Nokia Lumia 610 launches in the UK, starts on £15 per month contracts

Nokia Lumia 610 launches in the UK, starts on £15 per month contracts

Nokia's latest Windows Phone addition might not stack up to the polycarbonate glory of its forebears, but at this price, it's hard to complain that much. While the reduced RAM specification is proving tricky with some apps, the Lumia 610 has some strong points, arriving with WiFi tethering out of the box and a raft of Nokia's impressive home-made apps. We're putting the phone through its paces for review now, so you can expect our verdict pretty soon. The Lumia 610 will be available across Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and Three, in a choice of white, cyan, magenta and black finishes. Phone sellers Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u will also be more than willing to take your money and if you'd like to hear Nokia wax lyrical on its tiniest leading light, take a look right after the break.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 610 launches in the UK, starts on £15 per month contracts

Nokia Lumia 610 launches in the UK, starts on £15 per month contracts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds and PES 2012 join Skype: won’t work on Windows Phones with 256MB RAM (updated)

Angry Birds and PES 2012 join Skype: won't work on Windows Phones with 256MB RAM

Putting the squeeze on those hardware specifications has lead to several more app casualties on Microsoft's ever-growing mobile platform. Unfortunately, it includes one of mobile gaming's biggest hitters: Angry Birds. We gave installation a go on our own Lumia 610 and were met with the unfortunate message seen above. According to WindowsPhoneApps Spanish, it's not the only one affected by the reduction in RAM on these lower-priced smartphones. PES 2012 won't run on the lower-specced smartphone, while videocall app Tango also joins its rival Skype on the no-go list.

Update: Nokia's confirmed that Rovio is, indeed, working on an optimized version of Angry Birds for the Lumia 610, though an exact release date is still up in the air.

Angry Birds and PES 2012 join Skype: won't work on Windows Phones with 256MB RAM (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 May 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Verge  |  sourceWindowsPhoneApps (translated)  | Email this | Comments

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 21st, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 21st, 2012

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, it was revealed that the HTC EVO 4G LTE likely supports simultaneous voice and data connections on Sprint's network, Samsung's Galaxy Ace 2 landed at Three in the UK and Vertu revealed a refresh to its Constellation series of luxury phones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 21st, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 21st, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 21st, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 May 2012 21:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn’t ‘up to par’

Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par'

It took nearly a full month, but Nokia has finally been convinced that Skype is indeed incompatible with low-memory Windows Phones. In reaching out to a spokesperson, the company confirmed to us that it has decided to yank the official client from the Marketplace on the Lumia 610. The device -- which utilizes a scant 256MB of RAM -- originally allowed the service to be downloaded despite Skype's claims that 512MB was the minimum amount of memory required for the app to function properly. The internet phone service, as it turns out, was correct: Nokia, stating that the user experience is "workable" but not "up to par with Nokia's and Skype's expectation," has pulled the plug on any future downloads. Users who managed to snag the app before it disappeared can still enjoy (or hate, depending on your experience) it on their Lumia 610, but until Skype is able to lower the memory restrictions, it looks like everyone else is out of luck. Head below for the full translated statement.

Continue reading Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par'

Nokia axes Skype client on Lumia 610, claims user experience wasn't 'up to par' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPowerUser  |  sourceWeLoveWP (translated)  | Email this | Comments

MasterCard gives PayPass blessings to HTC One X, 16 other NFC phones

ImageMasterCard is widening the universe of phones that officially support PayPass in a big way, with a new MasterCard PayPass Ready program certifying that devices with NFC will play nicely with its mobile payment system. A total of 17 phones are part of the first wave getting the official A-OK. Some of these are known quantities already using PayPass, like the LG Viper 4G LTE and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus HSPA+, but others are new to the PayPass ways. Among the picks are the HTC One X, Intel's smartphone reference device and the Nokia Lumia 610 NFC. A raft of BlackBerrys and lower-end Samsung Galaxy phones are likewise in the fray. While only a handful of these might ever work with Google Wallet or other US-focused NFC payment methods, you can check out the full roster in the release after the break.

