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Nokia stacks up its maps next to Apple's and Google's, politely suggests it comes out on top (update: more detail)
You might have noticed a brouhaha over map accuracy in iOS 6. Nokia undoubtedly did, as it's using the iPhone 5 launch to remind us that its strategy has been all about location lately. The crew in Espoo has pitted Nokia Maps from the Lumia 920 against both Apple's equivalent as well as Google Maps -- and to no one's surprise, Nokia's own platform comes out on top. In practice, it's a relatively frank comparison that doesn't try to win on every point. Nokia tends to use a liberal definition of the term "3D" that includes augmented reality, but it's otherwise willing to emphasize its advantages in offline mapping and the sheer scope of its mapping coverage. Apple's very young mapping effort struggles, while Nokia is willing to accept that it doesn't have as much traffic coverage as Google. There is, however, the slight problem of the Lumia 920 not yet shipping: unless you've been blessed with a prototype of the Windows Phone 8 device, Apple and Google are the only ones that have their latest navigation software on a phone you can actually buy. Hit the source for the full, very tall chart as well as a few sly jabs at Nokia's competitors. Update: To clarify, it's true that much of what Nokia is talking about can be found on existing Lumias. However, Nokia did mention that there will be new features coming to Nokia Maps in Windows Phone 8, including the wider offline support, an augmented reality view during navigation and better integration with Nokia Drive.
HTC's Windows Phone 8X vs. the competition: fight!
HTC's unveiled a pair of Windows Phone 8 devices that seem destined to square off against Nokia's similarly polycarbonated handsets. You may not be able to easily pick 'em out of a crowd, but there's plenty of differences on the inside, and let's be frank, that's where it counts. We've pitted the Windows Phone 8 flagships from HTC, Samsung and Nokia against each other to see which one's going to be getting your cash when it comes to renewal time, and Round One begins just as soon as you jump past the break... ding, ding, ding.
Nokia Lumia 920 gets the FCC nod
It was going to happen eventually, but we're big fans of the "better soon than later" mentality. The global edition of Nokia's Windows Phone 8 flagship, the Lumia 920, has been given the thumbs-up from the FCC. The device, which supports five LTE bands used outside of the US and zero within, has already been WiFi-certified (the certification papers actually specify this model, the RM-821, as the Lumia 920.1, which leads us to assume the AT&T-friendly version might be the 920.2). We're quite certain this won't be widely available stateside -- and certainly not through a major national carrier -- so we'll remain on the hunt for another Lumia 920 to pass through the federal halls sometime soon.
Nokia Lumia 920 makes PureView appearance at Photokina with anti-shake video demo (video)
Sure, Nokia's recently announced Lumia 920 runs Windows Phone 8, but its banner feature is actually the PureView camera, which in some ways seems more capable than that of its 808 sibling. Company reps were on hand at the Carl Zeiss booth at Photokina demonstrating this latest handset's low-light abilities -- which are quite striking. Just as impressive, however, is the device's heralded stabilization feature, which captures an impressively smooth clip even with exaggerated hand shake. Considering the degree to which the Nokia rep was shaking, users with steadier hands shouldn't have any issue capturing excellent quality video. We were unable to view the clip on a computer, so our impressions are only based on what we saw on the LCD, but the feature was impressive nonetheless. We'll of course need to reserve formal judgement until we can conduct our own tests, but this PureView preview was certainly convincing, and quite encouraging -- especially the side-by-side clip comparing the 920 to a "US-based manufacturer's" smartphone. Catch it in full in the hands-on video after the break.
Nokia to produce Lumia 920 with TD-SCDMA support for China Mobile
Scratch one in the victory column for Nokia, as China Mobile -- the world's largest carrier -- has agreed to bring the Lumia 920 into its fold. A representative for Nokia revealed the news late this week, although just like every other handset with Windows Phone 8, pricing and availability remains up in the air. Beyond China Mobile's mind-boggling number of subscribers (hovering above 660 million), the deal is significant because of Nokia's limited willingness to support the network's TD-SCDMA infrastructure. While unconfirmed, we're hopeful to find the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 at the heart of this variant, due to its support for both TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE. That said, because China is in no rush to adopt 4G, the MSM8260A remains a viable candidate. Regardless, perhaps Nokia will be able to turn a bit of a corner with this deal -- in more ways than one.
iPhone 5 vs the competition: fight!
