back to article Nokia, Microsoft put on brave face as Lumia 925s parachute into Blighty

Nokia's latest premium smartphone, the Lumia 925, is now shipping in the UK. And staff at the mobe-maker told reporters they will be working more closely with Microsoft, which is responsible for the handset's Windows Phone 8 OS, with most of the cooperation focusing on joint-marketing campaigns. The new Lumia 925 puts the …

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  1. Mike Brown

    £37 a month?

    Who on earth is buying these things?

    Oh yeah, no one!!

    1. James Hughes 1

      Re: £37 a month?

      I was under the impression that despite all the negativity, sales were fairly good on Windows handsets. Think I even saw the figure on here somewhere.

      Could be wrong.

      1. asdf

        Re: £37 a month?

        Nokia is likely to announce a profit warning to investors within the next few weeks, the Royal Bank of Canada has suggested, after worse than expected sales in Q2 2013. Lumia shipments haven’t met with Nokia’s predictions, the RBC claimed in a note to investors today, Finnish paper Taloussanomat reports, with operating margin for the smart devices division tipped to be around -3%.

        Nokia had forecast a strong growth in Windows Phone sales back when it announced its Q1 2013 figures, suggesting that sequential growth in unit volumes would be “higher than the 27% sequential growth in the first quarter.” However, it still expected its Devices & Services operating margin to be around -2% (+/- 4-points).

        According to the bank’s numbers, Nokia is estimated to sell 30m smartphones – down 2m from the previous estimates – while regular phone sales will drop from 218m to 193m, it’s suggested. The claimed reason for the shortfall is one we’ve heard many times before: cheap Android phones eating into the entry-level segment.

        It’s not been a good few months for Nokia. Earlier this week, it was suggested that even in the company’s own home territory, Finland, Samsung was now outselling Nokia phones.

        1. asdf

          Re: £37 a month?

          Nokia is famously liberal in what they consider a smartphone. The majority of those 30 million are not windows phones from what I understand.

          1. Philip Lewis
            Holmes

            Re: £37 a month?

            I was in Cambodia last week. The local had a great big Nokia sign in front picturing an "Asha Smartphone"

            Personally, I think the Asha IS a Smartphone, despite its relatively primitive OS

          2. Mark .

            Re: £37 a month?

            *boggle* It's only a smartphone if it runs Windows?

            Yes, those figures may include low end devices like Asha, but these are full touch phones with Internet, apps etc - how are they not smart? They may be low end and low spec, but you could make the same argument about low end Android phones.

            Apple got away with calling a phone a smartphone even when it *couldn't* run apps. If anything Nokia have been famously conservative about what they count, as most of their Internet/app phones are still not counted, when really all "feature" phones should have been counted as smartphones (there's no qualitative difference, it's just a marketing label). I don't understand why people are so keen to manipulate the stats to make Apple look better (counting 100% of their sales) and Nokia look worse.

            The real point is that sales and profits are different things. 30 million is good going for sales, and Apple have mostly had poorer sales. Yet Apple will overcharge and more easily make more money, whilst Nokia devices are more likely to be lower cost lower profit ones. Personally as a user, not a shareholder, I care more about popularity than who makes the most money off of me.

        2. TheVogon
          Mushroom

          Re: £37 a month?

          The latest Kantar figures have shown this to be wrong - The Lumias - especially the 520 - are selling very well.

          And Nokia already took back the lead in Finland from Samsung on the back of strong Lumia sales...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Lumia 521

            I picked up a Lumia 521 at Walmart the other week for $129.

            It's branded T-Mobile, but I haven't bothered putting a SIM in it yet, I'm just using it on WiFi to play around with WP8. I'll probably try it with the $30/month unlimited Data plan at some point over the summer, so that I can test the Nokia Drive stuff (which can only be activated in a phone with a SIM).

            It's not a bad little device for the price.

            http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nokia-Lumia-521-4G-Smartphone/24099994

            http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tmobile-30-Wireless-Airtime-Card/15443357

          2. asdf

            Re: £37 a month?

            We shall see soon enough. Nokia is not Microsoft and can't use the same tricks to bury bad news for quarters at a time. In fact Nokia is yet another Microsoft OEM that gets to eat the pain long before Microsoft ever will.

