11 December 2013

My Nokia Blog

My Nokia Blog

Nokia Normandy set to be Nokia’s Android device? Coming early 2014

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:39 PM PST

Nokia_Normandy

A while back, evleaks posted about the “missing link” Nokia Normandy – an Asha device that resembled a Lumia. Today, The Verge report that the Normandy is in fact Nokia’s first Android device. It is alleged, that Normandy will run an Android fork, just like the Amazon Kindle does.

To be honest – this doesn’t interest me at all. I’ve heard of multiple Nokia devices in the past running Android, and given that MS is taking over in early 2014 (same time this is set to launch) I doubt it will happen.

Source: The Verge

Review: Nokia Lumia 1020

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:18 PM PST

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On February 2012, at MWC in Barcelona, Spain, Nokia announced a device that would shake up the mobile industry – that was the Nokia 808 Pureview, with a 41mp camera sensor. Everyone got excited, not just because Nokia had kickstarted the new camera wars in smartphones, but because it meant that Nokia would be bringing that technology to Windows Phone.

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Fast forward 18 months, and we have the Nokia Lumia 1020. A stunning device, packing a 41mp sensor and optical image stabilisation – in essence, the ultimate camera-phone! The Lumia 1020 is the best of Nokia’s Lumia range, powered by the best of Microsoft’s Software (okay, its not the most up-to-date device, but the changes in the new update aren’t that significant).

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While some may feel it is rather chunky (I didn’t notice it until I swapped back to the Lumia 925 to send the 1020 trial back), its a small compromise to make when you think about the tech you’re carrying around with you. The camera’s ability to fully zoom in, snap a shot, then zoom out after that shot, is amazing! I used it a fair few times over the month I used the Lumia 1020.

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Here are a few camera samples and a video from a music festival I attended:

http://youtu.be/H76CzZNufVQ

There were also bushfires in the area near my uni, so I got footage of a helicopter filling up – the blades seem to move so slowly in the footage, where my eyes couldn’t distinguish them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Rv2jN2QR8

You’ll notice I have focussed on the camera – that is because that’s what the Lumia 1020 is all about. Take it away, and you’ve just got your standard Nokia Lumia device. Windows Phone is unchanged in anyway, which is nice in the sense that you can seamlessly go from, say, the Lumia 925 or even HTC 8X, to the 1020, and have no learning curve (yes Android, I am looking at you).

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I had a few grievances with the Lumia 1020 though, all software related. Like my Lumia 925, the lock screen has a weird bug, where it will occasionally not show the time or notifications, and swiping it away to unlock doesn’t actually unlock it. You can see the screen below, but tapping it will lower the lock screen again. You need to manually press the lock key on the right side of the device.

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Another bug is with the Lumia 1020 unlocking itself in my pocket. Not only had a made calls unknowingly, I had also taken a photo in my pocket, attached it to an SMS, added the caption “jjjjjjjhjhgfgvh” and sent it to my cousin. I decided to put a Lock Code on it – boy was that a mistake! The 1020 unlocked itself, entered the code wrong and locked me out for several minutes, right when it was a crucial time for me to use it. (Nokia engineers, if you’re reading this, enable the proximity sensor to disable unlocking the screen via any method).

Overall, I really liked spending time with the Lumia 1020 – not only did I get great images, I had regular people saying “oh my god, is that the Nokia with that insanely good camera?” and “WOW! Look at those pictures – my iPhone is sh*t”. Looking forward to seeing how well the camera on the Lumia 1520 performs.

 

Minimally minimal look at some gorgeous pics of the Nokia Lumia 1520

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:44 PM PST

Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 21.38.27From the 920 to the 1020 and now the 1520, I’ve loved these reviews as they truly appreciate the design and attention Nokia puts into their devices.

Something I appreciate about Nokia is that unlike most manufacturers, they really seem to care about their products. You know its genuine because you learn about it through using their products, not through marketing. Look at how beautiful those noise canceling mic holes are.

Every millimeter, every curve, and every detail of this phone is very on-brand.

