Good Luck Microsoft, Long Live Nokia!

And the time had finally come, the complete turn-over of the substantial part Nokia Devices and Services division to the biggest technology company in the world, Microsoft, capping the 8 months hiatus from its initial announcement. This historic event culminated after passing all the obstacles that came along the way and getting the approval by Nokia shareholders and government regulators.

But not everyone was happy about it. I for one had a mixed reactions over the buyout, sadness in one part because I cannot anymore see my most trusted brand name in any of my future devices, on the other hand, excitement because of what’s up ahead with the fusion of brilliant minds from two powerful and innovative tech companies. Annoyed as well, with how the company was mishandled, and terrified most specially, with accusations of Trojan power plays that occurred along the way. But anyhow, past is past and it’s time to move forward, Microsoft has still a lot of things to prove and they need to gear up for the battle that is upfront. As for Nokia, well, no matter how other people would want to portray it, they will still be a vital part of the smartphone universe with their long list of patents and services. Every smartphone company pays to Nokia for the use of its patents and they will definitely here to stay.

For everyone who have been following my blog, your biggest question would probably be, if I will now sway my love and support to Microsoft who now owns Nokia’s devices department, well, it’s not just about the notion that everything remains the same being that nothing had really change other than the brand logo and name, but the head management is different now comprising different sets of people with distinct visions, I’m still not sure what their plans are or which business model will they follow in approaching the mobilephone hardware and software market.

It’s also about character; Nokia is a brand name that is analogous to quality and value conscious products, almost indestructible design and construction, excellent services, unwavering after sales support, among others, while Microsoft is only known as a successful software company. Will Microsoft adopt Nokia's built and service orientated character, enhance it perhaps, or will they create another system? If proven enough by Microsoft, then why not!

It’s definitely not a smooth sail ahead for Microsoft being an infant in the hardware business and surrounded by fierce competitors. They still need to prove a lot of things most especially to Nokia’s legions of enthusiasts. They will surely prevail, I believe, because they have the right tools and talents (Nokia’s world class hardware designers and workers), all they need to do now is to introduce more cutting edge software innovations with distinguishable features and brilliant marketing strategy.

Good luck then to Microsoft and long live Nokia!

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Windows 8, Windows 8 RT, Windows Phone, My Celestial Thoughts!

Competition is heating up in the technology space as giant companies showcase there heavenly supernova strengths to reign supreme across the vast buck-pit universe, but out of the big 3 companies who went public last week, Microsoft undeniably echoed the loudest and brightest solar flare of all with the official release of Windows 8, Windows 8 RT and Windows Phone 8 operating systems.

Well, it had been long foreseen few weeks back since they're the only company who will offer something interesting and new in the software side of things unlike Apple and Goggle who were only rumored to announced new hardware devices, but besides the barrage, Microsoft still, stole the limelight hardware-wise by introducing unique products that nobody wouldn't think possible, for instance, the 42 inch touchscreens, creative tablet-laptop convertibles, etc. Frankly, what is iPad Mini or Nexus 10 compared to those announced in the Windows 8 event, all the newly announced devices had stamps of reliable, serious and workable system reducing the aforementioned to just high-priced toys that offer girly stuffs. I even predict the death of Android tablets in about a year or two starting with wave of convertible pc-tablets coming early next year from several manufacturers.

I personally like how the Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT took shape with the integration of Metro UI. Everything looks exceptionally sleek, intuitive and easy to use without losing its PC core functionality. The thought that Microsoft optimized all its previous features found on Windows 7 to touch interface and making it very much functional gives a notion of an all in one device. This would mean that I could do everything I can on my current laptop on the new breed tablet PC unlike my current Android-based tablet that only works as an entertainment and eBook device. Microsoft also took the advantage of offering new and emerging technologies such Near Field Communications (NFC), Cloud computing, USB 3.0, UEFI firmware and low-power ARM architecture, all of which are great addition to an already powerful system. Enhance security features such as malware filtering program, built-in antivirus software and support for secure boot were also added which will make internet usage more safer than the rest. By the way, if your asking for the difference of Windows 8 to Windows 8 RT, nothing much in general sense except that the latter was optimized to run on ARM processors which is said to be efficient in power management.

