using Microsoft’s platform. Companies like HTC and Samsung have been somewhat coy about Nokia and Microsoft’s partnership, preferring to highlight the increased attention the Finns’ involvement brings to the OS, and the inevitable ad campaign for the Lumia 610 could well open them up a new price bracket to target too.

Nokia’s window of opportunity is small, though. The company needs to impress at Mobile World Congress, not just in its hardware, but in how it strategizes for the future. Slick polycarbonate casings and neat value-add apps are great, but it’ll take a bomb to the budget end of the market to secure Nokia’s bottom line.

The tip comes in through TechRadar who have an exclusive on the details behind this mystery device. What they’re hearing is that the Windows Phone platform will be getting its least expensive entry yet with the Lumia 610, it looking to be a pay as you go device, costing just under 200 pounds in the UK with carrier O2. Is £199.99 on PAYG with O2 enough to make you switch from an Android or an iPhone? Probably not – but how about switching from a feature phone?

This is likely Nokia’s thought process in making such an inexpensive entry into their already decently-popular line of Lumia devices. Have a peek in our timeline below to see our reviews of Windows Phones created by Nokia in full reviews. Then head to our [MWC 2012] portal to stick with us through Mobile World Congress 2012 to get the full scoop from Nokia as they let is all out in the open!

[via TechRadar]

As the Finnish device manufacturer continues its all-out assault on the mobile market with colorful Windows Phone devices galore, we must expect that they’ll continue to bring the fury at the year’s largest mobile-centric conference. If what Forbes’ source says is true, the fourth in a series of fairly lovely and certainly strong Windows Phone Mango devices will be dropping in a big way. This far the Lumia 710 and 800 are on the market and the Lumia 900, revealed at CES 2012, will be on the market soon.

The Luma 910 is said to be a European version of the Lumia 900 complete with a few upgrades we’ve not yet seen on a Windows Phone / Nokia device. This device is said to have at least HSPA+ speeds and will have a massively impressive 12 megapixel camera on the back. Nokia’s press conference takes place on the 27th of February, the first morning of Mobile World Congress – and we’ll be there! Stick with us here on SlashGear via our [MWC 2012 portal] and get in on it first!

[via Forbes]

Without that final point-of-sale touch, all else will certainly fail, at least that’s what Nokia’s top minds seem to be saying this week. Though the devices are perfectly legitimate in their build and execution, and the advertisements surrounding them may be lovely, there’s always a third step that must be taken. Elop said thusly this week in Nokia’s sales call:

“We need to increase the engagement of the retail sales associates in the stores, because it is the retail associate who speaks with our consumers and puts the Lumia device in their hands. For example, in the United Kingdom, where competitive ecosystems are firmly entrenched, we have seen mixed retail execution around Lumia devices with a range of results among different locations, different chains, different stores and so on.” – Elop

What do you think, average citizen? Do you think it’s the final step that’s most important to your deciding on which device to pick up? Or are you the sort of person who reads reviews on the internet and heads to the store with your cash in hand? What about your relatives, your mothers and fathers, your grandmas and grandpas? Who do you think they pay the most attention to when picking up a brand new smartphone?

To recap: Nokia and Microsoft shake hands and agree to make the beast with polycarbonate backs in February 2011, shelving MeeGo and confirming that the end is nigh for Symbian. The news prompts months of speculation and will-they-deliver-on-time controversy, until Nokia World 2011 in October and the unveil of the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, only slightly blunted by Nokia reusing the industrial design for its de-facto flagship from the N9 several months before.

Fast forward to today, and Nokia has its all-important sales figures for the new Lumia devices – “well over 1m” in a little over two months of availability – and plenty of bad news too. Loses nearing a billion Euros, device sales down 29-percent, and Nokia making less on each smartphone it sells. Meanwhile the developing market Steven Elop had counted on providing the Symbian long-tail decided to rebuff the offer of cheap Nokia smartphones in favor of cheap Android ones instead.

The market has spoken, anyway: Nokia’s share price is up over 4-percent today, though you’d still struggle to confuse it with that of Apple or Samsung. Windows Phone has an above-average track record of striking a chord among tech reviewers, and that – taken with the fact that many have a soft-spot for Nokia, and that the Lumia 800/900 are genuinely tactile, delightfully designed phones – has resulted in a shiver of positivity despite the diarrhea of cash.

It gets harder from here, though. To succeed at this point, Nokia had to show up with a device or two, get them onto the market before the end of 2011 so as to prove its new CEO could keep his word, and sell more than a handful. Three boxes ticked. But Nokia has plucked a lot of the low-hanging fruit now: the true “Nokia faithful” have gone out and grabbed their slice of Finnish history, and much of what’s left is a market obsessed with Apple and Android.

It’s also unfamiliar territory for the company. In the past, Nokia has had both unique hardware and software to rely on: after a few tentative – and quickly aborted – attempts to use Symbian by other firms, the Finns were pretty much left to their own devices. Now Nokia faces not only Android and iPhone, but a raft of other Windows Phone OEMs keen to make some return on the licensing and marketing budgets Microsoft has squeezed out of them. If it makes a success of Windows Phone, if all those color-block adverts promoting the platform take hold, there’s no guarantee that the WIndows Phone shoppers leave the store with will necessarily have a Nokia logo on it.

