[LEAK] Nokia X gets priced in Vietnam for $110 USD
Looks like somebody’s been a little trigger happy. According to a thread in Techrum, the Nokia X, AKA the Nokia Normandy, has been priced on an online retailer in Vietnam, showing the price for the unannounced Nokia phone to be between 2.2 to 2.5 million Vietnamese Dong. Don’t freak out at those numbers though; that amount equates to about $110 USD, which is right about where you’d expect a phone with its specs to be.
As per the rumours we’ve been hearing, we’re expecting the Nokia X to be announced as a low-end Asha device at MWC 2014 followed by a launch in March in multiple markets around the world. We also most recently heard that Nokia may continue to have unhindered development control over the Asha line of phones, letting it potentially create a higher end model of the Nokia X, which I think will appeal a lot more to Android fans, though there is also the issue of it running a forked version of Android. It does seem like the Nokia X has multiple things working against it despite finally adopting an Android OS, though with this low price and Nokia’s lauded reliability, perhaps there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
What do you think about this price for the Nokia X? Does this make it look any more attractive? Let us know what your opinion is in the comments.
Source: Techrum via Phone Arena
Nokia Lumia Icon coming to Verizon February 20th for $200 (hands-on)
Yes, Windows Phones are finally keeping up with the Joneses. Thanks to the latest update, smartphones running Microsoft’s mobile OS can now have top-of-the-line components. We got a good taste of how this feels with the Nokia Lumia 1520 (spoiler: It’s pretty dang good), but most people would prefer flagship specs in a smaller phone. Enter the Lumia Icon, a loaded 5-inch WP8 device exclusive to Verizon that goes on sale in black and white colors February 20th for $200 with a two-year contract. (It’ll cost $550 at full retail or Edge pricing.)
The Icon comes with nearly all the same specs as the Lumia 1520: a 1080p display, 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 20-megapixel PureView rear camera (with optical image stabilization, a 1.2MP front-facing webcam, a Gorilla Glass 3 screen, Qi wireless charging, NFC, dual-band WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 + LE. Unsurprisingly, the 2,420mAh battery is smaller, and we hope it can efficiently manage the high-def screen and quad-core processor without a huge drain to the battery.
Aside from the battery and smaller screen, the Icon is an exclusive to Verizon, as evidenced by the three carrier-specific logos on the front and back. And while we wouldn’t be surprised to see a 5-inch 1080p Lumia device hit the rest of the market at some point, it probably won’t look like the Icon. The phone sports straight aluminum sides and a curved back fashioned out of matte polycarbonate. In many ways, the setup reminds us of the Lumia 925, which features rounded metal sides and the same plastic back; the Icon is 0.5mm thicker, but it also doesn’t have a distracting camera hump like the 925 has. We’ll offer more impressions below, but not before showing off a gallery of images and a brief walk-through video.
Before we go any further, it’s important to acknowledge the display — the first 5-inch 1080p ClearBlack panel to show up in a Windows Phone. Nokia opted for an OLED screen instead of LCD this time around — the 1520 features the latter, while the 1020 and 925 use the former — and it boasts a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. In addition to a sharp picture, it brings fantastic viewing angles, 500 nits max brightness and an incredibly low-glare screen (similar to what we saw on Nokia’s Lumia 2520 tablet). While the Lumia 1520 screen was beautiful, we found ourselves champing at the bit to play with a similar HD display in a smaller size — and we were impressed as soon as we saw it.
Another aspect of the Icon worth mentioning is its four-microphone setup for directional audio. The Lumia 1520 had this as well, but it’s great to see it becoming a standard on Nokia’s latest devices. With a pair of mics in the back and another pair in the front, it allows you to hear audio from the situation in front of you while filtering out the extra noise going on in the background. And speaking of audio, the external rear speaker is placed near the bottom end, right where the flattest part of the back begins to slope gradually to the edges; Nokia assures us that audio won’t sound muffled because the back is curved, however, so we’ll have to save our conclusion for the official review in a few days.
When viewing the front or back of the Icon straight-on, you’ll notice that the metal sides ring around the perimeter, which we presume serve as protection from most impacts. Those same sides are also connected to the back by a small chamfer. The top and bottom edges are nearly symmetric: The bottom features a centered micro-USB fast-charge 2.0 port and you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack in the same spot up top (though there’s a metallic tray for your nano-SIM just to the left, which throws off the symmetry a bit), and each port is flanked by the phone’s gray antennas.