Windows Phone 8 on the other hand is said to offer a lot of improvements from the already intuitive, savvy and socially focused predecessor. New features that I like most were the enhance customization particularly on the Homescreen, hopefully this would include message alert tone as well; multicore processor support; NFC; removable memory card support, I supposed this would mean that it can now add videos and music to the phone without the passing through Zune, hopefully it does; VoIP integration and most importantly, my personal favorite, a shared kernel component with Windows 8 which will allow application compatibility with Windows 8. Well, I haven't found any comprehensive reviews about the new Windows Phone 8 yet so I'm left with these facts for now, but I have admit, everything looks exemplary so far.

Very promising scenery here for the three operating  system. With its initial hardware availability this Christmas season from almost all PC and phone manufactures, Microsoft is off to emit a quasar strength in 2013. Apps won't seemed to post a problem rather since their is an application compatibility between 3 system, their is no other way for Windows Store but to burst unstoppably with a multiplicity never seen before.

Like astronomers mental outlook in observing galactic events, I'm, at all times, fired up to witness a momentous event in the technology universe but unlike them who had no idea when will such events happened, the tech space is all set for me, and its sooner than I expect. 

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Windows Phone 8's Hype, Starts

A few days ago, leakers gave a few exciting tidbits on the upcoming Windows Phone 8, today at Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco, Microsoft and Nokia unveiled a few more marking the beginning of a long period ballyhoo of today's most electrifying Operating System in the mobilephone space.

It cannot be denied that of all the Operating System at the moment, iOS and Android have not move significantly forward, Symbian and Blackberry had substantial improvements but not enough to cause a stir, while the rest went stealth, Windows Phone on the other hand grew thrillingly giving the coolest and the most futuristic user experience of all. Hands down to the people behind the OS, a huge shift in momentum continues, all due to the unwavering hard work of people in Redmond.

Anyways, I love the new start screen among the rest of the new applications and services that Microsoft brought to the table. Nokia's new Marketplace apps on the other hand were promising like the digital Camera Extras that brings new possibilities to existing Lumia devices including panorama shots, a self-timer, Action Shot for capturing movement and Smart Group Shot for creating the perfect group shot from several different images; new features for Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport; and also pattern of updates like WiFi tethering and flip-to-silence, among the rest.

I just hope they were able to fixed few basic things as mentioned in my past articles. For instance, more customization like background image integration on the live tiles, theme system, integration of personal message alert tone, etc. I was looking also for DiVX support; elimination of Zune system's video conversion to WMV before it can be transferred to the phone; improvement of its less adjustable Music player with no option to create playlist directly to the phone; among others.

Anyways, looking forward to know more about Windows Phone 8, its shaping up to be the Operating to beat!

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Windows Phone Marketplace, Localized

Access over 34,000 local and global top apps and games at your fingertips

Filipino consumers and developers can finally access local and global top apps and games as the Philippines is one of 28 new consumer markets where Windows Phone Marketplace has recently been made available.

Being localized, Windows Phone Marketplace apps is now being price in Philippine Peso and fitted to the local market scenario. Filipino apps will also be given priority having direct impact in the locality. Among the local apps available are the useful MMDA for WP, ABS-CBN News for real-time updates on local news, weather app Storm Tracer, and other games and fun apps like XMT PhotoMagic.

As a result of efforts geared towards strengthening local developers, there has been a significant increase in the number of new apps published every day. Through the opportunities offered by the Windows Phone Marketplace, more local developers will have the chance to create exciting apps that would suit the Filipino consumers’ needs and taste.

The expansion of the Windows Phone Marketplace into the Philippines coincides with the launch of the formidable range of Nokia Lumia smartphones. Operating on the Windows Phone platform, the Nokia Lumia devices will open the door to new price points and customer segments in the already phone-savvy Philippine market.

There are currently over 34,000 local and global apps available for download on Marketplace. If you are a new Windows Phone user, simply activate your smartphone with a local Windows Live ID (Hotmail.ph) and you can download free apps or purchase paid apps from Marketplace with your local credit card. Activation is just as easy for existing users. You can get a new local Windows Live ID, reset your phone, and reactivate to gain access to the local Marketplace. Among the thousands of apps available on Marketplace are the universally popular Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and virtual storage app SkyDrive from Microsoft.

