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Nokia Lumia 630 review: An affordable phone you can live without
The Nokia we used to know is no longer. In late April, the handset maker was finally folded into Microsoft's Devices and Services business after more than six months of courtship. Nokia wasn't ready to be assimilated without once last hurrah, however: It announced a trio of new devices at its new owner's developer conference, Build. The Finnish company had always tried to cater to every demographic, so it was fitting that its last in-house handsets were the top-end Lumia 930 (a global version of the Icon) and the entry-level Lumia 630/635. The 630 and 635, 3G and 4G variants of the same device, are joining an already-crowded lineup of affordable Lumias. They're distinguished somewhat by launching with Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of Microsoft's mobile OS, but in the coming months, other WP8 handsets will catch up. That's if curiosity hasn't already driven you to update manually using the developer-account loophole. The 635 is yet to be released, but for now we have the almost identical Lumia 630. Other than offering the newest software, then, is the 630 Nokia's best budget device? A worthy sendoff for the company? A save-the-best-'til-last-type deal? Spoiler's in the headline.
GTA: San Andreas now available for (some) Windows Phones weeks late
Rockstar Games' promise of an early January launch for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Windows Phone devices may've been a bit off -- the game just arrived on the Windows Phone store today, as spotted by CNET. The game carries a $7 price tag and works on a handful of WP8 devices (the HTC 8XT and Nokia Lumias 1520, 1320, 822, 820 and 810); it's got the same touch-based, contextual controls that the iOS and Android versions employ. Should the Caricature Compton of Carl Johnson's San Andreas entice you, you can snag it right here.
Nokia's all-in-one Camera app expands to entire Lumia range with new beta
Devices with the PureView tag attached have not only the best shooters in Nokia's Lumia range, but also exclusive access to the relatively new Nokia Camera app. Today, though, that latter privilege is being extended to all Lumias with the launch of the Nokia Camera beta program. Any Windows Phone 8 handset that's been updated to Amber or above can now use the software -- an amalgam of, and successor to Nokia's Pro and Smart camera apps. As it's not quite ready for a full store debut, you'll need to sign up with Nokia Beta Labs at the source if you want early, and perhaps buggy access.
Redbox Instant hits Windows Phone, will remain Lumia-exclusive for 60 days
After launching on iOS and Android almost a year ago, the mobile version of Redbox Instant by Verizon has finally arrived in the Windows Phone Store. Aside from a few cosmetic changes and added Live Tile support, the new app works exactly like its cross-platform counterparts, offering movie streaming and maps to nearby Redbox kiosks. An $8 monthly subscription also covers the rental fees for up to four DVDs, although customers can upgrade to Blu-ray discs for an additional dollar. The bad news is that the app's exclusive to Nokia's Lumia range right now -- plebes with other WP8 devices will have to wait until the end of January for general availability.
Nokia Lumia 625 review
Another week, another Lumia. This latest grenade thrown by Nokia in its continued assault on the smartphone market is the Lumia 625. Following up on its previous high-end devices -- the good-looking one, the one with the fancy camera -- the 625 is a soldier of lower rank. There's already an army of budget Windows Phones that fill various niches, so what's the deal? Well, despite the number on its dog tag, the 625 is far from a Lumia 620 variant: it's a completely different phone. For starters, it sports the biggest screen of any Lumia to date (for now, anyway). Actually, make that any Nokia phone ever made. But the real reason it exists has nothing to do with the display size; it's all about the 4G radio hiding away inside. Does LTE, plus a big screen and eyebrow-raising price tag, make it worth your while, though?
Nokia gets catty with 925 ad parodying Apple's 'Photos Every Day' commercial
Nokia borrowed some inspiration from Microsoft's tool box today with the release of its snarky new commercial for the Lumia 925. Taking aim at Apple's "Photos Every Day" TV spot, the Lumia ad finds the company criticizing the quality of the iPhone 5's camera. The iPhone 5 shipped with an 8 megapixel camera, while the new Lumia has a 8.7 megapixel camera and a dual-LED flash. We've included both Nokia's spot and Apple's original advertisement for comparison. Nokia "Better Photos Every Day" Apple "Photos Every Day "
Nokia said to be prepping Bluetooth 4.0 'Treasure Tag' accessory for Lumias
Nokia is planning to release a Bluetooth accessory for its Lumia lineup called the "Treasure Tag," according to various sources. A report from The Verge tallies with a previous mention on Yahoo's message boards that names the tag, which could be a reason Nokia's adding Bluetooth 4.0 and LE support to Lumias via the impending Amber update. Apparently, the tag features NFC for easy pairing and can be set up and tracked using a Windows Phone 8 app that'll incorporate Nokia's LiveSight AR tech. It's also said that a button on the Treasure Tag will reveal the location of a misplaced phone using an audible notification, if it's in range of the accessory. It could look like the above diagram, is allegedly launching in "the coming weeks," and is thought to be one of several planned accessories that'll make use of the Bluetooth 4.0 standard.
