Disruptive Windows8 Phone Lumia, Ativ S, HTC 8X

In a world being ruled by iOS and Android, Microsoft hopes to bring in a whiff of fresh air with Windows Phone 8 operating system. For the ones, who haven't been paying attention to what Microsoft has been up to, Windows Phone 8 is expected to be the next major version of its mobile phone OS.

Talking about this new operating system, Stephen Baker, Vice President of Industry Analysis for NPD's Consumer Technology Market Research says, "I think Windows 8 phones definitely represent a new, strong and different competitor in the smartphone market. Not only does Microsoft take a different approach to the usage model with their tile based architecture but the ability to leverage the huge installed base of Windows PCs and Xbox game consoles should help them, over time, create a viable third path for smartphone users."

Most smartphone makers have already announced their front runners for the Windows Phone 8 operating system. The first major announcement was made by Samsung, when it unveiled its ATIV S. This smartphone has a 4.8-inch display coated with Corning "Gorilla" glass, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.

Nokia soon followed to take the wraps off its Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 windows Phone devices. Nokia Lumia 920 comes with 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ display, Wireless charging support and 2000 mAH battery. While the Nokia Lumia 820 is a mid-range smartphone that sports a 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor, 4.3-inch Clearblack display and 8GB of internal storage.

Taiwanese manufacturer, HTC too expressed its love for Windows Phone by announcing the HTC 8X and 8S The HTC 8X comes with 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2 display, while the HTC 8S is a mid-segment smartphone, which has 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory.

Though these were the major announcements from the big league, even Huawei has come out in support of Windows Phone 8 and is expected to launch the Ascend W1 on September 25 according to reports. The Chinese telecom company also plans to launch more devices running on Microsoft's latest OS by the end of this year.

We have already done a head-to-head comparison of these flagship smartphones from HTC, Nokia and Samsung to understand where each stands. Now we quiz the analysts in this business to understand which amongst these three has the most disruptive Windows Phone 8 line-up.

Robert Enderle, Principal Analyst at Enderle Group opines that, "Samsung currently looks the most disruptive as they have a full set of phones, tablets and PCs so they cover all use cases for the platform which is operating on a 'better together" meme". He also adds that, "They are also the most motivated to go after Apple at the moment thanks to that $1 billion judgment".

In 2007, Samsung was one of the first to get on the Android wave and its strategy on that front seems to have paid off well. Now it's trying to replicate the same with Windows Phone 8. However, the major difference now is that Samsung seems to be juggling three hats at the moment with - Windows, Android and its own Bada operating system. So, the biggest challenge confronting Samsung right now is to come out with a prefect balancing act if it plans to score in the Windows Phone 8.

John Strand, CEO of Strand Consult feels that Nokia currently has an upper hand with its Windows Phone 8 line-up. "I will say that Nokia's Windows phones are cool. Some of the specs that they are advertising are ahead of the new iPhone. Also, Nokia is 100 percent dedicated to WP8, while Samsung and HTC's focus it primarily on the Android platform." He further goes on to elaborate that, the fact that Samsung and HTC are offering Windows Phone 8 will only help Nokia. This is because Nokia and Microsoft will now have a better bargaining power with operators because if the operator does not want to stock Windows Phone devices, it will have to say no to three separate vendors.

Having said that he still feels that being a new operating system, Microsoft and Nokia have a long way to go. "From my point of view it is up hill and I think that it will be difficult for both the companies. On the brighter side, Microsoft and Nokia have the necessary resources to emerge as winners."

Baker too agrees that though Microsoft is trying to bring in a lot of differentiation in the market, it may not be smooth sailing for them. "The real issue is how aggressively they market their unified philosophy and how tightly they tie the different aspects together, and finally, of course, while the analysts and the industry likes their approach it remains to be seen if the consumer will also find the integration a valuable differentiators."

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iPhone 5 vs Nokia Lumi 920

It’s that time again; consumers worldwide are going to have to make a concrete decision as to which of the new smartphone behemoths to buy. It is true to say that the world of smartphones is expanding; what once was a market ruled by Apple, in 2012 other companies have wedged their foot firmly in the door. The Android phones and Samsung Galaxy S III are all firm competitors that the common consumer may be well acquainted with…but what about the Nokia Lumia 920? This well-timed new release from Nokia could be the wild card of the deck; but will it trump the iPhone 5? Read on to find out.