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Kris Aquino on Nokia Lumia Smartphones

“It really is amazing and it’s the perfect phone for my lifestyle. I like how it enables me to discover, create and share things with my loved ones everyday,” said Kris Aquino, who has recently been chosen as the ambassador for the new Nokia Lumia phones.

Kris Aquino is the Philippines "Queen Of All Media", shes one of the most biggest and most respected TV and movie personality in the country with huge accomplishments both personal and career beyond ordinary musings.

Kris has an extraordinary life and with it, extraordinary happening when she finds something that excites her and makes her rave about it to her friends. And one of the things that Kris fancies at the moment is the new Nokia Lumia range of smartphones.

It is important that Kris gets to balance work with personal things that she deems important, Nokia Lumia fulfills this with ease. Packed with exciting and up-to-date features, Nokia Lumia smartphones help her fulfill her duties as a TV host, a movie actress, a brand endorser and a devoted mother.

“We all know that Kris is a really tough and amazing lady who deserves an equally amazing and impressive phone. That’s why she’s the perfect person to represent Nokia Lumia,” said Dharmesh Goshalia, Nokia Philippines general manager and head of sales.

With Nokia Lumia smartphones, Kris gets to have an amazing every day. These smartphones are powered by Windows, making them easy and convenient to use. They also come with Internet Explorer 9 so Kris can quickly check her email or browse the Internet and keep herself posted on the latest news, be it about the country or about her colleagues in show business. Transferring her contacts from her old smartphone was a breeze with the Contacts Transfer app.

What’s more, the Lumia phones are also incorporated with Microsoft Office, which means Kris can access, edit and view documents whenever the need arises. These award-winning phones also have instant access to email and social networks like Facebook and Twitter, providing Kris the luxury to stay in touch with her family and numerous, dedicated fans. She can stay connected with them and share more of herself to them. Since these phones are equipped with world-class Carl Zeiss optics*, Kris can capture clear images of her interesting activities and instantly upload them to her social networking accounts for all her supporters to see.

The Nokia Lumia smartphones also boasts of signature Nokia experiences like Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive, which gives you free turn-by-turn navigation. There are many apps for download from the Windows Phone Marketplace like MMDA for traffic updates, What’s App for cross-platform chatting with your friends on other smartphone brands, and Sound Hound for instant music search and discovery.

But these Nokia Lumia smartphones are not only amazing on the inside. Just like Kris, they also have a very chic and sleek design. You can choose to standout with a cyan or magenta color or play it safe with a white or black version.

Watch out for the new Nokia TVC featuring the amazing combination of Kris Aquino and the new Nokia Lumia Smartphones. Just like Kris, you can also make your every day amazing with the Nokia Lumia smartphones, now available at Nokia Stores and retail outlets nationwide. If you want to know more about Nokia Lumia, you may visit http://www.nokia.com.ph.

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Lumianation, The Grand Launch of Nokia Lumia in the Philippines

The whole Nokia Windows Phone family is taking the spotlight tonight in an event dubbed Lumianation happening at the BHS Central Amphitheater, Bonifacio Global City, Philippines.

Nokia Philippines promised a night of intensity and party, Filipino style, something that will leave a marked in the local scene. Jump Smokers, an international group hailed as the "Kings of Dancefloor" will be there to provide vibrancy, celebrities like Kris Aquino perhaps being the latest Lumia endorser among others.

Since its dubbed Lumianation and the Amphitheater has a 5 story building that can be transformed into a huge theater screen, I believe they will light up the said building with colors and cool graphics, somewhat like New York but nothing near London.

Well, as usual, I will just be following the said event on Twitter, invite was sent just a week before the event so I was not able to secure a cheaper airline ticket and that also I don't have extra bucks to spend specially that I still have a balance to pay for my Law tuition for the 2nd semester and enrollment for the coming semester is already on. Next time maybe, in the Nokia 808 PureView launch perhaps?

Anyways, I will just say good luck to Nokia Philippines team, enjoy the night and God speed! This is your moment.

By the way, for anyone who wants to attend, follow Nokia Philippines on Twitter and Facebook, I believe there giving away FREE invites to lucky followers.

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International group Jump Smokers live at the May 18th Nokia Lumia Philippine Launch

Everything is set for a Grand Party like no other as Nokia tapped the international group Jump Smokers to bring a world class cool vibe at the Nokia Lumia launch in May 18th at the BHS Central Amphitheater, Bonifacio Global City, Philippines.

