UK Retailers warn of Samsung Ativ S and Ativ Tab delay, could be a case of first in, last out

The release of the Samsung Ativ S has been delayed in the UK, moving from mid-November to mid-December. A similar fate has befallen the Ativ Tab, Samsung's entry into the rapidly shrinking Windows RT tablet market.

Samsung was the first to announce a Windows Phone 8 device, when it revealed the Ativ S at a packed IFA 2012 event. It was also joined by a 10.1-inch tablet named the Ativ Tab, which runs Windows RT. Unfortunately, despite this early lead, it’s possible the Ativ S will end up being the last of this first wave of Windows Phone 8 handsets to arrive.

Since the Ativ S’s debut, other manufacturers have not only announced, but launched their Windows Phone 8 hardware, with HTC beating the competition on to the shelves with the 8X. Samsung was expected to put the Ativ S on sale very soon, with November 19 being accepted as the UK release date.

This has now changed, as according to UK online retailer Clove Technology, the Ativ S has been pushed back to the second week of December, with stock expected to arrive on December 10. A glance at Amazon UK’s page tells a similar story, with a five to seven week despatch date quoted.

In the US, the Ativ S — a phone which impressed us — hasn’t found a network interested in stocking it yet, but Verizon has been rumored to be coming up with a version named the Odyssey, and that it could possibly arrive in November. A look online reveals Expansys USA expects the Ativ S to arrive on November 23. We’ve contacted them to see if this still stands, and will update here if we hear back.

So, it’s not looking like good news for the Ativ S, and worse still, the Ativ Tab has also suffered the same delay. Clove has added the same December 10 date for the tablet, which makes the whole affair sound like supply or production issues, however it’s not the first Windows RT tablet to have its release pushed back.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet has caused problems for Acer and Asus, with the former deciding not to release its tablets at all, while the latter has cut the price of its Vivo Tab RT in order to better compete in the market. Is Samsung having similar concerns, and held its own tablet back while it considers its position?

Samsung hasn’t made any official statement about the Ativ S and Ativ Tab’s delay.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-ativ-s-suffers-uk-release-delay/

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Nokia 109 announced – cheap, small and old-school

Nokia has just announced the Nokia 109 entry-level phone. It packs a 1.8-inch TFT screen with 128x160 pixels resolution, dual-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, FM radio and microSD card.

Nokia 109 runs on S40 platform and comes with Nokia’s Xpress Browser, which compresses the web pages up to 90% and saves you data traffic. Some handy social apps will come pre-installed as well.

The phone spreads at 110x46x14.8 mm and it weighs just 77 grams. According to Nokia the battery will last 33 days in stand-by.

Cyan and Black versions of Nokia 109 will hit the shelves in Europe, Asia Pacific and China very soon for $42 before taxes.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_109_announced__cheap_small_and_oldschool-news-5029.php

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Nokia still loves Windows Phone 7, announces the Lumia 510 to prove it

Nokia considers Windows Phone 7 to be ideal for entry-level smartphones, bridging the gap between Symbian and Windows Phone 8, and has announced the competitively priced Lumia 510 to prove it.

Next month, phones running Windows Phone 8 should finally hit store shelves, following the official release of Microsoft’s new smartphone OS on October 29. Some may think this means the end of Windows Phone 7, the OS that preceded it, however Nokia thinks it still has legs and has announced a new phone to prove it.

The Lumia 510 is an entry-level phone using Windows Phone 7.5 as its operating system, and although its model number suggests it slips into Nokia’s range below the Lumia 610, the 510’s spec trumps it in one key area — the screen size.

Nokia has given the 510 a 4-inch display with the same 480 x 800 pixel resolution as the 610, although that device has a smaller 3.7-inch screen. The processor is listed as a Snapdragon S1, which could be the same MSM7227A chip found in the 610, where it runs at 800Mhz. Phonearena.com’s spec list indicates that this is indeed the case.

There’s 256MB of RAM, which will mean some apps won’t operate on the phone, 4GB of internal storage memory and 7GB of free cloud space with Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Mounted in the center of the colorful rear panel is a 5-megapixel camera, which can also shoot VGA video.

The spec list continues with GPS along with Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive, an FM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm headphone socket and a 1300mAh battery.

Designed to sit in-between its Symbian smartphones and the latest Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Lumia 510 is an affordable introduction to Microsoft’s still-growing OS.

Nokia will initially release the phone in India and China during November, then bring it to South America and other countries soon afterwards. Available in white, black, red, yellow and cyan, Nokia has priced the Lumia 510 at $199.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/nokia-announces-the-lumia-510/

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Nokia Lumia 510 goes official, brings WP7.5 and a 4-inch screen

It's time for the Nokia Lumia 510 to get out of hiding and step into the light - it's an entry-level Windows Phone smartphone, which has some pretty decent specs. Starting with a 4" WVGA TFT screen, the Lumia 510 takes the lead on the Lumia 610, which has a 3.7" screen.

