Nokia Lumia 710 hands-on

It’s Nokia World 2011 and all eyes seems to be on Nokia’s new Windows Phone 7.5 flagship, the Lumia 800. But based on my conversations with other tech journalists here, many believe the real show stealer is the understated Nokia Lumia 710. Read on to find out why.

The Lumia 710 is Nokia’s promise on making Windows Phone cheaper and accessible to the market. At a retail price of EUR270 before taxes and subsidies, the Lumia 710 is currently the cheapest new Windows Phone 7.5 smartphones with a faster than 1 GHz processor.

Like the Nokia Lumia 800, the Lumia 710 runs on the same 1.4 GHz processor and graphic accelerator. In essence the  key differentiators that set the two apart are the design, screen technology used and camera. While the Lumia 800 shares the same body as the Meego-powered Nokia N9, the Lumia 710 is a Nokia 603 after undergoing a Windows Phone transplant.

While the 710 is larger than the 800, it is also a bit lighter. Despite the liberal use of plastic, the 710 feels great in hand. My only complaint was, despite the use of hardware front buttons, the buttons do look and feel cheap. It does get the job done, even if the tactile feedback was almost none-existent.

The screen is 3.7″ in size, the same as the Lumia 800. Unlike the 800 however, the Lumia 710′s screen is LCD TFT variety. Even then the Lumia 710′s screen looks awesome and has great colour saturation and contrast level. It is easily one of the best LCD displays on a mobile phone I have ever seen. I honestly thought it was an OLED display I was looking at.

The 5MP camera will not set the world alight, but at least it comes with an Autofocus lens. The camera is quick and easy to use, as are on all Windows Phone 7 devices.

Despite the differences in hardware, the Lumia 710 works the same as the Lumia 800, or indeed all Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices. Nokia does differentiate a little by providing some key exclusive applications, such as Nokia Drive – the only voice navigation application on WP7 that works offline as well.

Alongside with Nokia Drive, Nokia has also announced their Spotify competitor – Nokia Music, a music discovery app that allows you to download playlists, basically pre-packed radio directly onto their phone. It is well integrated with the OS and takes advantages of Windows Phone 7 features such as Live Tiles.

Of all the phones I played with today, the Lumia 710 is the most exciting one. It is not only affordable, the design is fresh (even if it isn’t too exciting like the 800). This is Nokia’s answer to pushing Windows Phone smartphones onto a larger market and will help them at getting into that all important mid-range market. It also plays well with their next one billion strategy.

The Lumia 800 is no doubt the phone to get, if you can afford one. It is EUR150 more after all, and it won’t get you much more than you can get with the 710. Expect to see these in stores from Q1 2012.

Kik Messenger Introduces New Symbian, Windows Phone Apps At Nokia World

The cross platform messenger service Kik today launched its Symbian and updated Windows Phone apps at the Nokia World conference in London. The messenger competes with the likes of WhatsApp and is also  available on iOS , Android and Blackberry platforms. With the new Symbian app Kik Messenger users should be able to communicate regardless of platform of choice.

The Symbian app which has been in private beta for a while boasts support for sent, delivered and read notifications, group chat with any kik user across all supported platform, and photo sharing. The newly updated Windows Phone app supports the fast app switching features introduced in Mango while adding list scrolling, address book contact matching and other improvements.

Microsoft look to the community for the key features in the next version of Windows Phone: Apollo

Following the introduction of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Microsoft have dubbed the next iteration of their mobile platform ‘Apollo’ and they’ve taken to asking their users as to what features they would like to see as the OS develops.

For starters, it’s great to see Microsoft taking this approach, if you’re in camp Android but have used iOS or WP7, you might have found that restrictive elements of both OS’s intrude on your general phone usage from time to time. That being said a more enclosed platform allows for greater security, management and control, so it’s a double edged sword.

The first iteration of Windows Phone did what it needed to, by making large enough waves that potential consumers took it seriously and were prepared to part from what they knew and dive into the unknown. However it didn’t take long for users to feel the restrictions of such a young OS.

As updates have rolled out, we’ve seen the skill set of Windows Phone steadily improve, but until now, had no real control over which features we wanted and which we had thrust upon us. Now, however Microsoft’s approach to the next incarnation of the OS, Apollo, is a far more personal one. They’ve given power to users and created a customer feedback page with the express purpose of determining, what features the users want to see on their next WP7 devices.

Microsoft want to hear what the people want

A popular request off the bat is greater language support. In the top 10 requests alone, three ask for language support (for Arabic, Thai and Persian, in case you were wondering). Other desired features include screenshot support, USB storage support, the full Bing feature set available to customers outside the US and device backup functionality, which includes application data backup, SMS/MMS backup and settings profile backup.

the top 10 requests at time of writing

To see the rankings in real-time, follow this link. You also get 10 votes to allocate to whichever ideas you think would be the most beneficial, or if you prefer you can submit your own ideas into the mix as long as you can explain them in under 25 characters or less.

Of course this might just seem like an elaborate means of keeping unhappy users quiet by thinking that they can rectify their problems with the OS through this forum, however we’re inclined to fully trust the motives behind the site in this case. As Microsoft points out, ‘Please do not send any novel or patentable ideas, samples or demos which you do not want to grant a license to Microsoft’, this leads us to believe that they will take every suggestion seriously and are fully prepared to implement the ideas that score the highest. So, if there’s a feature on there you know you need on your Windows Phone device, get voting.

