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Nokia, HTC and Samsung with Microsoft Launch New Handsets: Windows Phone 8

By: Mubs Date: 05/09/12
windows phone 8

Windows phone 8 is the next generation of Windows Phones, as officially confirmed by Microsoft.

 

 

New Gen Windows Phone 8.

It's Windows 8 in a phone(sort-of)

Windows Phone 8 is based on the same technology that power Windows 8. This brings the phone's software closer to a Windows PC and lets games developers write the same game for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

The only difference between Windows 8 and the phone is the size.


Faster, more powerful phones

Windows Phone 8 handsets are powered by dual/quad-core processors (the same kind of technology you will find in the Samsung Galaxy S3, iPhone 4S etc. This means your Windows Phone will run faster than ever before.


Bigger, sharper screens

The screens found on Windows Phone 8 have been upgraded - the high-end phones will have a high-definition 720p screen.

There are also two new screen resolutions for vivid, sharper images: 1280x768 and 1280x720.

New range of handsets

The first wave of devices for Windows Phone 8 will come from the big boys. We can expect new phones from the likes of Samsung, Nokia, HTC, and Huawei.


You can add storage

For the first time on Windows Phone you'll be able to plug in removable MicroSD cards. This extra space can be used to store photos, music, videos and installing apps.


Better sharing

You'll be able to simply "tap and send" to share your videos, music, photos, documents and files from your phone to another Windows device. This is all thanks to a clever new technology called NFC (near field communication) - you can expect to hear a lot more about NFC from now on.

start screen

Redesigned Start Screen

"The sexiest thing" in Windows Phone 8 is arguably the redesigned Start Screen. It also looks very similar to Windows 8.

Instead of the two tile-wide design found in Windows Phone 7, users will benefit from a wider three tile display. You will be able to set the size of any tile to any of these three sizes, double wide, standard medium and small.

Windows Phone 8 will also deliver more colours, so you can customise your phone's appearance even more.


Internet Explorer 10

Browsing the internet will be 2x faster than the current Windows Phone.

Windows Phone 8 uses the same SmartScreen anti-phishing filter that you can find on your Windows 8 PC. This will block malicious websites and stop you from downloading files that could harm your phone (which is nice).


Easy updates

Windows Phone 8 updates will be delivered wirelessly over-the-air, so you don't have to bother plugging your phone into your PC to update anymore. Microsoft will also support devices with updates for at least 18 months from device launch.

wallet

You'll be able to pay for things using your phone

Windows Phone 8 will come with a cool new digital Wallet feature. Some websites have descibed the Windows Phone 8 Wallet as a "Google Wallet killer"...

Your Wallet can keep debit and credit cards, coupons, boarding passes, and other important info. You can also pay for things with a tap of your phone at checkout counters.


100,000 apps to download

Favourites like "Draw Something" and "Words With Friends" are due to arrive on Windows Phone 8. Apps like Nokia Drive will be available for all Windows 8 smartphones (not just Nokia models).


Windows Phone 7.8

Current Windows Phone users will receive an update (called Windows Phone 7.8) sometime after Window Phone 8 is released. This update will add the new Windows Phone 8 Start screen to your phone.

Windows Phone 8 is a generation shift in technology, which means that it will not run on existing hardware.

 

1. NOKIA LUMIA 920 AND 820 with WINDOWS 8

920

The flagship device - the Lumia 920 - features wireless charging and a "PureView" camera which the mobile firm said offered better video and still images than rival smartphones.

The Lumia 920 features a Snapdragon S4 processor, a 4.5in (11.4cm) curved screen, an 8.7 megapixel camera and can be used while wearing gloves.

It also features several Nokia-only functions designed to make it stand out from other Windows Phone 8 devices.

The Finnish firm claimed that "floating lens technology" meant the handset could capture up to 10 times the amount of light than other handsets.

It said the advantages were brighter, clearer indoor images that would be less prone to blur caused by unsteady hands than some SLR (single lens reflex) cameras on the market which feature bigger and more expensive lenses.

The firm also updated its mapping technology to feature "City Lens" - an augmented reality app that overlays information about nearby restaurants and other points of interest over live footage of the surrounding area captured by the device's camera.

But the headline feature for many will be the fact that the mobile can be recharged without having to plug it in.

Nokia has fitted the handset with technology allowing it to receive power by magnetic induction from suitable bases. It conforms to the emerging Qi industry standard, which should make the Lumia handset compatible with bases designed for other devices.

