Now what do we have hear? Apple’s Siri, espousing the virtues of their Nordic rival Nokia, in the shape of the Lumia 900 series, yes it appears that Siri has decided, in its infinite wisdom, that the sleek but rather boring (app wise) Nokia Lumia is king of the smartphones.

According to a report on Ubergizmo and using the data and statistics based search engine Wolfram Alpha to help determine the answers the shock reply appears to be that Siri loves Nokia Lumias, so what next for Siri?

I prefer it when it appears to have no idea what the average Scotsman has to say, and would rather hear it blurt out profanities at some smug apple loving schmuck in all honesty, but if it wants to seemingly poo on itself also, who am I not to have a good laugh.

*caveat, I genuinely and rather ironically have never seen Siri used in real!

What do you Apple iPhone 4s owners think of this, can you prove that this does in fact happen, and do you, more importantly, agree if it does in fact hold true?

Historically, the answer for millions of consumers has been a resounding “no.”

With the combined market share of all Windows Phone 7 handsets reaching only 1.5 percent in the USA as of January 2012.

But things could very well be looking up for WP7, as the Finnish handset giant Nokia unveils the newest Windows Phone in their Lumia line, the Lumia 610, for those on a budget.

Lumia 601 Windows Nokia on a Budget:

Priced at 189 euros ($253), this new smartphone is packing some decent hardware under the hood, with 256 MB of RAM, 8 GB of non-expandable storage (though Microsoft’s SkyDrive service will be available), and a 3.7 WVGA capacitive touchscreen. It’s also packing a single-core processor clocked at 800 MHz, along with a 5MP autofocus camera. It will also have HSDPA 3G (but no 4G from the looks of it), along with Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity. Nothing too terribly exciting, but they managed to squeeze in quite a bit for the price point.

The only question is whether or not this new phone will sell. Because it’s an affordable smartphone, it looks poised to strike a chord with those backing away from phones like the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy II Skyrocket due to their price. And with Nokia’s total mobile phone sales reaching 111.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, they may just have what it takes to bring Windows Phone 7 to Android and iOS’s level.

Expect to see the new Lumia 610 sometime in the second quarter of 2012. We’ll bring you more information as details surface.

I may start a site all to do with smartphone battery problems such is the current trend to moan about how long our poor mini laptops last.

*I am wholeheartedly one of those people.

2nd update to solve problem:

So now it seems Nokia have again released an update aimed at solving the Nokia Lumia 800 battery problems that have plagued so many new Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 7 device owners.

One of the main issues that Nokia acknowledged at the back end of 2011 was that the device was not reporting the full capacity of the battery.

Some other improvements are mentioned and they include performance improvements such as “Wi-Fi connectivity enhancements” though it is unclear if there will be an update to Windows phone 7.5 as many hope. This update will however bring with it another solution to the disappearing virtual keyboard bug that has also been a cause for concern for Nokia Lumia owners.

The roll out has already started with owners getting a notification on their device o show they can indeed go ahead and do the update, this will require access to a PC or Mac and will be delivered via Microsoft’s Zune software to finish off the installation and all being well result in an improved overall experience for Lumia 800 owners.

With Samsung not particularly acknowledging reported battery issues on their various devices affected until a recent statement saying that all 2012 Samsung smartphones will last a full day on one charge it is quite nice to see Nokia actually have a go and stand up to the reports and actually look like they care while taking some action…fingers crossed it all works.

Have you had issues with your Nokia Lumia 800, if so please do let us know any ways you have manged to rectify or avoid problems moving forward.

And here is the video to show you how to do that:

Source: Nokia_UK Twitter,

When CNET decide your device is worthy of an award, you know your hard work has paid off. And with news that CNET believe the Nokia Lumia 900 was the best smartphone that graced the CES 2012 show in Las Vegas we hope that the Finnish guys are more than happy with the new title.

Good news for Nokia = Good news for Microsoft?

