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Nokia Lumia 820 review: a less expensive option for the Windows Phone crowd
More Info Windows Phone 8 review Nokia Lumia 920 review Nokia Lumia 820 announced The Lumia 820 has been tucked away behind the shadow of its bigger brother ever since it was revealed, but if any phone represents the Windows Phone 8 vision -- different phones for different people -- it's this next-generation Lumia. Avoiding the unibody build of the rest of the family, this phone has an outer shell that's removable and can work with a range of cases: glossy, not-glossy, ruggedized and capable of wireless charging. It's a nice option, one that offers a taste of hardware customization before you've even started swiping around the Live Tiles and customizing the color schemes. Under the lid, there's a removable 1,650mAh battery, with access to expandable microSD storage. Other specs include 1GB of RAM, the same 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor used in the Lumia 920 and a 4.3-inch OLED 800 x 480 display, albeit with the same glove-courting super-sensitivity found on that other new Lumia. On AT&T, it'll be $50 upfront, half the outlay for the 920, while in the UK, it's priced SIM-free at £360 in the UK, again compared to £445 for the bigger model. At this reduced price, you won't get to sample Nokia's optical image stabilization, but you'll still get a Carl Zeiss lens paired with an 8-megapixel sensor. So there's some understandable drawbacks compared to Nokia's statement phone and its two greatest strengths, but how does Windows Phone 8 fare on a cheaper handset? Join us after the break as we see what 50 bucks less gets you.
PSA: Get your Windows Phone 8 from AT&T starting today
Now that we've got the dates and prices sorted, all you need to do is get yourself to the nearest AT&T store (or one of those source links below) today to pick up either of Nokia's Windows Phone 8 handsets (Lumia 920 for $100, or the Lumia 820 for $50) or HTC's Windows Phone 8X, priced along the same lines as Nokia's bigger smartphone. Not a fan of Ma Bell? Then you'll can wait it out with Verizon, which starts taking preorders for both the Lumia 822 and 8X from today.
HTC Windows Phone 8X for AT&T: what's different?
We recently reviewed the global (HSPA+) version of HTC's Windows Phone 8X, the first handset to cross our desks running Microsoft's newly minted mobile OS. Starting today you'll be able to purchase HTC's 8X for AT&T, which features the same exquisite design but adds LTE and a dash of carrier flavor. Pricing with a two-year commitment is $100 for the 8GB model (available in California Blue and Limelight Yellow) and $200 for the 16GB version (blue only) -- in comparison, the global (HSPA+) phone sells for about £350 ($560) unsubsidized and unlocked. We spent a few days with the 8X for AT&T and while it's pretty much identical to its global sibling, there are a few differences worth mentioning. Hit the break to find out more. %Gallery-169525%
Verizon to offer Nokia Lumia 822 for $100 and HTC Windows Phone 8X for $200, both to go on sale by Thanksgiving
Verizon's had a couple days to mull over its response to AT&T's Windows Phone 8 pricing, and it's now ready to make its intentions known: the Nokia Lumia 822 and HTC Windows Phone 8X will both be available for pre-order beginning tomorrow and will officially be on store shelves before Thanksgiving. Nokia's model can be yours in white, black and grey for $100 after $50 mail-in rebate, while HTC's WP8 flagship will be offered in blue, red or black for $200. (Verizon also confirmed that red and black will be carrier-exclusive.) Big Red also confirmed that the ATIV S Odyssey will arrive before the end of the year, but no pricing or dates were offered.
SkyDrive app gains Windows Phone 8 support in version 3.0
After just a few short months at v2.0, Microsoft's own SkyDrive app is now sitting pretty at 3.0. What's an extra point get you? For starters, it'll support all incoming Windows Phone 8 products, and it'll also allow users to search their SkyDrive files / folders. Moreover, you'll find new settings for photo upload and download size, as well as updated app icons and visuals. Microsoft has also improved performance when it comes to loading one's content, but as of now, the 3.0 update won't play nice with WP7 handsets. Hit up the source link if you're hungry for more.
