The bright and colorful Nokia Lumia 920 line is coming in November, but only to AT&T

It's big, it's bright, it's beautiful, and it's coming in November – but only to AT&T?

Nokia recently unveiled the Lumia 920 at a press event in New York last month. But as TechCrunch and many others reported today, the company just announced that its flagship Windows Phone 8 device would be coming exclusively to AT&T in November, along with the Lumia 820.

TechCrunch seems to have anticipated this news, brushing it aside to focus instead on how great they think Nokia's new smartphone is:

"The Lumia 920 has just about everything you could ask for in a smartphone, with a 4.5-inch 720p display, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, a relatively large 2,000mAh battery, and of course, the heady combination of Windows Phone 8 and Pureview imaging."

But others, like Gizmodo, are taking issue with the Nokia's recent deal with AT&T, calling the exclusive "dumb" and citing 5 reasons why.

According to Gizmodo, the deal is going to hurt Windows Phone 8, and that "the premier Windows Phone device of the year [...] should be made available to as many U.S. shoppers as possible."

Captain Picard facepalms at Nokia's decision to give AT&T an exclusive

Meanwhile, says Gizmodo, carrier exclusives in general almost never work, and that, in particular, the exclusive Nokia gave to AT&T for the Lumia 900 didn't work either. The argument here is that users don't change carriers just for a new smartphone.

Another reason why Gizmodo is facepalming over the whole deal? They say that the Lumia 920's Qi wireless charging capabilities should be a major selling point, but that it's being downplayed by the fact that their device with Qi won't be widely available.

What do you think? Is an AT&T exclusive on the Lumia 920 a good idea? Leave your opinion in the comments section.

By Aldo Panessidi 

If you want to catch a glimpse of an early build of Windows Phone 7.8 running on a Nokia Lumia 900, check out the YouTube video by a Microsoft senior manager at Microsoft’s Redmond campus.

The following video demonstrates live tile resizing in all three modes - small, medium and large – and how this affects the amount of information displayed on the tile. For example a small SMS live tile gives you the number of unread messages. A large tile provides the number of unread messages and a quick preview of them.

Microsoft has a page dedicated to announcements about upgrades in WP 7.8. If you have a Microsoft account you’ll be able to access the page here.

Among other WP 7.8 highlights are updates about a new Start screen, new ways to share contacts and track data usage, enhancements to the camera used in the Nokia Lumia 900 and news about the current inventory of over 100K Windows Phone apps.

By Adhurim Murtezai

Nokia doesn’t need any more bad press, but now Reuters and BusinessWeek have been spreading the news from more than a few financial analysts and venture capitalists that Nokia’s troubles are far from over.

UBS stated that Nokia would have “to significantly discount its new Microsoft Lumia products, including the Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 710 in order… to gain any traction with retailers, operators and consumers.”

Canaccord Genuity predicted “a continued sharp decline in Symbian smartphone sales…combined with a slow ramp in Windows smartphone volume.”

Janardan Menon with Liberum Capital said that Nokia had,  ”too much baggage in terms of cost structure and legacy operating systems” to be attractive to most buyers.

Charlie Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Company painted the worst picture. He said “if Nokia doesn’t come out of its funk within a year, Nokia is going to be finished.”

Microsoft has been the only company talked about as a serious potential buyer.

Nokia has been lowering its projections. Most recently they cut earnings expectations and announced layoffs of 10,000 employees by the end of 2013.

By Aldo Panessidi

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has stated for the record that the company plans to ramp up its efforts in the affordable phone market in a big way by expanding its line of low-price Windows Phones like the Nokia Lumia 900. With the help of Microsoft pricing, Nokia plans to focus its efforts on producing cheap handsets in its Lumia line with a wide range of price points and features. The exact words were that the company "needs to compete with Android aggressively".

Currently the only entry-level phone in the Windows 7 line is the Nokia Lumia 610. Elop noted that there will be more of these devices to come with even lower pricing. The company will be achieving that goal with the help of Microsoft’s "specific support" to get to lower prices than Nokia "had a sight to."

Nokia has to do everything it can to compete on cost in the very competitive low-end Android smartphone markets like China. The battle will be all about price. The company also plans to save costs by refocusing their launches with more ambitious plans in just a few key countries.

Nokia's entry level phones have been its bread and butter for a long time. No wonder it is trying to replicate the same strategy with the Windows Phone OS.

Elop wouldn’t say when we can expect the new line of low-end Lumia’s to hit the market.

By Aldo Panessidi

Mobile phone maker Nokia announced this week that it plans to restructure. Nokia is trying to stay in business with job cuts, sale of its Vertu luxury product line and reorganization at the top of the company. With $1.7 billion lost in the first three months of this year and a $1.2 billion in 4Q 2011, the company is on a sad slide.

The 10,000 job cuts add to last year’s workforce reduction of 14,000 employees. This year Nokia will shut down research and development facilities in Ulm, Germany, and Burnaby, Canada, and a manufacturing facility in Salo, Finland. It also plans to shuffle senior leadership and acquire Swedish software firm Scalado AB.

Nokia’s latest strategy shows an increasing reliance on the potential for success with Windows Phone. The Scalado AB is a mobile image company. Its acquisition should strengthen Nokia’s Windows Phone service portfolio for the Nokia Lumia 900, and the remaining Lumia line of busienss.  In the press release announcing the restructuring, Nokia said it acquired Scalado AB to beef up its "imaging experience" for its line of Lumia devices.