As the plethora of recent posts attest, Apple has indeed launched the iPhone 5, the next generation in its five-year-old iPhone family tree. But is it the best smartphone money can buy? For kicks and giggles, we've pitted the specs of Tim Cook's darling against those found in the top Android and Windows Phone devices (as a disclaimer, the Nokia Lumia 920 has yet to be officially released, but we have received nearly all of the essential stats). So how does the iPhone 5 hold up against some of its most vicious competitors? Follow along after the break as we analyze the best of the best. Note: We're still waiting to get final word on a few of the specs, but we'll update the post as those details come to light.
EE confirms Nokia Lumia 920, 820 and Samsung Galaxy S III among first handsets on new LTE network (updated)
Confirming those early rumors, Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 flagship will come to the UK exclusively on Everything Everywhere's newly re-branded EE LTE network. The 4.5-inch Lumia 920 will launch on the freshly announced carrier later this year, along with the Lumia 820, Samsung Galaxy S III LTE, Huawei Ascend 4G and HTC One XL (if the on stage demo is anything to go by). We're still waiting for the full list of hardware to be confirmed, along with availability details, but for now, you can start deciding your weapon of choice. Update: We've just added the press release, which confirms the HTC One XL is among the launch handsets. Update: Looks like that GS III will be an exclusive "titanium grey" color running Jelly Bean out of the box, according to Pocket-lint. Also, EE just confirmed to us that -- as rumored -- it has exclusivity over the Lumia 920.
UK carrier in talks to make Nokia Lumia 920 a British LTE exclusive, says Financial Times
We're hoping for big news from UK carrier partnership Everything Everywhere over the next couple of months -- not just the first real LTE service in the British Isles (as if that wasn't enough), but also new handsets to put that bandwidth to use. According to the Financial Times, the conglomerate is now in talks with Nokia to make that happen, with the LTE-sporting Lumia 920 standing to become an Everything Everywhere exclusive if the negotiations end happily. There's nothing official to confirm it at this point, but Nokia struggled to win over some carriers with its last batch of Lumias and has now made it clear that it's open to alternative strategies, just as it already has a special relationship with AT&T in the States. Of course, by the time the Lumia 920 reaches the UK -- likely in early November -- there could well be another honest-to-goodness 4G superphone in its midst.
European carrier sources: Nokia to start selling the Lumia 920 in November (update: coming to AT&T on November 2nd)
While we heard practically everything else about Nokia's new Windows Phone 8 flagship, there were still two very important details still missing -- its price and release date. Now, according to Reuters' "telecom operator" sources, a spokesperson from an unnamed eastern European carrier said that sales of the PureView-packing Lumia 920 will start in the second half of November, with larger countries landing the device earlier in the same month. Another source from a Nordic operator then followed suit, stating that they expected the phone to arrive in stores around mid to late November. We've reached out to our contacts, and will update if we hear anything more -- especially if it involves a price tag. Update: It's being reported that the Lumia 920 will arrive in the US on AT&T's network November 2nd.
Lumia 920 PureView trailer was filmed with a different camera, Nokia apologizes for the confusion
Nokia's video showcasing the Lumia 920's Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) might've given the impression it was filmed with the new PureView-toting device, but a reflection of a film crew spotted by PocketNow in the trailer (27 seconds deep) hinted that wasn't the case. The folks in Espoo have confirmed that the footage was indeed captured using a different camera. "Of course, hindsight is 20 / 20, but we should have posted a disclaimer stating this was a representation of OIS only," the company's Heidi Lemmetyinen penned on the Nokia Conversations blog. "This was not shot with a Lumia 920. At least, not yet. We apologize for the confusion we created." You can catch the offending video and a shorter, but accurate clip comparing a prototype of the PureView handset with a competing device after the break.