AT&T selling Nokia's Lumia 920 for $450 off-contract
It's an understatement to say that the Lumia 920 is priced "to sell," and that doesn't just mean with AT&T's carrier subsidy. If you'd prefer to own your smartphone outright, you can snag the handset for $449.99 -- $100 less the Galaxy S III and $200 less than the iPhone 5. There's no word on when these pre-orders will begin to ship, but if you're that commitment-phobic, you're not gonna hold other people to deadlines, are you? [Thanks, Tom]
Samsung ATIV Odyssey for Verizon possibly spied at the FCC
When Microsoft teased that Verizon would carry the Samsung ATIV Odyssey, it left just about everything to the imagination -- we didn't even see a real image. A new FCC filing may have given us a better (if all too incomplete) look. The device getting approval at the US agency doesn't have any dead giveaways in its hardware beyond a vaguely ATIV S-like shape and Verizon's needed CDMA and LTE frequencies, but it's going under an SCH-i930 model name that hints at possible Windows Phone 8-based origins: the SCH-i920 was the CDMA edition of the Omnia II, one of the last times Microsoft, Samsung and Verizon hung out together. If the i930 is what we suspect, the FCC will have just removed a key obstacle to the ATIV Odyssey's promised December launch.
AT&T prices Lumia 920 and 8GB HTC 8X at $100, Lumia 820 at $50, Nokias due on Friday
AT&T is finally spilling the beans on how much its Windows Phone 8 handsets will set you back if you plump for a two-year deal. Nokia's Lumia 920 costs $99.99, $50 less than previously speculated, and will come with a free wireless charging plate. If your wallet can't (or won't) stretch that far, then you can snag a Lumia 820 for just $49.99, the same price as last generation's flagship. If you've had your eye turned by HTC's much-lauded Windows Phone 8X, then you can select an 8GB limited edition version in blue or limelight (yellow) for $99.99, or a 16GB device for $199.99. Both of the Nokia handsets will be available to pre-order from the 7th (tomorrow) and available on the 9th (Friday), while the 8X should be rolling around "before Thanksgiving." Now that 'Ma Bell has tipped her hand, it's now down to Verizon, which is expected to make its riposte on Thursday.
Best Buy pricing once again pegs Nokia Lumia 920 at $150 on-contract (update: now $99)
Seems like just a few days ago that Best Buy inadvertently outed its pricing of the Lumia 920. While the company eventually pulled its listing, its pricing for the upcoming Windows Phone is looking more solid than ever. You see, a shopper in Naples, Fla., was recently able to snag a photo of an in-store display that once again pegs the Lumia 920 at $150 with a two-year contract or $600 outright. Keep in mind that Best Buy's pricing may not be the same as AT&T's own offering, but it's worth putting this on your radar in the buildup to its debut -- especially if the Smurf shirt crew manages to come in cheaper. Update: Following AT&T's official announcement this morning, Best Buy is following suit by pricing the Lumia 920 at $99. Company representatives tell us the smartphone will be available for pre-order at all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile locations beginning tomorrow, and the Lumia 920 will be available for purchase this Friday.
Ballmer: Windows Phone 8 'still small', but will 'really ramp quickly'
Following its launch event in San Francisco and the appearance of its first devices last week, the folks behind Windows Phone 8 are hoping for big things in the future. Chief exec Steve Ballmer said that Microsoft's work with Nokia, HTC and Samsung offered it the chance to create a "really strong third participant in the smartphone market." He admitted that the company isn't there quite yet and told the audience at a Windows 8 launch event in Israel that Microsoft's mobile OS was "still relatively small", but that he expects "the volumes on Windows Phone to really ramp quickly." The company will be lavishing more resources on marketing and advertising for Windows 8, Window Phone 8 and Surface than it has on any previous products -- which sounds good, as its new mobile OS might need the help.
