Nokia and Microsoft wins contract for 140 Lumia 800’s at Bridgestone Australia
Australia is not Windows Phone’s most successful country, and the OS needs as many success stories there as possible.
News of an enterprise win for Nokia’s Lumia 800 in the country is therefore quite significant. Bridgestone, the international tire manufacturer, has agreed to purchase 140 Nokia Lumia 800 handsets for its staff, after a successful trial which proved the handsets superior to products from RIM and Apple.
"There was a strong business case for the Nokia Lumia 800. It gives us the best of both worlds — seamless integration with familiar business tools, such as Outlook, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel and PowerPoint, as well as exceptional design and build quality," group IT manager for Bridgestone Australia, Scott Baxter, said in a statement today.
Baxter added that tools like free turn-by-turn navigation will allow the company to ditch its existing fleet of GPS units and security would be dealt with using the native features such as device lock down and remote wipe in ActiveSync.
Microsoft is expected to make its big business push with Windows Phone with Apollo at the end of the year, but in fact for the vast majority of businesses Windows Phone 7.5 provides more than adequate features and better integration with existing infrastructure, especially back office products such as Sharepoint and Lync, and should definitely be in the running if a company is rolling out mobile handsets to replace aging RIM infrastructure.
Via ZDNet.com
President’s sister endorses the Nokia Lumia 610 in Philippines
The Nokia Lumia range recently launched in the Philippines, and above is a TV ad for the handset from none other than Kris Aquino, the sister of the President Benigno S. Aquino III.
It that does not get those units moving there, nothing will 
Read more at Techie.com.ph.
Thanks Bernard for the tip.
Samsung Focus 2 video review
Mobileburn have posted this short and concise video review of the Samsung Focus 2, Samsung’s new LTE Windows Phone on AT&T’s network.
While the handset is a competent device, it suffers from a small price difference with the more premium Nokia Lumia 900 which will likely limit the potential of the smartphone.
Would any of our readers chose the Samsung Focus 2 over the Nokia Lumia 900? Let us know below.
Via Mobileburn.com
AT&T’s CEO Ralph de le Vega confirms Nokia Lumia sales have exceeded expectations, expects boost from Windows 8
Speaking at the JP Morgan technology conference today, AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega has once again expressed confidence in Windows Phone, noting Nokia Lumia 900 sales have exceeded expectations, and that he expected Windows Phone sales would get a further boost from Windows 8, which would unify the UI of desktops, tablets and phones.
He said:
I am really pleased with what I am seeing out of Microsoft and Nokia coming out with their first product. The operating system works really well. It is simple, it is easy to use, it is intuitive.
The reception to the Lumia launch has actually exceeded our expectations. So we think there is a very good chance that Microsoft will have a very good OS that will be right in there with iOS and Android.
When they come out with Windows 8 in the fourth quarter, I think it will actually add to the value that that OS brings to the marketplace, in that that will be the first time that you can truly have a similar experience on your PC, on your tablet, and on your smartphone from soft Microsoft. From what I have seen and the previews that I have been given, I think it is going to be exceptionally good. I am very upbeat in what they are bringing to the market.
Windows Phone has made unexpected market share gains in recent months, suggesting we may all be surprised at the smartphone situation at the end of the year.
Via ZDNet.com
Nokia Lumia 610 being offered for only Euro 199.90 in Italy
Windows Phone Italy reports that the Italian retailer Unieuro has announced the arrival of the Nokia Lumia 610 and 900 in a leaflet it has distributed, and that the Nokia Lumia 610 will be on sale for only 199 euro.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is also cheaper than expected, at only 599 euro. In additional the Lumia 900 will come with a 100 Euro voucher which can be spent on any item in the store.
Unfortunately while the leaflets are out the handsets are not yet, but hopefully this situation will soon change.
Keep an eye on the site at unieuro.it here.
China Telecom to launch the Samsung Minuet, Nokia Lumia 719c and Lumia 610c
WPDang reports that China Telecom’s new line-up has been released, and that it includes 3 new Windows Phones.
According to the list China’s second largest carrier and the only carrier of the iPhone in China, is definitely also making a move to Windows Phone 7.
The CDMA carrier will be offering the Samsung Minuet (likely similar to the Samsung Omnia M), Nokia Lumia 719c and Nokia Lumia 610c.
WPDang notes that the ZTE Mimosa, the CDMA version of the Orbit is still expected to launch on China Telecom at some point, leaving the carrier with a pretty extensive list of Windows Phones in the biggest phone market in world.
RainbowMod: Another Nokia Lumia 710 Custom ROM
It seems the Nokia Lumia 710 custom ROM scene is hot, as another ROM for the mid-range Windows Phone has shown up.
The Tango ROM uses OS version 7.10.8773.98 and supports Spanish, French, Hungarian, Swedish, Czech, German, English US, Italian, Polish, Russian, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Portuguese (Portugal & Brazil), Danish.
The ROM features:
- Full Unlock from UltraShot
- Removed OEM applications (Nokia Drive, Maps, etc.)
- Search key remapping
- QuickLaunch menu for quick switching the state of WiFi, 3G, Flight mode, Power save, etc.
- Ability to access file system via WiFi/USB
- Integrated Live ID, DppImplant no longer needed, but the new key can also be banned
- Orientation locker
- Added many color themes (screenshots)
- Easy installation xap from a browser or file manager
- Added Google and Yandex search engines
- xb0xmod cert for cab-updates
- Cab-updatable
- Lots of minor changes
The ROM, for those who do not care about their warranty and the risk of bricking their device, can be found at XDA-Developers here.
