Nokia Lumia 710
T-Mobile's Nokia Lumia 710 Will Not Receive Windows Phone 7.8
T-Mobile USA confirmed to TmoNews that its version of the Nokia Lumia 710 will not be updated to Windows Phone 7.8. When Microsoft first announced Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 in June 2012, Nokia initially pledged to update all its Lumia phones to WP7.8. However, T-Mobile said, "At this time, the Nokia Lumia 710 will not receive the software update. T-Mobile is committed to enhancing customers' experience with our devices, including providing upgrades to the latest operating systems, and T-Mobile aims to deliver software upgrades when it will provide a better experience for our customers. We'll share additional information on upgrades for the Nokia Lumia 710 when they are available." Nokia is distributing the Windows Phone 7.8 system software, which updates the Start screen behavior, to many of its devices throughout the month of February.
Nokia Delivering Windows Phone 7.8 to Older Lumias
Nokia today announced that it is making Windows Phone 7.8 available to its older Lumia smartphones. The update will be pushed out on a carrier-by-carrier basis over the coming weeks and through February. In addition to the new Start screen with adjustable Live Tiles, Windows Phone 7.8 adds new functionality to the lock screen, such as daily Bing images and child lock screen security. Windows Phone 7.8 also adds support for a number of new languages. The software can be installed via Microsoft's desktop-based apps to devices such as the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610. It is a free system update.
Nokia Transport Beta Tweaks UI and Adds Features
Nokia has released a new beta version of Nokia Transport, its mass transit route-finding application. Nokia Transport Beta 2.3 makes it easier to see segments of a route through the use of new icons for bus, train, or subway transports. The beta software includes revised points-of-interest icons that make it easier to see final destinations. The search history tool has been dramatically overhauled so that previous results can be accessed with a swipe. Touching any previous search result will automatically generate new directions from the users' location to that point. The software also includes walking directions for when users might need to walk between two public transportation stations to complete a given route. Nokia transport Beta 2.3 can be downloaded directly from the Nokia Beta Labs web site. It is compatible with the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610. Nokia Transport offers mass transit directions in 550 cities world wide.
Nokia Bringing More Features to Existing Lumias
Nokia today said that it is going to offer deliver new features to its existing lineup of Windows Phone devices, including the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610. First, Nokia will offer the Cinemagraph and Smart Group Shot camera features that it recently showed off during the launch of the Lumia 920/820. These features improve the picture shooting and sharing experience. All Lumia devices will receive a new Start screen look and feel that will mimic the Windows Phone 8 Start screen. Nokia will also add a ringtone maker app (in select markets). Contacts will be easier to share once the app is updated by Nokia, as it will add the ability to share contacts over Bluetooth in addition to email and text messages. Bluetooth on Lumia devices will also gain the ability to send media files to other Bluetooth devices with the addition of the object push profile. Nokia said these new features will be added in phases over time and it will provide more details once they are ready for dispersal. The Lumia 900 will still be updated to Windows Phone 7.8, which includes a number of additional new features.
Nokia Launches Streaming Music Service in the U.S.
Nokia today announced the availability of Nokia Music to Lumia smartphone devices in the U.S. Owners of the Lumia 900 and Lumia 710 will be able to access and stream music from Nokia, which is offering more than a million tracks, 150 curated playlists, offline caching, and custom-generated playlists. The service is free to use, free of advertising, and doesn't require users to register or sign up. The app also offers a feature called Gig Finder, which will use the location information of the smartphone to offer suggestions on local live music performances. The app can be downloaded directly from the Lumia 900 and Lumia 710, which run Windows Phone.
Nokia Drive Knows Your Commute By Heart
Nokia recently updated its Nokia Drive application with a new feature called My Commute. With My Commute enabled, Nokia Drive will learn over time the various routes that Lumia device owners take to and from work. The app also learns the general time that you leave for work in the morning, as well as when you leave work in the evening, and can inform the driver of traffic problems in advance so that they may re-route to avoid problems. The update also allows Lumia device owners to pin destinations to the home screen, allowing for one-press access to their route home. Nokia Drive is a free download for the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610, and the My Commute feature is available in the U.S. to start. My Commute will be expanded to other markets over time. Nokia also reiterated that it plans to make Nokia Drive available to all Windows Phone 8 devices later this year, including those made by competitors HTC and Samsung. For now, however, it is exclusive to Lumia devices.
Nokia Maps Updated with Groupon Support
Nokia has updated its Maps app for the Windows Phone platform to version 2.5. Nokia Maps 2.5 adds several new features, most notably integration with and support for Groupon in the United States. This means users will be able to view which deals are nearby and route directions to take advantage of them. Nokia Maps 2.5 also adds a route planner and fixes a handful of bugs. It is a free download for Nokia Lumia Windows Phones in the Marketplace for Mobile.
