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Vodafone UK launches a full Windows Phone 8 roster on February 6th
Vodafone's British division has been shy to embrace Windows Phone much at all in recent months. There'll be no such reservation as of February 6th, when the carrier starts offering a wide array of Windows Phone 8 devices. HTC's Windows Phone 8X and 8S will ship in subdued colors, while the (partly expected) Lumia 620, 820 and 920 will be available in livelier hues. We've yet to hear about pricing -- and there's no mention of Samsung's ATIV S, for completists -- but the launch remains good news for UK residents who want to try Microsoft's approach to smartphones without leaving the Red Dot network.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 28th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought a resolution to HTC's kerfuffle with the custom ROM community, along with a handful of special edition Samsung smartphones and new efforts toward spectrum sharing with the US government. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 28th, 2013.
BlackBerry Z10 vs. the competition: fight!
BlackBerry has finally, officially unveiled its maiden BB10 flagship, all-touch device, the Z10, and you can read all about RIM BlackBerry's new handset in our review. But, if you're looking to see how it and BB10 stack up against the competition running Android, iOS and Windows Phone, you've come to the right place. Check out our chart below for all the specs you can handle.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 14th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought smartphone leaks from Samsung and Kyocera, along with news that Rogers will take on additional colors of the Lumia 920. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 14th, 2013.
Mobile Miscellany: week of January 7th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, both Nokia and Microsoft discussed strategy for the coming year and Verizon's CEO shared his thoughts on the end of subsidies. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of January 7th, 2013.
Mobile Miscellany: week of December 31st, 2012
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, two of the best cameraphones out there were pitted against one another in a shootout rematch and a very handy widget was added to the latest nightly builds of CyanogenMod. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of December 31st, 2012.
Mobile Miscellany: week of December 17th, 2012
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, we have a super-sized dose of news for Nokia and Windows Phone users, along with the latest rumblings on the mobile network front. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of December 17th, 2012.
Nokia Lumia 920 coming to Vodafone UK in early 2013
Windows Phone 8's arrival in the UK seemed to catch Vodafone on the hoof, with the company merely offering vague hints that it'd stock the Lumia 820, HTC 8X and 8S in the future. Now, the network has announced that it'll add the Lumia 920 to that roster when the trio quartet launch in early 2013. Perhaps Vodafone were just waiting for the company to rectify the fuzzy cat picture issue that early-adopters had been suffering from.
Nokia rolling out update with camera fix for Lumia 920 and 820 owners in the US and Canada
Earlier today, Nokia announced software updates for the Lumia 920 and 820 for customers in the US (AT&T) and Canada (Rogers). Highlights include: improved bluetooth connectivity, enhanced battery management and a highly anticipated camera fix. Once an update notification has been received, customers will need to ensure that their device is fully charged and connected to WiFi before initiating the download. If you haven't received an alert and would like to manually check for the update you can do so by tapping Settings > Phone Update > Check For Updates. Nokia advises that the entire process can take around 30 minutes from start to finish, so you may wanna grab a snack while you wait -- or check out the changelog after the break. The choice is yours.