Apathy works in its favor; HTC, Samsung, LG and others are all distracted by their Android investment, whereas Nokia knows its future is dependent on Windows Phone clawing market share. The risk of failure is obviously higher, too.

Nokia’s strength has always been in economy of scale: making lots of devices that use the same core hardware and driving down pricing that way. As its Windows Phone effort ramps up, there’s a decent chance that will increase gross margin per handset. Still, it needs demand to justify producing warehouses full of Lumias, and that means a compelling range for the US, Europe and Far East markets where smartphone choice has us jaded, along with affordable models for developing markets that, crucially, won’t cannibalize cheaper device sales too quickly.

Mobile World Congress is late next month, and Nokia is likely to have at least one more Windows Phone to show us. Shortly after that, the Lumia 900 will launch on AT&T and give the US its first decent taste of Nokia in some time. We’ve already said our piece on why AT&T should go against form and hammer down the sticker price of the LTE Lumia if it wants to stand a chance at getting traction.

Wielding a firehose of cash that’s gushing like a sick snake isn’t a great way to begin 2012, but Nokia has had it worse. This time last year, for instance, it had slumping profits and nothing compelling in its line-up whatsoever. The end is nowhere near in sight, but then again it never really is: there’s always something shinier and cleverer just around the corner. If Nokia can grab even a minority share of that roller-coaster then its prospects are good.

Overall sales of devices were down 29-percent year-on-year, with “smart device” shipments down to 19.6m units from 28.6m a year ago. Gross margin on smartphones also dived, from 28.7-percent to 19.9-percent, though Nokia did at least curtail its smartphone expenses by over €150m.

“In the war of ecosystems, clearly there are some strong contenders already on the field. And with Lumia, we have demonstrated that we belong on the field. Our specific intent has been to establish a beachhead in this war of ecosystems, and country by country that is what we are now accomplishing. To date we have sold well over 1 million Lumia devices. From this beachhead of more than 1 million Lumia devices, you will see us push forward with the sales, marketing and successive product introductions necessary to be successful. We also plan to bring the Lumia series to additional markets including China and Latin America in the first half of 2012″ Stephen Elop, CEO, Nokia

Meanwhile, Symbian devices are facing issues of their own, with the developing markets that have previously flocked to Nokia’s cheaper handsets now looking elsewhere. “Changing market conditions are putting increased pressure on Symbian” Elop says, pointing out that in “certain markets, there has been an acceleration of the anticipated trend towards lower-priced smartphones with specifications that are different from Symbian’s traditional strengths.”

That will mean Symbian demand will tail off quicker than Nokia originally expected, and the company isn’t making any 2012 predictions because of the instability of the market.

Elop says to look to the Lumia 900, announced earlier this month and expected to hit AT&T in the US on March 18 for a competitive $99.99 with a new agreement, to renew its challenge to the market. Whether investors and staff have the stomach to go along for the ride remains to be seen.

Update: Nokia tells us that the “well over 1 million” figure for Lumia sales is to-date, as in including January 2012, rather than solely for Q4 2011.

Hardware

Nokia has presented the world with a Windows Phone that’s got the backing of a well-known manufacturer mixed now with a relatively new but recognizable brand for smartphones. What Nokia is bringing to the party here is a device with a fabulous feel and a high-quality build that will have purchasers of the more expensive Windows Phone devices on the market saying “wait, why did I pay all this money when that free Nokia phone is just as sweet?” It’s got a pretty excellent camera on the back (just 5 megapixels, but nice nonetheless, read more below), the front has a display that’s the perfect size for accessing it in its entirety with just one hand’s thumb, and the plastic is smooth and high-class feeling to the touch.

One of the reasons Nokia seems so cool to the rest of the world, USA citizens, is that it’s essentially ubiquitous, as the ringtone suggests. What Nokia has done here is to bring that feeling in to the USA with Windows Phone as its passenger, bringing two relatively great names together in hopes that they’ll finally get the recognition they feel they deserve here in the United States. With this type of build, they should have no problem. Now what they’ve got to worry about is pushing it all with the correct advertisements and backing from, for example, celebrities galore.

Software

You’re using Windows Phone Mango here, and with it comes all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from this version of Windows Phone. We’ve got a full review of this software from back when it was first released, and it’s not all the different now save for a few applications. What you get when you jump in to this device is a few bonuses that come only with a T-Mobile phone. One of these is the T-Mobile TV app, one where you can get all sorts of live television channels and pre-loaded episodes of TV shows for one monthly price: $9.99. It’s certainly a decent value proposition for those of you wanting to watch television on the bus or the train, and I would mention that you should be wary of your connection, but they’ve got a “download now” feature now to keep your shows for later, so it’s pretty neat. That and Netflix should have you drowning in video content until the sun comes up.

From there it’s all personalized tiles, color changes, and moving content galore. Included here as well is a fantastic Maps apps which, if you’ve never seen it before, will blow you away with how nicely it works for viewing your house from outer space and getting turn-by-turn directions. Tell that to the Samsunged people, why don’t you?

Camera

The camera is a surprising perk on this already relatively neat little device. In that it’s just 5 megapixels strong, it’s certainly not the greatest capturer of all time, but it’s quick! Take a peek at the hands-on video above to see how fabulously fast it is able to take photos, then check out these examples below. You’ll find the top-quality video and photos being shown here and in the gallery at the bottom of this post, each with different lighting and at different distances.

