Windows Phone 8 "Kanavos" concept handset is a thing of Mondrian beauty

Mobile phones meet art in this wonderful concept piece from designer Alexandros Stasinopoulos.

Called "Kanavos", it takes the standard Windows Phone 8 template, and extends the operating systems Tile UI design over into the chassis of the phone itself, for a beautiful marriage between software and hardware. It's almost like a Mondrian piece!

Source : techdigest

A War of Features: Nokia Lumia 920 vs. HTC Windows Phone 8

Looks like the world definitely took a liking to Windows 8, whatever little we’ve been allowed to take a look at so far. Even as we wait for the Surface tablet and Windows 8 PCs to launch in the market, the competition is heating up among Windows-based smartphones. Last week, we brought you a story about the newly launched Nokia Lumia 920’s features and how it compares with some of the other popular smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple’s yet to be launched iPhone 5. Now, close on the heels of Nokia’s announcement of the latest model, HTC has unveiled its high-end Windows-based smartphone, the HTC Windows Phone 8X.

It’s not just the timing that coincides with the Lumia 920; the HTC Windows Phone 8X even has features and specifications similar to the latest Nokia smartphone:

The similarities: Both these phones, based on the upcoming Windows 8 for mobiles, are powered by the same 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and 1 GB RAM. Both phones sport similarly designed HD displays with a resolution of 1280X720 pixels, have NFC capabilities and can run on 4G speeds in terms of connectivity. What’s more, they’re even available in identical colored cases – red, yellow, and black. While you get the option of going blue on the HTC phone, the Nokia Lumia 920 is also available in white and gray.

The differences: This is obviously where the actual war begins between these two Windows-based smartphones. In terms of cameras, the HTC phone has an 8MP rear camera and a 2.1MP front facing one, when compared to Nokia’s 8.7MP rear camera and 1MP front facing camera. In terms of storage space, the HTC phone has merely 16MB of internal memory, while Nokia has been pretty generous with 32GB of internal storage capacity. Even the battery of the Nokia Lumia 920 at 2000 mAh is more powerful than the 1800 mAh battery that powers the HTC Windows Phone 8X. Bluetooth connectivity in the Lumia phone is also better as it is equipped with Bluetooth 3.1, as opposed to HTC’s Bluetooth 2.1. The Nokia Lumia 920 even gets a slight edge over HTC in terms of screen size – equipped with a 4.5 inch screen, while the Windows Phone 8X features a 4.3 inch screen.

Now, from what we’ve heard so far, the Nokia Lumia 920 surely looks more promising. But we’re curious to see how HTC’s foray into Windows phones would perform in the market. They still haven’t revealed the pricing of the Windows Phone 8X, so if they price it right, it just might be able to offer stiff competition to the Lumia 920.

Source : techthirsty

Nokia Lumia 920's exciting features revealed

A few days before Apple’s iPhone 5 announcement, Nokia unveiled its new flagship device – the Lumia 920. Nokia is pinning its hopes on this to make a breakthrough in the smartphone race and with Windows Phone 8, PureView camera, new display under the hood, it may just have a fighting chance. Here’s a quick look at some of the highlights of the new Lumia 920, launching some time in October, along with Windows Phone 8.

Iconic design

The Lumia 920 continues the successful design of the Lumia 800 and 900 with the iconic unibody polycarbonate shell. This time around, Nokia has gone with a glossy finish which also has a scratch resistant layer over it. The curved design of the chassis gives the Lumia 920 a very distinctive look and feel, unlike any other smartphone.

PureMotion HD+ display

Nokia’s flagship features a new PureMotion HD+ display which in simple English translates to a 4.5-inch HD (1280 x 768) IPS display. Thanks to the high resolution, the display is of ‘Retina-grade’ with a 332ppi. This makes text incredibly sharp and crisp to read. Nokia has also baked technology from Synaptics into the display, which lets you operate the touchscreen while wearing gloves. The display has always been one of the strong points of the Lumia series and the 920 is no exception.

Wireless charging

For the first time, wireless charging will be default in a smartphone. The technology is built into the body of the Lumia 920 and adheres to the Qi wireless charging standard, a consortium that includes companies like Belkin, HTC, Samsung, Panasonic and many more. This means you’ll be able to charge the 920 with any charger based on the Qi standard and we should expect the next wave of flagship devices to have this feature built in as well.

Brand new apps

The Lumia 920 will feature a bunch of new apps like City Lens, augmented reality app that gives you real-time information about places around you as you view them through your camera. Third party vendors like Rovio, makers of Angry Bird, will launch their new app called Angry Birds Roost.

PureView camera

One of the highlights of the 920 is the new PureView camera on board. However, unlike the PureView 808’s 41MP sensor, the Lumia 920 will have an 8.7MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics and their proprietary optical image stabilisation technology which suspends the lens on springs in order to compensate for shakes and movement. The new sensor is optimised for low light photography and is said to be able to capture about five to ten times more light compared to other smartphone cameras, thanks to the floating lens.

Faster processing

All these features are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 SoC. This consists of the speedy 1.5GHZ dual-core CPU and faster Adreno 225 graphics chip. The phone also has a 1GB of RAM to ensure smooth operation of the UI and apps. Since the Lumia 920 doesn’t have expandable memory, you get a generous 32GB on board.

Source : dnaindia

Yahoo to offer free Nokia Lumia 920 handsets to its employees

Just last month, Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer put on notice that she wanted Yahoo employees to get rid of their BlackBerry handsets that they are using for work. It was even reported that the Yahoo CEO was planning to every Yahoo employee a new iPhone or an Android smartphone. Little did we know that Ms. Mayer will actually push through with her plans and is now actually putting into motion its “Yahoo! Smart Phone, Smart Fun!” program.

According to the memo, the rationale behind the move is for Yahoo employees to use the same devices that Yahoo users make use of so that these said employees can think and work just like Yahoo users do and we quote “We’d like our employees to have devices similar to our users, so we can think and work as the majority of our users do.”

With this program, Yahoo employees get to choose from a list of handsets which include the recently-announced Nokia Lumia 920. The list also includes the iPhone5, Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC EVO 4G LTE and the HTC One X. Not only that, Yahoo will also shoulder the data and phone bills of its employees. According to Ms. Mayer, the estimated $2 million cost that this program will cost is a pittance because productivity could improve with every Yahoo employee using the same platform.

As for including the Nokia Lumia 920 to the list, this is a good choice because the handset is the current flagship device of the Finnish smartphone manufacturer and it brings an impressive specs sheet to the table. Announced a couple of weeks ago and expected to hit the shelves by Q4, the Nokia Lumia 920 is the successor of the Nokia Lumia 900 4G. The handset takes much of its design inspiration from its predecessor and the only glaring difference between the two at first glance is the user interface of their respective operating systems.

In terms of aesthetics however, the Nokia Lumia 920 is bulkier and heftier than its predecessor with its measurements of 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm and it tips the scales at a rather hefty 185 grams. It does exhibit that premium feel and solid build quality that we have come to associate with the flagship handsets of Nokia in the past.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is a beauty on the outside but an absolute beast on the inside. It packs a QualComm MSM8960 SnapDragon chipset in its internals and this SoC comes with a dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor and 1GB of RAM in tow. The handset has 32GB of onboard storage but ad to say, there is no option to have this expanded for that matter. Its display on the other hand is a PureMotion HD+ IPS TFT panel measuring 4.5 inches diagonally and packs a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. Its camera department on the other hand features a rear 8MP shooter and a front 1.3MP snapper.

Source : mobilebloom