Nokia to launch Windows Phone-based phablet to rival Samsung's Galaxy Note series: Report

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Following reports of Microsoft's plans to update Windows Phone 8 to support full-HD displays, new rumours of Nokia working on a large screen smartphone or phablet that's similar in size to Samsung's Galaxy Note series have surfaced online.

According to a report by Financial Times, Nokia intends to launch a number of flagship devices later this year, including a supersized tablet phone. The publication cited people with knowledge of the company's plan to report the development. They said that the phablet would be similar in size to the Galaxy Note but will have advanced specifications.

Just a week back, a report had indicated that Microsoft will issue an update later this year that will bring support for 1080p resolution to Windows Phone 8. Presently, Windows Phone 8 supports only WVGA, WXGA, and 720p resolutions. The update will reportedly also add support for devices with displays that measure 5-inches and bigger. So the news might turn out to be accurate, however, it's difficult to estimate the exact time frame.

The FT report also confirms that Nokia intends to launch a Lumia phone that will use its Pureview imaging technology in July. The handset will sport a 40 megapixel camera and a flash.

We had earlier heard about about Nokia developing not one, but two models of Nokia Pureview 808-like devices, running Windows Phone, called Nokia EOS.

Both these smartphones are expected to feature exactly the same specifications apart from the processor. One of these smartphones could reportedly come with a dual-core processor while the other is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor. Though Nokia is reportedly working on both quad-core and dual-core version of Nokia EOS, the report mentioned that the company is likely to announce only one of these smartphones.

Report by : Anupam Saxena

ET Review: Nokia’s Lumia 920

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NEW DELHI: Nokia's Lumia 920 has a lot of industry firsts. It's the first with optical image stabilisation, wireless charging, a touchscreen that can be used with any gloves and a display with the highest refresh rate on any phone today.

The 920 comes in various eye-catching colours & carries over the unibody polycarbonate design from the Lumia 800/900. At 185 grams though, it is quite heavy; the Galaxy Note II with 5.5-inch screen weighs 183 grams. Thankfully, the curved design makes it comfortable to hold.

The curved 4.5-inch display (1280 x 768 pixels) offers excellent viewing angles & vibrant colours. It uses Nokia's ClearBlack, which has deep blacks on par with the super amoled displays you see on high-end devices.

The highlight is the 8MP PureView camera with Carl Zeiss optics & floating lens technology. Stills are simply stunning even in low light. Thanks to optical image stabilisation, the videos recorded with the phone have minimal blur and shake. It's safe to say that the Lumia 920 has the best camera in its segment.

Windows Phone 8 runs butter smooth — no slowdowns, no hanging and seamless multitasking. Nokia's preloaded apps (Nokia Maps, Drive and Music) provide a rich experience on the device. The only issue is that Windows Phone 8 has nowhere near the number of apps offered by Android and iOS.

The phone lasts about a day on a full charge. We think the price is a bit on the high side. For the same price, you can also get devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note II which offers a larger display, better battery life and a better app ecosystem. Having said that, the Lumia 920 impresses in almost every department: it can at least be crowned the best Windows Phone device today.

Reprot by : KARAN BAJAJ

Prices of upcoming Nokia Lumia wireless charging accessories leaked

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When Nokia announced its latest Lumia Windows Phone 8 handsets -- the Lumia 820 and the flagship Lumia 920 -- one of the outstanding features of both devices was that they came with wireless charging capabilities. This feature makes topping up your power level faster and more convenient when outdoors. When Nokia took the wraps off the handsets, it also announced a range of wireless charging accessories for them. However, Nokia did not mention the pricing of these accessories. In a blog post by Clove.co.uk, the pricing of a range of wireless charging accessories has been leaked.

Here is a quick look at the prices of the wireless charging accessories for the Lumia 820 and 920:

• Nokia Lumia 820 wireless charging shell – £19.99 (approximately Rs 1,693)
• Nokia Lumia 820/920 wireless charging plate – £54.99 (approximately Rs 4,657)
• Nokia Lumia 820/920 wireless charging stand – £69.99 (approximately Rs 5,928)
• Nokia Lumia 820/920 wireless charging pillow by Fatboy – £79.99 (approximately Rs 6,775)
• Nokia JBL Playup portable wireless speaker – £144.99 (approximately Rs 12,281)

Prices of the accessories revealed

Nokia took the wraps off its Lumia 920 at the Nokia World 2012 event in New York City. The Nokia Lumia 920 will pack in a Snapdragon S4 and a PureView sensor. It also comes with the Blink app, which is the smartphone's Burst mode. The smartphone will feature an LCD display, which is a little higher than the HD displays available now. With a polycarbonate body the phone will be available in many colours - yellow and red being two of them. City Lens, an exclusive app for Lumia 920 gives information about restaurants and stores on the phone, while looking at the world through the camera. Microsoft collaborated with Rovio for Angry Birds Roost, which is a portal for all things Angry Birds, including the latest games, news feeds, ringtones, and videos.

The New 'lenses' feature in the camera enables you to edit the photo as you’re taking it. Photosynth Lens can be used to capture 360 degree panorama photos. The PureView captures between five and 10 times the light compared to other smartphone cameras, and the floating lens technology is for night shots to balance the lens and stabilise it for images and video.

The Nokia Lumia 920 comes with Nokia Drive, which offers free turn-by-turn voice navigation. It also includes indoor maps of train stations and bus terminals. The City Lens app provides an 'intuitive' way to explore a city using augmented reality. Once you have set a route, you can look at the street through the phone, and get directions.

The Lumia 920 packs in a new PureMotion HD+ screen with a fast refresh rate. It comes with ClearBlack screen that automatically adjusts colour tone and brightness of the screen. The phone comes with a 2000mAh battery -- the biggest that Nokia has ever made. The Lumia 920 will come with 7GB free SkyDrive storage.

Clove has put a disclaimer in its blog post which reads, “At the moment we do not have a release date confirmed, but the accessories are expected to be available for the launch of the handsets”.

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Report by: Aaron Almeida