As we have reported earlier this morning, Nokia has now announced its first two devices that will run Microsoft"s Windows Phone 7 operating system; the Lumia 710 and the Lumia 800. These smartphones represent a big risk for both companies as they try to compete with Apple"s popular iPhone and a number of Android-based devices.
In the newest entry on its official Windows Phone 7 blog, Microsoft"s Ben Rudolph goes over some of the more interesting hardware and software features of the new Nokia phones. Rudolph says, "... Nokia is building phones with high-end optics from Carl Zeiss so your photos are just as good as those taken with a point-and-shoot."
While Windows Phone 7 devices all have access to Microsoft"s own Bing Maps and the Zune music and media software apps, the Nokia phones will have apps of their own such as " ... Nokia Drive’s voice-activated free, turn-by-turn navigation and Nokia Music’s massive library of tracks and hundreds of channels from MixRadio."
Rudolph also says that the overall design of the Lumia smartphones are something special. He says that the phones are " ... well built, sleek, fast, and flat out beautiful. And with Windows Phone onboard, they have an OS that matches that exceptional industrial design every step of the way. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you pick one up for the first time."
The big question: Will these Lumia smartphones be enough to turn Nokia"s currently declining financial situation around and will it make Windows Phone 7 a true OS competitor to iOS and Android in terms of marketshare?