27 September 2013

My Nokia Blog

My Nokia Blog

Press Release: NSN paving the way for 5G

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 03:52 PM PDT

Making use of shared spectrum frequencies now a reality on the way to 5G

In a live TD-LTE 4G network trial with a commercial operator and a spectrum-owning local agency, Nokia Solutions and Networks demonstrated that Authorized Shared Access (ASA) is a technology that paves the way for future 5G networks. With dynamic access to underutilized spectrum frequencies, operators will be able to harvest extra capacity to offer unmatched coverage and customer experience for mobile broadband users.

Increasing subscriber demand for faster networks requires innovative approach to spectrum sharing and reducing network congestion. Earlier this year, NSN and CORE+* consortium took a giant leap forward with the worlds' first spectrum sharing trial of ASA on a live 2.3GHz TD-LTE network. The ASA concept allows mobile operators' networks to share frequency bands from other types of incumbent systems, such as government agencies or TV broadcast networks, while guaranteeing quality of service for both. Increasing spectrum is one of the core pillars of NSN's Technology Vision 2020, and the company has again demonstrated it has the technology and expertise to drive the vision forward.

"The benefit of ASA is that it provides both the technology and regulatory framework for sharing spectrum", said Marc Rouanne, executive vice president, Mobile Broadband at NSN. "Our trial showed that operators can get up to 18% extra bandwidth for mobile broadband networks cost effectively. This technology works with existing LTE and TD-LTE networks and does not require specific software for the end-user devices, making it easy to deploy and transfer the benefit directly to the mobile customers."

For the live trial, NSN deployed its network elements in three Finnish cities: commercial Single RAN Flexi MultiRadio 10 Base Stations in Ylivieska, commercial Core Network in Oulu and commercial NetAct network management system in Tampere.

To share your thoughts on the topic, join the discussion with @NSNtweets on Twitter using #mobilebroadband and #LTE.

Source: NSN

Via

Cheers krishna6233 for the tip!

1020 promo: Never say “What the ffff……phone again!”. Competition

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 03:45 PM PDT

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 23.34.00

Here’s a 1020 promo from the WP channel. It’s about using other phones and missing those moments screaming profanities like wtfffphone apparently.

Nokia is giving you the chance for a photo do over. Just submit your blurry, dark, or otherwise failed photo moment and you could win the chance to have Nokia recreate your epic moment again and this time capture it with the new 41 megapixel Lumia 1020. Enter the #TakeTwo photo contest now.

Enter the contest here: http://ngx.me/ha9sdukv

Unified store planned for Windows Phone and Windows. RT on Phones?

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 02:32 PM PDT

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 22.21.58TheVerge reports that Microsoft are planning to have just one store for both Windows and Windows Phone, hopefully signifying the importance of Windows Phone to Microsoft as it gets integrated more towards the main platform.

MS’ Terry Myerson said:

Windows RT was our first ARM tablet. And as phones extend into tablets, expect us to see many more ARM tablets, Windows ARM tablets in the future

Phones extending into tablets. Soon WP8 (via Nokia’s GDR3 phablets) will have the same resolution as the 1080p Surface pro. Would WP remain its own entity or would it eventually blend into RT? That’s one way to make a unified store easier to handle. Or they could go down the Apple route and just scale up phone apps to tablet?

This may come as soon as 8.1 (W8.1/WP8.1), with TheVerge proposing possibilities of Snap View. That’ll be nice, especially for multitasking on Phablets.

Cheers zxv for the tip

LeakyLeak: Nokia Glee (music focused device?)

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 12:35 PM PDT

Quick heads up as I’m posting this whilst on a treadmill.

@evleaks notes something called the Nokia Glee. Due to the show “glee” being about music, there’s a lot of speculation that this device might be music centric.

https://www.twitter.com/evleaks/status/383309663023820800?p=v

Engadget: Z1 vs 1020 – no way that the Z1′s camera module can technically match the Lumia 1020 (Spoiler: Nokia wins)

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 11:54 AM PDT

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 19.42.42

Quick comparison in the review of the Xperia Z1 which engadget says their camera section hasn’t been the same since the 1020.

  •  no way that the Z1′s camera module can technically match the Lumia 1020
  • It boils down to the laws of physics: the Z1′s sensor is smaller (1/2.3 of an inch, versus 1/1.5); it has fewer pixels to play with (20.7 million versus 41 million); and it lacks optical image stabilization (OIS).
  • not as perfect as the Lumia shot directly beneath it, which has less noise and slightly better color balance and contrast
  •  Z1 is being put up against the full might of the Lumia’s optical image stabilization, which allows it to keep its shutter open longer and therefore allow more light to hit the sensor.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/24/sony-xperia-z1-review/

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 19.45.30

Here is where Engadget tries to even things up for the Z1 by disabling the 1020′s OIS. They note that for taking pictures of things that move, you don’t really want to have OIS there to keep the shutter open longer to cause blur. (Alternatively you could then just as easily set the shutter speed to something faster? Or perhaps choose xenon to freeze time? I’ve been throwing things in the air and catching them mid flight with the 1020 haha)

  • Even with OIS disabled, Nokia’s handset takes less noisy action shots in low light
  • the Lumia’s advantage is significant

Day light, things are closer. But that’s the case with phones now, hence the importance of low light photography (and where OIS, bigger sensors, xenon, faster lenses, will give the best versatility).

