Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone?...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that...

The Nokia Lumia 1020: An exciting turning point?

Screen Shot 2013-07-11 at 22.14.19

So — finally — is this the phone that’s likely to tempt you back to Nokia and over to the Windows Phone platform?

It’s been long rumoured. In fact ever since the Symbian variant hit the market there have been hints, nods and winks that something like this was on the way… In the ‘fullness of time’.

Here’s the release from Nokia. Have a read and see what you think. Do also look at the language used in the release. Nokia is by no means back to strength but I can discern a real, positive groundswell of support for them as a player returning to form.

Espoo, Finland and New York, NY – Today, Nokia established a new benchmark in smartphone imaging with the arrival of the Nokia Lumia 1020, boasting a second generation 41 megapixel sensor. Unlike any smartphone in the market today the Nokia Lumia 1020 reinvents zoom, enabling people to discover more detail than the eye can see. With Nokia’s innovative PureView technology, including optical image stabilization, the device is able to produce some of the sharpest images possible by any digital camera.

This is made possible by leading hardware technology combined with a new application called Nokia Pro Camera, which makes it easy for anyone to take professional quality images. Either before a picture is taken or after it has been shot, the zoom capability enables people to discover and then rediscover the personal stories each image can tell. With a beautiful interface that visually demonstrates how settings will affect the final photo or video, Nokia Pro Camera makes it easier than ever to capture, edit and share photos and videos with unrivaled clarity.

Using a new feature called dual capture, the Nokia Lumia 1020 simultaneously takes a high resolution 38 megapixel image for endless editing opportunities, and creates a 5 megapixel picture that is easy to share to social networks with Windows Phone 8.

The Nokia Lumia 1020’s 41 megapixel sensor features leading ZEISS optics with six physical lenses, plus optical image stabilization, delivering crystal clear pictures even in low light conditions. It also captures blur free videos with stereo sound even at the loudest concerts thanks to Nokia Rich Recording, which handles sound pressure levels six times louder than conventional smartphone microphones.

“We want to take people on a journey from capturing pictures to recording and sharing their lives,” said Stephen Elop, President and CEO, Nokia. “The Nokia Lumia 1020 will bring new meaning to pictures and continues to strengthen Nokia’s leadership in imaging.”

Nokia also released a new imaging software development kit (SDK) that provides key image editing features of the Nokia Lumia 1020 to developers. The SDK is available today at developer.nokia.com with a number of developers including Vyclone, Yelp and CNN integrating these features into future releases.

Hipstamatic showcased Oggl PRO, an exclusive application for the Nokia Lumia 1020 offering the most advanced smartphone camera controls for their creative community. It was also announced that popular applications Vine, Path and Flipboard will soon be available on Windows Phone.

Adding further professional capabilities and additional battery life, Nokia announced the new Nokia Camera Grip. This is an accessory that complements device features usually reserved for stand-alone cameras, like the Nokia Lumia 1020’s built-in xenon flash and mechanical shutter. The Nokia Camera Grip also has a tripod mount, and is expected to be available this month for an estimated retail price of USD 79.

The personal nature of Windows Phone makes it the perfect platform for the Nokia Lumia 1020, showcasing live images on the Start screen with the Photos tile, quick sharing to social networks, and easy access to files across a number of devices with SkyDrive. With the dedicated camera button, Windows Phone is designed with imaging in mind.

To help people see what’s around them and discover new places to take photos, the latest developments in LiveSight will available in HERE Maps soon. The Nokia Lumia 1020 also comes with ad and subscription free Nokia Music streaming.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 will arrive first on U.S. shores exclusively with AT&T, with sales expected to start on July 26 at a price of USD 299.99 on a two-year contract.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is then expected to arrive in China and key European markets this quarter. Nokia plans to ship an exclusive variant of the device with Telefonica to select European and Latin American markets. The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available in yellow, white and black.

20130711-170208.jpg

13 COMMENTS

  1. Brilliant! Just brilliant! A worthy upgrade from my beloved Nokia 808 Pureview! And from what the esteemed Rafe Blanford has been saying it seems as if the presentation has come over in quite differently to the norm and it and the phone has been met with a warm response! Get in their Nokia!

