Nokia claims to have first real Windows phones

Nokia chief Stephen Elop claims his firm has produced the first real Windows Phone device.
 
Elop unveiled the Lumia 800 on the opening day of the Nokia World developer conference in London this morning, claiming the unit brings a “gentler structure to mobility,” by digging deep into the firm’s Finnish design roots.
 
“We are signaling our intent, right now, here today, to be today’s leaders in smartphone design and craftsmanship,” Elop told the crowd. He referred to the “inky blackness of the glass,” and “precision finishing” of the new handset, adding that “every feature has earned its place by focusing on essential elements.”
 
Those ‘elements’ include Internet Explorer 9, a curved 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, and Carl Zeiss camera module. The unit is scheduled to hit stores in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and The Netherlands in November, for a recommended price of €420.
 
“We believe it is the first ever…that properly complements, [and] amplifies Windows Phone,” Elop explained.
 
Product manager Kevin Shields says the smartphone “defies convention,” with an “incredibly responsive, buttery smooth user interface.” He says the UI is arranged to show the information most-important to users rather than a “lame grid of application icons that sit there doing nothing,” and collates contact information from multiple sources, including social media sites.
 
The device offers access to Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming community, which automatically updates your home console with achievements unlocked on the smartphone, Microsoft Office applications, and Nokia Drive – a free voice activated in-car navigation service.
 
Shields also unveiled the Lumia 710, an “affordable new smartphone,” running the same applications processor as the 800. The initial units are available in black and white, but Nokia is taking a leaf out the history books by also offering switchable covers in a range of other colors. The unit is due to sell for €270, which Shields says offers an “experience unrivalled at this price point.”
 
The event wasn’t all about smartphones, though, with the vendor also unveiling the Asha range of feature phones. These devices are part of Nokia’s pitch to connect the next billion users to the Internet, and so offer a full qwerty keyboard, integration with social networks, and access to the vendor’s application store.
 

Elop says all the devices unveiled today “show Nokia’s mastery of materials and design,” describing the Lumia products as “a new dawn for Nokia.”