The level of craft here is staggering.

http://www.minimallyminimal.com/blog/nokia-lumia-1520

As you may be aware from previous posts, Andrew Kim has a very interesting background. Born in Seoul, raised in Vancouver, working at Xbox. He loves design and is unapologetic for appreciating Apple’s ethos despite some thinking he might be all about MS. He’s very frank in his opinions on the 1520. Whilst in love with the design he thinks more could have been done to utilise the screen. But that’s Microsoft’s part of the job (or lack there of) rather than Nokia (and it’s not really simple because it’s WP. Large screen Androids have had complaints from reviewers too when they simply make their homescreens bigger).

Apps is an issue though no longer does Andrew have to complain about the lack of (official) Instagram. Thankfully Nokia’s there to produce their own apps and he says Nokia has the best ones for the platform. Nokia Mix Radio is his new favourite.

In terms of hardware, the 1520 is beautiful, well crafted, and powerful. It's ridiculous size is cumbersome though, and the software doesn't reward you for changing into pants with larger pockets. So much intelligence is required to make something this beautiful yet the phone is… to put it harshly: stupid. It's a gorgeous girl with no brains.

Via: Reddit

Lumiapps: Minion Rush available for Nokia Lumia – Despicable Me WP – Free

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:22 PM PST

Nokia City Tellers @ Roma Creative Contest 2013 – Nokia Lumia 1020

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 01:15 PM PST

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During the final evening of the Roma Creative Contest 2013, Nokia has awarded the winner of the Nokia City Tellers.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is the star of the show.

I’d love to see some of their 1020 shot stuff.

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Videos: Nokia Lumia 1020 vs Nokia 808 PureView vs 925 vs 920

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:28 AM PST

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A couple of videos by the FoneArena gang mainly to compare the Nokia Lumia 1020 against Nokia’s previous crop of camera phones.

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I love the macros from the 925.

Check out the colour chart and how the lumias choose colours that pop vs the more ‘muted/natural’ vibes from the 808.

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I forgot about how obscenely bright the flash was at times on the 808 when on close up subjects.

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FoneArena

Impressive new features for 3D Photosynth – Spin, panorama, walk (streetview) and wall.

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:16 AM PST

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Check out this post on the bing blog that details some of the new things they’re doing with photosynth. It isn’t simply that sphere thing anymore where you take several photos in a 360 degree centralised location.

I can’t wait to see this on the app version. The 3D spin thing feels a bit like ‘Morpho’ that we reviewed a while ago. It kinda made a flat image of a face 3D. But this one’s much more impressive as you can spin around the whole thing.

The important bit for me would be an ease of use when making them (easy to make, high efficacy). I like that panos in photosynth can just be almost sweeping in any direction and it snaps a new pic. (I miss the pano I had with my N900). I dislike the aligning pano in the nokia app.

What's New?

This technical preview highlights the third generation of our 3D technology. It's a dramatic step forward in smoothness and simplicity, and is what we now recommend for anyone with a D-SLR or a point-and-shoot camera. Once a synth is created you can easily share on Facebook, Twitter or via embed with a few simple clicks.

Please note, the first two generations of Photosynth technology, original synths and stitched panoramas, are still available on the main site.

The new Photosynth technology supports four basic experiences: spin, panorama, walk, and wall.

http://www.bing.com/blogs/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2013/12/10/photo.aspx

Screen Shot 2013-12-10 at 19.08.48

Via: TheVerge

Cheers Alvester for the tip!

Nokia Lumia 1020 makes TIME Magazine’s top 10 Technology list of 2013

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 11:02 AM PST

 

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With only two smartphones in the top 10 list, the other being Apple iPhone, it’s a pleasure to see the Nokia Lumia 1020 mentioned in the top 10 Technology list by Time Magazine.

“The most detailed phone snapshots you’ve seen!” (I hear 808 users saying, unless you own the 808 :p)

Every modern wireless phone is a cameraphone, but this Lumia is something new: a phonecamera. Its oversized sensor packs 41 megapixels of resolution; you can capture the most detailed phone snapshots you've ever seen, and zoom in without reducing your pictures to a blocky mess. (You have to download the high-res versions to a computer via USB cable, but it's worth the effort.) Even iPhone and Android fans who thought they couldn't care less about Windows Phones might find themselves smitten with this one.

 http://techland.time.com/2013/12/04/technology/slide/top-10-gadgets/

The Oculus Rift and Leap Motion controller are very intriguing things, no? Videos of that Oculus Rift in action – well at least the reaction from users make it seem so immersive!

