Lumia 820
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Nokia Lumia 820 hands-on (update: now with video)
Nokia's Lumia 820 is here, after countless leaks, and the budget-friendly handset is exactly what we expected. We'll admit we're sad to see the rather singular design of its spiritual forebear, the Lumia 800, fall by the wayside, but we can't complain about the build quality here. The usual attention to detail and materials we've come to appreciate from the Finnish phone maker is on full display. The flat glass panel on the front may lack the mystique of the curved display on the 920 and 800, but it's hardly something that should factor into your decision to buy this handset or another. The ceramic volume rocker and lock button on the right side have a pleasant and satisfying click, though we're sad to report that the camera button still leaves us wanting. Sure, any dedicated camera key is better than none, but its squishy response to our press was hardly encouraging. At least Nokia had the good grace to upgrade to a dual-stage solution. We were also a bit put off by the shine of the body. The Lumia series stole our hearts with its matte finish when it first debuted; now the glossy exterior is more likely to throw some glare and attract fingerprints. The new plastic also feels quite a bit lighter in the hand, which makes the 820 feel more like the midrange device it is and less like the premium handset it's succeeding. What's under the hood certainly makes up for some of those shortcomings. The 1.5 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM simply chewed through the lightweight Windows Phone 8, leaving us to wonder if Apple and Google can truly keep up. All of the UI animations were smooth and fluid, and apps launched with nary a hiccup. And, can we just say that Windows Phone 8 is an absolute pleasure to use. At the risk of angering quite a few people -- there's simply no mid-range Android phone or iOS device that's as quick and satisfying to use as the Lumia 820, and much of that is thanks to the highly optimized Microsoft OS. It's a pleasure to see that new features like the customizable home screen and background multitasking haven't weighed down Redmond's phone platform. And things will likely only get better as the final wrinkles are ironed out and bugs are squashed. But, as we all know, speed and smooth animations alone don't make a device -- Microsoft will have to convince developers to support its still fledgling platform. %Gallery-164355%
Nokia announces Lumia 820, a 4.3-inch, LTE-running, budget-friendly Windows Phone 8 handset
No matter your budget, Nokia's got a Windows Phone 8 handset for you. While the Lumia 920 dominated today's press conference, the company's more modest Lumia 820 is planning to sneak in and capture the mid-range. The handset is packing the same 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 internals you'll find in the 920, along with 1GB RAM and a 4.3-inch display. While the handset isn't unattractive, the design language of the 800 (and N9) that captured our hearts has been dumped in favor of something more symmetrical. The glass of its 800 x 480 ClearBlack OLED screen is flat rather than convex (poached by the 920) and the body's finish is a little more shinier than the previous generation of Nokia's polycarbonate. Photography fans looking to get their hands on that PureView goodness will be disappointed to see that it's also been reserved for the flagship (in some form). Instead, this unit comes with the more familiar 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss optics we've seen before, but at least there's a front-facing VGA lens for video conferencing. While the unit only has 8GB of on-board storage, it's packing microSD support (up to 32GB, as per usual) and you'll also get an additional 7GB of storage on Microsoft's cloud service, Skydrive. The company's including a series of protective cases in a variety of colors, including a set that add bundle QI-compatible wireless charging to the handset -- at the cost of adding an extra 1mm to the handset's overall thickness. It'll arrive in Red, Yellow, Grey, Cyan, Purple, White and Black, with separate LTE and HSPA+ variants shipping "later in the year," but Elop and co declined to give a specific announcement on availability or price today. %Gallery-164320%
The Engadget Interview: Nokia CEO Stephen Elop
It's been nearly a year since we spoke with Stephen Elop in New York City for the launch of the Lumia 800, a year that hasn't exactly been full of success on the financials front. But, forget all that, because the new devices are here! We had the chance to chat with Stephen about the new Lumia 820 and 920 and ask him what he thinks the chances are of this version of Windows Phone will be the one that finally gains some traction in the market.
Nokia brings wireless charging to Virgin Atlantic lounges, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Nokia thinks you'll like the wireless phone charging on your Lumia 920 or 820 enough to want to take it on the road, and to that end it's striking a deal to bring the cable-free experience beyond the home. Both Virgin Atlantic's lounge at Heathrow Airport and countertops at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the US will let you top up your Windows Phone without having to hunt for a power outlet. We're still waiting on details like the timing, but we're glad to know that we won't have to lug around our FatBoy Recharge Pillows just to keep living in Nokia's vision of the future.
Leaked photo shows Nokia Lumia 920 with five color options
Ahead of Nokia's Windows Phone event, there's been plenty of discussion about the Lumia 920's PureView classification, and though the camera's pixel count remains TBA, we're still getting a few sneak peeks at the upcoming hardware. Yesterday, leaked press photos of a Lumia wireless charging pad suggested that the new phone will be available in yellow and red. Based on a tweet from EVLeaks today, it looks like the Lumia 920 will be available in a few additional shades: white, grey and black. EVLeaks previously tweeted pics of the Lumia 820 in seven different hues, so it looks like we're in for a (ahem) colorful event tomorrow.
Nokia Lumia wireless charging pad breaks cover
That was quick: we'd heard rumors through The Verge of wireless charging coming to the repeatedly leaked Lumia 920 alongside a pseudo-PureView camera, and the mysterious @evleaks has come through with what looks to be press photos showing the wireless charging pad in action. As long as they're more than just wild imaginings, they reveal a puck-like surface that could juice up both the Lumia 920 and the less ambitious 820. We don't know much more about the charger, although it's expected to use Qi and wouldn't limit the phones and pad to coupling solely with each other. We'll know the bigger picture on September 5th; in the meantime, check after the break for a bonus picture showing both Windows Phone 8 devices with an unnamed Bluetooth headset (likely a Luna variant) that might join the charger in Nokia's accessory line.
Nokia Lumia 820 prototype breaks cover in photos, confirms little else
Renders, shmenders. According to Coolxap.com what you see above is a real-world prototype of the Nokia Lumia 820 -- aka Nokia Arrow. As well as some tantalizing hardware shots, we get a sneaky glimpse at that all important "About phone" page. All we can see, though, is that it's running Windows Phone 8 (shock) and has only 335MB of RAM? Though, being a prototype, that's likely to change. Sadly little else of note, but it's at least good to see that while the mock-ups were close, the real thing has a little more going for it.
Purported Nokia Lumia 820, 920 Pureview pics arrive on Twitter
Our old friend, the @evleaks Twitter account is back, claiming that it's gotten the first official shots of Nokia's Lumia 820 and 920 with Pureview. The terse tweets claim that the 820 is a 4.3-inch handset, while the 4.5-inch 920 will arrive with Nokia's magical new imaging technology. We're understandably skeptical, given the small size of the lens on the 920 (pictured, left) compared to the 808, but we can't fault the feed's track record for leaks so far.
