You get the feeling Nokia now knows that getting into bed with Microsoft is working and will become a long-term relationship and not a one night stand.
The Finnish company was playing it safe at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona after a torrid two years.
Yup...it's two years since Nokia announced its smartphone partnership with Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. The company ditched its partnership with Symbian to woo the new OS on the block.
Then a year ago, we had the first look at Windows Phone 8, followed by the new range of Lumia devices.
Today we have two additions to that range. Nokia is, in effect, padding out its portfolio to try to appeal to more people in more countries in more price brackets.
This is the Lumia 520, Nokia's new entry-level smartphone. The company says it expects it to cost €139 off-contract and become the most affordable smartphone in the world.
It's slimmer than its Lumia 620 cousin with a slightly larger 4" screen, but it doesn't have a front camera. There's 8GB internal storage with a slot for a microSD card and, of course, there are snap on, colourful, backplates.
- WCDMA / HSPA+ 21Mbps 900/2100, 850/1900/2100; GSM / EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
- 5MP rear camera, 30fps 720p video record
- 119.9 x 64 x 9.9mm
- 124g
- 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon CPU
- 512MB RAM
- 8GB onboard storage, microSD up to 64GB
- 4.0-inch WVGA IPS LCD display, 2D hardened glass, super sensitive touch for glove use
- 1,430mAh battery
- WLAN IEEE802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, Integrated aGPS, 3.5 mm audio connector, micro-USB with charging, USB 2.0 High Speed
Looking very similar, but bigger with a 4.3" screen and thinner, is the Lumia 720. It also has a front camera and has a unibody design. That means no removable battery, although it has a mini-SD card slot and wireless charging with a special snap-on case.
This is the phone Nokia is banking on becoming the big mid-range seller. It says it should cost €249 and it's already being dubbed the Lumia 920 lite.
The two other phones in the photo at the top are new Asha non-smartphone models...and very good they look too. The smaller of the two is being priced at €15....yes, about £12.
Nokia also announced the rebranding of its mapping apps. They'll now be called HERE Maps, Drive and Transit.
It's virtual-reality location app City Lens will now be HERE City Lens and all the HERE apps will be made available to all WP phones via the Windows Phone Store.
Comments