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FINNISH PHONE MAKER Nokia has served up its second Windows Phone device and the handset is almost a carbon copy of the Lumia 800 in terms of specifications.

The Lumia 710 features a 3.7in Clearblack display, a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

The Windows Phone operating system is loaded on the handset and the mid-range price tag – free on a £20 contract – might make it an attractive buy. µ

MOBILE PHONE RETAILER The Carphone Warehouse has mistakenly announced the Lumia 900 launch date of June in the UK.

A coming soon page for Nokia’s upcoming handset was put online by the firm for customers to register their interest and tell them that it will arrive in June. It has since been taken down, presumably because Nokia wasn’t so happy about it.

We have spoken with The Carphone Warehouse, which simply told us, “The page was put online in error and has now been taken down.”

Nokia announced the Lumia 900 earlier this month at the consumer electronics show (CES) in Las Vegas. It’s effectively a bigger version of the Lumia 800, which along with the Lumia 710 has sold an estimated 1.3 million units.

We haven’t heard back from Nokia about the launch date but when it does tip up the Lumia 900 will offer a 4.3in touchscreen, an 8MP rear facing camera and Windows Phone 7.5 Mango. µ

The Nokia Lumia 800 is without a doubt one of the most interesting devices produced by the iconic Finnish smartphone manufacturer in a long while. There’s a huge amount riding on the Lumia series, which are Nokia’s first devices running Windows Phone 7.5. At the same time, we haven’t touched many Windows Phones since our initial review what seems like ages ago, but the platform has moved along, giving us an opportunity to finally take a formal look at the new things Windows Phone 7.5 brings.

Read on for the full review!

FINNISH PHONE MAKER Nokia has announced that it will issue two software updates to address power efficiency issues with its Lumia 800 smartphone.

Nokia’s new flagship Windows Phone handset has been on sale for just over a week and already the firm is promising a fix for power problems. The first software update will come in December followed by another in January.

Nokia said in its support forum, “We understand that some people have expressed concerns about battery life on the Nokia Lumia 800. Early investigations show that the majority of people are enjoying the full Nokia Lumia experience without any problems. A software update in early December will include improvements to power efficiency, while a second update in early January introduces further enhancements to battery life and battery charging.”

We’ve had the smartphone in for review at The INQUIRER and we didn’t discover any problems in this area, but a quick web search reveals that a lot of customers have been encountering the issue. The trouble seems to be with the firmware rather than the physical battery, which is good for Nokia as it will avoid having to replace faulty units.

It’s not exactly what Nokia needs at the moment with its aim of scraping back market share that it has lost recently to rivals such as Samsung and Apple. An industry analyst has slashed its sales forecast for Nokia’s Lumia 800 but the company remains positive about the launch of its first Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone. µ

ONLINE RETAILER Clove will start shipping a SIM-free Nokia Lumia 800 handset to people who want it at the start of December.

Thus far Nokia’s first Windows Phone 7.5 handset is available from only three firms on a SIM-free basis – Carphone Warehouse, Phones4u and Expansys – and this is the source of some disappointment, says Clove, because apparently there are people out there who want to pay the best part of £500 for the handset.

“The Nokia Lumia 800 has caused quite a bit of stir amongst the mobile technology world but there has been some disappointment because the Lumia to date has been made available through high street stores or network providers,” says a blog post from Clove.

“Our stock of SIM FREE UK spec of the Nokia Lumia 800 was due to be delayed until January, but it has now been brought forward until the 1st December.” It is not for us to suggest how these handsets came into the channel quicker, but we can confirm that Nokia has refused to comment on sales so far, but has cut its sales prediction in half.

The Nokia Lumia 800 handset, which comes in any colour you like as long as it is black, will set you back £450 once you have paid the VAT.

“Nokia’s first Windows Phone device this is one that many are interested in,” adds Clove as it closes its blog and leaves us wondering what it meant, nevermind why anyone might want to spend £450 for this particular phone. µ

FINNISH PHONE FIRM Nokia launched the Lumia 800 today but thoughts have already turned to follow-up devices and a Windows 8 tablet.

Whilst Nokia is busy hyping its launch of the Lumia 800 smartphone, news has come from France about the next versions of the device and a Windows 8 tablet.

Speaking about the Lumia 800, Paul Amsellem, head of Nokia in France told Les Echos, “It’s just the equivalent of the BMW 5 Series. We will soon have a full range with a Series 7 and Series 3.”

He also confirmed plans for a tablet on the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, saying, “And in June 2012, we will have a tablet running Windows 8.”

Likening the phone to a car isn’t common, but nevertheless he’s touting that various Lumia handsets will arrive that will be better than the Lumia 800. One of these could be the Nokia Champagne, which we heard about last week. That apparently will run Windows Phone 7.10 Tango.

Amsellem also spoke of the firm’s plans to boost its market share, saying, “More than 60 [per cent] of French people do not have smartphones and this is our target.” In France Nokia’s market share is less than 16 per cent now, compared to 25 per cent two years ago. µ

FINNISH PHONE FIRM Nokia claims that its fightback in the smartphone market is on, and the Lumia 800 Windows Phone 7.5 (WP7.5) Mango device shows signs of promise.

On first appearance the Lumia 800 bears a striking resemblance to the Nokia N9, which was released in selected European countries and uses the Meego operating system (OS).

The Lumia 800 exudes high quality craftsmanship, with the one-piece injection moulded plastic body even being scratch resistant. The device is comfortable to hold, but isn’t the lightest on the market as it weighs 142g.

Nokia has integrated a 3.7in AMOLED screen with 480×800 resolution. Colours are crisp and blacks are particularly, er, black when compared with other devices. Brightness also seemed very good as we were using the device in a low light environment.

With Microsoft having already laid down specifications for the WP7.5 Mango OS before Nokia signed its deal with Microsoft, the Finnish firm has been unable to make hardware substantially different from other devices made by HTC and Samsung.

The 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM are not the highest specifications around, but the device has been optimised get the full benefit from the software, much like Apple has with the IOS. This makes the Lumia 800 extremely responsive, and there is no noticeable lag.

The WP7.5 OS will probably attract more business users to the device, as it comes with enterprise features such as the Mobile Microsoft Office suite. One key features that sets the Nokia apart from competing Windows Phone devices is the 8MP camera with a f2.2 aperture lens and an optimised flash. This continues the impressive legacy from the N8, which had a very good camera.

Nokia has also managed to sneak in a few of its own apps, the highlight of which is Nokia Drive that provides free voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, a first for Windows Phone devices.

With a price of €420, the Lumia 800 isn’t cheap, but with the services on offer and good performance it could be winner. Nokia is still behind when it comes to the core specifications, but as Apple has shown, raw processing power isn’t everything.

Nokia is set to embark on its biggest marketing campaign ever with the Lumia series, so expect to see the device plastered everywhere in the next few weeks. The INQUIRER will have a full review up soon, but here is a video demo in the meantime. µ

STRUGGLING PHONE VENDOR Nokia’s Lumia 800 is the first high-end smartphone from the Finnish phone maker that runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system.

Key specifications include a 1.4GHz single core Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an 8MP camera.

Nokia is set to launch the phone in several European markets including the UK during November, with pricing around €470. µ