Wednesday 2 January 2013

Nokia Lumia 920, 12 awards in 2012 !

By Ibrahim Dbouk | 2 January 2013

Nokia Lumia 920, the most advanced Nokia phone since ever! People from everywhere have been rushing to get their hands on this unique, and innovative handset. Today, Nokia Conversations listed 12 awards that the Nokia Lumia 920 won in the year of 2012, we will be stating them briefly.


  • The Top Smartphone of 2012, V3, UK
  • The Best Mobile Phone of 2012, Readers Choice Award, Gizmodo, Australia.
  • iF Award for Outstanding Design, International Forum Design, Germany
  • Mobil Award for Best Smartphone Design, Mobile Magazine, Denmark
  • Best Smartphones of 2012, The Next Web, USA
  • Top Score Award, Mobil, Sweden
  • The Best High End Smartphones for the Holidays, CNET, USA
  • Best Productivity Phone, Best Camera Phone, Best Mapping Phone, Best Windows Phone, Runner up, Arstechnic, USA
  • Top 25 Tech of 2012, Mashable, USA
  • Top Smartphone of the Year, Mybroadband, South Africa
  • Best AT&T Smartphones of 2012, BGR, USA
  • “Probably the most advanced smartphone on the market”, The Independent, UK 
For Sure, the Nokia Lumia 920 got the whole world focusing on it, but will it be gaining market share? Please let us know what you think in the comment box below!

Source: Nokia

Monday 31 December 2012

Nokia Lumia 920 Review


Nokia’s second-generation flagship Windows Phone is finally here. The Nokia Lumia 920 is the successor of the Lumia 900 and features improvements in almost every aspect of the device. From new display technology to the critically acclaimed PureView camera, the 920 is packed to the gills.

Powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system, the 920 features significant changes on the software side of things too, which we’ll dive into further in the review.
Although Nokia did have some hiccups getting the device of the door, many believe the device speaks for itself. Click on to find out for yourself.

Monday 17 December 2012

Windows Phone 7.8 Review


It’s fair to say that existing Lumia owners, like myself, were a little more than disappointed when we learned that our Windows Phone 7.5 based devices will not be upgraded to the new and exciting Windows Phone 8 OS from Microsoft. I initially thought that this was all part of a marketing ploy to get us to buy newer devices. That was not the case though. Microsoft went on to explain that the hardware in our current devices was simply not powerful enough to run WP8, and that the new OS required at least a dual-core processor to run lag-free. However, Microsoft and Nokia did not just abandon us, they promised us an update, and update that would bring down some prominent WP8 features to existing devices. They called this update Windows Phone 7.8. In this review, we’ll only be covering the new updates and features that Microsoft and Nokia packed into WP7.8 for the Nokia Lumia 900.

Monday 15 October 2012

Nokia filed two design patents for tablets


By Ibrahim Dbouk | 15 October 2012




The Nokia N9 design have clearly made a revolution throughout the mobile world especially with the colors. The Meego-Based device was the first and last one to be supported by Nokia, since the Microsoft partnership with Nokia on adopting the Windows Phone as the only OS.

Since then there have been leeks that Nokia was planning to release Meego-based tablets but they were canceled due to the partnership. However, Nokia has filed two patents for tablets in March 2011, the design is clearly a big Lumia (or N9) device.



And this design goes back to early 2010



It's obvious that the only operating system that Nokia can put on these 2 patents is the newly-launched Windows 8. No one is 100% sure that Nokia is going to start producing tablets for the first time in their history. Considering that this is 100% true, this might affect the Microsoft Surface in many ways...

Till now, we only know one thing that Nokia's main priority is getting the best they can out of the Lumia 920 and 820 before focusing on anything else. As for later on, it's still a secret.

Let us know your opinion in the comments !

Source: WPCentral

Editorial: Why Lumia will remain the face of Windows Phone


Last week we talked about how the new Microsoft-HTC relationship was affecting Nokia, today, we're explaining our thoughts on why we think Nokia will pull through regardless.

Back in February 2011, amid rumors of a Microsoft-Nokia acquisition, Microsoft and Nokia announced a new partnership agreement that would make Windows Phone Nokia's primary operating system to replace the dying Symbian. At least on the company's higher end models. This partnership resulted in the Lumia 710 and the drop-dead gorgeous Lumia 800. The Lumia 800 went on to become what the the two companies called "the first REAL Windows Phone". Ever since, Nokia dominated the Windows Phone charts, quickly becoming the number one selling Windows Phone manufacturer in terms of market share. Despite entering the Windows Phone game a year after previous OEMs like HTC and Samsung did.