Nokia and Motorola event roundup
Boy, what a day. September 5th has been one for the books, as five new devices from Nokia and Motorola were exposed to the public eye. We were happy to bring you extensive coverage of everything that happened today, but if you're just getting home from work you may not have had the opportunity to keep up with the goings-on. To help you navigate the feeds a little easier, we've compiled all of the essential news in one place. So kick off your shoes, grab a bite to eat and meet us below the break to get caught up on the latest smartphones!
Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Lumia 900... fight!
Both arriving in a fanfare of primary colors and big screens, we've already taken a look at the spec sheet breakdown, but how does the Lumia 920 compare to its predecessor in the looks department? In a battle of polycarbonate matte and gloss, we put them both into an Engadget editor's outstretched hands and let the photography do the talking. %Gallery-164399% Ben Gilbert contributed to this report.
Nokia Lumia screens tout Synaptics tech for gloves-on use, 920 adds outdoor-friendly brightness
Everyone who regularly deals with cold winters knows the pain of using a smartphone in January -- you're usually forced to take your gloves off and risk frostbite if that call just can't wait. Nokia's new Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 phones bring in a Synaptics ClearPad Series 3 sensor whose responsiveness will keep those hands toasty. Super Sensitive Touch, as Nokia calls it, lets the capacitive surface react to more than just direct skin contact: it can recognize input through gloves, as well as from those with long fingernails. You'll want to spring for the Lumia 920 if you envision updating Twitter during a sunny skiing trip, however. On top of that extra-large 1,280 x 768 resolution, the 920's PureMotion HD+ display is reportedly about 25 percent brighter than its next-best rival. We're looking forward to a real field test -- not to mention preserving all the feeling in our fingers.
Nokia Lumia 920 vs. Lumia 900: what's changed?
Just five months after grandly returning to the United States with the Lumia 900, Nokia's switching it out for an even better Windows Phone 8 offering. The 920's coming with a beefier display, better internals and has wholly embraced wireless charging -- but that's not the feature everyone's gonna be talking about. No, that's reserved for the 8-megapixel PureView hardware and the new imaging tech behind it. Still, that shouldn't distract from the real business at hand: identifying the tiny hardware differences that separate the current and future iterations of the flagship, which we've broken down for you after the break.
Windows Phone 8 introduces new Lens apps: Bing Vision, Photosynth and CNN iReport launching from the camera button
The first new Windows Phone 8 feature to appear alongside Nokia's Lumia 920 launch is the camera-augmenting Lens apps. Offering both in-house and third-party programs, (and no more zoom bar -- pinch-to-zoom!), these will all launch immediately from the camera button. On stage, Joe Belfiore detailed a handful of the apps, encompassing Bing Vision (camera-based search), Photosynth, Blink, FXSuite, PhotoStrip and CNN iReport. FXSuite offers up a preview of your viewfinder in all your favorite token visual effects, which can capture an image, and then send you back to the single Lens app, or back to the Lens menu. As to be expected, all your photographic skills can be instantly transferred across to your SkyDrive-powered cloud camera roll -- something that could be especially useful with the Blink app, which captures a burst of photos in one touch. %Gallery-164370%
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.
Is the Nokia Lumia 920 coming with 8-megapixel FauxView? (Update: Nokia's Imaging Head weighs in)
Yes, we want PureView technology in at least one of Nokia's forthcoming Lumias. But let's be specific: it needs to be that same type of PureView that helps the 808 to take such amazing images, with something at least similar to that 41-megapixel sensor. That's why it's slightly perturbing to hear The Verge's suggestion from "sources familiar with the matter" that the Lumia 920 will ship with a paltry 8-megapixel version of PureView, which doesn't sound like it could deliver the same noise reduction or lossless zoom or other powers. With the expected announcement just two days distant, let's hope it ain't so. Update: Damian Dinning, Imaging Experience Manager at Nokia, has decided to get into the debate, while trying to steer around any secrets locked down for later this week. In a series of tweets, he says that PureView itself is about "blending optics, pixels and image processing in new and different ways," hinting at the high-end Carl Zeiss lens and the built-in image processing algorithms that are part of the 808 PureView's camera package. He adds: "it's not about the number of pixels but what you do with them" suggesting that a Lumia PureView could arrive without those awesome oversampling skills, but packing a similar set of optical and software features.