Via AAWP

Cheers Alvester for the tip!

79.95 USD for 4G Nokia Lumia 521 T-Mobile at Walmart

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 05:09 AM PST

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This is a really good deal over at Walmart. Not as amazing perhaps as the $50 some found it for but $79.95 for a Nokia Lumia 521 is still an excellent bargain. Definitely better than the iPhone 4 my friends have got with iOS7. That’s so painfully slow. Translated over this side of the pond, that’s £48 or 58 EUR! The iPhone 4 second hand is at least 100GBP (170 buy it now price, second hand on eBay)

Via: reddit.

Qualcomm announced 64 bit LTE chip for affordable sub $150 smartphones

Posted: 10 Dec 2013 04:53 AM PST

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Qualcomm have announced a 64 bit chip, the Snapdragon 410 for sub $150 smartphones. As such, it’s not a super powerful bit of silicon but it does pack good enough performance considering the target range.

I’m not sure what Qualcomm’s angle will be for the 64-bit side given they said Apple’s was more of a gimmick. To be fair, they’re not really harping on about it unlike Apple did where the media kept on reporting like it’s the next big thing when really, what difference did it make to the user at the time of purchase?

This chip supports WP, Android and FireFox.

Press Release:

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., has introduced the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 410 chipset with integrated 4G LTE World Mode. The delivery of faster connections is important to the growth and adoption of smartphones in emerging regions, and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets are poised to address the needs of consumers as 4G LTE begins to ramp in China. The new Snapdragon 410 chipsets are manufactured using 28nm process technology. They feature processors that are 64-bit capable along with superior graphics performance with the Adreno 306 GPU, 1080p video playback and up to a 13 Megapixel camera. Snapdragon 410 chipsets integrate 4G LTE and 3G cellular connectivity for all major modes and frequency bands across the globe and include support for Dual and Triple SIM. Together with Qualcomm RF360 Front End Solution, Snapdragon 410 chipsets will have multiband and multimode support. Snapdragon 410 chipsets also feature Qualcomm Technologies’ Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and NFC functionality, and support all major navigation constellations: GPS, GLONASS, and China's new BeiDou, which helps deliver enhanced accuracy and speed of Location data to Snapdragon-enabled handsets. The chipset also supports all major operating systems, including the Android, Windows Phone and Firefox operating systems. Qualcomm Reference Design versions of the processor will be available to enable rapid development time and reduce OEM R&D, designed to provide a comprehensive mobile device platform. The Snapdragon 410 processor is anticipated to begin sampling in the first half of 2014 and expected to be in commercial devices in the second half of 2014.

Qualcomm Technologies also announced for the first time the intention to make 4G LTE available across all of the Snapdragon product tiers. The Snapdragon 410 processor gives the 400 product tier several 4G LTE options for high-volume mobile devices, as the third LTE-enabled solution in the product tier. By offering 4G LTE variants to its entry level smartphone lineup, Qualcomm Technologies ensures that emerging regions are equipped for this transition while also having every major 2G and 3G technology available to them. Qualcomm Technologies offers OEMs and operators differentiation through a rich feature set upon which to build innovative high-volume smartphones for budget-conscious consumers.

"We are excited to bring 4G LTE to highly affordable smartphones at a sub $150 ( ̴ 1,000 RMB) price point with the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor," said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm Technologies, China. "The Snapdragon 410 chipset will also be the first of many 64-bit capable processors as Qualcomm Technologies helps lead the transition of the mobile ecosystem to 64-bit processing."

Qualcomm Technologies will release the Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) version of the Snapdragon 410 processor with support for Qualcomm RF360™ Front End Solution. The QRD program offers Qualcomm Technologies' leading technical innovation, easy customization options, the QRD Global Enablement Solution which features regional software packages, modem configurations, testing and acceptance readiness for regional operator requirements, and access to a broad ecosystem of hardware component vendors and software application developers. Under the QRD program, customers can rapidly deliver differentiated smartphones to value-conscious consumers. There have been more than 350 public QRD-based product launches to date in collaboration with more than 40 OEMs in 18 countries.

Source: Qualcomm

Via: Pocketnow

Cheers Prashant for the tip!
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