.jpg){kind=icon}
As a regular compiler of smartphone 'top 5's in The Phones Show, I find myself regularly finding myself happiest at least one generation from the current bleeding edge of technology, somewhat oddly. Causing me to stop and muse - what you might not have considered is that there are far more benefits than disadvantages in doing this, not least of all in helping your wallet out a little.
A couple of days ago, I pitted the Nokia 808 against the new Lumia 1020 directly, concluding that the latter's images were more processed but did have the advantage of being more immediately attractive to non-purists. In addition, there was the flexibility of the 'live' photos (of which more in our dedicated AAWP review part). My gut feeling is that these devices from Nokia are some way ahead of the chasing pack, so why not put this to the test?
In advance of the rest of our Nokia Lumia 1020 review coverage, I wanted to deliver an answer to the question that just about all of our readers are asking. Specifically, can the Lumia 1020, with its slightly smaller (though BSI) sensor and image processing differences, deliver images that are as good as those from the existing Symbian-based Nokia 808?
In this video we offer a hands-on preview of the Nokia Lumia 625, complementing our editorial and image-based coverage from earlier in the week. The preview covers some of the key talking points around the mid-tier smartphone, such as the 4.7 inch screen, the removeable back shells, and the inclusion of LTE connectivity. To go along with the video we've also put together a specification comparison with some of Nokia's other Lumia models, highlighting how Nokia has hit the €220 price point.
Yes, an All About review series on the Nokia Lumia 1020 is coming in due course, but let me first squeeze in a quick four way imaging comparison, courtesy of sample shots from four relevant camera-centric smartphones from Matt Miller and his extensive Flickr gallery. As ever, I'll save you the trouble of downloading dozens of JPGs and working out which is which - see below for my crops from the Nokia 808 PureView, the Lumia 1020, the Lumia 925 and the HTC One.
The arrival of the Nokia Lumia 925 heralded two two things for confirmed camera phone enthusiasts - a new glass-fronted 6-lens optical assembly and a new generation of image processing algorithms. In my tests (see below), my gut feeling is that the differences in test photos between those taken on the Lumia 920 and 925 are more to do with the processing than the extra glass lens element, not least because I was often considering detail at the centre of each test image. Summary? Colour saturation and edge enhancement have been dialled down and noise reduction improved. 'Better' is always a subjective word to apply, but images produced with these next-gen algorithms do seem to have less points to complain about.
Today's announcement of the Nokia Lumia 625 shows the flexibility of the Windows Phone platform and Nokia's ambition in getting a fashionable phone into the low-end marketplace. Who is this large screened, lower specced handset aimed at? Where will it sell? And why call it the 625?
The recent success enjoyed by Nokia's lower specification Windows Phone 8 devices (Lumia 520, 521, 620, and 720), together with the launch of high profile game titles like Halo: Spartan Assault and Mass Effect:Infiltrator, is giving more prominence to the question of memory-based app compatibility on these 512MB RAM devices. In this feature, we look at the percentage of such apps in the Windows Phone Store and consider whether it should have an impact on which device you buy.
A quick look through the RSS feeds and news sites for Windows Phone today and it's all about Halo: Spartan Assault (which should be hitting the stores today, watch our 'flow' section for news), but there's a little bump in the road for US based Windows Phone'rs. US network Verizon has the US exclusive for distribution for thirty days. If you have a SIM-free handset, or one supplied by another network, it's into August for your Master Sergeant fix. Should we be upset at the rash of 'exclusives' powering Windows Phone, or simply accept that's what Windows Phone needs right now to help it grow?
Following on from yesterday's Lumia 1020 launch, it's clear that Nokia are starting to get the hang of product launches. There's a clear message coming out of them, the marketing points are being picked up by the press, and the cringe factor seen in previous years has been reduced. There was a lot to note down and think about from New York, so here are nine things from my text file that you should pay attention to.