Nokia Offers Updated Pulse Beta to Lumia Phones
Nokia today announced that a new beta version of its Pulse messaging service is available to the Lumia 900, 800, 710, and 610. Pulse is a collaborative event/messaging tool for Windows Phones that allows users to send invitations to others complete with locations, directions, ratings, and other data embedded in the message. The app can then update information about planned events in real-time based on user locations and additional messages. New features of Pulse Beta include the ability to sign in with Facebook accounts, the ability to start new conversations as soon as the app opens, and new visibility of app updates via the app's Live Tile. Nokia has also improved the performance of the application, allowing users to consolidate multiple email addresses for individual contacts and more easily edit app data. The current version of Pulse is 0.8.0.0. Nokia said that the roll out of beta 0.9.0.0 will vary by region, and users can check for the update via the Marketplace or their desktop client.
Nokia Lumia Phones Headed to Verizon and Sprint 'Soon'
Nokia's Richard Kerris, VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, said in an interview with Neowin that the phone maker expects Lumia Windows Phone devices to be available from Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the U.S. soon. Though Kerris didn't reveal any specific details, his comments reiterate earlier statements made by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who said that Nokia planned to offer differentiated Lumia devices to each of the four major U.S. carriers. "Soon" in this case likely refers to this Fall, which is when Windows Phone 8 is expected to debut. Kerris also reiterated that the imaging technology used in the PureView 808 will make its way to Lumia Windows Phone device, though he declined to say which device or when. Last, Kerris said that the company is spending a significant amount of money on research and development and that "people will be climbing over themselves" to get new Nokia products come the Spring of 2013.
Nokia Pushes Lumia 800 and 710 Update
Nokia today said that a system update for the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 is now available worldwide. The update, first announced last week at a Microsoft event, does not change the system software to Windows Phone 7.8, but it does add several new and useful features. Once updated, both the 800 and 710 will be able to share internet connections with other devices via Wi-Fi. Mobile hotspot can support up to five other devices. The update also adds the flip-to-silence feature for incoming phone calls, and delivers compatibility with several new applications, including Camera Extras, Counters, Contact share, and more. The update can be installed via Microsoft's Zune software of the Windows Phone Connector for Mac.
Software Update for Lumia 800 and 710 Adds Mobile Hotspot
Nokia recently announced that a system update will be pushed to the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 in the coming weeks. This update does not change the system software to Windows Phone 7.8, but it does add several new and useful features. Once updated, both the 800 and 710 will be able to share internet connections with other devices via Wi-Fi. Mobile hotspot can support up to five other devices. The update also adds the flip-to-silence feature for incoming phone calls, and delivers compatibility with several new applications, including Camera Extras, Counters, Contact share, and more. The update is for all global variants of the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, and Nokia expects all devices will receive the update by the end of July. The Lumia 900 and Lumia 610 already have these features.
Nokia Outlines Commitment to Windows Phone 8 and Lumia
Nokia joined Microsoft on stage in San Francisco today to reiterate its commitment to the Windows Phone platform and talk about specific features and support Nokia Lumia owners can expect from Nokia moving forward. First, Nokia will provide the Windows Phone 7.8 update to all of its Lumia devices. WP7.8 provides the new WP8 Start screen to older Windows Phone devices, but doesn't bring most of the platform's new features. Nokia also plans to offer new apps exclusive to Lumia Windows Phones, including Camera Extras, which adds action shot, panorama, and a timer to the camera. Other exclusive apps include Contact Share, which lets Lumia owners easily share contact details via SMS; Play-To, which lets Lumia owners share pictures, videos, and music with other DLNA–enabled devices; and a refresh of the Nokia Music 3.0 application, which adds new features as well.
Nokia Plans Layoffs, Strategic Change, Exec Change-Up
Nokia today announced a significant reorganization of its business in hopes of saving costs and becoming more efficient. The company plans to lay off approximately 10,000 workers worldwide through several plant closings and the consolidation of other facilities. The layoffs are expected to be complete by the end of 2013. Nokia also plans to renew its focus on core parts of its business that will help it shore up its Lumia smartphones and feature phones. The company will invest in technologies that will make its phones stand out from competitors' devices, and will invest in more location-based technology to further differentiate its phones. Nokia also said that it plans to offer a wider range of low-cost Windows Phones, similar to the Lumia 610. As part of today's announcement, Nokia said that it plans to focus its marketing and sales activities on key markets, streamline its IT and other support organizations, and reduce investments in non-core assets. The strategic reorganization also brings with it significant changes to the company's leadership ranks. Chris Weber, who has spearheaded Nokia's efforts in North America for the past year, has been promoted to executive vice president of sales and marketing. Other promotions include Tuula Rytila to senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and Susan Sheehan as senior vice president of communications. Mary MacDowell, who has served as executive vice president of mobile phones, is leaving the company. Other departures include Jerri DeVard, executive vice president and chief marketing officer and Niklas Savander, executive vice president of Markets. The departures are effective June 30 and the new leadership roles will go into effect July 1. Nokia believes all these changes will help it become more competitive in the market.