Engadget aren’t too pleased with video.

  • Regrettably, if shooting video is as big a deal for you as shooting stills, then the Z1 has little to offer beyond other non-OIS Android phones.
  • The lack of image stabilization means that a large portion of its total data rate (2.1 MB/s) is taken up with the artifacts of hand wobble.
  •  The Lumia, meanwhile, captures much richer video because it does away with this wobble and instead deploys its 2.5 MB/s data rate for the correct purpose: carrying actual detail from the scene.

I find my 1020′s OIS at the zoom end to be amazing! Whilst the 808 takes amazing videos, when zoomed in, my hands unstable shakiness would kinda ruin it. The same thing goes when taking zoomed in shots without flash. The 1020 however renders them crisply (as the 925 has been doing with ProCam for my lecture slides.  I can’t wait to test the 1020 in lectures tomorrow afternoon!)

  • Sony has thrown everything it has into the new 20-megapixel camera module, and yet it hasn’t managed to beat Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone
  • he evidence is clear: the Z1 shoots noisier stills than the Lumia 1020 and its video recordings suffer immensely from the lack of optical image stabilization.
  • That potentially compelling reason to buy the Z1 has already evaporated.

It’s great that the 1020 is still ‘winning’ in the camera department here against the famed Honami that’s some claim would easily take its crown (what more against the 808?). Credit where it’s due the Z1 is of course a great phone if you’re a fan of Android, want a good camera but don’t want the bulk and crapugliness of the S4 Zoom. Which btw goes against what some might claim that being bulkier obviously means it should take better photos when the S4 zoom does not against the 1020.

Thanks Zahid for the tip!

AAS: In depth comparison between Nokia N8 and Nokia Lumia 1020! (+Colour Balance in Creative Studio)

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Screen Shot 2013-09-26 at 18.53.56

We’ve seen a quick comparison before between the Nokia N8 and Nokia Lumia 1020.

This time it’s Steve Litchfield’s turn to show us how the long running champion of camera phones (till the 808) fares against the 1020.

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/18448_The_legendary_2010_N8_versus_t.php

I have not yet taken the 1020 on a night out (cue this Friday!) for low light xenon shots but Steve’s comparisons against the N8 seems to put the 1020 ahead. I think, so far, white balance is a bit of an issue. Ali recommended using the auto-fix feature in WP which does help. I’ve found Creative Studio and whacking the colours more to the left in the colour balance option makes the colours look more towards how the N8/808 would capture it (vs the slightly yellow tint).

There are times when the colours do look better on the 1020 and Steve points this out too (e.g. leaves) and oddly the xenon picture has the 1020 being slightly more accurate apparently.

The higher resolution and bigger sensor in the 1020 means it’s getting in a lot more effective detail.

The scores are very close! 65 to the N8 and 67 to the 1020. More of a testament really to the greatness Nokia achieved in the N8 as the 1020 is so widely praised (not just in the tech blogosphere by phone/gadget fans but photo enthusiasts like DPReview!)

As usual, it’s interesting to tot up the scores: Nokia N8: 65, Nokia Lumia 1020: 67.

So a win for the much newer device, though by a comparatively small margin. Don’t take the scores too seriously though, since any result here will depend hugely on the choice of subjects and how often (or rarely) I allowed PureView zoom at capture time. I picked the subjects almost at random but tried to include as wide a variety as possible.

The takeaway here is the answer to the question that most Nokia N8 owners have been asking (at least, those who didn’t already upgrade to the 808 PureView): “My phone is getting old and battered but I want something with a camera that’s as good and yet which is much more modern in terms of OS and ecosystem. Should I be considering the Lumia 1020?”

The answer is a definite ‘yes’ from me. The narrow victory here doesn’t reflect a number of extra camera-related factors which N8 owners will want to also take into account:

  • Nokia Pro Camera has more settings to fiddle with and a far more intuitive UI.
  • Optical Image Stabilisation helps keep the phone still during capture.
  • Terrific OIS-smoothed 1080p video capture.

Provided you’re not addicted to Symbian (in which case run, don’t walk for one of the remaining 808s!), you can also then add in the ever-expanding Windows Phone ecosystem, a far faster device overall, and a feature set which includes almost everything that N8 owners will have been used to.

Asking me to pick between an 808 and a Lumia 1020 is a very tough call. However, much as I love the venerable old N8, I’d pick the Lumia 1020 in a heartbeat.

http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/18448_The_legendary_2010_N8_versus_t.php

Creative Studio: Colour Balance sliding to the left.

WP_20130923_21_59_14_Pro WP_20130923_21_59_14_Pro20130923230258

The autofix version looks like this. Note, saving it overwrites the original. A little bit more range – the water fountain is more visible. You could always then change the colour balance again.