Nokia: your favorite apps are coming to Windows Phone 8, it's simply a matter of when
Bryan Biniak, VP and General Manager of Global Partner and App Development at Nokia, was in London today for the UK launch of JobLens, so we took the opportunity to sit down with him and talk Windows Phone 8, the basket in which Nokia has entrusted all its eggs. Being Microsoft's brother-in-arms, Nokia's heavily involved in building out the platform and, despite an increasing number of high-profile apps making the jump, the general health of the WP8 store was the main topic of discussion. Unsurprisingly, Biniak was keen to report the app catalogue and with it, competitiveness, is growing fast. There are still gaps to be filled, however, and if Biniak's claims are to be trusted, all the apps most common to iOS and Android home screens are headed to WP8 in the near future: We're not having a single conversation with anybody, of any material application that's out there, that isn't going to be coming to the platform. It's not a matter of if -- I had those conversations, the "if" conversations, before -- all of our conversations now are "when."
The Engadget Interview: Nokia's Stephen Elop on the Lumia 1020
As expected, the Nokia Lumia 1020 arrived with 41 megapixels in tow at today's event in New York City. Got questions? Yeah, us too. Thankfully, we had a bit of time to sit down with none other than Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who was fresh off the on-stage Q&A, wearing a slick pair of bright yellow Converse All-Stars, in honor of the eye-popping color scheme of the handset he showed off earlier today. Elop seemed genuinely excited by his new device (even jokingly correcting me when I called it his "new toy"), taking a picture of us immediately after entering the room -- or, rather, he took a picture of our own Richard Lai and zoomed out to reveal me. The concept of re-framing is a huge part of what Nokia's selling -- take a picture first and worry about framing it later. With 41 megapixels, it's easy enough to zoom in or out after the fact. Richard brought along a trio of handsets for comparison, including the N8, 808 PureView and the recent Lumia 925, so naturally we started with a little history -- much like the press conference itself. Of interest was at precisely what point Nokia began to envision optics as one of, if not the, key focus of its handsets. It was an appropriate visual from Elop's point of view -- the executive sees all of the above as entries in the company's evolutionary line. Nokia's focusing on improving the experience a bit with each and every link, says Elop, with the latest handset building atop of the lessons learned. The Lumia 1020 is, naturally, a culmination of those lessons.
Nokia Chat beta messaging app released for WP8, is exclusive to Lumias
One of the benefits of buying a Windows Phone 8 handset with a Nokia stamp is the exclusive apps, and today we can add another to that list with the beta release of Nokia Chat for WP8. The software started life on Symbian and Series 40 devices before falling out of favor with Nokia, but this WP8 refresh enables cross-platform chatter between those older phones, the newer Lumia range and, as Yahoo Messenger contacts are supported, anything running that IM client, too. In addition to standard messaging, you can share your location with others, and send details about a specific place -- a restaurant, for example -- that'll link with Nokia Maps on Lumias for more info. (That sounds an awful lot like Nokia's other beta messaging app Pulse, doesn't it?) Other Lumia-only features in Nokia Chat include Live Tile and lock screen push notifications, Live Tile message previews, voice commands and text-to-speech composition. Nokia Chat beta is only available in a handful of countries right now, including the US, Canada and the UK, with more being added "in the near future." Head over to the Nokia Beta Labs source link to try it out.
Nokia Lumia 720 review
With the shared unveiling of Nokia's Lumia 720 and Lumia 520, the company's running flush of Windows Phone 8 models was complete. All WP8 handsets we've reviewed essentially fit into two distinct tiers based on shared core specs. That begs the question: why come out with two new models now when both share the same SoC, amount of RAM and screen resolution as the established Lumia 620 and HTC 8S? Obviously, there are differences in design, cameras, display tech and all the other bobs and bits that create the 720, but is it worth the significant markup over the 620, and more than double the price of a 520 or Huawei Ascend W1? Enough with all the rhetorical questions -- join us after the break as we find out exactly what the Lumia 720 has to offer.%Gallery-186194%
Mystery Nokia smartphone flaunted in European Lumia 920 ad
A recent Nokia Lumia 920 TV commercial from Netherlands carrier KPN Mobiel -- spotted by My Nokia Blog -- shows a curious yellow handset at the five second mark, and after squinting for a bit we're still not sure what we're seeing. It's obviously not a 920, and it doesn't match any other existing models that we can remember. Our mobile experts noticed that it vaguely resembles the Nokia Lumia 822 from US carrier Verizon, but the headphone nub, camera pod position and tapered design don't match that model -- which also appears to be smaller than the one pictured above. Could the Finnish carrier be holding out on us until Mobile World Congress 2013? Or is it some kind of Dutch variant of the 822? We've no idea, but if any of you do, we're sure you'll let us know below. You can scope the video after the fold.
