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Nokia begins its Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade rollout (video)
Talk of Microsoft finally deploying Windows Phone 7.8 has been building to a crescendo -- and we're glad to confirm it's more than just noise. The more customizable home and lock screens, Marketplace improvements and numerous under-the-hood upgrades are rolling out to all of Nokia's Windows Phone 7.5 devices, starting today and continuing through February. The company hasn't confirmed who goes first, although AT&T's Lumia 900 is believed to be part of the earliest wave. Other upgrades will depend on carrier timing, if you're using a locked phone, but the plan to push 7.8 is still good news for those who've wanted to keep their early Lumias as current as possible.
Nokia reiterates: Windows Phone 7.8 update not arriving on Lumia devices until 2013
While an early leak might have hopefully suggested that Nokia was ready to offer an OS refresh to its first-generation Lumia owners, the company has now explained to Tweakers that those early glimpses of Windows Phone 7.8 were for pre-production models and, presumably, all part of the software testing process. We've stopped clicking the update button, (reluctantly) unplugged our Lumia 800 and are waiting on that Q1 refresh. However, if you're willing to tinker with your Windows Phone's inner workings for the taste of a new OS, there are ways.
Nokia Lumia 800 gets first taste of Windows Phone 7.8
An official Windows Phone 7.8 rollout to Nokia devices like the Lumia 510, 800 and 900 seemed all but inevitable after it popped up on third party Nokia ROM tool NaviFirm, then a couple days later on Nokia's own servers. Now, Dutch site WP7.nl is reporting that Nokia has started rolling it out in earnest to the Lumia 800 from the Zune desktop software, at least on that side of the pond. Provided your device is up-to-date, you may soon receive a certain "Nokia update," which will then be followed by four larger downloads. When the dust settles, you'll see a newfangled splash screen, customization options and Xbox Tile (among numerous other changes), heralding your not-completely-abandoned handset's arrival nearly into the Windows Phone 8 era. Check the translated source for more details. [Image credit: WP7.nl]
Windows Phone 7.8 for the Nokia Lumia 510, 800 starts lurking on NaviFirm
The appearance of new Nokia firmware on NaviFirm is already enough to pique the interest of owners jonesing for an update, and this time there's especially strong reasons to get fired up: Windows Phone 7.8 upgrades for both the Lumia 510 and 800 have appeared on the servers. While their presence doesn't represent an official rollout, it supports notions that Nokia is edging closer to a deployment and gives those who live dangerously a chance to try 7.8 for themselves. We can't guarantee that phones will survive any unofficial transplants, but we'd love to hear from risk-takers who find something truly new in Microsoft's not-quite-8 release.
Screen Grabs: Elementary pilot has Sherlock Holmes using murder victim's Lumia 800
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Whether you're a fan of CBS's Elementary spin on Sherlock Holmes or not, it sure gave a nice amount screen-time to cellphones in its pilot. While there was prominent use of iPhones in the episode, we're highlighting a seemingly forced Nokia Lumia 800 cameo -- you'd think it would at least be the 900 being an American series. The camera takes a tight shot of Sherlock swiping through photos on a murder victim's black Lumia twice, highlighting the Nokia logo and Windows Phone 7.5 gallery interface. Here's your clue to see it for yourself: check around the 8-minute mark at the source link below.
Nokia reaffirms WP 7.8 support for existing Lumia handsets, announces handful of features
Nokia's legacy Lumia devices won't be graced with Windows Phone 8, but the company has reaffirmed its support for keeping them fresh with version 7.8 of Microsoft's handset OS. In addition to a revamped start screen, the introduction of City Lens and other expected perks, Espoo is tossing in a few extras. Among the new additions are the Cinemagraph GIF creator, a ringtone maker app, updates to Smart Group Shot and Bluetooth support for both file transfers and the firm's Contact Share application. Yearning to load up your smartphone with the raft of new features? Elop and Co. say the upgrades will be be rolled out in phases for the Lumia 610, 710, 800 and 900 models, but promise more details when their ETAs close in.