Phone and Battery

The battery has also been a surprise star, lasting at least one full day (right around 8 hours) with medium use throughout the day. Like any smartphone, you will want to charge this device up as often as you can, just incase you have some heavy usage in an odd spot. Watching streaming video when you’re in a traffic jam, for example. The phone quality for talk through T-Mobile’s network has been similarly excellent, with no dropped calls happening during our testing and just as clear a voice out as in throughout the week we’ve had the device.

Wrap-up

The T-Mobile carried Nokia Lumia 710 is a fine addition to the Windows Phone family. Nokia has played it safe here with a collection of hardware bits that not only fit the Microsoft set of parameters set out for devices running their mobile OS, but fit right inside what we’ve seen in the past for Nokia’s own line as well. It’s a convergence of minds here, ladies and gentlemen, and if Nokia can stay the course with Windows Phone here for a few more devices, I’d say they’re good to go for quite a few more years in smartphone manufacturing on the whole.

Nokia continues to stay quiet on Lumia sales figures, leaving supply chain checks and retailer feedback to give only a vague hint at how well the devices are performing. The more glowing estimates may not have been entirely a reflection on the strength of Nokia’s own range, however; “there weren’t a lot of the hero handsets out there” Jefferies International analyst Lee Simpson suggested of the market as a whole. “HTC were struggling, RIM didn’t have a show-me device, Sony Ericsson and Motorola weren’t really stepping into the mix, so there was probably enough space for Nokia to be able to point to fourth- quarter numbers they were happy with.”

Meanwhile, the cost of the Lumia 800, the first of Nokia’s Windows Phones to hit the market back in November 2011, may have proved a turn-off for would-be buyers. “What’s really needed is cheaper models to compensate for the declining trend in Symbian” FIM Bank analyst Michael Schroeder suggests, “which sold in large numbers in the main smartphone category of 200 to 300 euros.”

As for the N9, while Nokia has said it holds little ambition for MeeGo, the collaborative project between it and Intel – and which has now been at least partially folded into Tizen - sales of the smartphone are expected to be surprisingly healthy given its limited availability. Pareto Oehman analyst Helena Nordman-Knutson estimates as many as 1.4m N9 units may have been sold in 2011, with the MeeGo device – which we reviewed here - on sale since September though not in key markets like the US and UK.

Even if channel shipments are healthy, there are suggestions that carriers themselves have been disappointed with demand. Reports surfaced earlier this month, claiming the operators had been pressuring Nokia to reduce prices so as to stimulate demand. Back at CES, the company revealed its first LTE Windows Phone, the Lumia 900, though the handset isn’t expected to go on sale until March.

Nokia will announce its quarterly financial results this week, on Thursday January 26, with all eyes on Windows Phone performance.

Here in the states, you can grab yourself a Lumia 710 for free on contract, though we certainly shouldn’t have expected much of a different strategy over the pond. We’re talking here then about on-contract devices, but also the common release of the off-contract phone (much more common over the pond, for you USA citizens.) Sources speaking with FT say that the 710 is likely to be sold on contract phones at about £20 a month, just a bit cheaper than the original £25 recommendation by Nokia.

Will you pick one up, ladies and gentlemen? Or do you already have the larger Lumia? Or perhaps you live here in the USA where the Lumia 900 is going to be dropped sooner than later. Windows Phone is going to get into your hands on the Lumia ship one way or another, that’s the plan!

[via FT]

That deadline of sorts is expected to be in mid-March, with a Nokia Developers email newsletter tipping the end-of-Q1 date earlier this month. Officially unveiled last week, the Lumia 900 promises  to be the most advanced Nokia Windows Phone we’ve seen, toting LTE connectivity along with a 4.3-inch ClearBlack display and 8-megapixel camera. More details in our full hands-on.

It remains to be seen exactly how competitively AT&T – or resellers – will price the Lumia 900, though there’s an argument to be made for a similar sub-$100 or even free-on-contract deal to drive Nokia’s marketshare in the US. As for the Lumia 710, check out all the details in our hands-on coverage.

[via PhoneArena]

There’s also a 5-megapixel main camera with 720p HD video recording though, unlike the AT&T Lumia 900 announced earlier this week, no front-facing camera. You also get HSPA+ but not LTE, though T-Mobile USA still throws a little 4G symbol in the status bar anyway.

Preloaded apps include Nokia Drive and ESPN, along with T-Mobile TV for streaming video and Nokia Music for streaming audio. We grabbed some hands-on time with the Lumia 710 when Nokia initially announced the smartphone, back at Nokia World 2012, which you can see here.

We’re hoping T-Mobile wakes up soon and starts pushing the new Lumia a little more, if only for Nokia and Microsoft’s sakes. Earlier this week Nokia confirmed it would be offering the original Lumia 800 in the US, albeit as an unlocked, SIM-free device with no carrier subsidy. That’s expected to begin happening in February.

That will change in time, and eventually all Windows Phones should be able to join in the fun. Still, it’s a sign that Nokia is playing things seriously with Lumia, not just treating Android and iOS as the competition but making an early play against others using Microsoft’s OS.