No news is good news when life is dealing you a shitty hand, but when you are looking to get back in the mix, you want to know what is being said about you.

News from CES that the Nokia Lumia 900 has gone down a treat will be welcome affirmations for both technology firms that their chosen paths should pay off in the long term.

With the Nokia Lumia 900 rumoured to be arriving on AT&T in March with a rumored 18th of March tipped by many, it will be nice to see this device added to the already popular but app lacking Nokia Lumia 800.

So it looks like they may have cracked the egg that will bring both giants back into the land of the waking, smartphone wise.

But, they still need a good application marketplace in order to ensure that more people choose Windows when given a choice of Android or iOS.

I must say that I for one believe that the sleek Nokia Lumia series will be a serous contender in 2012, I just wish they had a good application marketplace that could compete with Apple and Android on scale and functionality, but things change and with Nokia and Microsoft’s drive to encourage more developers I think this may well see some serious growth after gaining accolades such as this one from CNET.

Nokia Lumia 900 AT&T March Release Date:

The Nokia Lumia 900 phone runs Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5. It is the biggest and fastest smartphone yet. And it will become available exclusively through AT&T in March.

With the Nokia Lumia coming to AT&T exclusively are you interested in going from your iOS device or Android smartphone over to Windows and Nokia?

If so why?

People are starting to wake up to the marriage between Nokia and Microsoft and soft buds of love and joy are emerging for the love birds of old.

So what is all this about am 18th of March release date for the hotly anticipated smartphone?

The Nokia Lumia 900 looks set to see a Spring release on AT&T:

According to a report a leaked photo in WMPowerUser the Nokia Lumia 900 will get a March release date and what is more that actual date will be the 18th according to a Nokia developer newsletter.
stating that the device will “become available exclusively through AT&T in March”.

With the phone only just being show, it is intriguing to note that Windows rumormongers, Mary Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott state that their sources are claiming specific date of March the 18th for the Nokia Lumia 900 release date.

What do you think to the phone being exclusive to AT&T, are you hoping for an unlocked version also?

Source: WMPowerUser

With the recent launch of the new Nokia Windows range with the arrival of the Nokia Lumia 800 here in the UK, it was only a matter of time before the highly anticipated Nokia Lumia 710, codenamed “Sabre” was released to the UK and US, but, it has not arrived quickly.

As the device was aimed at emerging markets, it has already been released in certain European and Asian countries, but has yet to find a home in the US or UK, so what is it, and when will it be released?

So what is the Nokia 710?

Way back when, we did a review of the Nokia Windows Smartphone Range and discussed the various Nokia Lumia’s that would appear on sale over time.

And many have forgotten that there was also going to be a budget priced Lumia, and that is exactly what the Lumia 710 is. A cut-price, scaled down Lumia 800 for emerging markets like India, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan and people on a tighter budget.

Nokia Lumia 710 to arrive in early 2012:

The main differences that the Lumia 710 will have when compared to the Lumia 800 is this:

[arrowlist]

• Camera quality (5MP)
• Single flash
• No hardware navigation buttons
• LCD instead of AMOLED display
• Smaller 8GB of on board storage

[/arrowlist]

Having said that it will still boast the same Windows Mango O/S, and the nifty 1.4GHz processor and stunning 3.7 inch display, I have to say after using the Nokia Lumia 800 briefly in store, that I really like the device in general, as the whole phone just works so well.

This is unlike many Android phones I have also used, which just lack that certain “on the ball” quality when it comes to typing in passwords and generally using the device, call me lazy, but I just like stuff to work well, and I am really not into hacks and workarounds to get extra pizazz out of my phone, life is too short.