      2. TheVogon
        Mushroom

        Re: £37 a month?

        Yep - WP sales are not bad - 8.4% UK market share as of the latest figures (April). It overtook Blackberry long ago.

        As to "Puzzlingly, Nokia will continue to sell the much heavier sibling, the 920 - but why would anyone want one" - the answer is because it has the best camera in any Smartphone other than the newer 92x handsets...

        1. Davidoff
          FAIL

          the answer is because it has the best camera in any Smartphone other than the newer 92x handsets...

          If you think the Lumia 920 has the best smartphone camera then you obviously don't know the Nokia N8 or the Nokia Pureview 808.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            the answer is because it has the best camera in any Smartphone other than the newer 92x handsets...

            I am familiar with those - they are good high resolution cameras - but are not as good as the newer Lumias which have OIS and an F2 lens....

            1. The_Regulator

              You may need to check these comments again. I would put money on the 808 camera being the best available in a phone still today. This may change in the next few months though with the new GS4 and potentially the Nokia EOS coming to market.

              The 920 camera is really good but I don't think its on the same level as the 808.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Happy

            Re: the answer is because it has the best camera in any Smartphone other than the newer 92x

            The best if you leave out the HTC One, the Galaxy S4, etc. Check the comparison between the S4, the One, the iPhone 5 and the 920 - http://connect.dpreview.com/post/9219904986/shootout-samsunggalaxys4-vs-htcone-vs-iphone5-vs-lumia920.

            The only thing the 920 is slightly better at is flash photography, for all the rest the S4 is the all around best smartphone camera. Sorry to burst your bubble...

            Of course, they left out the 808 and the N8, it would be interesting to see how these fare. I really like the 808 approach, and would by a Jolla or Android phone with that kind of camera.

        2. Big Van Vader
          Facepalm

          Re: £37 a month?

          NO !!!!!

          "8.4% UK market share" - It had 8.4% of SALES from March to April 2013, this is NOT the same as having 8.4% of the overall UK Smartphone market which your post suggests.

          The latest figures from Gartner put WP Global Smartphone Market Share at 2.9%, the UK I would expect would be somewhere in or around that figure.

          1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

            @Big Van Vader

            "It had 8.4% of SALES from March to April 2013, this is NOT the same as having 8.4% of the overall UK Smartphone market which your post suggests."

            Actually it is the same thing as he suggests. Market share is the share of the products sold in the market in a period, so rather than refute the assertion, you've just restated it. A "market" of anything implies sales, so devices that were sold last year are not part of this year's market.

            The measure I think you mean is installed base, how many of the products are still in use. Over time, high market share contributes to high installed base, but it's not a straightforward integral of sales: products with a short useful life will drop out of installed base more quickly than those which provide longer service.

            Despite its death-notice in 2011, it is still Symbian that's the third-most-used OS, and iOS only overtook it in late 2012. Android has been #1 since about 2011. A lot of those Symbian devices are very old, however, so don't contribute to the "app economy" which is the main reason why a rational person would even care about whose phone OS is most popular. By that measure, iOS had an early lead, Android has caught up, but not pulled away. Or in other words, one can prove any pet theory with statistics just by framing the query.

            Anyway, these WP8 devices are at the higher end of the market, which implies a longer working life, so if MS/Nokia can keep this share up, they will have a viable userbase before too long. I think that's good. A monopoly or even a duopoly is bad for customers in the long run: it just breeds complacency.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: @Kristian Walsh

              > A monopoly or even a duopoly is bad for customers in the long run: it just breeds complacency.

              Must be why nobody wants a Microsoft phone.

            2. Mark .

              Re: @Big Van Vader

              I agree with your post, but:

              "A lot of those Symbian devices are very old, however, so don't contribute to the "app economy" which is the main reason why a rational person would even care about whose phone OS is most popular."

              Actually, even if we limit installed userbase to just phones in the last few years, one can get an estimate that still puts Symbian in 3rd place, only recently overtaken by iphone, and that's still a time period well in the timeframe when phones were shipped with Nokia Store, and support Qt etc, so well supported by Symbian application developers.