Nokia: 7 million Lumia phones sold to date in 54 countries, 4 million in the last quarter
Fresh on the heels of the much-anticipated Lumia 920 announcement, some new figures have come to light regarding its predecessors' success. According to the Finnish phone-maker, a total of 7-million Windows Phone / Lumia devices have shipped to date. The firm was also keen to point out that this number comes from 54 markets in total -- some 130 different operators. While this might seem modest, especially with only 600,000 of those sales being in the US, 4-million of those Lumia devices were sold in Q2, roughly double that of the preceding two quarters, so things are on the up. Now it just remains to see what impact any new Windows Phone 8 phones will have.
Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 get Windows Phone 7.5 update, finally get to Tango (updated)
We'd heard that the Lumia 800 and 710 were to get Windows Phone 7.5 a software update bringing fresh features sometime soon, but the time has officially arrived for these two to Tango. Today Nokia announced that the fresh code has already started rolling out, bringing hotspot and flip-to-silence functionality to the handsets. Plus, once you've updated via your Zune desktop software, access to the nifty Camera Extras software -- already promised to Lumia 900 owners -- is but a download away. As a refresher, those Extras allow Lumias to take Scalado-powered Smart Group Shots, provide a better burst mode for action pics, plus add a self-timer and panorama mode as well. Want to see the new camera features in action before taking the plunge? Check out the video after the break. Update: As our astute commenters have pointed out, the Lumias both have Mango onboard, so this bit of software is but an update to Windows Phone 7.5 that brings additional features.
Nokia's Play To app now available for Lumia devices, enables DLNA-connectivity
Hot on the heels of its Camera Extras app, Nokia is again satiating Lumia owners' hunger for expanded features with its recently released (and officially out of beta) Play To app for Windows Phone. For those unfamiliar, this essentially Espoo's take on DLNA, allowing you to stream multimedia from your phone to any DLNA-equipped devices connected within your local network. As My Nokia Blog notes, the app has gladly arrived earlier than expected, and it's free to download just like the company's other Lumia-exclusive offerings in the Marketplace (a.k.a. the Nokia collection). So what are you waiting for? Hit up the Marketplace from your device to download it for yourself and let us know how it goes in the comments.
Refresh Roundup: week of June 18th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
BBC iPlayer reaching Windows Phone within 'weeks,' will catch up with Sherlock on your Lumia (update: perhaps not)
We've see BBC iPlayer reach many devices over time, but it's been conspicuously absent on Windows Phone. Nokia has stepped into give us some relief, and it's now promising that a port of the TV catch-up service will be ready for your Lumia 800 "in weeks." Good news no doubt, although Nokia's encyclopedic knowledge of British TV streaming is also dashing hopes of using the Sky Go mobile app on Windows Phone anytime soon: the same Nokia rep doesn't see Sky being ready for a "good few months" at the earliest. As such, you'll have no problems keeping up with Doctor Who and Sherlock when they're airing, but we wouldn't count on watching live football matches for awhile. Update: Pocket-lint is reporting that it quizzed the BBC over this issue and got a firm denial about a Windows Phone version, which suggests that The Inquirer's report, or its Nokia source, may have made an illogical deduction.
Kantar: Windows Phone clawing back share thanks to Nokia, but Android still rules the roost
It's seldom the case that we get to look at world smartphone market share on a national level, but Kantar WorldPanel has given a rare peek that might give Windows Phone fans some good news to crow about. Even though things haven't always gone well for the Microsoft camp, Nokia phones like the Lumia 800 sparked a minor Renaissance in some countries in the three months leading up to mid-April: Windows Phone was up to between three and four percent in France, Italy, the UK and the US. The Metro interface must also be sehr gut for Germans, which nearly doubled Windows Phone's local share to six percent in that short space of time. Kantar is eager to point out that it's still mostly a tale of Android and iOS successes, though. Google took extra ground in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US, while Apple was on a tear both on its native soil and in the UK. HTC's upbeat predictions may have played a significant part in Android's continued rise -- the One X cracked the British top 10 list despite having only been in shops for a few days. About the only underdog story not going well in early spring was RIM's, where the BlackBerry's share of the US was cut to a third of its year-ago glory at three percent.