Nokia said making the cuts and the restructuring will cost it about $1.2 billion but will reduce costs by about $2 billion by next year. It also lowered second-quarter earnings expectations.

By John Castell

Anyone who followed the Consumer Electronics Show knows that Nokia is making some serious moves to win business and mindshare in the United States this year. The company has moved lightning fast since signing agreements with Microsoft last year with Nokia Lumia cell phones winning some great nods of approval.

Based on the announcement that Nokia will be launching its first Window mobile OS smartphone with T-Mobile in the United States, which will allow Nokia to extend market breadth and reach wider consumer base. Noted as an important part of their strategy, the next few months of product releases and announcements are bound to keep the good press rolling.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky! Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

While it does not have quite the jaw-dropping specs and capabilities as their flagship Lumia 900, which will be launching with AT&T in March…  the Nokia 710 smartphone will be available for $50.  Walmart will have it available for free with a service contract.  This will further expand Nokia’s to capture the consumers that want transition from their current feature phone to a smartphone. With these incredible deals, customers have more funds to accessorize their new handset with accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

But what will customers get with this phone? To start, it is 4G capable with a great scratch-resistant ClearBlack screen that makes for easier outdoor viewing.  Browsing is made snappy with a Snapdragon processor and makes uploading photos taken from the 5 megapixel camera a breeze (and Nokia has some impressive camera technology at work). Even gamers will be satisfied with the interactive gaming experience through Xbox Live.  Experience the mind blowing clarity of XMI Speakers.  Uncompromised sound quality and a revolutionary design accentuating today’s interactive lifestyle.   Our earpieces and headsets combine sophisticated style and precision engineering that deliver brilliant sound for your total listening pleasure.

While we can’t write to the accessory options available at Walmart or T-Mobile to accompany this purchase, there are an incredible number of peripheral devices and accessories to peruse online. And if you want a Nokia phone without being tied to a carrier, we will keep you posted on any unlocked options coming down the pipeline!

By Aldo Panessidi

The furor and fervor of CES is slowly dimming after its close and industry and consumers alike now have a moment to digest all that was seen, shown and announced in Las Vegas last week. With 2011being an incredible year of innovation and development, the question of “how will 2012 compare?” spiked the excitement of this year’s convention. The result? 2012 tech is impressive.   Get complete overview of the CES manufacturer brand announcements on the 'All You Need to Know On CES 2012' blog.

From very innovative protective accessories, charging solutions, power solutions, earpieces and headsets for new tablets and unlocked cell phones, and any number of apps were brought around for our perusal in this modern-day bazaar. But which innovations took home the coveted CNET award for 2012? The readers and editors of CNET granted the Research In Motion owned QNX platform for their latest Blackberry smartphones and PlayBook 2.0 as well as for the best best car tech for its QNX CAR 2 application which will has impressive implications. Tying the mobile OS into the car keeps the consumer demand for technological entertainment at their fingertips while incorporating conversational voice recognition.

The concept Porsche Carrera demonstrates how the “one-touch Bluetooth pairing using Near Field Communications (NFC) eliminates the hassle of pairing the driver’s phone to the car. And experience how conversational voice recognition and in-vehicle controls enable drivers to use the car’s infotainment system easily and conveniently.” This could be the breakthrough innovation that breathes life back into RIM and launch a myriad of car tech and mobile  accessories.

On the smartphone front, Nokia took home the Best Smartphone award for the latest Nokia cell phone release the Lumia 900 (probably for its great interaction with Microsoft technology and adaptability with other tech accessories). Another pseudo-win for Microsoft is BlueStacks recognition for its technology that gives Windows 8 products the ability to run Android apps.

Android itself was recognized for its role in the impressive quad-core Ice Cream Sandwich ASUS Memo 370T tablet. A great alternative in the tablet market, industry spectators are bound to be anxious to see what additional accessories will be forthcoming to further enhance the capabilities of this technology.

By Megan Fleet

Let’s be honest, the latest hero device from the Nokia cell phone line-up, the Lumia 900 wowed spectators  at the CES. From the keynote Microsoft address that showed an impressed audience the fruits of its partnership with Nokia and how the device works with Microsoft peripheral devices like the Xbox. The stellar performance of the Nokia Lumia 900 was duly recognized by CNET which named the smartphone as its category winner at the 2012 CES.

The move from Symbian to Windows mobile OS and the added bonus of BlueStack’s technology which will bring Android apps to those customers has sparked excitement and hope into both Nokia and Microsoft that 2012 will bring a 180 degree shift in sales and market share.

What is better news is that the vague announcement that the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in “the next few months” may be whittled down to a more accurate date if the rumor mill is based in any kind of truth. Even more reliable is that the March 18^th date is being bandied about by Windows gurus Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley. These two “all about Windows” people came together to work on TWiT and discuss March as the release month in the latest Nokia developer newsletter.

Mister Thurrott is apparently not one for vagueness by making it clear that the Nokia Lumia 900 will be released precisely on March 18^th. Hopefully his crystal ball or tea leaves are accurate as anxious customers are bound to seek out this sleek unlocked cell phone as soon as possible.

Surely the smartphone manufacturer will make more accurate announcements that will include date of availability, the cost, and start touting more of the peripheral accessories that will heighten the handset’s popularity and longevity in a fickle, competitive and ever changing mobile tech market.