The Lumia 510 also features a 5MP autofocus camera with VGA video recording (matching the 610). Camera geeks might also want to know that the camera has an f/2.4 aperture and wide angle 28mm focal length (in 35mm equiv.).

So far, so good. The Lumia 510 is powered by a Snapdragon S1 processor, though we still don't know the exact specs (it's more than likely it uses the same Cortex-A5 CPU as the 610).

The phone has only 256MB of RAM, which will probably limit app compatibility as we've seen with the Lumia 610. The internal storage is also limited - 4GB, non-expandable - which is another limitation to consider. Every Windows Phone comes with 7GB of free cloud storage on SkyDrive though this can be of little help when your internal storage fills up.

The Nokia Lumia 510 comes with Nokia's proprietary GPS-navigation apps Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive.

On the connectivity side, there's 2G and 3G with HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1.

There's no NFC on the Lumia 510, at least not on this model. The original 610 didn't have it at first too, but then Nokia launched the Orange-exclusive Lumia 610 NFC.

The Lumia 510 will run Windows Phone 7.5 at launch and will be updated to 7.8 as soon as it's ready.

Speaking of launch, the Nokia Lumia 510 will first go on sale in China and India in November, then move to the Asia-Pacific and South America. Nokia estimates the phone will cost $200 before taxes and subsidies.

At this price point, current Android smartphones will have a really hard time competing with the Lumia 510's winning combo of a 4-inch screen, 1GHz CPU, 5MP wide angle camera plus offline SatNav.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_510_goes_official_brings_wp75_and_4inch_screen-news-4983.php

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Samsung Galaxy Note 2 takes a top five place in best mobile phones

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

There's a been a key new entry in TechRadar's famed top 20 best mobile phones list – with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 making a top five entry.

TechRadar's list has become one of the most viewed parts of the site - and changes at the top indicate big shifts in what the experts and the public are saying.

The Note 2 has landed just a single place behind the Apple iPhone 5 to take fourth spot, with the Samsung Galaxy S3 still holding top place from the HTC One X in second.

Even since the first Samsung Galaxy Note the big screen has always been divisive with some feeling that the extra room is exactly what they want from a phone, and others suggesting that a handset should be more pocket-friendly.

Niche to know you

"Ultimately, there's no getting away from the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a niche device," suggests Phil Lavelle in the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 review.

"But it does almost everything it sets out to do perfectly, with grace, class and maximum functionality."

That explains the four-and-a-half stars the phone was awarded – a key score in an increasingly competitive phone market.

With the HTC One X+ incoming, HTC's Windows Phone 8X and the widely mooted LG Nexus phone on the horizon and the iPhone 5 selling like hot cakes – phones are the most fascinating market in tech right now.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-note-2-takes-a-top-five-place-in-best-mobile-phones-1103336

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Nokia offers free streaming music for Lumia owners with Nokia Music

Nokia Music is Nokia's second attempt with launching a free music streaming service, this time offering curated playlists and zero cost of entry for Lumia owners.

Nokia has been building hype around its Nokia 920 and 820 debuts tomorrow at Nokia World. To add to the flames, Nokia has announced that it will be launching a playlist-style, free music streaming service in the United States.

This won’t be its first foray into tunes: Nokia once boasted a now defunct music streaming service, Ovi Music Unlimited. The service had the support of music from EMI, Sony Music, Universal Music, and Warner Music, and with the purchase of select Nokia smartphones, owners were offered a free 12-month subscription to the service. Unfortunately for Nokia, with Spotify, Pandora and other streaming services, Ovi Music Unlimited never took off.

The new steaming music service, Nokia Music, will be made available completely free of charge for its users, and can be downloaded onto the Nokia 900 and 710 from Marketplace. It will be absent of subscriptions and registrations and users won’t find a hint of advertising on the service. Other music streaming services typically require users to pay a small fee to rid of the advertising. In addition to these perks, users can listen to music offline.

There’s even a geolocation feature that has been integrated into the service. Based on a user’s current location, the platform will discover live concerts, gigs and other shows that are happening around their position.

“The USA is the most vibrant and competitive digital music market in the world — by a wide margin. We have worked extra hard to ensure our service meets the expectations of the demanding, active and inspired music fans in the USA,” Jyrki Rosenberg, VP of Entertainment at Nokia, said in a statement.

The service has its limits however. Most notably, users will not be able to select specific artists, or songs. Instead, Nokia Music users will have to resort to listening to music from among the 150 playlists that are curated by Nokia’s expert music staffers in the United States and musicians like Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga and Rhianna. 

Nokia has a lot riding on the success of its smartphone business. The Nokia 900 phone, its first Windows Phone, wasn’t exactly the smashing success Nokia expected and needed. Now with its stock prices dropping into penny-stock territory, much of its future in the smartphone business is rides on the success of the 920 and 820. Whether incentives like Nokia Music will lure Android iPhone users to these new devices remains to be seen. 

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/nokia-music-launches/

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