Via Plaffo.com
Samsung Focus 2 unboxed (video)
The Samsung Focus 2 will be hitting stores in US on the 20th at the low price of only $49.99, which is pretty good for an LTE equipped smartphone.
PhoneArena managed to get an early hands-on and unboxed the handset. They note the handset comes with limited accessories, but does include a stereo headset, something which has become increasingly rare recently.
They also note the Super AMOLED continues to impress and that the smartphone is a "compact and clean looking device", in part thanks to its ‘Pure White’ color offering.
See more shots of the handset at PhoneArena here.
China’s Baidu wants to make Windows Phones also
Baidu's Android phone costs only $159
Baidu, who has just announced a low-cost Android phone, has told TechCrunch they also hope to create Windows Phones as part of extending their cloud platform.
“We want Baidu’s Cloud Smart Terminal to function as a platform that sits on top of all operating systems, such as Windows Phone and iOS,” Kaiser Kuo, a spokesperson for Baidu, told TechCrunch today. “We are not yet working on a Windows Phone device but the hope is to make one,” he noted,
For Baidu it is all about the Baidu Cloud Smart Terminal, a collection of services such as cloud-based storage service, location-based services and Baidu Map, voice recognition and handwriting-based search input, Baidu Music and services to recharge your call and data credits on the device.
Baidu’s big strategy to create a device that will appeal to the less affluent demographic in the country. Part of the reason the device will be priced so inexpensively, Kuo said, is because most of the services that Baidu is loading into the device will be cloud-based. That means the device does not need to have as much processing power built into it.
“You don’t need a lot of power, just the ability to connect to the Internet because we are shifting the computing from the terminal back to the cloud,” he noted.
“The Baidu Cloud Smart terminal platform is a crucial step in Baidu’s overall Cloud strategy in the mobile Internet sphere…it will significantly lower manufacturing costs for many mobile manufacturers and cooperating partners. Baidu is joining hands with hardware vendors, terminal manufacturers, developers and others in the industry so that everyone along the whole value chain is a winner.”
Baidu’s ODM is Foxconn, the same ODM as the iPhone, and they have created a smartphone with Dell before.
Until they extend their cloud platform outside China however they do not plan to extend their services out of the country.
“When we have robust cloud offerings outside of China, only then would it make sense to offer terminals there,” Kuo said.
Read more at TechCrunch here.
New Fully Unlocked custom ROM for Nokia Lumia 710 released
Vova1609 on XDA-Developers has been busy, creating a custom ROM for the Nokia Lumia 710 with the easily flashable Qualcomm boot loader which brings host of useful features, such as being able to download and install XAPs directly from the browser, or use DFT’s Bluetooth File Transfer utility.
The full list of features include:
- Full unlocked
- You can install XAP from Internet Explorer
- Bazaar has already installed
- Bluetooth File Transfer by DFT has already installed
- Exclusive wallpapers "metro ROCK"
- Added tethering
- Deleted Nokia’s apps, like Nokia Music
- Added Google and Yandex as search engine
- And more…
The fully unlocked Tango ROM can be found at XDA-Developers here, and should of course only be flashed by those who know what they are doing and who are willing to accept the risks, including bricking your device, voiding your warranty and not being able to get updates in the future.
Via Plaffo.com
Kantar: Windows Phone climbs to 3-4% market share in major markets, may have overtaken Blackberry in USA
Market research company Kantar WorldPanel has revealed in the last 12 weeks to mid-April Windows Phone has shown strong growth in the 7 major markets they monitor on the strength of Nokia’s offerings.
In 5 of the 7 markets (Germany, Britain, Italy, France and United States) Windows Phone market share is now in the 3-4% range, up from less than 2% in January 2012. In Germany Windows Phone market share more than doubled year on year to 6%.
In contrast RIM saw its US market share collapse to just 3% from 9% a year earlier, suggesting Windows Phone may have matched or even passed RIM’s market share in USA.
Kantar has predicted in January Windows Phone market share may hit 10% in Europe in the second half of 2012, and it seems to me with more Windows Phones being announced all the time that this may very well be achievable.
Via Reuters.com
Want Siri to tell you which is the best smartphone? You just have to ask the right questions!
While apple has been plugging the holes in Siri’s Reality Distortion field recently, careful probing can still get Apple’s voice control system to admit that, overall, Windows Phone 7 users love their Nokia Lumia 900’s maybe just a little bit more than Apple users love their iPhones.
So while Siri will no longer admit that the Nokia Lumia 900 is “the best smartphone ever” asking it which is the phone with the best customer satisfaction does produce the now expected results (until Apple changes the script again of course : ) )
Prank your iPhone totting friends while you can!
Thanks Brent3000 and Riven for the tip and screen shot.
Chinese Nokia Lumia 800c "sales have been brisk in all possible channels"
The Nokia Lumia 800c launched in early April on China Telecom to long queues and reports of good sales.
A bit late, we have a comment from Nokia regarding the performance of the handset.
According to China Daily, Wang Jingqiu, the company’s Beijing-based spokesperson, said "sales have been brisk in all possible channels".
There is some other evidence that the Lumia range is selling well, with Statcounter showing the market share of the handset rapidly rising from a low of 0.16% at the beginning of the year to 0.4% now, ahead of Blackberry, which never really took of in China.
Nokia recently reinforced their range with the Chinese launch of the low-end Nokia Lumia 610, which should help the company reach for that low end high volume price point which has always been their forte.
Thanks Manuel for the tip.
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