Jump Smokers first caught the ear of American dance music fans with their official remixes of songs by pop artists including Katy Perry, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Usher, Jessie J., Pitbull and P!nk. The group is also known for producing a remix of Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” which was included in her worldwide album release “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.” Later on, they were even commissioned to make 12 more tracks for the American songstress’ remix album series.

This Chicago-based crew is composed of four members: DJ Flipside, Reydon, Roman and Johnny Digital. But what most do not know is two of their members – DJ Flipside and Reydon – are Filipinos born in the U.S. These guys have been together for several years now and have been making chart-topping tracks since then.

Dubbed as the “Kings of the Dancefloor,” the group continues to create record-breaking and body-thumping remixes that bring energy to their numerous fans worldwide. They also came up with their debut album under Ultra Records, which has been garnering positive response since its release.

Their album, now also available on iTunes, is packed with their innovative dance and party anthems including "Rock It Like It's Spring Break" featuring Pitbull, “Drunk Girls In The Club,” “Dance Rock Shake Pop,” “Faded,” and the appropriately named “Club Rockers.”

If you want to be blown away with the amazing music of Jump Smokers, represented on this tour by DJ Flipside and Roman, catch them at the Nokia Lumia launch on May 18, 2012 at the BHS Central Amphitheater, Bonifacio Global City, where they will bring to the Philippines the same club rock music that had America dancing on their feet.

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Angry Birds Space, Paypal, Time Magazine, Among The Rest Of The New App Partnerships For Nokia Lumia Announced At CTIA

A number of new and exclusive application partnerships for the Nokia Lumia range of devices was announced at CTIA Wireless 2012, delivering differentiated and original app experiences to Nokia Lumia consumers.

With quite a number of manufacturers on the Windows Phone space, Nokia needs to distinguished itself from competitors. This is a crucial move that the company needs at the moment, to raise the bar in the apps competition. With exclusive partnerships, not only that they will be able to capture the attention of the Windows Phone market but the overall mobilephone ecosystem itself.

New partnerships and app updates across key consumer verticals include:

SPORT:

The PGA Tour app - exclusive to Nokia Lumia for 12 months from launch
The PGA TOUR is pleased to announce the launch of a new mobile app to provide fans with live, enhanced coverage of PGA TOUR events on the Windows Mobile platform. Developed with Nokia, the app will be available exclusively on Nokia Lumia smartphones beginning in late June 2012. The new app provides fans with a groundbreaking way to follow PGA TOUR tournaments. In addition to live tournament scoring, highlights and player information, the app provides interactive, augmented coverage of select events and holes, showing each player's exact position and scoring information. This allows fans to "get inside the ropes" and follow all players competing on the PGA TOUR.

The Nokia app adds to the PGA TOUR's portfolio of mobile products. The PGA TOUR averages over 1 million monthly mobile users across all platforms.

ESPN - exclusive to Nokia Lumia until May 2013
The exclusive ESPN Hub will deliver a number of key updates in coming months, including sports scores on Live Tiles, team-level panoramas, personalization of scores, leagues and teams, and additional sports coverage such as Tennis, NASCAR and the 2012 Olympics. Additionally, a Windows Phone version of the ESPN Fantasy Football app will launch exclusively on Nokia Lumia smartphones this coming Fall.

GAMES:

Rovio - titles starting with Angry Birds Space join the original Angry Birds game in coming to Nokia Lumia and Windows Phone consumers
Rovio is building a dedicated design and development team to create games for Nokia Lumia smartphones and the wider Windows Phone ecosystem, with the goal of developing and publishing all future Rovio titles as soon as possible. Nokia and Rovio will partner to develop innovative new consumer products and content exclusively for Nokia Lumia smartphones, alongside cross platform multi-channel integrated marketing initiatives.

EA - bringing leading game titles to Nokia Lumia and Windows Phone consumers
Electronic Arts (EA) will continue to deliver leading game titles to Nokia Lumia and Windows Phone consumers, including FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Jam, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, Mirror's Edge and Yahtzee. These games join titles such as Need for Speed(TM) Undercover, Need for Speed(TM) Hot Pursuit, The Sims(TM) 3, Spider Jack, and MONOPOLY which are already available in Windows Phone Marketplace.