Switched On: Missed app-ortunity
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. This week marks Switched On's eighth anniversary. It's difficult to remember as jam-packed a week in terms of industry announcements from major OS providers as the recent seven-day stretch that included a bevy of hardware announcements from Apple, a new tablet and OS upgrade from Google, and two major operating system releases as well as an unprecedented hardware release from Microsoft. Of course, as would be expected from these dominant digital ecosystem stewards, all of the new products included elements of hardware, software and services, even if they were sometimes implicit. But each company could have done significantly more to highlight new third-party apps that were really taking advantage of that combination.
Microsoft posts Build 2012 session videos for eager Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 coders
Not every developer had the luxury of putting a flight to Redmond on the corporate tab so that they could attend Microsoft's Build 2012 conference in person. Much to their delight, they won't have to. The company has posted streaming video for every session addressing Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and beyond, ranging from the two keynotes through to nuts-and-bolts framework talks. Be warned: most programmers will want to know Visual Studio and similar tools like the back of their hand before tackling some of these sessions. If they emerge unscathed, though, they'll be well-equipped to live in Microsoft's Windows Store world.
Microsoft explains the origins of Windows Phone 8's home and lock screens
We've delved into just what we think of Windows Phone 8's interface, but not what led Microsoft to the final layout. The company isn't content to let us wonder -- a pair of new company blog posts explain some (though not all) of what was involved in that birthing process. Ignore the marketing spin and you'll learn that the wider, more densely packed home screen was chosen as much for balance as to stuff in more home tiles, and that it caused a momentary crisis for the app list as a result. The Redmond team goes on to justify choices behind the lock screen, such as why notifications are as customizable as they are, why the music controls fade and why there's a failsafe for PIN attempts. Don't expect to come out of the explanations suddenly craving a Lumia 920; just expect to make more sense of the OS inside.
Nokia Lumia 920 review: Windows Phone 8 and (a little bit of) camera magic
More Info Nokia Lumia 920 official: Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU, 8MP PureView camera Nokia Lumia 920 low-light shootout Windows Phone 8 review It's been almost a year to the day since we reviewed Nokia's first Windows Phone and now we're staring at its second-generation flagship, the Lumia 920. Since the Lumia 800, Nokia's taken a pretty big role in improving Windows Phone's standing in a crowded (but lucrative) smartphone battlefield. While it may be sharing the spotlight with the new HTC 8X, this slab of hewn polycarbonate has garnered plenty of admirers. No doubt, a large chunk of those would-be phone buyers are, for better and worse, lusting after the phone's PureView imaging tech -- and after our early tests, it looks like it could be just as impressive as the lossless optical zoom seen on the PureView 808. The Lumia 920 dominated Nokia's presentation at Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 press event a few months ago, with the smaller Lumia 820 barely getting a look-in. It's got a "better-than-HD" 1,280 x 768, 4.5-inch high-contrast IPS display, built-in contactless charging, solid build quality and more of Nokia's exclusive software additions. This time, at least on hardware specifications, the company aims to put its flagship on equal footing with the likes of the Galaxy S III and the iPhone 5. Can Nokia's biggest and (literally) brightest smartphone maintain its place at top of the Windows Phone pile? How does that camera fare with extended use? And will the Lumia 920 offer enough to pull you away from Android or iOS for your next phone?%Gallery-170074% %Gallery-170070%
WSJ: Microsoft testing homegrown handset designs with suppliers, may not see mass production
Until very recently, Microsoft wasn't known for making hardware. Sure, it put out the occasional Zune, but most of the tech running Redmond's desktop and mobile operating systems traditionally comes from its partners -- the Surface being the exception, of course. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft might consider making that exception a rule: some of the firm's part suppliers say that the company is experimenting with a smartphone design of its very own. Folks familiar with the matter say the device in question is between four and five inches, putting it in a sweet-spot that's larger than the iPhone 5, but not quite as daunting as a Samsung Galaxy Note II. Don't get too excited, however, sources aren't sure the if the device will go into mass production, and Microsoft is expectantly tight-lipped about the rumor. Still, we wouldn't scoff at a smartphone with a build quality to match the Surface -- though it might rub some of Redmond's hardware partners the wrong way.