WP_20130923_21_59_14_Pro

It doesn’t always cast a yellow tint when xenon is fired. E.g. if there’s some room lighting already, or a bit of cloudy light, the colours (well for skin tones/woods) with xenon fired seem to have less of that yellow tinge. I do have to test this out more though. Things that are already yellow/white/blue/red look wonderfully vibrant though and that splash of xenon makes every detail so, so sharp!

Ideally, we wouldn’t have to adjust any colour balance at all. It would be nice, if in future updates to ProCam that this colour ‘issue’ gets ‘fixed’ or we get some options to change white balance/saturation/vibrancy.

[Non flash colours so far I’ve found don’t really need fixing. But again, I need to play with the 1020 a lot more)

Put down your pitchforks says UnwiredView; No Nokia incompetence or board conspiracy for Elop’s deal?

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 10:50 AM PDT

 

nokia logo

An interesting read over at Unwired View by Stasys Bielinis (part 2 of how these conclusions came about appears tomorrow). I suggest you read that before commenting. In a related post, we highlighted some comments that tried to go against the grain regarding the anti-Elop bandwagon. One of the links we shared was also another good read from WPC.

This one is another article that attempts to say there isn’t all that drama that we seem to be in. There was neither the incompetence by the Nokia board, nor were they actually attempting to sell the company by hiring Elop.

http://www.unwiredview.com/2013/09/26/enough-with-the-witch-hunt-already-there-was-no-incompetence-or-conspiracy-in-nokia-boards-25m-elop-deal/

There was in fact supposedly more incentive for Elop to do well for the company, rather than what’s previously suggested. He stood to make $55 Million dollars if WP paid off for Nokia apparently. Furthermore, the previous CEO is said to have made between 11-17M euros (note, not even dollars) for his departure.

As previously noted, it seems quite usual practice that CEOs get quite large severance packages (Thorstein Heins could get $55, HP’s Apotheker got $25 for an 11 month stint).

Stasys doesn’t ignore Nokia’s mistakes of the past, one of which he believes is going 100% WP. But as for being grossly incompetent , ill intent, conspiracy to destroy nokia…well we’re told that looking at the public annual Nokia reports indicates otherwise.

Via Staska (reddit)

Nokia Lumia 625 Review

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 09:26 AM PDT

DSC03556Now that the Lumia 625 is safely on its way back to the Nokia Connects office (huge shout out for the trial), I can share my thoughts on it (I feel like I’m never done with the device till it’s out of my life). Put simply the 625 is a great phone, and it’s possibly the best medium/budget-end phone Nokia have made (yes I said it).

http://youtu.be/XP3S4NdQnVw

It has none of the issues the 520 had in terms of dropped frames while filming or poor build quality, in fact the build quality is equal to that of the 920 or 1020, and the design can parallel that of the 925 if you like flashy colors. The screen although 480p doesn’t have any real issues, the ppi is perfectly acceptable for a budget device in my opinion; and as I mentioned in the video the 625 hides it’s low ppi well. For the full review which I’m too lazy to type up, check out the video below

In case you missed them here are the rest of the 625 review videos (Unboxing, Camera tests, and gaming performance).

Unboxing:

http://youtu.be/6YZh_r14o8U

Gaming Performance:

http://youtu.be/RHNgQ1mQ38Q

Video Tests:

Front facing camera:

http://youtu.be/BmkHKCF_kZs

Main Camera:

http://youtu.be/FYf2KLN5xQ4

 

 

Nokia Takes Another Dig at Apple, After Apple Maps Tells Users to Drive Across an Airport Runway

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 05:44 AM PDT

BVFqomVCYAITDMeNokia’s twitter account has pushed out some great digs/cheekiness at their competitors ever now and then, recently taking a dig at the 5C’s colorful copying; which went viral becoming one of the most RTed product tweets ever. Now they’re at it again, earlier today a story hit the news that Apple maps was directing users to drive across an airport runway in fairbanks Alaska, which as you can imagine caused a whole lot of commotion (read more here). So Nokia went ahead and tweeted this (the airport in the image above is the same airport that users drove across):

Maybe they should’ve dropped Tim Cook a mention while they were at it

Thanks for the chuckle Nokia.

 

Gallery: Incredible #Lumia1020 Images

Posted: 26 Sep 2013 04:26 AM PDT

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been looking at various Lumia 1020 galleries, most likely because I’m super jealous. Two of the best galleries I’ve seen come from David Detko and Richard Dorman. Both have always had some stunning mobile images, and I thought why not bring their efforts to a wider audience. (Click images to see the full flickr page)

Here are a few from David’s Gallery;

Xenon flash and its time freezing abilities never cease to amaze

 

I love all of David’s close-up photos of the human eye

 

You can actually see the hairs on the Bees’ backs

No special trickery here but the colouring and clarity is impressive for a standard “out and about” shot

Spiral with the lights and the red colouring makes for a cool effect

Richard’s gallery is more scenic and capturing natural beauty.

Here are a few other images floating around that I like too

Another guy I’ve been following for quite some time is Daniel Cheong. His photo’s are just wow! These are a few he caught on a 1020, but man does he have some amazing stuff captured with DSLRs.
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