Design

Apple has always prided themselves in the visual aspect of their products; utilising ‘less is more’, beauty in simplicity. The iPhone’s design exudes class and chic without being showy; and the iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest to date. iPhone coined (and invented according to their website) round rectangular edges and now has a 4” screen – claiming if you expand the screen too much for the sake of it; the end product is oversized and makes it awkward and difficult to use.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is made out a mixture of glass & polycarbonate and visually looks like a serious contender when placed next to the iPhone. Compared to the iPhone 5’s black and white, the Nokia deals with quirky, vibrant colours – possibly attracting a new range of consumers. However, the iPhone is actually smaller and lighter than the Nokia. Have a look at these stats:

iPhone 5 (Height, Width, Depth) 4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 Weight – 3.95 ounces

Lumia 920 (Height, Width, Depth) 5.12 x 2.78 x 0.42 Weight – 6.52 ounces

The size of the Nokia Lumia screen is 4.5” compared with the iPhones 4”. This means that Nokia have managed to obtain a higher resolution, but not by much. What it really comes down to is which of the phones will sit more comfortably in your hand?

Technical

The new chip which Apple are using is called the ‘A6 chip’, which apparently is twice as fast the A5 in the iPhone 4S. The Nokia Lumia has utilized the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip. The Samsung Galaxy S III uses the very same chip; and the Samsung Galaxy S III is super-duper speedy.

Camera-wise, the iPhone still uses an eight mega-pixel camera (which is to slight dismay of the general public). However, the camera is forty percent faster and performs far better in lower light than its predecessors. All the iPhone camera’s inner workings can also be used to create seamless panorama photos also.

The Lumia 920 has an 8.7 megapixel camera which features Nokia’s PureView technology. Nokia claim that the camera can capture up to ten times the amount of light surrounding the lens through ‘floating lens technology’. Although Nokia ended up upsetting many people with a certain advert which was apparently showing the camera in all its glory…but got caught out faking the shot with a professional camera. Spot the cameraman/lights.

Other Spec

The overall spec of the phones are pretty similar, where iPhone has Siri, Nokia has TellMe; and both phones sport seemingly good battery life, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & storage space. A big calamity the iPhone 5 may face though is through the controversy surrounding iOS 6, which was released on September 19. Many people have suffered problems with their iPhones running iOS 6; especially with the new iOS 6 Apple Maps (Apple’s attempt to replace Google Maps), which are already renowned for being absolutely terrible and problem-ridden. The Nokia Lumia will operate using Windows 8, which will be released on October 26th – time will only tell how well it runs.

Conclusion

It basically boils down to if you can wait until the Nokia Lumia 920 comes out to make your decision. Yes, the iPhone 5 boasts a world of a billion apps and is an improvement on the phone we all have grown to love….but do we yearn for more? Has the iPhone done enough to keep the public content? The Nokia be the next smartphone you didn’t actually know you were looking for; but it could easily find its way into your pocket.

Author: Alfie Davenport works in the technology department at Ladbrokes Roulette. He has owned Nokia, Apple, and Android smartphones over the past 6 years and is currently a huge fan of his HTC One X.- source

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iPhone 5 Nokia Lumia 920 Comparison

Earlier, we brought you the ultimate battle of the two most popular smartphone vendors and their flagship devices. Having assessed the iPhone 5 of Apple and Samsung’s Galaxy S III, we found both to be technically advanced, and the differences between the two – such as screen and device size – are only important if one prefers a large display, or a smaller one.

To spice things up a little, we’re now going to pit the iPhone 5 up against another to-be-released beauty – Nokia Lumia 920. Announced last week, it offers a dual-core processor, Windows Phone 8 and a camera which – by the looks of things – will be the best smartphone snapper available on the market.

Yes, it does look a great deal like its predecessor, the Lumia 900 but hey, doesn’t the iPhone 5 as well? Here, we run over the key tech specs, and if you’re in the market for a new smartphone this fall, you’ll certainly want to check out these two:

As you can see, there is once again very little to choose between these very adequately-equipped smartphones. The iPhone 5 offers an Apple A6 processor, which is quite a bump from the Lumia’s dual-core Qualcomm composition, but with both the iPhone 4S and Lumia 900 as smooth as butter on iOS 5.x and Windows Phone 7.x respectively, such features shouldn’t make or break your choice.

Both pack in LTE, and the Lumia has the advantage of packing in NFC – something expected of the iPhone 5 right up until the last moment.

Nokia’s high-end devices have always packed in a decent camera (the N97′s snapper still looks rather good for a device five years of age), and with Apple having already shown us what the Sapphire-encrusted rear-camera can do, both will be perfect for those using Instagram or Flickr on a frequent basis.

Wireless charging offered by Lumia 920 is another plus over iPhone 5 if you are into that sort of thing.

The most decisive segment of the chart has to be the apps section, and for all the promise both Nokia and Windows Phone 8 offers, the success of the device and its platform will rest firmly on getting the developers’ backing. 100,000+ sounds like a lot, but with Apple almost at three quarters of a million now and counting, the Windows Phone Store needs filling up with Apps. Pronto.

In the end, it really comes down to the platform and ecosystem that you want to go with. - source

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