Live from Nokia's MWC 2013 Press Conference
by Brian Klug on February 26, 2013 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Nokia
- Mobile
- MWC 2013
03:17AM EST - That's a wrap from the Nokia press conference, it's going to be a busy MWC 2013!
03:16AM EST - "It hasn't always been easy" executing on the new strategy for Nokia, but Elop says they're still committed to bringing those experiences to every market and category
03:15AM EST - Nokia is talking about a number of business to business wins with Lumia
03:13AM EST - Talking about more partners using the same set of APIs they've opened up for other developers
03:12AM EST - Nokia is opening up core imaging, location based services APIs to developers
03:11AM EST - Better experiences for developers, 130,000 Windows Phone applications
03:10AM EST - Here maps will become available on the new Firefox OS from Mozilla
03:10AM EST - The big game is getting more data and feedback from devices running the Here software to get a better experience
03:09AM EST - Elop is talking about how much bolder Nokia is going to be, with Here experience available on non Windows Phones
03:09AM EST - Nokia Lumia 920T was a TD-SCDMA variant for China Mobile, also 520 and 720 will have TD-SCDMA variants on China Mobile
03:08AM EST - Lumia 720 starts rolling out in Asia in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore in Q1 before expanding to more markets in Q2, prices start between 249 euros
03:07AM EST - Lumia 520 this quarter starting in Hong Kong and Vietnam, then rolling out elsewhere including USA T-Mobile in Q2, prices start around 139 euros
03:07AM EST - Nokia 301 in 120 countries, Q2 rollout, available for 65 euros
03:07AM EST - Nokia 105 in china, indonesia, markets in middle east, asia, and pacific, for 15 euros
03:06AM EST - Nokia 105 for 15 euros is pretty interesting, and I'm interested in the 720 with its F/1.9 rear facing camera
03:06AM EST - We're looking at a great graphic of the portfolio of Nokia devices
03:05AM EST - Nokia wireless charging car holder
03:04AM EST - Nokia hearing great feedback on wireless charging
03:03AM EST - 720 has the same battery as the 920, and also capable of wireless charging with a snap-on cover
03:03AM EST - Wow, overlays of the viewfinder on maps and navigation, the interface looks pretty slick, with like waypoints and a compass rose at the bottom
03:02AM EST - Augmented reality, the user interface of "sight"
03:01AM EST - Lumia 720 demoing some of the newest features with Here maps
03:01AM EST - Place tag on the Lumia 720 in beta, which allows you to include location data and notes with the photos
03:00AM EST - Better front facing camera as well with a wider angle field of view
02:59AM EST - Looking at pictures taken from the rear camera on the 720
02:58AM EST - Real surprise in this mid range Nokia smartphone is the camera, with Carl Zeiss optics, with F/1.9 aperture (wow, just beating F/2.0 on some other cameras)
02:57AM EST - HTML5 support in beta for bigger screens and browsers - to play back and access Nokia Music
02:57AM EST - Talking about Nokia Music Plus right now which is a paid upgrade over Nokia Music with enhanced music quality, unlimited playlists for offline use, and lyrics
02:56AM EST - First unibody with microSD support as well
02:55AM EST - Also a unibody design
02:55AM EST - ClearBlack benefits being outlined, and the 720 also has the higher sensitivity touch panel
02:54AM EST - 4.3-inch clear black display with curved glass
02:54AM EST - Lumia 720 is engineered for non-LTE markets, aimed at broader reach
02:54AM EST - Fourth product coming up, the Nokia Lumia 720
02:52AM EST - Here comes preloaded on the 520, this is the new brand for Nokia's mapping services, drive, and transit
02:50AM EST - This works over a modern browser apparently, not Miracast or something similar
02:50AM EST - Photobeamer allows you to take over another screen, on a smartphone or another display
02:49AM EST - We're seeing cinemagraph on the 520, which is again animated GIF creation on the WP8 platform
02:48AM EST - 5 MP AF camera, same camera lenses as the 920 (the WP8 lenses, not the actual optical system)
02:48AM EST - 4-inch super sensitive touch display, 1 GHz dual core SoC, 8 GB of internal memory
02:47AM EST - Exchangeable shells on the 520
02:47AM EST - Most affordable WP8 smartphone from Nokia
02:46AM EST - Here we go, Nokia Lumia 520 out on stage right now
02:46AM EST - We're talking about a lot of entry level phones from Nokia right now, waiting for the 720 and 520 Lumias
02:45AM EST - Can charge the 105 once a month and still rely on it. I think we heard 15 euros for the 105.