In addition to selling its own recharging station, Nokia said the US's Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain and Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow airport club lounge would fit equipment allowing visitors to power up the Lumia handsets, offering it fresh opportunities to promote the feature.

A cheaper Lumia 820 was also detailed.

820

It shares the same operating system and NFC (near field communication) technology as the 920, but has a smaller screen, lower quality camera and requires the purchase of an optional exterior shell to add wireless charging.

2. HTC Windows Phone 8S and 8X

UPDATED: 19/09/2012 by mubs.

htc 8x

HTC has unveiled two Windows Phone 8 handsets at an event in New York.

The 8X, features a 4.3" (10.9cm) display, as its flagship device alongside the Android-powered One X.

The firm is also offering a smaller 8S model with a 4" (10.2cm) screen.

The 8X is slated to hit the market in early November (just after Windows 8 gets its official release), but surprise surprise — there’s been no word yet on exactly when it will launch, or how much it’ll cost once it does.

Now for the hardware. As a handful of leaks intimated prior to the event, the 8X indeed sports a 4.3-inch Super LCD2 display (coated in Corning’s near -ubiquitous Gorilla Glass) running at 720p, as well as a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz. All of that is housed inside a brightly-colored polycarbonate body, and consumers will have several to choose from when the thing eventually launches.

HTC has been very proactive about pumping up the performance of their smartphone camera, and the 8X seems to keep that tradition alive and kicking as it includes the same 8-megapixel sensor and and imaging chip as seen in its Android-powered cousin the One X. Meanwhile, HTC also seemed intent on making the front-facing camera actually worth a damn — the front-facing 2.1-megapixel camera sports an f/2.0 lens and is capable of recording 1080p video. Beats Audio support has also made the jump to Windows Phone, and HTC’s Scott Croyle pointed to the inclusion of a built-in amplifier to boost the device’s sound quality — a far cry from the simple audio profile that graced HTC’s Beats-friendly Android devices.

HTC says the mid-range 8S model is aimed squarely at the general consumer. But it’s missing a lot of features.

The 8S is a large step down from HTC’s 8X hero device (and Nokia’s new handsets) and depending on the price, could have a hard time gaining sales. Hell, I’m not sure carriers could even give away this phone for free.

The 8S uses a 4-inch paltry WVGA screen that’s thankfully protected by Gorilla Glass. Under the hood rests a dual-core S4 SoC running at 1GHz backed by 512MB of RAM — specs that even by Windows Phone standards are very sub-par. The phone also packs just 4GB of storage but includes a microSD card slot for easy expansion. There is no front-facing camera and the rear facing one is only 5MP and is limited to 720p video capture (likely to make upselling to the 8X a bit easier).

No word if the 8S packs LTE.

The 8S is a bit bulky, too, and measures in at 10.28mm thick. That makes it the thickest Windows Phone 8 device announced to date.

Compared to the 8S’ closest competitor, the Nokia 820, the HTC 8S looks like a phone from last year. It features a much slower CPU, fewer connectivity options, a smaller screen (but is still thicker),

8x large

 

3. Samsung Ativ S

After some delay, the Samsung Ativ S has emerged. With its big and bright display,

ativ s 1

The Ativ S is a huge phone, dwarfed only by gadgets like the Galaxy Note. It has a 4.8-inch display, which is the same size as Samsung's extremely popular, Android-powered Galaxy S3.

That screen is of the HD Super AMOLED variety, which means it'll be extremely colourful, with a huge heap of contrast to do your photos and video justice. The display is 720p, once more matching the Galaxy S3.

This phone is extremely slim, measuring just 8.7mm thick. It's light too, at 135g, so even though it's a very big mobile, carting it about all afternoon won't weigh you down.

There's a 1.5GHz dual-core chip humming away inside this smart phone, which may not sound that powerful by today's standards, but how speedy the phone proves to be will depend greatly on Windows Phone 8 itself.

On the back there's a 8-megapixel camera with an LED flash and autofocus, while a second 1.9-megapixel snapper on the front can be used for video calling, or taking photos of your nostrils.

There are a few Samsung-specific apps that'll come pre-loaded, including ChatOn, which is the company's own-brand instant messaging app, and the Samsung Music Hub.

Samsung has form in building big phones, so I'm keen to see what it can do for the new Windows Phone 8 operating system. The Ativ S will have plenty of competition when it launches though (from phones with better names), so it'll need to impress in the camera, performance and battery stakes to win our hearts.

 

sources:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobile-phones/samsung-ativ-s-review-50009022/

http://www.techradar.com/

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