LIFESTYLE:

Groupon - Exclusive to Nokia Lumia for 6 months from launch
Launching during Summer 2012, Groupon is currently working on an extensive upgrade of its Windows Phone app. The app will include a newly developed augmented reality deal discovery function to combine map and Points-of-Interest (POI) data with what is seen via the camera's viewfinder, enabling users to see virtual Groupon deals, in real-time, nearby. The app will be exclusive to Nokia Lumia customers for 6 months.

Tripdots - Exclusive to Windows Phone customers for 3 months from launch
Tripdots helps vehicle owners optimize their driving behaviors while connecting with other vehicle owners and sharing driving efficiency achievements via social networks. The app lets users monitor the operation of their vehicles to enable cost savings through better understanding fuel economy. Everyone can participate in the MPG Leader Board game, and information is only sent to drivers after their trip is complete.

FINANCE:

PayPal app for Windows Phone
PayPal and Nokia will work together to bring PayPal's secure, fast and easy payments capabilities to the Windows Phone platform and Nokia Lumia smartphones, globally. PayPal will leverage the power of Windows Phone Live Tiles to create a compelling user experience that provides users with the flexibility to pay on-the-go.

ENTERTAINMENT:

AOL Entertainment Hub - exclusive to Nokia Lumia for 6 months
Available exclusively to Nokia Lumia users at launch, AOL is set to introduce the AOL Entertainment Hub, bringing together the best of AOL's content to deliver an immersive and inter-connected experience on Windows Phone. Whether you want to listen to one of 55,000 radio stations via SHOUTcast, stream free music albums with AOL's Listening Party or view Trailers and Movie listings, the AOL Entertainment Hub delivers everything you need.

NEWS:

Time Magazine app for Windows Phone
Bringing the world's largest weekly circulation to mobile, TIME.com announces the forthcoming availability of TIME for Windows Phone. Utilizing the stunning Windows Phone UI, the app will enable users to view TIME.com content, receive breaking news alerts, watch rich media content including video and share stories via the Windows Phone People Hub, while delivering the latest news and stories to users first via Live Tiles.

Newsweek - The Daily Beast app for Windows Phone
For a smart, speedy take on the news from around the world, combined with the depth and investigative power of Newsweek magazine, we are pleased to announce the availability of Newsweek's digital partner The Daily Beast on Windows Phone. The Daily Beast app delivers the latest content through Live Tiles and combines the unique style of The Daily Beast with the Windows Phone UI to deliver a stunning experience. For users who only have minutes to digest the latest news, the app also delivers The Cheat Sheet - your one stop must have reads from across the world - uniquely designed for Windows Phone.

PRODUCTIVITY:

Box app for Windows Phone
The new Windows Phone app from Box, the company focused on providing workers with simple, secure sharing from anywhere, will be available to Nokia Lumia consumers this Summer. With support for nine languages, Box for Windows Phone will enable users across the globe to browse, search and share files from their account.

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Make things happen with Nokia Lumia 900

Tell Nokia what amazing thing you would like to do with Nokia Lumia and they might make it happen.


Watch this videos to find out more!

Nokia Lumia 900 - James Ivett video



Nokia Lumia 900 - Jed Cullen



Nokia Lumia 900 - Pip Andersen video



Take the Nokia Lumia to the EXTREME! Get involved!

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Marked Your Calendar! Nokia Lumia 710 Comes To Smart Telecom On March 28, 2012

The Philippines largest telecom network, Smart Communications Inc. launched a teaser webpage marking March 28, 2012 as the arrival of a social powerhouse and the worlds first Nokia Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 710.

The teaser page did not provide any other information besides the date and the phones major features and specifications, but I believe, the said date will be its official announcement with plan packages in store and a pre-order web page.

The Nokia Lumia 710 had been selling very well in most of the countries where it was launched, now its time for Filipinos to enjoy the affordable yet powerful Windows Phone.

Designed for instant social & image sharing, ultimate mobile browsing experience with IE9, and smooth, seamless and high performance experience with its 1.4 GHz processor and top of the line hardware and graphics acceleration, the phone is set to win over the hearts of socially connected young generation.

So marked mark your calendar folks and braise yourself, the FUN begins in a day's time.

Update: To Pre-order the Nokia Lumia 710, CLICK HERE!