02:45AM EST - Introducing the Nokia 105 which is Nokia's new entry level phone
02:41AM EST - Voice assisted MySpace angle shooting looks pretty neat - the phone tells you to move the angle left, right, up or down to center your face in the frame
02:40AM EST - We're looking at the camera experience on the 301 which includes features from other higher end cameras in Nokia's lineup
02:38AM EST - New apps for the platform including Twitter, whatsapp, and better imaging
02:38AM EST - Same browser as the other Asha phones with compression, smooth thanks to 3.5G
02:37AM EST - HD voice included, mail for exchange, better web experience
02:37AM EST - Nokia comes in recognizable cyan, magenta, yellow, white, and black. For people who want a high performing classic 3G phone
02:36AM EST - Range of colors for the 310, single SIM and dual SIM variants
02:36AM EST - Talking about the Nokia 301 right now
02:35AM EST - "We want to be better by focusing on the things people do with their phones every day"
02:35AM EST - "One unified design approach across our portfolio, with a distinctly Nokia identity which is pure with only the essentials, human, warm, and advanced"
02:35AM EST - Nokia's lead designer is talking about design of the new phones
02:33AM EST - Four new aspirational products
02:33AM EST - Elements of high end Lumia flagship devices are going to be brought to more people with affordable devices that are also aspirational.
02:33AM EST - Elop is talking about the Asha product line and other launches
02:32AM EST - Phew we got started a bit late since WiFi was flakey, but Elop is out on stage talking about the Lumia 920 and Lumia 822 launches right now
19 Comments
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karasaj - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Like the guy above said. WP8 is actually doing much better in Europe than it is in the US. It's getting some serious market share in places like Italy, and a lot of businesses are starting to like the platform (nokia specifically).If you're going to say windows phone is going nowhere, try and back it up, because it certainly isn't true. Plenty of studies are showing decent gains for the platform, and huge growth relative to itself. Things are only going up, and you have to start somewhere.
I wonder if people complained about the iPhone not using a blackberry OS or something similar at the time.
CaedenV - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
I was sure that Nokia was going to at least announce the next gen super phone. Some sort of Lumia 1020 with a quad core, 2GB of ram, and SD card support.Also, weren't we expecting the new EOS lineup with the big full Pureview cameras? Maybe they will have a follow-up announcement?
All that said, I am stoked they are finally making a wireless charging car holder! I love my 920, but GPS can kill the battery faster than anything (except Skype). So while I like the navigation on my phone better than my ancient Garmin, I still use the Garmin simply because I want to be able to use my phone once I get to my destination.
It simply amazes me at just how many devices modern smartphones replace. My Lumia 920 has replaced my personal netbook, my work laptop, watch, old cell phone, home phone, Kindle, MP3 Player, DS, still camera, video camera, GPS, and eventually my wallet (minus my ID and a bit of cash). For me that is replacing 11 devices, each of which have their own chargers and accessories to deal with, and does not include my wife's stuff that has been replaced by her smartphone. Going from a literal sea of portable devices in my house down to essentially 2 PCs and 2 smart phones is quite a liberating experience, and while the phone itself is a bit expensive, it ends up being a whole lot cheaper to have a single do-everything device rather than buying a ton of moderately priced single-purpose devices. The obvious problem being if my one device breaks then I am up a creek, but so far the L920 seems pretty bullet proof, and there will soon be some cheap replacements to get me by between when I would break it and when my contract would renew for the 'next big thing'.
pandemonium - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
I was highly anticipating the EOS announcement and didn't get it. I guess they're going to hold us in suspense until later. Oh well, I can wait.Grandpa - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
I read where the Samsung Galaxy S4 is coming out in March. Now there's news!tunaman - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Like 3G connection on a feature phone, and more interesting apps.https://url.odesk.com/~44f2nc
fteoath64 - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
The majority of phone buyers do not care about the OS. Only if it is Apple or not. Mostly not as cost has been a big factor and so is availability of handsets in general with reasonable prices to the average buyer. This is where Android and the "rest" being WP and now BB10 becomes a big part of the volume. Since Android mostly comes in black colour or just plain white, the choices of different funky colours goes to WP (I was laughing before) but it actually works in the market in reality. Android buyers are faced with huge choice complexities and price points that make choosing difficult. WP can make this easier and typically (if sales assistant is around) will get the sale.Of course, high-end smartphone buyers are different from the mid-range average buyer. So targetting the market segment has been Nokia's strength for a long time. It is good to see them coming back to this mid-range and low-end market where they played before with huge volumes where the turnaround was fast and those phone hardly last a full 12 months ....
scaramoosh - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
All I want is something for the 808 Pureview :( Like now Nokia have ditched Symbian straight after launching it, surely they can give us a Windows Phone update or something?edward322 - Friday, March 15, 2013 - link
The majority of phone buyers do not care about the OS. Only if it is Apple or not. Mostly not as cost has been a big factor and so is availability of handsets in general with reasonable prices to the average buyer. This is where Android and the "rest" being WP and now BB10 becomes a big part of the volume. http://itechbook.netchristopherN - Tuesday, May 28, 2013 - link
Nokia please leave windows 8 and get join to android,It is awesome.