Joining the ESPN sports hub on Lumia devices will be the CNN App for Windows Phones – exclusive to Nokia users for 90 days – and the Univision App. That, too, will be exclusive to Nokia Lumia owners in the US and Puerto Rico, this time for 18 months, with Spanish-language content.

The Nokia Lumia 800 will be available on its own, and also in a bundle with the Nokia Play 360 Speakers and the Nokia Purity by Monster headset. The phone will be available in black, cyan and magenta, as in Europe. No word on pricing at this stage.

More on the Nokia Lumia 800 in our full review, and on the AT&T Lumia 900 LTE in our hands-on from CES.

A customer by the Twitter handle @Gimly81 asked @Swisscom_Care about the launch dates for the Lumia 800, the Lumia 900, and the HTC Titan. To that, the Swisscom Care team employee replied that the Lumia 800 would arrive in January, followed by the Lumia 900 in February, and that the carrier would not be stocking the HTC Titan.

However, the Swisscom employee responded not long after with another tweet correcting the previous message. The tweet said, “the Nokia Lumia 710 will be available by end of Feb. We’re not informed about the device you mentioned. Please excuse the mistake.” This could either be a true mistake or perhaps a retraction at the request of Nokia.

So far, rumors point to the Nokia Lumia 900 as having a 4.3-inch AMOLED display and a 1.4GHz processor. It’s expected to run Windows Phone Tango, the successor to the current Mango update and is believed to arrive sometime in Q1 of 2012. Hence, it could debut at Mobile World Congress next year.

[via Unwired View]

Inside this device you’ll find a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512 MB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, and SkyDrive cloud storage app right out of the box. The display is a 3.7-inch touchscreen at 800 x 480 pixel resolution and ClearBlack technoloty to make sure your blacks are black as they can be. The back-facing camera is a 5-megapixel shooter with what we’ve been told is an enhanced lens for clarity and sharpness, and the whole thing will run all night and day on a 1300 mAh battery — in fact, Nokia is saying this device will sit in your pocket on standby for an unbelievable 16 days straight.

You’ll have the ever so impressive Nokia Drive inside for GPS navigation, Microsoft Word, Bing apps galore, Xbox Live, Zune Music, and Windows Phone Marketplace for apps. ESPN has an app on here specifically for Nokia Windows Phones that works with Live Tiles to allow you to put your favorite team right there front and center, and the whole package is rounded out by a unique service: Nokia Concierge service. You’ll be able to call your Nokia representative any time to answer any question you’ve got about your device outside of billing (as that’s still T-Mobile’s domain) and get your answers quick as a flash.

Outside of Apple, no other business offers such a call-in Q and A service right this moment – that’s quite the value proposition. Can’t wait to see the USA version of this device popping up soon!

“What we see is that youth are pretty much fed up with iPhones. Everyone has the iPhone. Also, many are not happy with the complexity of Android and the lack of security. So we do increasing see that the youth that wants to be on the cutting edge and try something new are turning to the Windows phone platform” Niels Munksgaard, Nokia

Apple and Google may sneer that their rivals “uniqueness” is in fact just a sign of minimal sales, but Munksgaard predicts the time is right for a change. Part of the “different” approach is services like Nokia Music and Nokia Drive, offering free streaming radio and turn-by-turn navigation respectively, though there’s talk of other exclusive services in the pipeline.

“The marketplace is extremely crowded. I refer to it as the sea of sameness. When you walk up to a retail shelf at Phones4U and see the number of black mono-blocks sitting on the shelf, it is very confusing to the consumer. We want to deliver services and phones that are different” Niels Munksgaard, Nokia

As for aesthetic interest, Nokia is probably on the right track with the Lumia 800 – which we reviewed here - with its relatively distinctive milled polycarbonate casing. However the company’s more affordable model, the Lumia 710, has a far more mundane design, and it’s unclear which way Nokia will go with its third Windows Phone.

There’s also 512MB of RAM and 8GB of user storage, though no way to augment that as Microsoft still prevents Windows Phone devices from having accessible memory card slots. Nokia will add to WP7.5 Mango with its own apps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Music, offering turn-by-turn directions and free streaming music respectively.

Nokia – and Microsoft – is hoping that by leveraging its economy of scale and track-record in developing markets, the Lumia 710 will open up new countries to the Windows Phone experience. So far, relatively standardized components have kept all Windows Phones at pretty much the same pricing tier, which has limited their appeal amid the entry-level and flagship segments.

Meanwhile, there are also reports that T-Mobile USA could pick up the Lumia 710, despite Nokia’s protestations to the contrary. An event believed to see the first Nokia US Windows Phone handset revealed is due later this month.

More on the Nokia Lumia 710 in our full hands-on.

Nokia Lumia 710 hands-on:

When you’ve got a device so lovely as the Lumia 800, for example, running an operating system that’s not exactly caught up to its competitors since its launch a bit over a year ago, you’ve got to think that something magical is about to happen – or that the creators and developers on all sides of the equation certainly hope something fantastic will come of it. T-Mobile needs to pull out a win in the mobile market because it’s seen favor being thrust upon its competitors by both Apple and Google’s Android partners, and Nokia will be more than glad to release its already well-received Windows Phone-toting devices here in the states one way or another. But think about this as a possibility: perhaps it’s a Symbian device!