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Globe Telecom Starts The Nokia Lumia 800 Pre-order Today

The stunningly social Nokia Lumia 800 goes Pre-oder today in the country's leader in Postpaid service, Globe Telecom.


The telecom company announced this last Saturday, March 24th, on their official Twitter account @enjoyGLOBE with details as to its plan package. Accordingly, it will be offered for just PhP1,499.00 per month under the My Superplan Unlisurf Combo 999. No other details were given so well have to wait until its pre-order page goes live.


The phone has a polycarbonate unibody design, curve Gorilla glass with a bright AMOLED ClearBlack display, 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics capable of shooting a 30 frames per second HD video, 1.4Ghz processor with graphics accelerator and a 16/32GB internal memory.

The Windows Phone integration offers a smooth and savvy user experience, advance smartphone features, Xbox live for unparalleled gaming, Microsoft office suites, mobile Internet Explorer among the rest of its goodies.

Then finally on top of everything, Nokia Services that offers a unique and impressive experience like Nokia Drive which offers free turn-by-turn navigation and a dedicated in-car interface, Nokia Music's MixRadio that will bring a free, global, mobile music-streaming service with hundreds of locally-relevant channels, Nokia Maps with 3D interface, etc. Its a total package in one ultimate device.

Update: You can access the Pre-order page HERE! Go cast your order now! c",

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Conversations with Nokia Lumia 800, First Take

Lumia is a term coined by 20th century artist Thomas Wilfred referring to an art created from light. In the 21st century, its now being used to describe a mobilephone lineage from a company who sees it as a ray of light and hope to reclaim its lost glory.

Well, I honestly believed that Nokia moved pass the words concept in many ways by creating few works of art that shines bright like the Nokia Lumia 800. The phone has the Nokia N9's design and construction that I bewitchingly adore, the revolutionary unibody polycarbonate cover that feels very solid and sturdy to hold; the seamlessly attractive design; the curve Gorilla glass display engineered to give a pleasurable swipe and worry free impression being scratch proof; the thin and weightless construction; the curve sides among others, summing it up to become one of the most crafty and attractive mobilephone device in the market at the moment.

I got the all black variant of the phone and it looks seriously beautiful at a glance. Everything on the facade is black from the outer cover to the glass display except the Nokia logo and the 3 Windows Phone buttons at the bottom which were tainted white, but what makes it more attractive is the the deep black screen appearance as a result of the Nokia's Clear Black Display (CBD) technology.

Turning the phone on, gives me my first taste of the Windows Phone 7.5 platform, the operating system that I hesitantly accept in lieu of Symbian for being unattractive with its tile design menu system, lackluster user interface and poor customization, but as I expected less about it, my initial experience became mind blowing, since it defied most of my negative impressions on it. For instance when it comes to the overall user experienced, I was surprise to find out that Windows Phone handles this effortlessly giving first time users an easy way around. Everything seems simple yet modern and beautiful with its impressive and clean graphic transitions. I'd like to call it the most graphic-rich operating system in the mobilephone space being deeply integrated to all applications.

Sleek and smooth? 2 levels higher in sleekness and smoothness I would say compared to Android or Symbian, even if it only runs a single core 1.4Ghz CPU. The current dual cores and quad cores came out short to Windows Phone implementation of its UI, a real proof that processors can "never" offset clunky operating systems.

The tile menu system was a huge surprise as well being useful and lively. I thought it were just purely colored tiles before giving a dull impression, but they were live tiles that were flipping and changing as designed. There were even tiles that has graphic animation like the Xbox Live where a user avatar peeps out every now and then, you can never find that anywhere! Tiles are FUN...!

Customization, its probably one of Windows Phones weakest area that they must deal with accordingly. Come to think of it, the background menu color beneath the live tiles cannot be modified giving users only two colors to choose from, black and white; users cannot add and use there own message alert tone, only ringtones; it doesn't support theme system; wallpaper can only be applied to the lock and unlock screen, among others. The system is fully restricted and its annoying to people like me who were accustomed to this features.

... Well, so much were already said and discussed and this is just the first impression article. In depth discussion will be featured on the next Nokia Lumia 800 blog post as I continue to discover more about the phone and Windows Phone operating system, watch out for it. In the meantime enjoy this first few images of the flashing bright light in the Lumia stable. Enjoy!