Ask Engadget: best smartphone for the over fifties?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Daniel (no relation), who wants to upgrade his parents cellphones. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "My parents (aged 52 and 57) are long-time Nokia (dumbphone) users who aren't savvy at all. I told them about how me and my girlfriend's Android phones automatically sync calendars and they want something similar. My father's eyes aren't the best and he's a carpenter, so I thought about a dust-proof handset like the Lumia 800 or the Galaxy Xcover, but I'm worried Android's too technical for them. We're in Europe, so carriers are no problem, but any help you can give would be great. Thanks!" We're all getting older, so let's try to work out a great handset for those who need a little help. We speak from personal experience when we say it's probably not going to be the Samsung Galaxy Y -- trust us. If you think you've got a better idea, throw it down in the comments below.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 30th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Nokia's Q1 2012 financials: $9 billion in sales can't stop a $1.7 billion loss
Nokia's released the bundle of spreadsheets that comprise its 2012 Q1 financials, just a week after it acknowledged that it would make a loss, despite bullish sales of the new Lumia 900. The numbers reveal that the company had net sales of €7.4 billion ($9.7 billion), down from €10.4 billion ($13.6 billion) at the start of last year. Net sales are down 30 percent year-on-year, which means the company's posting a loss of €1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) for the first three months of 2012. That loss is broken down as €772 million to restructure Nokia Siemens Networks, €101 million to restructure the Devices & Services and Location & Commerce departments, principally in shedding employees and relocating its factories to Asia. It had forecasted an operating margin of three percent below "break even," and says it's likely to remain that way well into the second quarter. Stephen Elop pointed out that much of the loss is due to both increased competition and the costs of restructuring, but also seemed to tacitly confirm rumors we'd heard that UK carriers have been resistant to Nokia's new direction, saying that establishing momentum in the country has been "challenging." However, it's still promising to arrest the slump and in a statement to Moody's on Monday, the company pledged that it was prioritizing "cash conservation" exercises, although its liquid cash reserves have fallen 24% in a year, meaning that the company's only got €4.8 billion ($6.3 billion) put aside for a rainy day.
Refresh Roundup: week of April 9th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Engadget Giveaway: win a Nokia Lumia 800, courtesy of Quixby!
Not everyone needs a Nokia Lumia 900 -- in fact, we imagine that there are plenty of you out there that could care less about LTE and the larger screen. That's where the Lumia 800 comes in real handy... especially an unlocked version that would come to you completely gratis. The beauty has been made possible by Quixby, a startup based in Ohio that just launched a new service that could make it easier to buy, build and share a computer. Intrigued? Enter to win, then take a look-see.
Nokia's Lumia 800 firmware update juices handsets, banishes battery issues
Still holding out on Nokia to squash any lingering battery bugs lurking inside your Lumia 800's beautiful shell? For some of you, today's your lucky day, as Espoo's just released a fresh batch of bits, which bring "significant improvements in battery performance and power management." We've seen version 1600.2487.8107 make the rounds once before, but previously when it was a Vodafone-branded variant -- which you may recall WPCentral discovered was responsible for an impressive 3x improvement (!) in battery life. Enhancements to audio are present in the build as well, with the company tweaking bass for "better voice quality" and your music enjoyment. Those ready to update should peep the Zune desktop software, although Nokia cautions not everyone will will get updated today, as coordinating across multiple carriers in different markets is like "herding sheep," resulting in a multi-stage rollout in the coming four weeks. More details, including a video on how to update, await at the source.
Nokia unveils the Lumia 800 in China, calls it the 800C
So if you live out in China, and were counting down the days until you could get your hands on a legit Lumia 800 (or the 610), you're almost there. Nokia's slab of Windows Phone, renamed the 800C was unveiled by China Telecom today as we'd heard, and will launch in stores fully next month. There'll be 20,000 apps available in the Marketplace when it does finally ship, which should be enough to keep you going. Color-wise there'll be cyan and black options, setting you back 3599 RMB sans contract. Head down to the official PR for the company pomp.
Nokia goes bullet time on snowboarders, the '90s wants its culture back (video)
Nokia's been an annual fixture at the Open Snowboarding Championships for a few years. While one gets sponsorship dollars, the other gleans a slice of snow sport cool. At this year's event, Nokia rigged up 18 Lumia 800s to capture the snowboarders' mid-air posturing, recording the video with a specially developed app. After a WiFi hook-up (and presumably a little bit of editing), the result was the montage you can see up top, made from around 100 different videos. But where's the iShred?
