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Nokia Lumia 930 review: like the Icon, but better
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia is now bearing fruit, but as often happens when big companies merge, there aren't enough jobs to go around. More than 10,000 former Nokia employees are due to be laid off by the end of the year, but their legacy will live on for a time in the Lumia 930: one of the last all-Nokia creations. If you live in the UK, then you already know where to get the flagship Windows Phone, but the more important question is whether you want one. We've already taken a deep dive on the 930 in our review of the Lumia Icon, which is essentially the same phone, just exclusive to Verizon in the US. Let's revisit the good, the bad and the competition.
Where to buy Nokia's Lumia 930
Nokia's latest flagship Windows Phone, and its last as a company unbeholden to Microsoft, launched in the UK today. The Lumia 930, also known as the Lumia Icon over in the states, marries high-end specs with the newest version of Microsoft's mobile OS, Windows Phone 8.1. Unfortunately, one of the major new features of the update -- the addition of virtual assistant Cortana -- isn't available in the UK yet (officially, anyway). At least Brits get a free wireless charger with every Lumia 930 purchase in recompense, and if you're looking to spring for one right now, you also stand to receive an introductory accessory bundle including portable wireless charger, Bluetooth speaker and £20 app voucher (or £40 from Vodafone). This bonus is only available from major carriers and retailers before the end of July, or until stocks last, mind. Incentives are great and all, but before that, you still need to decide which of the many Lumia 930 merchants you want to do business with.
Nokia Lumia 930 hits the UK on July 17th with free wireless charging pad
Before being swallowed by Microsoft, Nokia had one last flagship up its sleeve: the Lumia 930. Smartphone aficionados might be familiar with the combination of 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip and 20-megapixel camera, given the 930 already exists in the US as the Lumia Icon. This international edition comes with Windows Phone 8.1 right out the box (no developer loophole required), and we've just learnt it'll be available in the UK from July 17th. We don't have a SIM-free price to report currently, but you should be able to pick one up on contract from most major carriers and retailers from around £33 per month. Each handset will come with a wireless charging pad included in the box, and until the end of July, each purchase will also come with a special starter pack including a portable wireless charger, Bluetooth speaker and £20 app voucher.
Here's what you missed at Microsoft's 2014 Build conference
We came, we saw, we barked orders into a phone. Though Microsoft's annual developer conference is technically called "Build Windows," we actually spent far more time at this year's event playing with handsets -- almost no PCs, come to think of it. Indeed, the star of the show was a husky-voiced lady (fembot?) named Cortana, Microsoft's new Siri-like personal assistant. Of course, Cortana wouldn't exist outside of the next version of Windows Phone (that'd be v. 8.1.), which we also got a glimpse of this week. In case you missed our three-hour liveblog -- or were too busy following our Amazon Fire TV coverage -- we've got a neat recap below. We promise we've left out all the boring bits about developer tools. Mostly, anyway.
The Nokia Lumia 930 is a global version of the Icon (hands-on)
The Nokia Lumia Icon is a fantastic Windows Phone that comes with a bunch of top features that most WP users haven't been able to enjoy until recently, but it had one critical flaw: it was an exclusive to Verizon, which meant that only a handful of users in the US could buy it. For the rest of the world, the only way to get a top-of-the-line Windows Phone (in nearly every spec, that is) has been to buy the Lumia 1520, but its large 6-inch display -- though beautiful at 1080p -- simply made it too big for a lot of people. Fortunately, that's about to end because Nokia announced a global version of the Icon known as the Lumia 930, which comes with more LTE compatibility and Windows Phone 8.1. Interestingly enough, there's not much of a difference between the two devices. This actually is a bit surprising, considering Verizon has historically landed design exclusives with Nokia like the Lumia 822 and 928. The resemblance is definitely striking, with the only major hardware changes manifest in the presence of GSM bands instead of CDMA and the additional colors that Nokia will offer.