Nokia Lumia 820 up for UK pre-order: free on contract or £380 sim-less, wireless charger thrown in
Carphone Warehouse is now taking pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 820 handset, and there's good news for the cash bereft -- it's free on contract, and the reseller will toss in a £45 wireless charging plate to boot. You can commit £29 per month to O2, Vodafone or Orange to avoid paying up front, or grab an unencumbered handset at £380 for the 4.3-inch Windows Phone 8 device in black, red or white. For that, you'll get a 4G-capable smartphone with an 800 x 480 OLED screen, 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8-megapixel camera. The free extra offer will expire when shipping starts, so if the WP8 launch has you all charged up, hit the source.
Nokia Lumia 822 for Verizon hands-on (video)
Now that Microsoft's officially flooded the world with good tidings of Windows Phone 8, it's the turn of OEMs and carriers to get the word out about their own Microsoft-flavored smartphones. We finally got a chance to play with Nokia's previously leaked and recently announced Lumia 822 for Verizon, a mid-range handset similar to the Lumia 820 on AT&T and the Lumia 810 for T-Mobile that will cost $99 with a two-year contract. Availability is slated for sometime in November -- it's been a long time since we've seen a Nokia device on Verizon (sorry, but those Pantech-built models don't count), so this is rather exciting news. Spec-wise the Lumia 822 features a 4.3-inch WVGA ClearBlack AMOLED display, an eight-megapixel autofocus Carl Zeiss camera, a 1.2MP front-facing shooter, a Qualcomm dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB or RAM, 16GB of internal flash, microSD support for additional storage, and optional Qi-compatible wireless charging. Radios include CDMA and LTE for Verizon, GSM / GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSPA+ for global roaming, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, A-GPS and NFC. In terms of design, the Lumia 822 is much curvier than its siblings and the battery cover doesn't wrap around the sides. The camera pod and flash placement matches the longitudinal setup from the Lumia 920 and Lumia 810 instead of the transverse layout found on the Lumia 820. At 142g (5 ounces) it's quite a hefty device, but despite being 11.2mm (0.44 inches) thick, it feels very nice in hand. Build quality is solid, which is pretty much what you'd expect from Nokia. The phone will be available in three colors: black, white and our favorite, a stunning shade of grey. See for yourself in the gallery below, and peek after the break for our hands-on video. Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Microsoft: we're calling our apps 'Windows 8 Store Applications'
Ever since those bygone days of Metro, we've all been struggling to figure out precisely what to call the design language of Microsoft's OS offerings. When the question was put to MS's Will Tschumy, the user experience strategist told a crowd at Build that the company is calling Win 8 apps "Windows 8 Store Applications" -- not exactly as elegant as the aesthetic the company is implementing across its products. Update: Looks like Microsoft didn't quite get it right yesterday. Redmond's actually calling them "Windows Store apps."
Microsoft drops Windows Phone Store developer registration to $8 for eight days
How amped is Microsoft to get developers into the Windows Phone 8 Store? The company announced today at Build that it's lowering developer registration to $8 -- that's down from $99. Got to get in there quick, however -- that price is only good for the next eight days. Seems to be some kind of theme here, no? Update: Looks like the discount situation is a little more involved than just that. According to Microsoft, "You'll be charged $99 USD or equivalent in your local currency, and we'll refund the difference in the next 30 to 45 days." Ninety-two percent discounts don't just happen overnight, after all.
Microsoft posts Windows Phone 8 SDK, kicks off a new era for apps
The word "finally" is often abused (including by us), but here it's deserved: after months of knowing about Windows Phone 8 with little to do but wait or support rival platforms, developers can finally download version 8.0 of the Windows Phone SDK. The kit lets teams get cracking on apps that take advantage of the Windows 8-related code base in Windows Phone 8 and all the hooks that go with the new OS, such as the broader hardware support, ties to the lock screen and Wallet. You'd better be an early adopter on the desktop if you're eager to start programming for the equally new mobile platform, though -- the SDK won't run on anything less than a 64-bit copy of Windows 8. We're still anticipating a much improved ecosystem now that Windows Phone app writers can do more than twiddle their thumbs.