              (From my own personal experience, the large installed userbase of Symbian, even with older phones like the 5XXX series, is partly why I see 50-100 times as many downloads on Symbian to Android.)

          2. Mark .

            Re: £37 a month?

            The media has long used "market share" to mean sales rather than installed userbase. If we look at the latter, sure WP does worse, but then so would have iphone for years, and the global installed userbase of Symbian would still be massive, possibly still on par with the iphone platform.

            Also I think the UK's WP market share (by sales) is higher than the global average, so presumably the installed userbase is likely to be too.

        3. asdf

          Re: £37 a month?

          @TheVogon - going to be sure to quote you when their next quarterlies come out or sooner if the guidance is issued.

    2. LarsG
      Meh

      I heard

      I heard a box of two hundred fell off the back of a delivery van during transit.

      They were all handed in.

    3. Bob Vistakin
      Linux

      Are Windows phones still being outsold by Symbian?

      No wonder the burning platform asshole wants to kill it off completely.

      1. Mark .

        Re: Are Windows phones still being outsold by Symbian?

        No, they're not, unless there's been some bizarre reversal in Q2 Symbian sales. So it does seem the right time to discontinue the sales altogether (whether it was right to end Symbian at all being a separate debate).

        It is amazing that Symbian sales went on so well for so long, even after marketing, distribution, etc was almost all cut. Never mind mocking WP, I find it funny that it still took the iphone platform another six months to overtake it.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: £37 a month?

      but it 'feels expensive'

      pity all they did was shove last years phone in a smaller case.

  2. Vimes

    Again with the carrier exclusives? Didn't Nokia learn anything from limiting the supply to EE last time round with the 920?

    1. Shagbag
      FAIL

      exclusive

      I'm not sure who's being 'exclusive' - Nokia or the carriers.

      The punters certainly are.

      This is WinPho and the punters have spoken with their £££s: they don't want WinPho.

      WP8 = WinPhail 8

      1. Maharg
        FAIL

        Re: exclusive - Sorry, the punters don't care

        The issue with Windows phones is, and I know a lot of people on here don’t want to hear this, the rest of the phone, the majority of people who buy phones don’t give a flying fox what OS it’s got same as what processer is in it.

        Can it ring people? Can it text? Use the Internet? Play Music? Does it have a (some people care - decent quality) Camera? Is it simple to use, does it look nice?

        Most people buy phones the same way most people buy cars, in other words, can I afford it, does it work, what colour is it, and sometimes what badge has it got on the front, everything else is just stuff that makes it different from others.

        In other words, to the majority of people -

        This Car is a Ford, this is a Vauxhall

        This Phone is a Samsung, this is a HTC

        Is more important then

        This car runs on diesel this one on petrol

        This Phone is a Windows Phone, this is an Android.

        Its down to the phone, and while iPhones are iPhones and Samsungs are Samsungs Nokia's last couple of phones have just been 'other phones'

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Vimes,

      Surely a carrier exclusive on one colour is harmless enough? I don't think that many people really care if they get the black or white one. But I guess it makes some numpty at the network feel 'important' and that they've 'driven a hard bargained' with Nokia.

      1. Vimes

        @I ain't Spartacus

        Except that it's storage that's different here - 32G in the exclusive as opposed to 16GB - not just the colour of the handset.

        Personally if the phone is good enough then I couldn't give a crap about the colour.

        1. Maharg

          Re: @I ain't Spartacus

          Yep, first thing I do is put I protective cover on it anyway, if I don’t like the base colour I don’t get a cover the same as it!

    3. Simon Rockman

      It's not the handset manufacturers who want the exclusives, the last thing they want is another SKU to worry about, it's the operators who need to find some way to differentiate the sale from just price.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    one reason

    one reason you'd want the 920 over the 925 is that it comes with builtin wireless charging, the 925 needs a clip on back plate

    1. Matt_payne666

      Re: one reason

      yep a silly move - the wireless charging is cool and it doesn't add too much bulk... there are Chinese add-on qi charger coils for the Galaxies which fit under the standard battery cover...

      32GB as an exclusive? its not as if mediocre flash is expensive! im not sure how winpho8 deals with memory, but my 32GB 920 certainly doesn't have as much storage as my old 32GB iphone4... 16GB wouldn't last long at all - even with the tiny amount of apps for winpho8!