It’s a solid device with good materials, to be sure, but there are a couple things to watch out for. Since the metal plays a prominent role in the phone’s design, you probably won’t last a full two years without at least a few minor dings and scratches on the side (if not much worse) — if you’ve used the iPhone for an extensive period of time, you may already know what we’re talking about. Additionally, if you don’t typically like blocky phones, the Icon won’t appeal to you — it’s essentially a thinnish block with a little bubble in the back. On the flip side, it’s easy to hold and you won’t ever feel like it’s going to slip out of your hands, but it’s certainly something worth noting.
We’ll have a full review ready for you in just a few days, so stay tuned.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia, Verizon
[RUMOUR] Report alleges the Nokia X won’t be the last Android Nokia Phone
Whether or not you balked when you saw the suspected specs for the Android-powered Nokia X, many within the smartphone community have been seeing the Nokia X, AKA the Nokia Normandy, as Nokia‘s last hurrah before becoming one with Microsoft. Not so, says one report, which not only says that the Nokia X won’t be the last Android Nokia Phone, but that Nokia is going to be exclusively in charge of the Asha line with lower and higher spec models due in May or June of this year.
Of course, we’ve all heard that the Nokia X likely won’t have any core Google apps like the Google Play Store, which puts it at a significant disadvantage, within the Android arena at least, compared to Android behemoths like Samsung and LG. That said, the other forked Android OS, Kindle OS, had done quite well for itself (with significant support from Amazon, of course), so it will be interesting to see how Nokia’s effort does when it makes its expected debut at MWC 2014 in just a few weeks’ time.
What do you think about this news: would you want to see a higher spec Nokia X-like device in a few months time? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Tech.qq via Phone Arena
No Google Core Apps for the Nokia Android Device
A Nokia built Android device has been a rumor for a while now. It has unofficially been confirmed a multitude of times. Various leaked images, leaked specs and talks of it being an entry level Android powered device set for emerging markets has everyone in huff. Many of us would like to see a high-end Android powered Nokia device come to market, but it certainly doesn’t sound like that will happen anytime soon.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal does lean to a launch of the Nokia Normandy, or Nokia X, or whatever the final production name will be, sometime this month. It is fully expected that Nokia will have it on hand and make the official announcement at Mobile World Congress later this month. Don’t expect the Nokia Android powered device to be much though. Talks now push towards the device being free and clear of Google’s core apps like the Play Store, Gmail and everything else we live and die by on our devices. Instead expect a more forked variant of a custom Android build much like that of the Kindle Fire line from Amazon. It will be housing Android as the base but being loaded up with a Nokia app store and powered with Microsoft and Bing.
While we know that the developing community could and probably will break into the device and clean things up, the overall specs of the device that leaked out at the end of January don’t necessarily mean it would be worth it. As Eveleaks mentions “2 x 1GHz Snapdragon, 4″ WVGA, 512MB / 4GB / microSD, 5MP Camera, 1500mAh battery, Nokia Store + 3rd party, dual-SIM, 6 colors.” At the time of the tweet we didn’t even give a thought to the mention of the Nokia Store + 3rd Party. Samsung has their own store on their devices as well. Heck, even the leaked screenshots don’t have any core Google apps in them.
With Microsoft behind the helm none of it is really all that surprising. Microsoft already makes a killing on licensing when it comes to Android devices anyways. Testing the waters with something affordable and forked is a pretty safe bet, but it sure won’t be looked upon or be very well received by the majority of Android users.
Source: WJS via 9to5Google
WSJ: Nokia will debut first Android phone at Mobile World Congress
Nokia expects to debut its first Android-based smartphone at Mobile World Congress, reports the Wall Street Journal. According to the news outlet, the device was under development when Microsoft made its bid for Nokia’s device business. Thus far the leaked specifications suggest the smartphone will target low-end users, perhaps first-time buyers. The WSJ says that the upcoming handset will be a modified version of Android that does not feature the Google Play Store. In its place will be Nokia’s own app store, apps, and services; HERE Maps and Mix Radio, for instance.
The Android phone was aimed at emerging market customers, and has been tailored in a way that won’t promote some of the key Google-developed features that a more traditional Android-powered phone might.
