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Nokia Belle Feature Pack 2 returns, hopefully for good this time
Nokia's Belle Feature Pack 2 has suffered more false starts than a race meeting burdened with a dodgy starter pistol. However, it looks like the on-again, off-again saga is at an end, now that the company has remedied an issue with the Nokia Music app with a separate hotfix. Toting one of the company's 603, 700, 701 or 808 handsets? You should be able to snag the update as we speak, if not sooner.
Photo shootout: Lumia 920, Nokia 808, iPhone 5, HTC One X and Galaxy S III
One smartphone feature that has steadily improved over the years is the camera. Once a novelty, the camera is now an important selling point that can influence a person's buying choice. Engadget recently had the opportunity to test the top camera-enabled smartphones at Nokia's Tampere, Finland research and development complex and found that the iPhone outperforms most, but not all, of the competition. The Engadget team was able to test the iPhone 5 against the Nokia PureView 808, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III and a prototype Nokia Lumia 920. The top performers in their low-light tests were the Lumia 920 and PureView 808, both of which include Nokia's PureView technology. The PureView 808 uses an oversampling technique that captures a high-megapixel image and condenses it into a lower-megapixel image with impressive clarity and detail. Whereas the Lumia 920's PureView camera features optical image stabilization. The iPhone 5 was the runner-up to Nokia's handsets, producing images that were slightly darker than the Lumia 920, and not as detailed. Given the low five-lux lighting, this result is not surprising as most smartphone cameras use small sensors that struggle in low-light conditions. The iPhone 5 easily outperformed the HTC One X and the Galaxy S III, both of which produced dark and grainy images. You can check out the sample photos from each camera on Engadget's website.
The Engadget Interview: Nokia's Kevin Shields on PureView, floating sensors and the 'missile' that is the Lumia 920
A conversation with Nokia's Stephen Elop, as we had earlier this week, is quite an experience. He's kind, friendly, charming and obviously extremely passionate about everything Nokia -- but his PR deflector shields are always full-forward. Ask him a challenging question and you'll be greeted with a very gentle response that sounds like an answer but is actually just a deftly delivered retooling of some standard PR-friendly message you've probably already heard. Interviewing Nokia SVP Kevin Shields is, as we've seen in the past, a somewhat more... direct experience. Why did Nokia go with a gloss finish on the 920 instead of the matte we loved on the 800 and 900? "Because it's awesome." How durable is the 920? "It's like a missile." How confident is he that wireless charging will take off? "We are all in." Shields was kind enough to give us a few minutes of his time after Nokia's event this week to talk Lumia and to explain just what "PureView" means now that it's been applied to a second phone. Click on through to get educated.%Gallery-164354%
Nokia 808 PureView now available stateside, $700 via Amazon
Finnish phone purveyor Nokia has delivered on its promise to bring its flagship camera phone to US soil, with or without carriers' support. The company is offering up the PureView 808 on Amazon, complete with Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia Belle, for a cool $700 contract free. That's no small tariff for a device running a slightly antiquated mobile operating system, but if you've got a soft spot in your heart for Symbian -- and fancy yourself a photographer -- page through our review then head over to Amazon for the purchasing details.
Nokia hints at June 18th news, may be PureView related instead of Microsoft (Update)
Amidst the upheaval in Espoo Nokia continues to push forward, and tonight its Facebook page has already posted a couple of teaser images, including the one seen above, suggesting there's big news due on June 18th. Astute observers will note that's also the day its good buddy Microsoft has already planned its own high profile and highly secretive event, although you may not want to connect the two just yet. One of the images is a map of Hawaii, which AllThingsD notes is home to area code 808, a possible reference to Nokia's PureView 808 41MP cameraphone technology, which was followed up by the above image, with tempo cranked all the way up (ready to go boom...like an 808?). Draw your own conclusions -- of course we'll be hanging around Monday to see what happens. Update: If the Roland TR-808 image wasn't explicit enough, Nokia US has dropped another hint on its Facebook page, featuring what appears to be artwork cropped from the 808 State album ex:el.
Nokia 808 PureView arrives fashionably late in India, 41MP in tow
After initially announcing it would come in May, and then dropping a countdown red herring, the PureView is finally opening its big 808-eye in India today. The 41MP camera (and phone!) lands with a 33,899 Rupee ($600) MSRP, depending on your barter skills. The PureView might not be a spec heavyweight, with its single-core 1.3GHz chip, 512MB RAM and 360 x 640 display, but we still found it hummed along smartly with its nimble Symbian Belle OS. For those of you who've already set the cash aside, might be time to call that Indian friend.
Nokia PureView 808 is running 124 hours late, due in India June 5th
A countdown timer has appeared at an official-looking Indian PureView site, indicating that the 41-megapixel camera (with a twist of smartphone) should arrive in that country on June 5th -- or equally the 6th if you're in that time zone. The last we heard it was scheduled for initial release in India and Russia sometime in May, but being late is surely okay when you give a firm ETA.