  4. Shagbag
    Coat

    Article's title needs correcting

    It should be

    Move on...Nothing to see here. Move on. Move on.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Obligatory

    Nokia? I remember them, they used to make some pretty good handsets. Are they still around?

    I'm going...

    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Obligatory

      They still do make good handsets - this looks great and ticks all the boxes except for the OS.

      1. Lars Silver badge
        FAIL

        Re: Obligatory

        "except for the OS."

        How you insult me Microsoft and Nokia. You are like two old impotent farts sitting by the river trying to catch a fish without a bait. Damn you both. When Google plays Android not Linux, you think your slack and dead MS thingy name is worth something. Damn you both, for stupidity.

    2. Richard Jones 1

      Re: Obligatory

      The shame is that Nokia did make some damned good mobile phones. In fact they were so good I am still waiting for someone to come up with something to replace the one I am using. Nothing comes close to its usefulness. It's small, fits in an inside pocket has bluetooth and does what I need, which is more than the current dummy phone bricks can achieve. They are all show (why?) and no useful go, (why again?).

      1. Maharg

        Re: Obligatory @ Richard Jones

        Let me guess? N8?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Squee

    £34 a month on Vodafone...

    Had mine since last night, all I can say is "squee", it's just beautiful and it is so pleasant to have moved away from iOS.

    Still getting used to SmartCam, but it works like a dream. Only thing missing is Snapchat... *cough*

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. The_Regulator
      Windows

      Re: Squee

      check out the 3rd party app called swapchat for what you are missing in the wp store, you will find that there are some really good 3rd party apps for many of the things people like to point out as missing e.g. for instagram too (instance)

    3. Jemma

      Re: Squee

      No, no and again no..

      Sqee is for when your name is Rose and you get pashed on by Brad Pitt and Eric Bana in the space of 10 minutes...

      In conclusion, they were cousins...

      It is not, repeat not, to be used; in any description of a smartphone especially one of Elops finest..

      I now have a message from group....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    please no...

    ... not more of these "I'm a second rate celebrity who is so effing desperate for TV time that I'll whore myself out to anyone" adverts. ..

    Or maybe I'm the only one who isn't influenced by "celebrity" endorsements

    1. Andrew Orlowski (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: please no...

      Not even Stephen Fry??

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: please no...

        Especially not Stephen Fry.....

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Paris Hilton

      Re: please no...

      I used to think the way you do. But then I was persuaded that I was wrong by a piece written in crayonThe Guardian by Jordan...

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Re: please no...

      I go out oif my way to avoid any product that endorsed by a celeb ,star or sports personality and it seems there is a growing band of brothers doing the same.

  8. Charlie Clark Silver badge

    Looks good, sounds great but…

    does it have Öffi, The Economist, Podcatcher, Fritz!Fon, etc. for it? (feel free to add to the list). No? Then I'm not interested, Mr Microsoft.

    1. The_Regulator
      Windows

      Re: Looks good, sounds great but…

      While I do not know for sure if these are the same ones you mention I took a second to look at what was available....

      Podcatcher: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/podcatcher/5d5cebe9-420a-4566-a468-04c94aa34d93 (not sure if same but same name)

      Fritz!Fon http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/fritzbox-calls/f8352e82-85b0-48c8-8103-7a745573c70b

      (Fritz!Fon how popular is this really?? Real Question)

      Öffi? Is this information for public transport? if so Nokia provides: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/here-transit/adfdad16-b54a-4ec3-b11e-66bd691be4e6 and there are others too.

      The economist does not seem to be an available app however windows phone does have Zinio which I believe includes the economist and a ton of other publications: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/store/app/zinio/236cc9f0-a250-4f1a-8f3a-b532d7a60b23

      Do you have more apps that you are missing???

  9. Nasty Nick
    Trollface

    Nice hardware - how about a choice of OS?

    Come on Nokians, give us a choice of OS on your nice looking top-end smarty fones. I'd buy one with the latest Blackberry OS. But not with Windows on it (even if it looks nice), horses for courses and all that...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Nice hardware - how about a choice of OS?