No way, that’s barely inside the greater realm of reality, much less possible for an event next week here at the end of 2011. While 2011 saw the steady decline of basically all mobile operating systems besides Android and iOS, Windows Phone certainly hasn’t kicked the bucket, nor has Symbian believe it or not. What do you think we’ll be seeing here in the last month of 2011 from these two mobile warriors?

“You see us pricing the devices so that that we can get what we think will be a good volume” Elop explained of Nokia’s strategy. The company released its first Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 800, on Wednesday this week in the UK, as well as revealing a second, cheaper device – the Lumia 710 - at Nokia World last month. That isn’t expected to go on sale until the end of the year, however, while the first US Nokia phone won’t hit shelves until early 2012.

The Finnish company has never been shy about highlighting its volume strengths, with years of paring down manufacturing costs allowing Nokia to price its devices aggressively. Elop has previously confirmed that both cheaper and more expensive Windows Phone handsets are in the pipeline, something he reiterated this week; a promo video – subsequently pulled – apparently showed a third device, believed to be the larger Nokia Lumia 900.

More advanced devices – as Nokia turns up the heat on other Windows Phone OEMs – will have to wait until the platform itself gains significant traction, however. The platform has shifted ahead of BlackBerry (though still lingers well behind iOS and Android) in developer interest, according to recent figures, but still managed to lose market share in Q3 2011 compared to the year before.

The scan is performed by an app running in the desktop browser, so you apparently needn’t have all your music copied over to the phone – a good job, considering the Lumia 800 only has 16GB of non-expandable storage – and after that Nokia’s 15m-strong catalog of songs are put together into a customized radio station. The Echo Nest produces a so-called Taste Profile, and allows Windows Phone users to spawn new radio stations based on artists or individual tracks.

Mix Playlists as it currently stands – with around 100 preconfigured stations that Nokia says will be periodically updated to include new music and themes – will remain on offer, and Lumia owners will be able to download “about 15 hours of programming” into a local cache for offline playback. The Nokia Lumia 800 goes on sale in the UK tomorrow; check out our full review here.

“If you received a Nokia E7 back in February when we announced our new smartphone strategy, you’ll automatically receive a Windows Phone device.  If you are currently a Nokia Developer Champion or a Nokia Launchpad member, you are already eligible, and you will soon receive an e-mail to explain how to get your new Nokia Windows Phone” Nokia

App Hub membership – which is required if developers want to distribute their apps through the Windows Phone Marketplace – usually costs $99 per year, but active Nokia developers will receive emails this month telling them how they can get in on the action free. There’s also the chance of being picked for Nokia’s App Highlights app, preloaded on the company’s Windows Phone devices, which flags up a small selection of hand-picked software and is likely to provide a considerable boost to any developer lucky enough to be included.

If you’re not a developer currently on Nokia’s radar, the company suggests getting into one of the upcoming outreach events – you can keep track of them at the company’s developer site - where you might well walk away with a free phone. More on the Nokia Lumia 800 in our full review.

[Thanks Steve!]

Elop didn’t specify which apps are considered must-haves, but does point out that Nokia will have not just the pick of the Windows Phone catalog but the fruits of its developer partnerships inked separately. One example is the ESPN sports hub that will be offered on the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, part of Nokia’s collaboration with the ESPN team.

As for the US launch, Elop reiterated the early 2012 timescale announced at Nokia World 2011 last week, but confirmed that rather than a single carrier partner the company would be working with multiple carriers. “Our intention is to come back in the United States and grow significant share in this market” Elop said. ”Our plans are to be very competitive and to go head-on with the appropriate devices at the appropriate price points.”

That expansion will include both cheaper and more expensive models than the initial Lumia 800 we unboxed yesterday and the more affordable Lumia 710. It’s possible that could mean the Nokia “Ace” we saw rumored prior to last week’s show, which could launch as the Nokia Lumia 900.

Windows Phone

Wailing Symbian fans and those decrying the death of MeeGo needed to be silenced, and Nokia had Windows Phone with which to do it. The two handsets, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, offer the clearest price-point differentiation to-date for the platform, as well as debuting Nokia’s software strategy to help it avoid being “just another licensee” of Microsoft’s.

Ironically the most natural competition for the Lumia 800 is Nokia’s own N9 – more than one person commented to us that the Lumia’s styling would’ve been the star of the show had it not been previewed by the MeeGo handset – but that said we can’t help but be impressed by the new flagship. It may lack the pentaband of Nokia’s other recent smartphones, a casualty of Microsoft’s insistence on Qualcomm basebands, but the Carl Zeiss-blessed camera, stunning AMOLED display and slick design add up to a handset that could well be the most compelling Windows Phone we’ve seen.

While feature-hounds will inevitably flock to the Lumia 800, the 710 is arguably the more important in terms of Nokia’s long-term vision. This is Windows Phone 7 on a budget – or, at least, more of a budget than we’ve seen from the platform before – and highlights Nokia’s formidable strengths in production and supply-chain management. If any firm can deliver low-cost Windows Phones, it’s Nokia: where currently devices like the 700 run Symbian, expect Microsoft’s platform to take center stage a few years down the line.

Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on:

The other push was software, and while Nokia was careful not to overload its launch with too much apps talk, two of the most important strands of its differentiation strategy were made clear. Nokia Drive will offer turn-by-turn navigation with no monthly fee, while Nokia Music will have a choice of customized streaming music, again with no subscription required. Again, this is economy of scale talking: Nokia’s ownership of NAVTEQ and existing development of Nokia Maps and Drive, along with its Nokia Music platform, allow it to preload inclusive navigation and streaming music services that rivals and operators might normally have to charge for. Nokia Music’s Mix Playlists may not have the flexibility of something like Spotify, but as an out-of-the-box option it’s one of the more compelling and certainly helps the company stand apart from other Windows Phone providers.

Unfortunately the US contingent went home with little certainty about the country’s Nokia future. Neither new Lumia will end up in the ‘States, and aside from some vague talk of LTE and custom network support, Elop and co. refused to be drawn on what, exactly, we can expect to see when Nokia attempts to storm the US market in early 2012. More on this in our Nokia World 2011: The US Perspective piece.

The Next Billion

Hang around Nokia execs for any length of time and it’s not long before “the next billion” comes up in conversation. They’re not talking about the next round of bonuses, but the next generation of cellular users, primarily in developing nations where connectivity is still rapidly gathering momentum.

For those users, Nokia brought Asha to the show. The four-strong range of S40 handsets may not exactly set US or European hearts a-flutter, but each encapsulates one of Nokia’s key strengths and the reason rivals still take the company seriously. The cheapest Asha model, the 200, is expected to cost a mere €60 unsubsidized, despite offering a camera, full QWERTY keyboard, the ability to simultaneously use dual-SIMs, an FM radio and app support. That’s a whole lot of functionality for the price, especially when you factor in Nokia build-quality, radio-quality, market reputation and battery life.

The other three models in the Asha line-up build on that theme, all coming in at under €115 unsubsidized but including specifications that previously might have demanded a high-end featurephone. As the company’s execs put it during the opening keynote, the “next billion” look at a smartphone and then buy a cheap cellphone: Asha offers aspirational features that, though many will sneer as they don’t compare to, say, a DROID or an iPhone, are still prized in many regions.

Nokia Asha hands-on:

It’s important, too, as Nokia had been seeing its entry-level market eaten into by rivals from China. The Nokia brand cachet may not carry much currency in the US, but it does elsewhere. Unlike in previous years, there wasn’t much in the way of highlighting Nokia’s philanthropic endevours – perhaps the company has realized that, unfortunately, it doesn’t make for as good, as blanket coverage as glitz and high-end specs – but the ongoing outreach efforts it makes are likely to help cement its foundations among the next generation of mobile users.

Elop’s Twelve Month Review

Back at Nokia World 2010, brand spanking new CEO Stephen Elop took the stage and made his brief introductions. More memorable was his chant of “Developers, developers, developers!” that closed the keynote. Elop has hardly had an easy time of it in the twelve intervening months: branded a Microsoft mole by conspiracists, forced to make sweeping cuts of staffing and budgets to trim Nokia’s profligate spending into something more fitting its newly marginalized position in the mobile segment, and charged with guiding the historic firm through its most difficult period to-date.

So, how did he do? Elop’s opening keynote was certainly stronger than last year’s, aided by an array of execs that certainly gave their respective presentations their all. Much has been made of the fact that, for the first time ever, no Finnish executives were brought on-stage during the Nokia World keynote. More important, perhaps, the presentation style showed Nokia had listened and reacted to criticisms of the 2010 event.

Last year, reserved presenters and deadpan delivery left Nokia’s new product and service announcements feeling flat. “Why can’t you be more like Apple?” went the cry, referring to the Cupertino company’s dynamic press conferences, and Nokia responded: 2011′s exec moments of impromptu on-stage dancing and vocal self-praise may have bordered on the cheesy, but at least they demonstrated no shortage of enthusiasm, and while the cynical press contingent may not have been moved, the developers present loved it. For once it seemed that Nokia wasn’t just going through the motions: that the company had new phones it legitimately felt it stood a decent chance with.

Therein lies Elop’s primary success: the Lumia series. Talking with Nokia staff at the show (none of whom would agree to be specifically named), the new CEO’s direct involvement in all stages of the Windows Phone rollout was clear. There’s been a big shakeup inside Nokia, not just from staff leaving or shifting, but in how products are conceptualized, designed and positioned for the market. Elop isn’t out of the woods yet – the Lumia 800 and 710 have yet to launch, of course, and then there’s the US assault to be managed – but it’s hard to argue that, with a path decided on, he and the management team aren’t giving it their all.

The Future

The first Nokia Windows Phone will go on sale in a matter of weeks. That alone is an astonishing turnaround from a company that was notorious for the interminable delays between announcement and shipping. Developers will continue to be courted, with thousands of free devices headed out to curry favor among the coders that have become the life-blood of any smartphone platform. Nokia will follow the Lumia 800 with its cut-price 710 sibling, which will arrive pretty much alongside the company’s US strategy.

The third Windows Phone we were expecting, tentatively believed to be the large-screen Nokia Ace, didn’t make an appearance, but we continue to hear whispers of a “Lumia 900″ near in the pipeline. That could round out the new range with a flagship to take on the big-display Android phones that have become so popular of late. Nokia’s research labs were also on form, bringing along eye-catching designs like the flexible Kinetic concept.