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Samsung Omnia W announced with Windows Phone Mango and 1.4 GHz Processor

Samsung has announced Samsung Omnia W, their first handset to feature Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango). The phone has 3.7 inch Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor and 5 MP Auto focus camera with LED Flash and a VGA video calling camera. The Windows Phone Mango has Windows Phone People Hub that has built-in social networking services like Windows Live, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It also has Marketplace Hub, Office Hub, Game Hub, and Picture Hub, Music & Video Hub – powered by Microsoft Zune.

Specifications of Samsung Omnia W

• 3.7 inch (800 x 480 pixels) Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen display
• 10.9mm thick and weighs 115.3g
• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
• 1.4 GHz Processor
• 5 MP Auto focus camera with LED Flash and a VGA video calling camera
• 3.5mm audio Jack, FM Radio with RDS
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 2.1, aGPS / Bing Map, and USB 2.0
• 512MB RAM, 8GB Internal Memory that is expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD
• 1500 mAh Li-on battery

It also comes with pre-installed Samsung’s apps like Now, RSS Times, Video Call(3G), Photo Studio, Mini Diary, All Share(DNLA), Fun Shot, Wireless Manager and some of the downloadable apps like Dictionary, Photogram and Rubik’s Cube.

The Samsung Omnia W will be available starting in Italy from end-October and would gradually be rolled out globally including Europe, CIS, Latin America, Africa, South East and South West Asia.

Windows Phone Mango update coming in a couple of weeks

The much anticipated WP 7.5 update – Mango is scheduled to start rolling out in a week or two says Eric Hautala (General Manager, Customer Experience Engineering at Microsoft).

When the update is released users will also get some model-specific software from the manufacturers of their smartphones. That is required as Mango is tuned to work with each phone and its apps perfectly. The update is said to arrive in the next couple of weeks .

Eric Hautala also advises users to get the updated versions of Windows Phone 7 connector for Mac and Zune for PC, which have received a number of update-related improvements. He did address the issue of non-official firmwares, which he advises users to stand clear of, as they interfere with updates. Phones with unofficial software versions may be unable to receive the real Mango when it rolls out.

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Nokia and Polar Mobile to launch over 300 mobile apps for Symbian , Meego and Windows Phone

Looks like Nokia is still supporting Meego and Symbian as it plans to launch over 300 apps for Symbian , Meego and Windows Phone devices over the next 12 months. The handset maker has entered into an agreement with mobile app developer Polar Mobile to launch apps for top media brands. The first 50 apps will be available on Nokia Ovi Store for Symbian phones.All these apps are expected to use the Qt framework which enables developers to reuse code across various mobile platforms. It’s not clear what is the strategy for Windows Phone as there Qt does not support the platform as of now.  
Press Release

TORONTO, ONTARIO (Aug. 17, 2011) – Nokia has entered into an agreement with Polar Mobile to launch over 300 mobile apps for Nokia smartphones over the next 12 months. Polar Mobile will be launching apps on Nokia smartphones for over 300 top tier media brands globally, including the likes of Wired UK, Kompas, Advertising Age, Globe and Mail, Shanghai Daily and 7DAYS. The apps will be made available to consumers of Nokia’s Symbian smartphones, the recently announced Nokia N9 and future Nokia with Windows Phone devices.

“Nokia is excited about the opportunity to team up with Polar Mobile to bring hundreds of quality apps to consumers around the world. Polar Mobile’s ability to scale and attract a global set of brands is strategic in supporting Nokia’s efforts in offering compelling apps and experiences for our users,” said Richard White, General Manager, Nokia Canada.

The first set of 50 apps under this new partnership will be available on Nokia’s Symbian devices by next month and will be available globally through Nokia’s Ovi Store.

“We are thrilled that Nokia has chosen Polar Mobile to provide top tier media apps for their devices. Nokia’s global consumer reach is important for many of our customers, especially in Europe, Middle East and Asia,” says Kunal Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, Polar Mobile. “Partnering with Nokia helps our media customers continue to grow their mobile audiences”.

Polar Mobile provides a software Platform to top-tier media companies to make it fast & easy to launch mobile Apps across multiple smartphone and tablet operating systems. Using Qt as the basis for its Platform on Nokia smartphones, Polar Mobile can deliver rich user experiences for their customers. To date, Polar Mobile has launched over 1,200 mobile apps across other major smartphone devices for more than 300 media brands in 10 countries. Now, in partnership with Nokia, Polar Mobile can extend support for Nokia smartphones reaching consumers in 190 markets.

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Windows Phone ‘Tango’ to bring the OS to the masses

When Nokia and Microsoft announced their partnership both the companies promised to out WP devices at all price points including the budget segment. If rumors are to be believed , the Tango update will do just that by bringing the same Windoes Phone experience at a lower than ever price point.

This latest comes from Marey Jo Foley who states that the update might mostly or exclusively target the Asian markets. The Tango update is expected to be available sometime early next year. What is your opinion of Windows Phone 7 ? Are you excited about the Nokia – Microsoft partnership ? Sound off in the comments below !

[Via-Engadget]