Keep in mind that Nokia managed this despite being in a far worst financial situation than all of its Windows Phone rivals. Of course there's the $250 million grant Microsoft had paid them to adopt the OS, but that's hardly much for a company with an unmatched global reach.

We can summarize Nokia's Windows Phone domination with one word; commitment. Sheer commitment and determination to be on top. So what exactly has the company done to be in its position today?

Firstly, It's important to note that Nokia has exclusive rights to modify the Windows Phone UI as they please, a right that no other Windows Phone OEM has. But they haven't played that card yet, they've instead focused on differentiating themselves by providing exclusive quality software based services such as Nokia Drive, Maps, Transit, Music, and City Lens.


Nokia have made it very clear that they want to be the 'where' company. Their $8.1 billion acquisition of NAVTEQ should be an indication of that. On Windows Phone, they provide the best location based services on a mobile phone. And best of all, they're free. On other platforms like iOS and Android, you'll likely have to pay for a quality turn-by-turn navigation system from the likes of Garmin and TomTom for example, and they might not even perform well in countries other than the US. Nokia on the other hand perfects its mapping experience by tracking FedEx delivery trucks to discover new roads all around the world. No one drives more than those committed delivery people. Nokia Maps will also be replacing Bing Maps in the upcoming Windows Phone 8 as the OS's default mapping system on all Windows Phones.

The second reason as to why Lumia will remain the face of Windows Phone is due to the amount of work the company invests into the platform as a whole. Nokia have worked with the likes of CNN, Electronic Arts, ESPN, Rovio and Warner Bros Pictures to bring and develop exclusive content and apps to Lumia. While at the same time funding and promoting college students and freelance developers to bring their unique ideas to the platform. And the company will continue to do so in the future. No other Windows Phone OEM has done this. HTC focused on hardware choice with more than 5 Windows Phone models under their belt while Samsung has mostly been nonexistent with Windows Phone outside the US.


Another reason is Nokia's marketing push for Lumia. They've put ads for Lumia everywhere around the world, in cinemas, in airports, in newspapers, on TV, on the radio and even on roadside banners. Tell me, when's the last time you saw a HTC or Samsung Windows Phone ad? They've likely all been of their Android offerings.

This is the kind of commitment that will keep Nokia in the Windows Phone spotlight, and that's without mentioning the amazing technology packed in their Lumia devices like wireless charging and PureView. The company is doing its absolute best in providing a rich user experience with both hardware and software. And to me, that was more than enough reason to head out and buy a Lumia.

Oh, did I mention I was a die-hard iPhone fan not two years ago?

Are there any other reasons you think will help Nokia stay on top? Let us know in the comments section below.


Note: Thoughts portrayed in this editorial are the sole expressions of the author and do not represent TUJ or any of the entities mentioned within.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Editorial: Has Microsoft betrayed Nokia with the HTC 8X/8S?


In September this year, shortly after the unveiling of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820. HTC showed off two new Windows Phone 8 devices to compete with Nokia and Samsung’s offerings. But what shocked us the most was the way that these new devices were presented in.

Starting with the devices names, officially called the 'Windows Phone 8X' and the 'Windows Phone 8S by HTC', one would think that these devices came straight from Microsoft if it wasn't for the 'by HTC' at the end. And there's a reason behind Microsoft allowing HTC to use the Windows Phone brand; Microsoft plans to make the 8X and 8S 'the face of Windows Phone’ in their marketing material. So every time you see a Windows Phone 8 commercial in the future, the 8X or 8S will be starring in them.

Oh but It doesn't end there. Microsoft is also making the phones their 'signature' products, emphasizing the devices pure design in conjunction with the Windows Phone Metro Modern UI design philosophy. Meaning that Microsoft will be recommending these phones to people first before any other Windows Phone. While we can't argue that the 8X and 8S do indeed feature the cleanest form of industrial design we've come across, the Nokia Lumia 810 (T-Mobile) also sports clean lines and a simple design, we don't see that phone getting that much attention from Microsoft.

So why would Microsoft in their right mind backstab (or is that too harsh) their most successful Windows Phone OEM to date? A partner that have sold more Windows Phones than any other before, despite their late entry into the platform? Especially now that they aren't in such a good position financially? There could be numerous reasons. None officially confirmed but we can still speculate.

