NOKIA LAUNCHES LUMIA 800 AND 710

Nokia India today launched the “first true Windows
Phone 7 devices”, the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710,
which will be stocked on shelves by mid-December.
Pricing will also become available then, but for now,
the global suggested pricing figures are rough
benchmarks - $580 for the Lumia 800 and $380 for the
Lumia 710.

Today’s launch in New Delhi, which also had Microsoft
India’s WP7 team out of Bangalore and Chairman
Bhaskar Pramanik in attendance, did hold some
interesting news however, especially about what
makes a Nokia Windows Phone different from other
Windows Phone devices in the market. We’re talking of
strengths apart from ‘Nokia’s reliable hardware, and
Microsoft’s cutting-edge software,’ which was the
tagline from the partnership.
The Nokia Windows Phones, Lumia 800 and 710, will
come with few unique features onboard utilizing many
of the Finnish giant’s previous strengths, including
superior optics, and a solid battery life. The first of
these is Nokia Maps & Drive, or Nokia Drive, which is
the company’s Navteq-powered turn-by-turn voice
guided navigation system, complete with 3D maps for
750 cities in India, and 50 voice languages, including
Hindi. More maps can of course, be downloaded.
Also unique to the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 is Nokia
MixRadio, a new online music streaming, or online
radio service with global and local channels, which
should launch with the devices. Both Nokia Drive and
Nokia MixRadio will be free of cost. Paid Nokia Music
Store services will also be available, separately.
Another unique feature is Nokia ContactsTransfer, a
utility that will allow users to transfer contacts across
devices, and platforms. Relevantly, the Lumia 800 and
710 will come with App Highlights, Nokia’s version of
Microsoft’s App Connect, which will recommend
applications to users based on personal preferences and
usage characteristics. In this case, Nokia’s App
Highlights will also be a great place to discover locally
relevant apps.
Speaking of India-specific WP7 applications, Nokia and
Microsoft representatives disclosed there are currently
about 750 such apps already available on the 35K-app
strong Live Marketplace, and that both companies’
strong developer base in the country was actively, and
excitedly working on creating new ones.
Also notable, was Nokia India’s retail strategy for the
WP7 platform, which has become its primary operating
system. Nokia India will be selecting 5,000 of its best
retail outlets across the country (including Nokia
Partner, Priority, and multi-brand stores) for WP7 retail,
and giving them a futuristic Nokia Windows Phone
“Amazing Everyday” branding. A specialist sales staff
will also be trained to provide live demonstrations of
the product, with Nokia eager to let users in on the
differentiated experience.
Nokia and Microsoft are expectant of an “amazing
year” for the new platform, and have a lot of hopes
pinned to this “strategic, long term partnership,” with
the launch apparently heralding "a new era of
mobility." According to D. Shivakumar, MD Nokia
India, the Nokia-Microsoft deal on February 11, 2011
changed the face of the mobile world, forcing
manufacturers to re-evaluate their OS strategy,
making a tongue-in-cheek reference to Google's
acquisition of Motorola as one of the effects.
Interestingly, come launch day, every single Nokia
India employee will display their pride for the new
devices, by being at hand at retail stores, selling the
devices themselves.
We had a short time with the Lumia 800 and 710
themselves, and came away impressed by the build
quality of the two phones, the speed of the WP7.5
interface, and the Nokia Drive navigation system
onboard. We were also told about a few interesting
hardware features of the Nokia 800 – its polycarbonate
unibody has inherent colour, an industry first that will
reduce the visibility of unsightly scratches; as well as
its special curved 3.7-inch display, which had no layer
of air separating the glass and display, allowing for
better touch sensitivity and images that almost jump
out of the screen.