      If you want a Nokia you gotta come to the darkside for the OS!! No clue why you would choose BB10 over WP8 though....elaborate?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Nice hardware - how about a choice of OS?

        You wouldn't chose BB10. Hence why the latest Kantar figures show WP (5.6%) is outselling BB10 (0.7%) by 8 to 1....

      2. Nasty Nick

        Re: Nice hardware - how about a choice of OS?

        I'll fess up to not having a recent Windows phone, but have had a little play around with a couple, and do believe the consensus which seems to say the latest versions work pretty / very well on most of the new Nokias, which are nice hardware designs with decent specs.

        But my gut feeling is, that going on Windows track record on security and transparency, if you run a Windows operation, adding Windows mobiles into the mix is too much like putting all your eggs in one rather holey basket.. Having said, that I really don't believe Android is any more secure in practice in day to day use, and in fact is seriously underated as a security risk for consumers and in the loosely managed business IT environments encountered in most SME's.

        What I like most about the touted benefits of BB10 is the feature that supposedly allows effective separation of business and personal data on a single device, plus the secure)ish) messaging .

        Plus, with the Q10, the fact you get a physical keyboard option - my fat fingers really struggle with vitual keyboards.

        I know it's a stale arguement, but with Maemo, Nokia really looked like they were finally making headway delivering a good smartphone OS, so it was a shame they junked it, especially when the only alternative was to assume the only game in town is now Win mobile OS.

        I don't see Sony, Samsung HTC playing that one out in the same way - they're happy to play the field taking each OS on it's merits to their business model.

        As a phone manufacturer, the key issue I can see is that MS like to grab a big chunk of your profit up front in the form of the OS license fee, and then a whole lot more for the life of the phone by snaffling a wodge of any app sale revenues.

        For Apple and Blackberry, this approach makes sense, as even though they outsource production, they take on much of the commercial risk with the design and manufacture of the hardware, the quid-pro-quo being they pay the price when the phone doesn't sell.

        For Nokia, by using the MS mobile OS, they have all the risks of a branded mobile manufacturer, with none of the upside from continuing sales of apps. What gives?

  10. Magnus Ramage

    The Three version of this has the wireless charging stand & case bundled for "free" (a relative term when you're paying them £30 a month). £500/24 = roughly £20 for the hire purchase, so on the Three package or the cheapest Vodafone one, you're effectively paying £10/month for the calls, which compares favourably to pay as you go. If you want or need a £500 handset, that is.

  11. Simon Rockman

    Mine arrived today

    It's the first time I'be ever bought a phone on launch day. Oh, I've had plenty on launch days and before but they were freebies.

    This is the first time with my own, paid for contract. OK it was an upgrade, albeit with a 12 month contract.

    It's currently sync'ing.

    Ahh...

    but what is it sync'ing about?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Mine arrived today

      Can you come back with a comments report to El Reg later?

      While AO does a good job reviewing these things, it would be nice to have some user feedback from those who actually pay for them and live with them.

      1. Disco Dance Donkey
        Boffin

        Re: Mine arrived today

        I've had mine, in my sweaty hands for 24 hours. I've come from iOS (and have a seed of iOS7)

        I have a 32GB Black, bought from Vodafone, as O2 are arsewipes.

        First thing, the box: small, well packaged, recycled. You open it and even the SIM ejector is pristine. One hits the power button by accident, and the touch screen works through the cellophane.

        So, SIM card in, the tray is very neat. The phone is solid, thin and feels great, it fits my unusually large hands. My thumb rests against the power button, this is useful. So, on and in, a few swipes and I'm navigating about, adding the apps I have on iOS.

        OS wise, I like how the apps work and the back button. Took me a while to work out the Smartcam, but 24 hours down and I'm happy.

        Now, the important mark, I handed it to my wife on the way home. She's a technophobe, and has been an Apple user since it was uncool: "Oh, this is easy to use"

        What Nokia have done here is done something really well. It feels right, but you don't notice it really.

        1. TheVogon
          Mushroom

          Re: Mine arrived today

          Is it locked to Vodaphone? I want the 32GB, but I want 4G (EE)

        2. Jemma

          Apple user since it was uncool...