The first is that too many people are starting to associate the Windows Phone brand with the Lumia brand which Microsoft doesn't like. People think that the Windows Phone OS is developed by Nokia. Some might see it as a newer version of Symbian, now we can understand why Microsoft really doesn't like that one bit. It’s likely that Microsoft approached Nokia about this is order to get them to change their marketing in order to clear things out. The two companies probably couldn't reach an agreement, so Microsoft went to HTC instead to get them to promote the Windows Phone brand as a Microsoft product.

The second reason could be that Microsoft could be afraid of what would happen if Nokia CEO Stephen Elop gets ousted by the board for failing to turn the company around financially. Needless to say, it's impossible to accomplish a task like that in the time he has given. A replacement CEO might decide to ditch Windows Phone for Android as the company's primary operating system. And so Microsoft, deciding not to put all its eggs in one basket, made HTC it's 'signature' partner instead.



Despite this surprise move by Microsoft, recent polls show that people are still looking forward to purchasing the Lumia 920 rather than the Windows Phone 8X by a large margin.

However, as Windows Phone fans, we can't be too critical about this, as Microsoft is clearly trying to do the best for the platform as a whole, and more devices means more choices for consumers which in turn results in more developer activity (apps) and a stronger platform.

What do you think? We'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.


Note: Thoughts portrayed in this editorial are the sole expressions of the author and do not represent TUJ or any of the entities mentioned within.

Saturday 6 October 2012

AT&T Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 differs from the International version with its battery


By Ibrahim Dbouk | 6 October 2012




The newly launched international version of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 actually differs from the AT&T version. Despite having the Cyan color, there's another difference which is the battery.
When the International version was announced, one of its advantages was that it carries a huge 2000mAh battery that was supposed to be an "all day use".

The bad news is that the AT&T version will have a downgraded version for the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 battery.



You could notice that there's a 1 hour been reduced as a talking time from the International version. 80 hours  on Standby mode, and 15 hours on Music playback time. Moreover, this version has the LTE connectivity and we all know that it consumes more power than normal 3G connectivity. However, there will be a firmware upgrade for the AT&T version for sure. The owners of the old Lumia 900 know how good the battery is; with the AT&T version being downgraded its still better than the Lumia 900.

These are the differences between the AT&T Lumia 820 and the international version.

  • 7.5hrs VS 8hrs - Talk 3G
  • 260hrs VS 330hrs - Standby 3G
  • 43hrs VS 55hrs - Music playback

Leave your comments below to know your opinion!

Sources: WPCentral

Microsoft rumored to be working with Huawei and Mediatek for Surface phone

By Ibrahim Dbouk | 6 October 2012




The famous retired leakier MSNerd is back again, and tweeted this interesting and suspicious leak. "Microsoft is working with Huawei and Mediatek for Surface phone & is hiring camera engineers now". However both of these countries are very well known for low-end smartphones in China, which is a price sensitive market.

Many sources have leaked this rumor and it might be true, will this affect the relationship between Microsoft and Nokia?? Are the consumers that will buy the newly launched Nokia Lumia 920 worried ?? Let us know in the comment box below.

Source: WMPowerUser

LG Nexus phone rumored to have wireless charging and to be announced at the end of October

By Ibrahim Dbouk | 6 October 2012



According to The Verge, with their own source (MoDaCo) being "101 percent" trusted on this news, LG Nexus phone will be released in mid-November. The leaked specs include a 1280x768 "True-HD" IPS screen, quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 2GB of RAM. Moreover, it'll have a sealed, non-removable battery, and 8GB or 16GB internal storage with no microSD expansion.

The interesting part, is that the LG nexus phone will have a big selling point for Google, since this device might support wireless charging.
CNET lately, reported that the LG Nexus will be officially announced at the end of October.

Source: The Verge, CNET

Thursday 4 October 2012

Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 heading to AT&T (Official)

By Ibrahim Dbouk | 4 October 2012

After all the rumors we heard from various sources, its now confirmed that the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 are both heading to AT&T.


"The New Surprise - Cyan"


We all new that the Nokia Lumia 920 will be available in only 5 colors (Black, White, Red, Yellow, Gray). However the amazing Cyan is back to replace the Gray color on AT&T.
Both of the Lumia 920 and 820 will be 4G LTE, and are going to be available in November, but concerning the price nothing was mentioned in the press release.


Source: AT&T