Nokia chief Stephen Elop claims his firm has produced the first real Windows Phone device.
Elop unveiled the Lumia 800 on the opening day of the Nokia World developer conference in London this morning, claiming the unit brings a “gentler structure to mobility,” by digging deep into the firm’s Finnish design roots.
“We are signaling our intent, right now, here today, to be today’s leaders in smartphone design and craftsmanship,” Elop told the crowd. He referred to the “inky blackness of the glass,” and “precision finishing” of the new handset, adding that “every feature has earned its place by focusing on essential elements.”
Those ‘elements’ include Internet Explorer 9, a curved 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor, and Carl Zeiss camera module. The unit is scheduled to hit stores in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and The Netherlands in November, for a recommended price of €420 ($584).
“We believe it is the first ever…that properly complements, [and] amplifies Windows Phone,” Elop explained.
Product manager Kevin Shields says the smartphone “defies convention,” with an “incredibly responsive, buttery smooth user interface.” He says the UI is arranged to show the information most-important to users rather than a “lame grid of application icons that sit there doing nothing,” and collates contact information from multiple sources, including social media sites.
The device offers access to Microsoft’s Xbox Live gaming community, which automatically updates your home console with achievements unlocked on the smartphone, Microsoft Office applications, and Nokia Drive – a free voice activated in-car navigation service.