  2. Wishful thinking there I think Ewen,
    Reminds me of the N93i.
    I really want Nokia to Succeed but sticking a great camera on a windows phone when the competition as cameras that are good enough is not enough

  3. I’m really not happy with the camera quality in mainstream devices at the moment you see — I wonder how many other people are?
    Yes the iPhone 5S will have a ‘better’ camera — but I’m not looking for better. I’d seriously like to have a Canon EOS quality (or near) capabilities in my pocket. That’s what it *looks* like I’d get with the Lumia 1020. I think a lot of people would be willing to look at the Windpws platform for this facility. Show me an Android or iOS equivalent (that isn’t a camera with a phone tacked on!)

  4. That is a very valid pov. I just think you are in the minority as most people are too heavily invested in iOS or android and the phone cameras these days are good enough for most people.
    From the BBC
    “Market research firm IDC recently carried out a survey of smartphone
    owners in 25 countries to identify what factors were most likely to
    drive future purchases.
    The results placed camera resolution 15th on a list of 23
    features. Audio quality for voice, battery life, device security and
    browsing came top of the poll.”

    But also I would like to see the same Nokia phone but with Android.

  5. Ah interesting — to your point Tony, I wonder how the market would react to exactly the same device running Android?

  6. Then based on that poll a lot of people should be moving to a Nokia made WP8 phone very soon! The first three are right there as Nokia’s and WP8 strengths, and with the camera technology that Nokia is pushing it is going to be forcing people to rethink the camera on their current phone. Nokia will have people thinking back to those times that they have looked back at a picture that they have taken and been disappointed by the way it has come out. Even if they have checked the photo immediately after they have taken it and tried again most likely they would not have been able to do anything to improve it. They may not have admitted this to anyone but you can bet your bottom dollar that a lot, a heck of a lot, of people have felt that disappointment. And now Nokia have a range of phones that is topped by the Nokia Lumia 1020 that will crop up and be noticed. And be noticed in those sorts of numbers that will soon start to snow ball. And just wait for those moments around the world when the “social star” in a group of friends beams out that perfect party shot, be it an afternoon garden shot, sunset on a beach or nightclub shot that just blows away all of the shots taken by the friends…

  7. The market? Wouldn’t even burp. But. The tech press would go into melt down. I use Android in several forms every day and am always happy to come back to Symbian. Now that there are two WP8 devices in the house I can’t get enough of them and can see how, when coupled with the Lumia hardware, Nokia are making their way as the third choice. Right now, for me, it has become the next step after Symbian.

  8. I like the device a lot and although it might be a niche device it will change a lot! The design itself is a bit boring though! Same old, same old but new…! Going to get it most likely anyway! 😀

  9. It’s nothing like the N93i. In fact, the whole purpose of PureView came from Nokia trying to avoid the pitfalls of the N93i (heavy, bulky, complex, prone to damage). The latest version of PureView not only combines phases 1 and 2, it significantly improves upon each phase.

    Can’t wait to see this same tech rolled out to other rumored flagship devices (i.e.: tablet & phablet). This is exactly the type of differentiation that will make Nokia great again.

  10. This is a classic Red leather with wrapped case for Nokia Lumia 1020
    Material is soft and flex TPU + Leahter.
    effect avoid from shock or drop by accident.
    It is soft ,can fold.made from gadget2us

    the lens cover can turn 360 degrees

  11. $8.0 each Lumia 1020 case with a lens cap.

    It is necessary to have a leather protector,effect avoid the damage from the drop by accident.not only protect the camera lens. also protect the screen.

    this design is a true shockproof case,totally soft.

    Is made from gadget2us

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Recently Published

Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an HP LaserJet printer (version 3, if memory serves), I have been printing with an HP. Over the...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone? I'm asking because I'm thinking about what I should be doing. When I was living in Oman, I...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that next to nothing from Mobile World Congress would break through into the mainstream media. I was right,...

How Wireless Will Pave the Path to Neobank Profitability

I'm delighted to bring you an opinion piece from Rafa Plantier at Gigs.com. I think it's particularly relevant given the recent eSIM news from...

An end of an era: Vodafone UK turns off 3G services

I thought it was worthwhile highlighting this one from the Vodafone UK team. For so long - for what feels like years, seeing the...

Mobile World Congress: Did the mainstream media notice?

I resolved this year to make sure I wrote something - anything - about Mobile World Congress, the huge mobile industry trade show taking...