Nokia 710 release date:

Here in the UK it is DigitalPhone.co.uk who seem to think that the Lumia 710 will see UK store shelves after the 6th of January when they seem to suggest that stock is due to arrive, we are currently unsure when the US will see their Lumia 710 or 800 devices but expect them to be pretty soon around this date. This is assuming that they release these models and do not develop a purpose built model for the US. The carrier is rumoured to be T-Mobile by the way for the US Nokia Lumia series. Though we have talked about the even smarter looking Nokia Lumia 900 coming the US way soon.

Of course in the case of the UK release date, this is still all very much rumourville, but really makes a lot of sense, as this was the ball park date that was muted ages ago.

With the Lumia 800 said to be under-performing in sales one minute, and doing really well the next, it still makes sense for Nokia to get a budget version out ASAP as their marketing campaigns are starting to get noticed in various locations and on different mediums.

It is likely that the Lumia 710 will be sub £250 for a SIM free device, which is around £150 cheaper than the current Lumia 800.

What do you think of the Lumia series, are you tempted yet?

US citizens will be happy with news just in from BGR, who are claiming to have obtained information about the release of the new flagship Nokia Lumia model which is likely to offer a slightly larger display than the current Nokia Lumia 800, the name of which is likely to be simply a Nokia Lumia 900.

What other features are offered:

[arrowlist]

• 1.4 Ghz processor
• 8 megapixel camera
• 4,3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display
• Windows Phone Tango

[/arrowlist]

US to see a huge marketing drive for the new Nokia/Windows marriage:

January and February look set to see a huge marketing drive from the Finnish device manufactures, which suggests that the launch of the new phone will be some time after the CES show in January 2012.

It looks like exciting times ahead for Nokia despite rumours that they are not selling units of the Nokia 800 series very well here in the UK.

Nokia have chosen the UK ahead of the Us to release their 800 series phones, the Windows 7 Phone handset is not expected to arrive on US shores until early 2012, much like the Samsung S2, US consumers seem to be behind the cure in smartphone stakes but lees so in tablet sales.

Mango Phone 7.5:

The Nokia Lumia comes endowed with the Windows phone 7.5 O/S which also packs a 1.4 GHz processor with a 3.7 inch AMOLED screen, and 16 GB of internal memory.

With a Carl Zeiss lens, 720P recording at 30 FPS and a 25 GB quota of space on the cloud equivalent of SkyDrive, the package is quite appealing.

So is Nokia playing a catch up game of no hope?

With the new range being offered in a number of colours, Engadget seem to believe that this Nokia range has seen the rise of Nokia take a hold, so with a few quality videos and promotions it seems that the marriage of Windows and Nokia can get quite a lot of attention if needs be!

We hear a mixed report on Windows 7.5 O/S moving to 8 and are very much keen to hear more from users of smartphones who have the technology already and have some strong opinions, good or bad on the developments.

Quick update:

It seems that the Nokia Lumia will now be hitting UK shores in mid November and it looks like it will be the 16th of the month to be precise.

This comes juts a day before Samsung release there own Galaxy Nexus mobile device to the UK also, so looks like Nokia are after a bit of limelight stealing!

The company has said that it will be offering the new smartphone at €420 but we are yet to see what that actually equates to exactly in sterling.

What happens when two Goliath’s of the tech world who have both seen better days decide to combine forces?

New Nokia Windows Phones:

With Nokia’s Meego O/S now relegated to “ongoing support” for a few years, many in tech land have been pontificating on the state of play that a marriage between Nokia and Windows would mean for the mobile industry and consumers alike.

On the one hand both companies have had significant falls from grace over the last few years, with Microsoft/Windows losing out to Apple in the hardware stakes (and now mobile O/S), and similarly Nokia also losing out to Apple and Android devices on both the O/S and hardware front.

On the other Nokia and Windows/Microsoft are both seasoned veterans of both hardware and software combined and could surely still pose a threat to Apple and Android…especially when combined?

Too little too late?

With technology moving on at such a rapid pace, especially in the mobile arena, could the offerings that have finally been brought to the table be a little too late to see them muscle back in to a market dominated by iOS and Android?