Nokia Updates Its Maps and Transport Apps
Nokia today provided updates to both Nokia Maps and Nokia Transport beta for its Lumia smartphones. New features in Nokia Maps include the ability to submit and view photos and reviews of destinations, the ability to save and synchronize favorites across platforms (Lumia phones, PCs, and Nokia Belle), and the ability to pin specific locations to the start screen. New features in the Nokia Transport beta application include detailed views of mass transit lines and the ability to pin multiple destinations to the start screen. Both apps are free to download and are exclusive to Nokia's Lumia Windows Phone devices.
Nokia PureView 808 to Be Sold Unlocked in the U.S.
Nokia's North American chief Chris Weber said that the PureView 808 41-megapixel camera phone will be sold in the U.S., though not by U.S. wireless network operators. Instead, Nokia will make an unlocked version available that will be compatible with AT&T's 3G network. "We'll figure out a way to make that available in the U.S. in the next couple of months," he said in an interview with PCMag. Weber also said that the company understands how important Verizon Wireless is in the U.S. marketplace and is "working hard to make that a reality." Nokia's Lumia 710 and Lumia 900 are available from T-Mobile USA and AT&T, respectively.
Nokia Pushing Out Reading App for Lumia Line
Nokia today announced the initial availability of its Nokia Reader application. Nokia Reader is an e-reader type application that offers content in a number of different languages. Nokia believes that the ClearBlack display used by its Lumia smartphones helps reduce glare and make reading on the phone's display easier. The application also has adjustable text size, and a night mode for when reading in the dark. The initial launch countries are France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK. Others will follow over the rest of the year. The app is free.
PayPal, Box, Other Apps Headed to Nokia Lumia Phones
Nokia today announced new software partnerships that will bring exclusive content to its line of Lumia Windows Phone devices. Some of the most prominent apps that will only be available to Nokia's smartphones at launch include the Box cloud storage service and PayPal mobile. Others include Time Magazine and Newsweek, Groupon and Tripdots, and Angry Birds and other EA titles. The apps will become available over the next few weeks in the Windows Phone Marketplace in 48 markets around the world.
Nokia Lumia 710 Receiving Maintenance Update
Nokia announced that it is providing a maintenance update to the Lumia 710 smartphone. The update improves performance of the text messaging application, improves audio quality of the loudspeaker, improves calling functionality, and updates the 710 to the latest version of Windows Phone (v8107). The update can be downloaded and installed via the Zune PC client or Windows Phone Connector for Mac. T-Mobile USA has not specified if this update will be made available to its variant of the Lumia 710.
Nokia Offering DLNA-Based 'Play To' App to Lumia Phones
Nokia recently released a beta application called Play To, which uses DLNA technology to allow Lumia smartphone users to share media from their device to other DLNA-compatible equipment. To start, the application can share photos and video, but not music. Nokia plans to add music-sharing support at a later time. Nokia hopes that beta testers will help it fine-tune the application before it reaches a planned general release through the Windows Phone Market. The software is free to download and use.
Nokia Updates Drive, Maps, and Transport for Lumia Line
Nokia has delivered updates to its Drive, Maps, and Transport applications to the Marketplace for Mobile. All three apps include new features that are available only to Nokia's Lumia smartphones. In Nokia Drive, the application now works fully offline, and can provide locally relevant information such as speed limits. In Nokia Maps, users can more easily create, manage, and share lists of visited locations, as well as see live traffic updates in a wide number of countries. Last, Nokia Transport provides public transportation and walking directions in more than 510 cities across 46 countries, and public transport timetable data in 86 cities. All three applications can be downloaded and used for free on Nokia Lumia smartphones.
Nokia Reveals Hotspot Feature Headed to Lumia Line
Nokia has indicated via a FAQ posted to its web site that its Lumia Windows Phone devices will be updated with support for the mobile hotspot feature. The Lumia 800 and 710, which are already available in some markets, do not include this feature. According to Nokia, the feature will be added in a future system update, though the timing and availability of the update was not provided. The Lumia 900 and Lumia 610 will support mobile hotspot at launch.