          You mean she was building her first Apple 1 when I was just 2? All hail the fangirl of fangirls!

  12. GarethPN

    Excellent

    Can't wait to replace my iPhone with this.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    poor Nokia

    Elop and WP are poison for Nokia.

    Jolla and "the other half", built on Meego which Elop killed in its cot, looks far more attractive...

  14. andreas koch
    Unhappy

    Just went to the comments

    to read the latest Eadon vs MS joke.

    No Eadon.

    Is he ok?

    1. The_Regulator
      Trollface

      Re: Just went to the comments

      Maybe he lost his funding??

      1. TheVogon
        Mushroom

        Re: Just went to the comments

        Eadon is probably busy making the coffee for those sorting out the broken Linux crap @ Fast Hosts....

    2. 1Rafayal
      Joke

      Re: Just went to the comments

      He is busy telling people why they are wrong when they do not adulate Linux constantly.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      Re: Just went to the comments

      What is more tiresome, Eadon's juvenile comments or boring windows fanbois?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Weight

    "The result weighs almost exactly as much as a Samsung Galaxy S4, but it feels more expensive"

    "but the 925 has shed the 920's built-in wireless charging (this now requires a clip-on back plate)"

    Considering what Samsung packs on the S4, and what Nokia did to lower the weight (the S4 its slight bigger but still less heavier) promoting the 925 for its weight it will be difficult. And for me, sheding the built-in wireless charging its cheating. And if you compare the 925 with the new Samsung S4 Zoom, you end wonder how Samsung can pack so much stuff with such low weight.

    1. The_Regulator
      FAIL

      Re: Weight

      Except your comparing the S4 Zoom a phone that has not been released yet to a phone that is available now.

      How about you compare the S4 Zoom with the Nokia EOS instead and then see how your argument stacks up??

      1. Anonymous Coward
        WTF?

        Re: Weight

        Yeah, desperate people need camera-phones NOW!...but I was talking about weight if you care to read again. But you know, I would rather run to buy a Nokia 808 than any Lumia, because looks like it did take a FULL YEAR to have a *RUMOURED* Nokia EOS to show up...

        P.S. The S4 Zoom it's a reallity, announced already, did you get the memo?

        1. The_Regulator

          I did read again and I originally did agree with your post just not the part I mentioned. I think they should keep the wireless charging as it is super useful and personally I do not find the weight of the 920 to be an issue but I guess not everyone has that same feel, Nokia seems all over the board with some of their phones not sure why tbh.

          P.s. Announced is different than available though no?

          On the Lumia vs 808 not sure why you would do that, I expect the EOS to be every bit as good as the 808 each to their own though.

          1. Squander Two

            All over the board.

            One of Nokia's great strengths back in the day was the sheer variety of phones, which meant there was a Nokia for you no matter what sort of phone you wanted. More difficult to do that now everything's a touchscreen slab, but they still seem to have that ethos: the 925 is basically the 920 with the wireless charging removed to make it lighter; so now there's a version for people who want wireless charging and a version for people who want lightness. I prefer this to Apple's approach, I have to say.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            I suspect that the Samsung Zoom will be lauched first than the rumoured Nokia EOS, which is for now, a rumour.

            1. The_Regulator

              I agree, I don't think EOS will be even officially announced until July, funny how so much info got out about it...nokia leaked on purpose I think.

            2. TheVogon
              Mushroom

              EOS launch event is confirmed for July...

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Overpriced

    Now if it was around £200-250 (aka Nexus 4) , wouldnt mind considering.

    This "Free" If you pay upwards of £35 per month is frankly getting insulting to our collective intelligence.

    The subsidies have long gone, and operators are recovering with interest (more than Credit card APRs).

    When will this madness end? And when will Nokia learn? Someone tell them, they are not Apple or Samsung to command silly premiums! Got it?

    1. The_Regulator

      Re: Overpriced

      I paid $100 US for my phone and the same for the wife's at the time and then get charged roughly $150 US per month here in the States for my own and my wifes phone with 1Gb of Shared Data, unlimited texts and calls. Free and 35 squid a month actually sounds appealing based on the standards where I am!!

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Overpriced

      But they are - best camera, OS, Nav and Maps for a start....