Nokia Kinetic Research Concept:

For all of Nokia’s efforts last year, we left the show still thinking “lovely hardware, shame about the Symbian”; the market responded in a similar vein, failing to take the E7 and other models to its bosom. Contrast that with 2011, where most press and other attendees were eagerly anticipating spending more time with the Lumia 800. There are still plenty of questions lingering – the US launch, Nokia’s software differentiation strategy, what’s happening with MeeGo and talk of a new entry-level replacement to S40 – but Nokia seems to have pulled off the most needed trick: getting people talking not about its failure, but its future.

You can find all our Nokia World 2011 coverage here.

Of the six new phones, only two have any relevance to the US market, and exactly zero are going to end up on US store shelves. The four-strong Asha range of entry-level phones are targeting Nokia’s “next billion users” and, despite most in the US never having owned or perhaps even held a Nokia, they’re not among that billion. Probably a good thing: their saving grace for developing markets is price, and we already have enough cheap, uninspiring phones in the US.

Then there is the Lumia series, the flagship Lumia 800 and the more affordable Lumia 710. The first of what Nokia says are many, many Windows Phone 7 smartphones, they’ll never make it to the US but devices like them will. This was Nokia’s opportunity to shine, to make its case for why it was still relevant in a world where iOS and Android hold sway, and a lot of it made sense. The 710 makes a few too many style and build quality compromises to meet its price to be relevant to the US, in my opinion, but the N9-inspired 800 is distinctive and unlike anything on the North American market.

The pared-down design feels as good as it looks, and works great with Windows Phone 7′s tile-based Metro interface. Nokia didn’t spare the parts bin, either: the AMOLED display is fantastic while picture and video performance from the camera wowed too.

Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on:

Nokia opened the door on what custom work it has been doing with Microsoft, tailoring Windows Phone to suit its purposes. In the last few years the company has basically had Symbian to itself – because, frankly, nobody else wanted to use it any more – but now it has to share Windows Phone with other OEMs. We saw some of how Nokia will differentiate itself beyond just hardware. Nokia Music, with its streaming Mix Playlists, is a neat value-add when you consider most carrier-bundled services like it would add a few bucks to your monthly bill. Nokia Drive, though, is going to be the big hitter: iPhone lacks a great native turn-by-turn navigation app, and Google Maps on Android still doesn’t have the same offline mapping support that Nokia has developed. They’re elements that will help set Nokia apart from not only rival platforms but other companies pushing out Windows Phones and holding a bigger existing footprint in the US.

In some places, though, it felt like a backward step. Nobody in the US bought the Nokia N8, C7 or E7, but at least Nokia made an effort, including pentaband UMTS/WCDMA wireless so that both AT&T and T-Mobile USA SIMs were welcome. Both the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710 are triband-only, however, a limitation introduced by Microsoft’s insisting on Qualcomm radio hardware. For an event packed with developers, there wasn’t much talk – beyond the ESPN app – of what software specialness we could expect.

Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on:

The biggest gap, though, was where I wanted to see carrier partners. Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, promised Windows Phones for the US market in early 2012, along with LTE and other country-specific technologies, but there was no sign of which carrier or carriers Nokia might be working with. LTE is maybe a hint toward Verizon Wireless being involved, though AT&T has its own, smaller LTE network, but there was nothing about the issues around handling both GSM and CDMA networks, or international use.

I’d also liked to have heard something about pricing strategy. As I was reminded when I checked out some London phone stores, Europeans generally pay nothing up front for their new cellphones when they buy them on contract. That’s definitely not the case in North America, and it would have been great if Nokia could have given us at least a hint that it was not only looking to compete on hardware capabilities but on aggressive pricing. That, after all, is expected to be one of the company’s biggest strengths.

The other omissions were maybe understandable. Subtle suggestions of a Nokia Windows 8 tablet strategy, but nothing concrete: I guess Nokia (rightly) thought that would only distract from its phone plans. Nokia pitched the keynote at an audience pretty much unaware of what Windows Phone can do or how it works, whereas – with all the Microsoft execs milling – I’d like to have seen some more of what’s in the pipeline for the platform. That might have better emphasized Nokia’s role as the key partner.

Still, overall, was my first time memorable? You can’t argue with Nokia’s enthusiasm, nor its ambition. It’s working from a position of having once been on top and now finding itself significantly outplayed by Apple, Samsung and others. That makes for a hungry company, and that’s something Nokia really needs to be right now. It looks like it’s getting the message, at least to begin with – release dates that are weeks rather than months after product announcements are a good example of that – and there’s no denying that Nokia Windows Phones are a whole lot more compelling than Nokia Symbian phones. That, however, wouldn’t take much, from a US perspective at least, and Nokia can’t afford to lose momentum or focus as it heads into 2012.

More on the Nokia Lumia 800 in our full hands-on report.

Speculation about the company’s handset intentions in North America had begun after the Lumia 710 made an appearance on the Nokia USA site, complete with the tagline “Designed for you.” However, rather than being a teaser for a surprise launch of the mid-range Windows Phone, Nokia described the site change as an “error”: it had intended to post product pages of both Lumia devices, though only to give US consumers “an idea of what they could expect,” and indeed the Lumia 800 product page should go live on the US site sometime today.

