The Nokia Lumia 900 is tailored for the American market. It should not be a surprise that the device is delivering 'really good' sales for both AT&T and Nokia. The bigger question is if an approach tailored to one market can be tweaked and used on a global scale?
Attending the launch of the 4.8"-screened Samsung Galaxy S III in London last Thursday, I was struck that the borders of the smartphone world have changed yet again. At some point though, surely, enough is enough? Yes, we get it that smartphones are now personal computers in our pockets, as opposed to simply being 'converged devices', but have we already passed the point where the mass populace will start to revolt against the 'march to large' and vote with their wallets?
Last week's tweaks to the Windows Marketplace show Microsoft taking one more tiny step to detaching Windows Phone from the desktop experience and creating a standalone smartphone system. While there's nothing inherently wrong with having a connection to a desktop, there is a drive to have your smartphone work as a standalone experience, with no need for any other device or symbiotic relationship. How close are Microsoft to this, and what still needs doing?
One of the strengths of Windows Phone at the moment is the lack of fragmentation on the platform. But fragmentation isn't restricted to the OS or the hardware, it can apply to software as well. And if Windows Phone isn't careful, then it risks upsetting the unified nature of the platform through first and third party software titles.
It was tempting to put 'in the last decade' in the title, but in fact we've only had cameras in our phone for ten years, amazingly enough, starting with the Nokia 7650 back in 2002... Nokia features heavily in the top 20, as you might expect, the company has been somewhat trail blazing in imaging, as acknowledged even by Nokia haters, but watch out for the iPhone, plus a Samsung and several Sony (Ericsson) models, too. Enjoy this camera tech-heavy trip down memory lane....
Anyone who has been following Nokia's fortunes over recent years knows it was losing ground at an alarming rate since Q4 2010. By the time of the Microsoft partnership, Nokia's U.S. market had all but gone. Meanwhile, Microsoft was on the long road of trying to get into the mobile market and to have Windows Phone taken as a serious player. As of February 11th 2011, the conversation changed when the two companies teamed up, with Nokia going 'all in' on the Windows Phone platform. To be successful, operators need to play a part though.
There's a certain class of mobile game that's often ignored. One that gets overlooked in favour of all-singing, all-dancing 3D-rendered RPG slash-em-ups and orgies of feathered destruction. It's not - quite - casual games. It's not - quite - sports games. It's not - quite - board games. Though many of those titles qualify. I'm talking about infinite games. By which I mean mobile games that you can happily play every day - forever - literally.
Everyone loves a good head to head. Especially when it involves current champions from three different mobile ecosystems, in this case Symbian, Android and Windows Phone. Leaving aside the slightly larger form factor of the One X, how well do these three phones with exemplary build quality compare?
With the Nokia Lumia 900 gathering reviews ahead of its public availability next week, I want to return to my thoughts from last month. You might recall that I discussed the idea that the launch on AT&T might be a very important one for Nokia, Microsoft, and Windows Phone - but the whole ecosystem would not rest on this one launch. So here's a question... if Microsoft is in the smartphone game for the long term, how long should we give them?
Windows Phone has a number of advantages in the marketplace, and they are not always apparent. With the launch of the HTC Titan 2 and the Nokia Lumia 900, many people are thinking that this moment is 'it' for Windows Phone. I think that idea is wrong. Unlike other companies in the recent past who have failed to establish a new smartphone platform with a new operating system, Microsoft has something the others didn't have. Staying power.