  17. graeme leggett Silver badge

    supplies of Nokia

    It'd be nice if they could get enough 520s into the country. Always seem to be out of stock when I look at my network's online shop.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I take the 920.

    The 925 goes to my wife. It is more stylish. My wife is also more stylish, than I am.

    :-))

    I want the lively Nokia Lumia 920 which come in vivid colours.

    I take it in green.

    taht is why I like it

    aha aha

  19. Andy Roid McUser
    Go

    Noikandroid

    Please please please Nokia , just make me a stock Android phone on your hardware.

    That is all.

    1. returnmyjedi

      Lost in Androidland

      The reason why Elop and co chose Windows Phone over Android was because they were concerned that they would be lost amongst all of the other Android handsets. A bit like HTC, Sony, Huawei et al are now as they watch the Samsung juggernaut plough ahead.

      Their bottom line doesn't exactly support their decision, but at least they are the most visible of the few WP manufacturers out there.

      1. Squander Two

        Differentiation.

        I can understand why someone inside Nokia might demand that they switch to Android, because they might think the future of the company depends on it. I am puzzled by punters who make this demand, though. If you want an Android phone, there are dozens of them to be had. Surely we're better off having a bit more competition in the market, however that turns out for Nokia.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Stop

          Re: Differentiation.

          If punters wanted a Nokia with WinPho you would see different sales numbers instead Lumis being pushed throat down to salespeople at companies like where I work. Nokia had a new phone, the N9, which gattered massive attention among Nokia die hard fans, gsmarena dispays on their page the most popular phones, the N9 stayed there for months until Elop decided to make it available in few countries. The Lumias never get that kind of attention. So, if you don't understand why punters whant a Nokia with Android, that means you are not the kind of person who loves Nokia hardware and knows what means dealing with Microsoft software.

          1. Squander Two
            Thumb Down

            Eh?

            But I am the kind of person who loves Nokia hardware -- I've used only Nokia phones since 1997 -- and I've had a Lumia for over a year now and have been using Windows at work since 96, so I obviously do know what it means to deal with Microsoft software. Apart from that, good point.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Happy

              Re: Eh?

              :-). Even the locals in Finland ignore the Lumias, that should be enough to ring a bell for Elop :-D

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    can't wait to get my hands on it!

    Upgrading to one of these at the end of the month when my contract is up, personally the wireless charging isn't a big deal for me i'd rather just have slimmer phone. ticks all the boxes for me and personally I love windows phone 8, you have to experience it!

    I'm on an old iphone which is simply iphoo compared to my wifes lumia 820 so this being the high end model should be streets ahead.

    anyone wanna buy my old iphoo?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Will they be producing an Android version?

  22. Squander Two

    Love Lumias.

    I was VERY sceptical of the move to Windows Phone: thought it was a terrible move, and really liked Maemo on my N800. Then I got a Lumia 800. And changed my mind. It is just a wonderful piece of kit, and a truly great OS.

    Mind you, I like Windows 8 too, so what do I know?

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Another Month

    Another Windows Phone fail,,,,

    Nokia needs to give up, it's beyond embarrassing. I used to feel sorry (not sorry enough to buy one), but not any more. They had their chance, but they burnt that platform, and the Android life raft next door.

    1. GitMeMyShootinIrons

      Re: Another Month

      Android life raft? Really? Keep dreaming. If Nokia became yet another generic Android handset to get trounced by Samsung, it would be the kiss of death.

      They need a differentiator, not humdrum conformity, and WinPho gives them that.

  24. SpitefulGOD

    Mine

    Arrives tomorrow, need a good camera for the holidays that's more point and shoot than the Canon. Plus the videos should be ok with the premium OIS not the cheapo HTC One OIS

  25. Mike Taylor

    Not on EE yet, can't upgrade <huge sulk>

    1. TheVogon
      Mushroom

      +1. I'm waiting for that option too. EE want to pull their finger out...

  26. Joe Montana
    FAIL

    Only 16gb?

    And how much of that 16gb of storage is actually usable?

    Also of the 2 people i know who bought windows phone handsets, both of them bought them at fire sale prices where they were significantly cheaper than any android or ios handset.