I doubt it, and here is why:

Nokia make fantastic looking and working phones, you have to hand it to them, they are design masters on a par with Apple.

But what about the Windows operating system?

Well as someone who dislike Windows O/S by and large, I am always sceptical about an operating system from a company who fails to even bring us a decent web browser in 2010/11 and after many many years of peddling an atrocious (IMHO) operating system in windows XP. There next entry is an equally horrendous O/S to be superseded quickly by another O/S after admitting they had essentially screwed up with Vista.

But….from cursory observations it seems that Windows Phone 7 and then 8 look like they will be a very powerful user centric O/S. Couple this with access to a multitude of X-Box users via the Microsoft network and you have an operating system that seems to seriously have some potential.

Nokia Lumia 800 Features:

The new Nokia Lumia 800 looks very much like the Meego based Nokia N9. This is a good thing, as one thing that the Nokia N9 phone has apart from a soon to be outdated O/S is serious good looks, with its ClearBlack curved AMOLED display the screen will have to be reduced from the N9 size to incorporate the Windows phone buttons but with a reduction from 3.9 inch to 3.7 inch we hope this will not be too much of sacrifice in screen real estate.

Processor wise we see a powerful Qualcomm 1.4 GHz that includes graphics and hardware acceleration. An 8 MP Carl Zeiss lense with a Dual LED flash, but no front facing camera like the N9 but a dedicated camera button is offered. 16GB of memory is on offer and a free 25GB of SkyDrive space is also added to the package (this I particularly like). RAM wise a pretty average 512MB is built in down from the 1GB N9 memory.

Price: €420 or $480 or £300 (roughly)

Colours: Cyan, magenta or black.

Nokia Lumia range different from Windows?

With the Lumia 800 aiming for the “serious” smartphone market and the Lumia 710 picking up the budget end, Nokia hope to differentiate themselves from Windows phones by virtue of access to Nokia based applications such as:

Nokia Drive: Which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device (PND) with a free, turn-by-turn navigation and dedicated in-car-user-interface.

Nokia Music: MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music.

Gigfinder is also part of the above Nokia Music service, and proves the ability to search for live local music for a hopefully very powerful integration and overall experience, coupled with the ability to share information on social networks and also buy concert tickets using your mobile device which will be coming in the Nokia Music update later this year.

Nokia Lumia 710 Features:

Coming in on the budget end of the smartphone range, the Nokia Lumia 710 will be priced at around €270 or $370 or £230, and will fit snugly into the affordable end of the smartphone range.

It will come with very similar specs to the Nokia 800; same processor, same RAM, though will cut corners on camera quality (5MP) and single flash, no hardware navigation buttons, LCD instead of AMOLED and a smaller 8GB of on board storage.

So all in all a pretty good phone with out some of the little extras.

It will be offered in black and white with exchangeable back covers with cyan, black, white, yellow and fuchsia back covers.

Emerging markets targeted first for the budget range Lumia 710:

The Nokia Lumia 710 will be available first in India, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan toward the end of the year alongside the Nokia Lumia 800, before becoming available in further markets in early 2012.

Could Nokia/Windows devices fill that sweet-spot?

With Android and iOS dominating much of the globe, it is true to say that certain parts of Asia, Russia and the Far East are still in the beginning forays into smartphone territory and are therefore these people are firmly “in the market” for new devices. I imagine many will be wowed by the shine of Apples offerings and also the functionality, cost and ubiquity of the android O/S and devices that run on this O/S, but Apple do price themselves out of many pockets and Android still has an air of cheapness to it due to the one size fits all approach.

With features and applications being the name of the game for mobile devices it will be interesting to see if price, quality of hardware and brand appeal will play a large part in the success or failure of this, what must be described as last ditch effort from the tow giants.

Will they succeed in establishing a position in the competitive smartphone marketplace and what about a tablet range?

Your thoughts welcome as usual.