Instead, US would-be Nokia supporters will have to hold out for the new year, though there’s the possibility of LTE to keep them keen. CEO Stephen Elop confirmed that the firm was looking at including high-speed 4G connectivity specifically to cater to US carriers.

Unfortunately, early-adopters hoping to import a Lumia 710 or 800 will be disappointed if they expect the pentaband radio support that has been common on Nokia’s recent Symbian devices. Instead, the two new Windows Phones support triband UMTS/WCDMA only. More on the two devices in our Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 hands-on coverage.

Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on:

Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 is a device that should very much remind you of the recently reviewed by Chris Davies Nokia device by the name of Nokia N9. While that device ran MeeGo, this new one rolls out with Windows Phone and is therefor modified physically to meet the needs of the alternate mobile OS. You’ve got the three Microsoft designed buttons at the bottom of a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 pixel AMOLED display, inside you’ve got a 1450mAh battery for nearly 10 hours of talk time, and inside you’ve got the lovely 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to back you up.

Inside you’ll find 16GB of built-in storage, 512 MB of RAM, and the ability to use the cool 8-megapixel camera on the back of the device, this camera capable of 720p HD 30fps video as well as HD photos. The single piece of bright colorful polycarbonate should have you agreeing with Nokia that the whole experience is “pillowy” and without a doubt this is a high contender for the top class of smartphone devices out there, being described by many as the “first true Windows Phone device” right out of the gate due to its unique design and top-tier specifications.

Nokia Lumia 710

The device that for one reason or another appears to be taking a second seat to news about the 800 is the Lumia 710, another Windows Phone 7.5 Mango device with a 3.7-inch display at 480 x 800 pixel resolution. This time the display is a TFT LCD and the 1300 mAh batter should be giving you nearly 8 hours of talk time. Inside you’ll find the same single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, while the back of this device has a slightly smaller 5-megapixel camera still capable of 720p HD video at 30 fps.

Built-in storage is set at 8GB, while system memory is 512 MB and, just like the 800, this device has a candybar design. You’ll see right away though that these certainly don’t taste the same, and if they were made of candy, they wouldn’t both be chocolate, that’s for sure. While the 800 is 4.59 x 2.41 x 0.48 inches in size and weighs in at 142 g, the 710 rings in at 4.69 x 2.46 x 0.49 inches and weighs 126 g.

I suppose at this point you’re confused whether these two devices are nearly the same or completely different. Truth be told, they’re going to be held up by you in the store next to one another and it’s likely the price that’ll do the deciding for you. That or your ability to choose certain fantastic color cases for one and different sets of colors for the other. Whatever happens, happens!

Also feel free to check out another competition from this morning by the name of Lumia 800 vs iPhone 4S, then see how you’ll be getting some sweet app options with Nokia App Highlights curated store as outlined this morning as well.

See our full Nokia Lumia 710 hands-on post or just check out the video here:

And see our full Nokia Lumia 800 hands-on post or just check out the video here:

Then let us know which one you’d choose if you had the choice right this second!

Another point to make here is that Qualcomm has currently cornered the Windows Phone market with their processors. That’s right, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors power 100 percent of Windows Phone devices on the market right now, and they don’t plan on stopping there! With the Windows Phone 7 marketplace on the rise, its in Qualcomm’s best interest to continue to hold on to the entirety of the platform.

Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Europe, is more than pleased with the situation of course. Salvatori notes that the process from start to finish only took six months, quite a feat for two manufacturers working to optimize eachothers products for one another for market release. “The completeness of the Snapdragon processor and deep integration between Snapdragon and Windows Phone 7 have enabled a unique smartphone experience in record development time for Nokia.” Sounds good and dandy!

Check out our Hands-on with the Lumia 800, our Hands-on with the Lumia 710, and hit up the entire Nokia experience this week by seeking out the Nokia World 2011 portal.

App Highlights, Varty explained, will be both present on the homescreen – it’s not yet clear whether it will be a Live Tile, dynamically updating to flag up new download options, or otherwise – and as a category in the Marketplace on Nokia Windows Phones. There will be three categories, including “Featured” apps and “Starter” apps, described by Varty as “what we think is the key content for our consumers.”

Rather than simply flagging up the top paid and free downloads, or the best rated apps, as current app stores do, Nokia will leverage its local level expertise to populate the App Highlights categories. The company already has people whose job is to merchandize the stores, Varty pointed out, and calls upon their expertise at a country-by-country level to pick out the best content for each marketplace. Nokia has already used a similar system for its Nokia Music service, using local experts to highlight what music is topical in each location.

“We’re in many more markets than some of our competitors” Varty highlighted, suggesting that despite its heft Nokia is a “very local business.” Sourcing content from local providers is just part of that. It will also better differentiate Nokia Windows Phones from those of rivals; HTC has its own Hub store, but it’s not as holistically integrated into the Marketplace as Nokia’s App Highlights system will be.

We also asked Varty about the Nokia Launchpad offer made to developers back in February, promising them a free Nokia Windows Phone when available (along with, at the time, a free E7). Varty couldn’t confirm today exact details of that scheme – though he did say that, if Nokia had promised it, they’d be following up on it – but pointed out that in a recent developer event 150 coders were promised Lumia 800 handsets. We’ll follow up when we have more on the Launchpad deal.

More on Nokia’s new Windows Phones in our Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 hands-on.