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Nokia Lumia 900 and 610, Reaches to New Geography and Price Points

Nokia today announced the next stage in its plans to introduce unique Lumia experiences to more people around the world.

Nokia Lumia 900

After launching the Nokia Lumia 900 as its first LTE smartphone, Nokia is also making the phone available around the world in a DC-HSPA variant, for high speed data connection (42Mbits download) in countries where LTE is not available. The Nokia Lumia 900 features a 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display for a superior touch and viewing experience. It also features Nokia's highest capacity battery making it the perfect Lumia phone for enjoying media and entertainment on the move. The primary camera on the Nokia Lumia 900 has exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, a large aperture for improved performance in low light conditions and wide angle focal length for capturing full 16:9 images. It is also the first Lumia phone to feature a front-facing camera, with large aperture and wide-angle lens for sharp, bright images and video calling out of the box.

The Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in white, cyan and black, is priced at EUR 480 and also expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2012.

Nokia Lumia 610

The new Nokia Lumia 610 is Nokia’s fourth and most affordable Lumia smartphone, designed as the perfect introduction to Windows Phone for a younger audience. The Nokia Lumia 610 makes it easy to keep in touch with friends, providing instant access to social networks and bringing all mobile, email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn contacts into one place. It also makes it easier to browse the Web with Internet Explorer and to access games through Xbox Live. Available with Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia Transport and Nokia Music, people can also choose from thousands of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace to further personalize the experience.

With a distinctive profile and finely beveled metallic edges, the Nokia Lumia 610 is built to convey both quality and aspiration. It comes in white, cyan, magenta and black, is priced at EUR189* and is expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2012.

The Nokia Lumia 610 was made possible thanks to a new software release from Microsoft delivering enhanced capabilities to the Windows Phone 7.5 platform. The software release, available from April optimizes Windows Phone to support lower memory and processor requirements, while still delivering the same great experience for more affordable products. In addition, Windows Phone will now include the network and language requirements for China. As a result, Nokia announced plans to make a range of Lumia smartphones available in China, covering both CDMA and WCDMA technologies, in the coming months.

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Nokia Sea Ray! Price? Thoughts

The buzz about the upcoming Nokia Sea Ray just won't stop, it just proved how hotly contested the very first Nokia Windows Phone 7 is ever since Nokia announced there collaboration with Microsoft last February. The latest from the rumor-land was its price point which accordingly would only cost around $400 or PhP17,000-18,000 in Philippine Peso.

Cheap I would say for a flagship device if the rumor was true, but for Nokia to shake the competition and grab all the Windows Phone and overall smartphone market in the upcoming Christmas season, the move is inevitable and a brilliant move at the same time. Who wouldn't want a phone that has a great Nokia hardware and design, an at par competitive operating system and price within reached? Only an unsound mind would refuse to grab this deal or perhaps the hardcore fanatics of the competing systems. I think Nokia is in the best position if this rumor would push through.

Base on the early photo and spec's leaks, the Sea Ray had specs that were sub par to that of the current Symbian flagships, a corroborative proof that it is indeed a mid-range device rather than a high end one that everyone else including myself had expected being an initial Nokia Windows Phone offering. I would be very happy if its indeed the case since it will be within my budget but as what I've been saying on the blog, Windows Phone 7 has a big shoe to fill and a whole lot to prove if it wants to gain my support. The Symbian legacy is to immense that it cannot be trenched out that easily.

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Windows Phone 7 Mango, The Introduction

This is the very first article on the blog that features Windows Phone 7 Operating System. I have quite a history with the system when I owned an HTC Tanager 10 years ago but Symbian captured my fancy when I bought the Nokia 6233 as a replacement, an unplanned uncovering since I was about to buy another Windows Phone under Smart Telecom's offered postpaid plan that time but it was not available.

Ever since then, I became a huge Nokia Symbian fan owning quite a few from Nokia N82, Nokia 5230 and now Nokia N8 but the inevitable had happened with its development and upgrade that force Nokia to dumped the system for the latter. Now I'm still weighing things out if I will support Windows Phone or not for Nokia. It has to proved its worth first as a successor to the Legendary Symbian before I would jump in to the wagon.

So what did I miss in the Windows Phone operating system for the past 10 years? Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President, Windows Phone Program Management, explains in this 10 minute introductory video.



Lets see how things turns out with the Nokia Sea Ray.

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