Nokia 808 PureView impressions, camera showdown with the iPhone 4S and HTC One S
Nokia invited us to take a tour of the Carl Zeiss HQ in Germany, all in the name of getting some time to shoot with the pair's latest project, the 808 PureView. Sure, you've heard the specs: a 41-megapixel sensor, f/2.4 Carl Zeiss lens and a focal length of 8.02mm. That hulking sensor dominates the body, but how do those photographic results turn out? We spent a few hours shooting with Symbian's (possibly) last hurrah and found that -- unsurprisingly -- this looks to be the new benchmark for mobile imaging. The top-heavy body fits in with the focus on mobile photography epitomized in this phone and there's a tangible quality to the photos even on the 808 PureView's 640 x 360 display, alongside a noticeable decrease in noise. Check out our gallery and grab more impressions and comparison images with the iPhone 4S and One S after the break. %Gallery-156016%
Nokia confirms intent to bring unlocked 808 PureView handset to North America (update)
Nokia's major focal points within the US market may currently be its Lumia 900 and Windows Phone, but that doesn't mean it's planning to leave its other notable offerings outside of Uncle Sam's borders. Speaking with PC Mag, Nokia executive Chris Weber explained that the company aims to offer its current Belle-rocking, imaging-champ, the 41-megapixel 808 PureView, north of Mexico in the "next couple of months." That's rather unsurprising, considering it recently passed through the underground testing-chambers of the FCC. Unlike the Lumia, however, this mega-phone will only be sold unlocked, naturally sporting AT&T bands (possibly others, too. See the update below) for connectivity. While we're still eager to find out more detailed availability information, you can now rest assured that you'll soon be able to capture highly detailed photos of your freedom fries to post on Tumblr. Update: PC Mag's Sascha Segan wrote in the comments below to clarify this device's likely connectivity options: Weber said he was sure the phone would support AT&T. He didn't refer specifically to any frequency bands or say the phone wouldn't support any other carrier. I presume it's going to be the international model, so it'll be any carrier the international model supports.
Could future PureView devices support 4K video?
As we eagerly await the arrival of the 808 PureView, video professionals are pondering the usefulness of that 41-megapixel sensor. On paper, it's capable of shooting continuously-focusing 34-megapixel video that's then resampled down when compressed, but blogger James Burland wonders what it could do with less resampling. He claims that a member of Nokia's imaging team told him that shooting at 4K "might be possible," although there are plenty of issues that prevent it being achieved on the 808 handset itself. The hardware wouldn't be able to handle the storage or processing requirements, so it's unlikely Peter Jackson will be shooting on a Symbian-powered device any time soon -- but in any case it's an interesting pointer to the future of cellphone cinematography.
'Leaked' Nokia Lumia PureView concept images brandish bright colors, chunky profile
Take the smartphone camera sensor that was the toast of MWC, add in the burgeoning Windows Phone platform and this might be what you might get. Although we hope -- and suspect -- that it isn't. Sneaking out from China with some judicious pixelation, the phones look pretty... dynamic. With a profile more often associated with those tough, rubberized feature phones, the color gamut of black, magenta and yellow is at least very new-generation Nokia. But, if the concept hardware wasn't incredulous enough, wait 'til you hear the specs. A neat paragraph on one slide explains that this Lumia PureView would feature a 4.3-inch curved high-definition touchscreen (a first for Windows Phone), a dual-core process with an Adreno 320 GPU (yet another first) and Nokia's intriguing 41-megapixel camera sensor peeping out from behind a Carl Zeiss lens. We're looking at these renders through some high-prescription skeptic goggles and reckon it's an unlikely new direction for Nokia's hardware design. However, that's not to say a tie-up between Nokia's PureView tech and Microsoft isn't somewhere along the pipeline...
Nokia Senior VP: PureView imaging technology coming to our Windows Phones (updated)
We're sure many have fallen in love with Nokia's new cameraphone, but are perhaps not so willing to get back together with its Symbian OS. Fortunately, it looks like Nokia will be -- unsurprisingly -- gently placing its Pureview technology inside a future Windows Phone family member. Confirmed in Finnish broadsheet Aamulehti, Senior Vice President Jo Harlow said that although no date was penned in quite yet, it wouldn't be all that far away. The high-end camera credentials gifted to the Pureview 808 at MWC last week surprised plenty, given that Nokia proclaimed that its whole company had nailed its colors to the Windows Phone mast when it came to its flagship OS. Regardless, a polycarbonate PureView sounds pretty good to us. Update: From a Nokia spokesperson: "We have stated that we plan to use PureView imaging technologies to deliver high-end imaging experiences in future Nokia products. Since Nokia is committed to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform, that includes plans to bring PureView to Lumia over time... We look forward to revealing more in future, but for now we are focused on rolling out the Nokia 808 PureView to markets around the world."
Mobile World Congress 2012: best of show
Mobile World Congress 2012 was a massively exciting show and true to form brought us so much new kit to be excited about in early 2012. From Intel's Medfield launch, a 41-megapixel smartphone, a new generation of personal hotspots and even engineered metals using micro arc oxidation, there was never a dull moment. Highlighting what was best, most innovative, or interesting is a tough nut but we've done our best to point out the highlights using our impressions -- and the occasional arm-wrestling match -- to chose the finalists amongst the products and our Editor's more notable achievements. Fly through to the next page and have a look at our takeaways from this, the most intense mobile tech show of the year.
Mobile World Congress 2012: smartphone roundup
Mobile World Congress is a dignified affair held yearly in Barcelona that companies take very seriously. For example, unlike CES, there are lots and lots of suits -- after all, this is a congress. Here, some of the most unique and desirable handsets meet the eyes of press, analysts and buyers for the very first time. Accordingly, anxieties were high among company leaders as they put their best foot forward and held their breath for the first round of impressions. This year's show has been a wild ride, and we've seen many devices stretch the boundaries of our imagination. There were more than a few stunners, and as the dust settles, companies such as HTC, Nokia, LG, Huawei and Asus can all hold their heads high. Join us after the break as we reminisce the most notable smartphones from Mobile World Congress.