Nokia Lumia 620 announced: 3.8-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera, $249
Nokia announced a surprise new Windows Phone 8 member at LeWeb 2012 in Paris today -- the Lumia 620. The entry-level handset has a 3.8-inch TFT screen at WVGA resolution (800 x 480), a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus processor, half a gig of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable by microSD (up to 64GB cards supported). A 5-megapixel shooter with LED flash capable of recording 720p video occupies the back, while a VGA camera is up front for those self-portraits. Connectivity-wise, you'll get online via WiFi or WCDMA 3G, with NFC and Bluetooth 3.0 taking care of all your sharing and pairing. "Dual-shot color" interchangeable shells mean you'll be able to personalize your handset beyond switching up the Live Tile layout, and they also keep the 1,300mAh battery under wraps. Excluding taxes and subsidies, the new Lumia will cost $249 when it begins shipping in January next year, first in Asia, then expanding to Europe, the Middle East and other territories later. If you're looking for a Windows Phone 8 handset but don't need the best specs out there, perhaps this is your guy -- the wallet-friendly Lumia 610 generally impressed us, so we've got a feeling this might, too. %Gallery-172666%
Nokia sells its Espoo, Finland HQ for $222 million, will stay on as tenant
As promised, Nokia has sold its Espoo, Finland headquarters to another Finnish company, Exilion, and signed a long-term lease to stay on as principal tenant. The handset maker reported that the property, dubbed Nokia House, went for 170 million euros ($222 million) and that the sale of the 48,000 square meter (517,000 square feet) property would be completed by the end of the year. Nokia reportedly made the deal to help stem the flow from its recent poor financial performance, but will at least get to stay on in the building it's occupied since 1997. Check the PR after the break for more info.
Nokia Lumia 822 and HTC 8X show up in Verizon colors, get pegged for November 8th release
The Verizon-flavored Nokia Lumia 822 hasn't exactly been camera-shy, nor has it been coy about its imminent arrival, but the details on price and availability have, as yet, not been pinned down. That is until now, according to a tip-off at WPCentral. The candid shot shows the Nokia next to an HTC 8X -- both with Verizon livery. The word is that the Lumia 822 will run you $99 at launch, while the HTC 8X will command $199, both with a contract. The same source claims that these will launch on November 8th. Just in time to get that first killer app. Update: Not satisfied with just white? Don't worry about it -- you'll have two more shades to pick from, according to a press image uncovered by EvLeaks. A professionally captured view of the 822's black and grey facades can be found at the more coverage link below.
Nokia Lumia 820, 920 for AT&T swing through the FCC
Hopefully AT&T subscribers weren't spooked when the Nokia Lumia 920 first passed through the FCC in only its non-US guise, and its lower-end 820 cousin only as the (currently unofficial) Verizon-ready Lumia 822. The two Windows Phone 8 flagships have had follow-up approvals in GSM versions that are unmistakably destined for AT&T and Canadian carriers. Never mind the slightly distracting RM-820 model number on the Lumia 920; it reveals the 920's distinctive curved design, 700MHz LTE in AT&T's range and AWS-based LTE for both AT&T as well as its Canadian neighbor. The Lumia 820 is equally identifiable as the RM-824, even if it limits the LTE access to AT&T's network. We haven't seen any shocking revelations from either device, although we weren't expecting any from phones that hew so closely to the original templates. The filings mostly set expectations for Microsoft's October 29th event -- now that the likely stars of the show are cleared to make their appearances, the companies involved should breathe more easily.
Verizon-bound Nokia Lumia 822 surfaces in leaked photos
We caught a glimpse of a Verizon-branded Windows Phone 8 handset by the name of Atlas in a leaked image yesterday, and now new photos give us a closer look at the smartphone. According to WMPoweruser, who received the photos from a tipster, the device is a Nokia Lumia 820 variant and will be exclusive to Big Red as the Lumia 822. Though it's riffed on its progenitor's design, the mobile will keep the same WVGA resolution and 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. There's still no official word from Verizon or Nokia regarding the phone, but we expect that to change relatively soon.