The post WSJ: Nokia will debut first Android phone at Mobile World Congress appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Nokia is reportedly unveiling its low-end Android phone this month
If you’re eager to get an officially sanctioned glimpse at Nokia’s rumored Android cellphone, you may not have to wait long. Sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal claim that Nokia will unveil the low-end handset, currently nicknamed Normandy, at Mobile World Congress later this month. The tipsters haven’t shed new light on the hardware itself, but they support beliefs that the device’s customized interface will revolve around Microsoft and Nokia services while stripping out Google content. If the leak is accurate, Microsoft may be in an awkward position once it closes its acquisition of Nokia’s phone business — it might have to sell a phone using the very platform it has been trying to destroy.
[Image credit: @evleaks, Twitter]
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia
Source: Wall Street Journal
Nokia and HTC put patent litigation behind them
Nokia and HTC have settled their ongoing patent disputes and now look to be forming a working relationship. An announcement on Nokia’s press page tells us the two companies have settled all pending litigation and entered into a collaborative arrangement. According to the press release, HTC will make payments to Nokia and the two will work together in the area of 4G LTE patents.
“We are very pleased to have reached a settlement and collaboration agreement with HTC, which is a long standing licensee for Nokia’s standards essential patents…This agreement validates Nokia’s implementation patents and enables us to focus on further licensing opportunities.” – Nokia
“Nokia has one of the most preeminent patent portfolios in the industry…As an industry pioneer in smartphones with a strong patent portfolio, HTC is pleased to come to this agreement, which will enable us to stay focused on innovation for consumers.” – HTC
As to be expected, the full terms of the agreement were not made public.
The post Nokia and HTC put patent litigation behind them appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Nokia and HTC end their patent dispute, agree to license each other’s tech
Nokia and HTC have officially put all this patent litigation nonsense behind them. The two have settled their disputes, signed an agreement to license each others technology, and even decided to explore further opportunities to collaborate. The details are confidential, as they usually are in these circumstances, and the reasoning behind the move are not entirely clear… not that we’re complaining. It could be that Nokia and HTC have realized there are competitors out there with deeper pockets and better stocked patent arsenals, and this alliance is simply to protect themselves against other aggressors. Or, it could be that Nokia is trying to get all its legal ducks in a row ahead of the impending Microsoft acquisition. Whatever the impetus, we’re just glad that this is one less intellectual property rivalry we’ll have to cover.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Nokia
Source: Nokia
[RUMOUR] Nokia X may be available in India from March as an Asha device
For what seems like the longest time now, many of us have been enthralled by a potential Android-based Nokia smartphone that has come to be known as the Nokia X, or previously known as the Nokia Normandy. Despite its decidedly budget specifications, many people are still quite interested in seeing where it goes and what the Nokia X can do, even if it’s mostly for nostalgia purposes. In the latest tidbit of news, GoAndroid has apparently spoken with an unnamed Senior Nokia Executive Officier in India who has said that the Nokia X will be branded under the Nokia Asha line of smartphones and will be seeing a release in India in March this year.
This intuitively goes against what we’ve heard, or at least suspected, which is that Nokia is going to announce the Nokia X at its press conference at MWC 2014 in only a few weeks. There is a possibility, though, that this new news actually compliments our original hypothesis as the global roll-out of devices tends to be staggered and the Nokia X’s release in India may just be one part of that worldwide distribution. Whatever the truth is, with a new Microsoft CEO at the helm which will presumably resume the Nokia acquisition proceedings, we should still be crossing our fingers to hope that the Nokia X makes it out of the gates at all.
What do you think about this latest rumour about the Nokia X? Do you think we’ll actually see the device in India come March? Let us know what your opinion is in the comments below.
Nokia’s long-awaited Lumia Black update rolls out to the Lumia 820 and 920 on AT&T
It was just three weeks ago that Nokia pushed out its Lumia Black software update to the Lumia 925 and 1020, with the promise that other Lumia phones would get updated asap. Well, sure enough, the Lumia 820 and 920 on AT&T have received the software patch, according to WPCentral. As on other Lumia devices, the update brings app folders, Bluetooth 4.0 LE support, an updated Glance screen and the unified Nokia Camera app. No RAW shooting, unfortunately — that’s a luxury reserved for 1020 and 1520 owners — but you’ll otherwise enjoy the same updates as anyone else with a newish Windows Phone 8 device. At any rate, feel free to get your download on, and do let us know in the comments how it all goes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia, AT&T
Source: WPCentral, Nokia (Twitter)
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