Nokia Lumia 920 camera fuzziness getting fixed in PR1.1 update
We're not going to lie. After spending some quality time with several Lumia 920 prototypes in Finland last September, we came away extremely impressed with the PureView-branded camera aboard Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flagship. It's the first handset to feature optical image stabilization -- the floating sensor and lens enable ultra-stable video recording and phenomenal low-light stills. Imagine our disappointment then, when upon receiving our Lumia 920 review units, the shooter failed to live up to our lofty expectations. While the OIS was performing as advertised, most photos we took suffered from an obvious lack of detail, an annoying fuzziness / softness. We reached out to Nokia and it exchanged one of our phones, but to no avail. Compounding matters, we also experienced problems with inconsistent white balance and exposure. The company never confirmed these issues, but hinted that the camera software was still being tweaked. We've been longing for an update ever since. It's time to rejoice, because it looks like something's in the works. This weekend we obtained an exclusive set of identical pictures taken with two Lumia 920 handsets -- one setup with the existing PR1.0 firmware, the other running the upcoming PR1.1 update . Here's the great news: looking at these sample shots (see crop above), it's abundantly clear that Nokia's fixed the camera's fuzziness problem. The not-so-great news is that we're still seeing some issues with white balance. Nokia US recently hinted on Twitter that an update is scheduled "this month" and our source confirms that it's indeed PR1.1. The new software also includes many stability, LTE and web browsing improvements, plus Microsoft's own tweaks (such as declining calls via SMS). We've compiled the images (labeled with the firmware version, ISO and shutter speed) plus some composites (including 1:1 crops) for comparison in the galleries below. The originals (stripped of EXIF data at the request of our source) are available for download right here. %Gallery-173550% %Gallery-173553%
Nokia Lumia 620, 820 and 920 made official for China, go up for pre-order (video)
While Nokia's Lumia 920T has already been unveiled for China Mobile, the company isn't content to leave its Windows Phone 8 lineup to one device on one carrier. The company has just introduced Chinese versions of the Lumia 620, 820 and a regular 920, all of which are on pre-sale today at respective contract-free prices of ¥1,999 ($320), ¥3,499 ($560) and ¥4,599 ($736). We haven't yet seen specific release dates mentioned, although all three versions on show carry HSPA+ 3G for China Unicom. The strategy won't enthrall those who want every Lumia available on every network; it's nonetheless good to know that HTC's Chinese roster will have plenty of company.
IRL: Epson R1800, Babbel for iPad and the Nokia Lumia 920 on Rogers
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. This week we've got Darren learning a little Spanish through Babbel and Jon, the man of many Canadian phones, testing the Lumia 920 on Rogers' LTE network. And, on a slightly more nostalgic note, Billy delivers a eulogy of sorts for the Epson photo printer that got him through years of graphic design school.
Rogers puts all Windows Phone 8 devices on sale, keeps them well under $100
Rogers is currently in a full-court press to get us using Microsoft-branded devices, and it just made that clear through steep, across-the-board sales on everything Windows Phone 8. Nokia's Lumia 920 has dropped from $100 to $50; the yet-to-ship Samsung ATIV S has already dropped from $150 to a more tempting $80 for early adopters. The sweetest of deals may be for the HTC Windows Phone 8X, which has dipped to $30 for a 16GB model and a solitary penny for the 8GB version. For all the cuts, Rogers is careful to warn that they're part of a "limited time offer" and might not last beyond the weekend. We're delving deeper for an official statement on the drops, although the ATIV S cut may be to counter a leaked (and as yet unconfirmed) Bell deal at the same price. Whatever the cause, we'll gladly take steep discounts on cutting-edge hardware.
Nokia Lumia 920T for China Mobile brings TD-SCDMA to Windows Phone
Nokia just announced plans to launch a TD-SCDMA version of its Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 flagship. The handset, designated Lumia 920T, will be available on China Mobile by the end of the year for RMB 4599 (about $739) in a choice of four colors (black, white, yellow and red). It's the first Windows Phone to support the country's TD-SCDMA standard and the first Windows Phone 8 device available in China. Spec-wise, the Lumia 920T is almost identical to its western sibling. Other than packing a different radio, it features the same 4.5-inch 1280x768-pixel PureMotion HD+ display, optically image-stabilized 8.7-megapixel f/2.0 Carl Zeiss autofocus camera, and 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor (plus 1GB RAM). There's no word on storage capacity, but the handset presumably matches the original with 32GB on board. The Lumia 920T integrates with local Internet services such as Sina, Sohu, Tencent, Baidu and Renren and provides access to both the Chinese Marketplace (50,000 apps) and Mobile Market (China Mobile's app store). It also offers NFC deals on location-based service Jiepang (in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou). Furthermore, Nokia and Air China are making wireless chargers available in VIP lounges at Beijing airport. Hit the break for the full PR.