    1. TheVogon
      Mushroom

      Re: Only 16gb?

      More than on an Android phone...

    2. The_Regulator

      On my 920 the "system files" are 1.6gb

      1. TheVogon
        Mushroom

        There is a Nokia app under settings now to clear out unused temp / system files in the latest update...

  27. Anonynomuouous

    > Is it locked to Vodaphone? I want the 32GB, but I want 4G (EE)

    I had the same question the other day!

    I've been meaning to upgrade from Lumia 710 for a while, so I decided to preorder the 32GB 925 from Vodafone (wanted to move from O2 anyway since I've got no reception in my flat).

    Went over to Vodafone shop to ask a couple of questions before I do it, and it turns out it does come locked (as expected) but there's no guarantee that there will be unlock codes any time soon, but they expect them in 6 months. Went back home, called Vodafone - similar answer (but without any specifics whatsoever).

    Well that's great, but I spend lots of time abroad and use pay-as-you-go / pre-paid to avoid ridiculous roaming charges...

    So given choice of a sim-free 925 (16GB) for £500 and a sim-free 920 (32GB) for £333 (on Amazon), I decided to give up waiting and ordered the 920... 66% of the price and 200% the storage capacity. It is fugly and heavy but oh well, it comes with the same/similar great camera, offline maps and a free offline satnav (HERE Maps and Drive+). I hope they've fixed podcast support for non-US areas in GDR2!

    1. TheVogon
      Mushroom

      I already have a 920. I want the 925 for the better lens / smaller size....

  28. Gadgety

    "Of the four major Windows Phone licensees (Nokia, Samsung, HTC and Huawei) only Nokia has bet the ranch on the Redmond OS, and is putting its very best work into the Win8 phones."

    I wonder why with a CEO who used to own 7% of Microsoft's shares...

  29. Mark 176

    Looks nice, I'd love this phone with stock android.

  30. davemcwish

    16Gb and no SD card ?

    They are obviously trying to copy the Apple model (we say you don't need lots of storage for apps and music). 16Gb is diddly squat even before you allocate 10% ? for system files.

  31. 20legend
    WTF?

    @Kristian Walsh

    "Anyway, these WP8 devices are at the higher end of the market, which implies a longer working life"

    Pardon my French, but how the fuck did you draw that misguided conclusion???

    Since when has a product's price implied it's expected length of working life?

    In high-end smartphone terms it's irrelevant anyway, as most top-end handsets are superseded by a new model in a 1yr to 18months, out of production within 2 yrs, and flogged on at knock down prices on ebay within 3yrs.

    1. Kristian Walsh Silver badge

      Re: @Kristian Walsh

      Well, I started by knowing what the fuck "working life" actually means, if you'll pardon my French. Working life is how long the device is expected to remain fit for purpose. It has nothing to do with how many owners it goes through, or how often you personally toss your current phone and get a new one.

      The first principle is that if other headline specifications are kept equal, a device's Mean Time Between Failures will be proportional to its component cost. Longer-lasting components cost more: always have, always will. In other words, the more expensive devices don't wear out as quickly.

      Second, cheaper devices have lower headline specifications. Lower specifications within a product family mean that it will run out of support updates sooner than a device with more storage, faster CPU, more RAM, etc. Again, the more expensive device lasts longer, in that they remain able to do more of what the latest devices can.

      This has nothing to do with how long you personally keep the device, but for how long the device remains usable to somebody. (I was also referring to using it for applications, because any smartphone is still usable as a phone/email/calendar long after it can't run new apps.)

      The fact that you can sell a top-end smartphone on eBay three years after launch implies that someone is willing to buy it, and then use it. So that's your three years of use, plus another one or two from the next owner. That's what I mean by a longer working life.

      It's a lot harder to sell a low-end device for the same kind of percentage return, which implies that there are fewer buyers for it, even at the lower absolute price, and the primary reason for this is that the device would be of less use to them.

  32. briesmith

    Lumias

    Got a Lumia 820 and it's a very good device. If Nokia could find their way clear to providing a battery that lasts long enough to turn it on AND do something; like make a phone call, read an email, that sort of thing it would become an excellent device, good enough to be a phone.

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