From the lab: Lumia 920 image stabilization and 808 drop test at Nokia R&D (video)
Yesterday's lab installment gave us an opportunity to pit the Lumia 920 against competing smartphones in a low-light capture scenario, but Nokia's standard battery of tests is used to evaluate and improve far more than stills shooting. Several stops throughout the day brought us to a foam-filled sound chamber tasked with analyzing call quality in a variety of environments, a room with industrial freezers and ovens used to push the limits of operability, and a rig that can shoot with interchangeable sensors and apply image quality algorithms in real-time, without a handset in sight. Unfortunately, due to proprietary technologies and processes, we weren't permitted to photograph these first facilities, though we did manage to snap away at two other stations -- a platform that shifted up and down at adjustable speeds to test the Lumia 920's optical image stabilization, and a machine that drops smartphones against a block of concrete, used to simulate that all-too-frequent occurrence of handsets plunging towards pavement. We've seen plenty examples of the 920's OIS capabilities this week, so we won't go into much more detail on that front, but specialized (and pricey) equipment enables engineers to introduce consistent processes -- this machine simulated hand shake at different speeds, and even with exaggerated movement, the benefits were clear. A separate building contained the drop test contraption, which releases devices from an adjustable height, letting them land directly on a block of polished concrete. We tested both the 808 PureView and a Samsung Galaxy S III in this manner (with roughly 100 Lumia prototypes currently available, Nokia wasn't quite willing to risk sending one to its death). Both smartphones remained in perfect working order following the drop, so it's likely that they'll be able to handle a similar fall during regular use as well (company reps offered to test our iPhone 5, but we declined handing it over). That wraps up our week at Nokia's facilities in Finland -- there will be plenty more to explore once we have a Lumia sample in hand, but you'll find the OIS test and concrete plunge videos ready right now, posted just after the break.
From the lab: Lumia 920 low-light shootout with Nokia 808, iPhone 5, HTC One X and Galaxy S III
It looks like Nokia's controversial marketing move, which involved using pro DSLRs to "simulate" low-light shooting, was even less necessary than the smartphone maker may have thought. During our visit to the company's Tampere, Finland research and development complex, we were given access to a comprehensive testing suite, enabling us to shoot with a Lumia 920 prototype and a handful of competing products in a controlled lighting environment. Technicians dimmed the lights and let us snap a static scene with each handset at just 5 lux -- a level on par with what you may expect on a dimly lit city street in the middle of the night. The 920 took the cake, without question, but the iPhone didn't fare too poorly itself, snatching up nearly as much light as the Nokia device. The 808 PureView also performed quite well, but the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III yielded unusable results. It's one thing to snag proper exposure, though -- capturing sharp details with little noise and superior color balance is an entirely different beast, and the Lumia managed to do just that, as you'll see in our 100-percent-view shots further on. Later in the evening we hit the streets of Helsinki for a real-world shootout. The 920 did present some issues with exaggerated shake and other rapid movements, but it offered up excellent results overall, even in scenes that were too dark for us to make out any details with our own eyes. Our nighttime shoot can be found in the gallery below, followed by plenty of comparison photos after the break.%Gallery-166626%
iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)
Nokia's Lumia 920 packs the industry's best image stabilization -- there's no questioning that -- thanks to a camera module that pairs both sensor and lens-based optical IS. The iPhone 5 also offers a notable improvement over its Apple-made predecessor on the video front, but considering that its stabilization is of the digital variety, we wouldn't expect it to top Nokia's new flagship. We had an opportunity to test both smartphones in a head-to-head demo at Nokia's research and development facility in Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of the company's Espoo headquarters. In fact, we're told that this is the very first such comparison shoot in the world, considering that the iPhone made it to market just last week and the only opportunity to shoot with a Lumia 920 is currently in the European country where the device was born. As expected, the Nokia phone was able to capture far smoother video than what we snapped with the iPhone, with both devices secured side-by-side in a homemade foam holster. Unlike our handheld interview shoot earlier today, we pushed the limits a bit further this time, running through Nokia's parking lot and turning every which way as well. It's important to note that the Lumia 920 we used was a prototype, but its performance was still quite solid. You'll find the side-by-side video just past the break -- the Lumia 920 is on the left, with the iPhone clip on the right.