Nokia Details System Updates for Lumia 800 and 710
Nokia has published information about forthcoming system updates for its first two Windows Phones, the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710. The changes for the Lumia 800 include improved battery life during both standby and voice calls; improved audio performance; altered soft key lighting behavior; and fixes for random reboots, freezes, and cut-off calls. The Lumia 710, which is sold in the U.S. by T-Mobile, will have smoother performance when ending voice calls, and should see other minor performance and usability improvements once the update is installed. Nokia said that the updates are being pushed out to Asian markets first, and will eventually roll out to other markets. T-Mobile USA has not confirmed when the update will be available for the Lumia 710 in the U.S.
Nokia Says 'PureView' Tech Headed to Lumia Smartphones
Nokia has confirmed that the PureView camera technology first revealed in the 808 PureView Symbian smartphone will eventually make its way to the Finnish phone company's Lumia Windows Phones. "PureView imaging technologies [will] be used to deliver high end imaging experiences in future Nokia products," said Nokia representative Chris Hollis to Phone Scoop in an email. "Since Nokia is committed to Windows Phone as its primary smartphone platform, that includes plans to bring PureView imaging experiences to Lumia over time. No details of products or timelines have been confirmed." Hollis' statement echoes comments made recently by Nokia's Jo Harlow, who told Finnish newspaper Aamulehti that it won't be long before the technology appears in Lumia smartphones.
T-Mobile to Sell Nokia Lumia 710 for $49
T-Mobile today announced that it will sell the Nokia Lumia 710 starting January 11 for $49.99 after rebate with a new contract. The device is the first Nokia Windows Phone Mango product to officially be sold in the U.S. The hardware is unchanged from the international version of the 710, which was announced in October, but it has T-Mobile-branded content, such as T-Mobile Live TV, MyAccount and the new Nokia ESPN-powered Sports Hub and Nokia Drive for mapping and routing. The Lumia 710 features a 3.7-inch WVGA display with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology; 1.4GHz single core SnapDragon processor with 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of storage; HSPA Category 10 at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, and GPS. It has a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and video capture at 720p HD. It will be available in either black or white. T-Mobile USA also said that Windows Phone will play a more prominent role in its smartphone lineup through 2012, though it didn't announce any specific new phones.
T-Mobile Launching Nokia Lumia 710, Tips WSJ
T-Mobile will launch the Nokia Lumia 710 Windows Phone, reports the Wall Street Journal. Citing sources familiar with the companies' plans, the two will announce the phone at a press event that is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 14 in New York City. The Lumia 710 runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and includes customized software made by Nokia. The international version of the Lumia 710 features a 3.7-inch WVGA display with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology; 1.4GHz single core SnapDragon processor with 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of storage; HSPA Category 10 at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, and GPS. It has a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and video capture at 720p HD. If T-Mobile releases the 710 as the Journal reports, most hardware specs will likely be the same. The Nokia Lumia 710 has recently appeared on the Federal Communications Commission web site with T-Mobile branding, giving credibility to the Journal's story. Neither T-Mobile nor Nokia confirmed the Journal's report.
Nokia Pushing First Update to Lumia 800
Nokia today indicated that it is delivering the first system update to the Lumia 800 Windows Phone device. The update adds features, such as improved email, audio quality, and brightness, as well as better voicemail notifications. The update also makes performance enhancements, and power efficiency and charging improvements. The update will take several weeks to reach all owners of the Lumia 800 and requires the Zune desktop client. Nokia also said that it will provide another update to the Lumia 800 in early 2012. The Lumia 800 is available in a handful of markets around the world, but Nokia has not yet released a version that is fully compatible with U.S. 3G networks.
Hands-On: Nokia Lumia 800 and 710
Phone Scoop goes hands on with the first Windows Phone 7.5 Mango smartphones from Nokia: the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710
Photo Gallery: Nokia World Keynote
Here's a photo gallery of everything that happened at Nokia World day one keynote. Nokia unveiled the Lumia 800 and 710; and the Asha 303, 300, 201, and 200.
Nokia Lumia 710 Brings Windows Phone to Mid-Market
Nokia today announced the Lumia 710, a new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango device that targets the middle of the smartphone market. Custom Nokia software installed includes the new Nokia Drive app, ESPN Hub, and Nokia Music streaming application. Hardware features include a 3.7-inch WVGA display with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology; 1.4GHz single core SnapDragon processor with 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of storage; HSPA Category 10 at 14.4Mbps down and 5.76Mbps up, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, and GPS. It has a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and video capture at 720p HD. The 710 ships with 8GB of internal storage. It will be hitting select markets in late 2011 for 270 Euro, and will become more generally available in the first half of 2012.