Swisscom rolls out first LTE in Switzerland on November 29th
The European LTE landscape is unfortunately a fragmented one that favors large countries with large carriers. We can chalk up at least one victory for the smaller nation states, however: Switzerland is getting its first LTE network on November 29th. The country's main provider, Swisscom, is launching initial 4G coverage in 26 cities and regions using the LTE-equipped HTC One X (One XL abroad), quickly following up with the early December availability of the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and Nokia Lumia 920. A Huawei USB stick and a ZTE hotspot will also be on tap. Customers won't need to spring for a new plan to use the new network on a basic level, although Swisscom's uncommon speed-based phone plans mean they'll be paying a stiff 169 francs ($181) per month to max out the 4G network. We imagine at least some will bite if it means speedy data in Zurich. [Thanks, Joël]
Microsoft selling four times as many Windows Phones as a year ago, won't say what that means
It's no secret that Windows Phone sales have been in the doldrums for much of the platform's existence. If we believe Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer's talk at the annual company shareholder meeting, however, the mobile OS has turned a corner. He tells investors that Windows Phone sales are about four times what they were at the same point last year, and that demand has been strong enough for initial sellouts in "many countries;" that may be an allusion to reported Lumia 920 shortages in Germany and Nokia's native Finland, among other regions. Ballmer is quick to point to more competitive hardware as triggering the sales spike. The news is certainly positive on the whole, although we'd warn that Microsoft is pulling an Amazon -- that is, declining to offer the shipment numbers that would give its grandiose claims some context. It's easy to tout record growth when you're starting from a small point, so we'll refrain from calling Windows Phone the Comeback Kid until market share estimates show otherwise.
JBL Power Up speaker and wireless charger combo now shipping, whimsically priced around $250
The fruit of JBL's partnership with Espoo, the Power Up wireless speaker and induction charger, has just landed at AT&T and Verizon. Aside from receiving your beats over Bluetooth, the 2 x 10-watt speaker can also charge Qi-compatible devices like the Lumia 920 and the Nexus 4. It uses TI's latest power chip for an enlarged charging area, and packs NFC for quick pairing. Unlike TDK's more portable option, the Power Up retains its power cable, but it does come in cheaper than its rival at $250. (Or, for some reason, $300 if you buy it at AT&T.) [Thanks, Brandon]
Nokia Lumia 920 for AT&T: what's different?
A few days ago we reviewed the global version of Nokia's Lumia 920 flagship running Windows Phone 8. The handset's been available for purchase on AT&T since last Friday with a few carrier-specific tweaks, such as compatible LTE bands. It's aggressively priced at $100 with a two-year agreement -- this includes 32GB of built-in storage, a free Nokia wireless charging plate (while supplies last) and the same camera magic as its global sibling. It's a phone that would otherwise cost about £445 ($710) unsubsidized and unlocked. Nokia's Lumia 920 for AT&T comes in a choice of high-gloss (red, yellow or white) and matte (cyan or black) finishes. Despite the global and AT&T models being virtually identical, there are minor differences worth noting. Join us after the break for the details.%Gallery-170070% %Gallery-170074%
PSA: Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today
Now that we've got the dates and prices sorted, all you need to do is get yourself to the nearest AT&T store (or one of those source links below) today to pick up either of Nokia's Windows Phone 8 handsets (Lumia 920 for $100, or the Lumia 820 for $50) or HTC's Windows Phone 8X, priced along the same lines as Nokia's bigger smartphone. Not a fan of Ma Bell? Then you'll can wait it out with Verizon, which starts taking preorders for both the Lumia 822 and 8X from today.
China Mobile's Lumia 920T packs a Snapdragon S4 Pro, better graphics performance
Buying a shiny new flagship and finding out international variants are tricked out better than yours is never much fun. Well, China Mobile has Weiboed (is that right?) that its Lumia 920T variant will pack the Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC (MSM8960T), and not the S4 Plus in the regular 920. The Pro carries the same basic CPU, and while it's not known whether the 920T will use the full 1.7GHz available (the 920's runs at 1.5GHz), the major difference is a bump from the Adreno 225 GPU to the more powerful Adreno 320. It cleaned up in the GLBenchmark tests we ran on the LG Optimus G (albeit with a quad-core CPU), but is Windows Phone 8 ready to use all that hardware -- or, more politely, will it make any difference to the user? With graphic-intensive apps a rarity, we would speculatively say no, although it might make for a smoother view through Nokia's City Lens, which is fairly hungry. We won't know until some real-life comparisons between the two emerge, but we'd imagine the GPU boost won't make too much of a difference to the average user.