Continue reading MasterCard gives PayPass blessings to HTC One X, 16 other NFC phones

MasterCard gives PayPass blessings to HTC One X, 16 other NFC phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMasterCard PayPass Ready (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory restrictions

Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory requirements

Remember the unfortunate news that Skype's new Windows Phone app wasn't compatible with low-memory devices? Well, the app is now working fine with the incoming Nokia Lumia 610. After "some challenges early on", Nokia tells us that the app is primed for use when the entry-level Windows Phone eventually hits Asian store at the end of April. Now one problem remains; which color?

Skype for Windows Phone working on Nokia Lumia 610, scoffs at memory restrictions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype app won’t work on low-end Windows Phone devices

Skype app won't work on low-end Windows Phone devices

Buried within Skype's announcement that its app has finally graduated from beta on Windows Phone, the mention of a 512MB minimum memory requirement reveals that the Internet phone service won't -- currently -- work with the likes of Nokia's Lumia 610 and the ZTE Tania. Skype has logged this under "current issues", which we hope means the company is working tirelessly to squeeze the app into cheaper Windows Phone hardware. Other features still being worked on include Bluetooth compatibility and Skype SMS messaging support. C'mon, they're part of the family now -- can't they all just get along?

Skype app won't work on low-end Windows Phone devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPoweruser  |  sourceSkype  | Email this | Comments

Nokia Lumia 610 headed to the (Pacific) ‘Ring of Fire’ in coming months for €189

Nokia Lumia 610 headed to the (Pacific)

The Lumia 610 is a colorful thing,
going on sale, in the Firery Ring.
Bound by tepid desire,
it's about to launch in the Ring of Fire.

It's about to launch in the burning Ring of Fire.
Sales are down, down, down,
and the burning platform feels higher.
But it's going on sale, sale, sale,
in the Ring of Fire.
And also China.

The full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Nokia Lumia 610 headed to the (Pacific) 'Ring of Fire' in coming months for €189

Nokia Lumia 610 headed to the (Pacific) 'Ring of Fire' in coming months for €189 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Q1 2012 financials: $9 billion in sales can’t stop a $1.7 billion loss

Image

Nokia's released the bundle of spreadsheets that comprise its 2012 Q1 financials, just a week after it acknowledged that it would make a loss, despite bullish sales of the new Lumia 900. The numbers reveal that the company had net sales of €7.4 billion ($9.7 billion), down from €10.4 billion ($13.6 billion) at the start of last year. Net sales are down 30 percent year-on-year, which means the company's posting a loss of €1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) for the first three months of 2012. That loss is broken down as €772 million to restructure Nokia Siemens Networks, €101 million to restructure the Devices & Services and Location & Commerce departments, principally in shedding employees and relocating its factories to Asia. It had forecasted an operating margin of three percent below "break even," and says it's likely to remain that way well into the second quarter.

Stephen Elop pointed out that much of the loss is due to both increased competition and the costs of restructuring, but also seemed to tacitly confirm rumors we'd heard that UK carriers have been resistant to Nokia's new direction, saying that establishing momentum in the country has been "challenging." However, it's still promising to arrest the slump and in a statement to Moody's on Monday, the company pledged that it was prioritizing "cash conservation" exercises, although its liquid cash reserves have fallen 24% in a year, meaning that the company's only got €4.8 billion ($6.3 billion) put aside for a rainy day.

Nokia's Q1 2012 financials: $9 billion in sales can't stop a $1.7 billion loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNokia (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube (update: now official)

NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube
In a world where NFC is just starting to become useful, its notable absence on Nokia's Windows Phones has been increasingly, well, notable. But a video that temporarily appeared on the Finnish phone-maker's YouTube account reveals that NFC is indeed coming, with a new version of the Lumia 610 on the Orange network apparently set to become the first handset to make it happen somewhere in Europe. The video was quickly pulled, but not before Thegadgetbuff managed to grab a dodgy rip of it, which you'll see after the break. It contains an interview with Andrea Bacioccola, whose job title ("Lead program manager, NFC") pretty much says it all -- even before he gets to mentioning stuff like FourSquare checking-in, audio speaker pairing like with the N9, and a new Nokia Tag Writer app that could possibly do something similar to the customizable Xperia SmartTag system. See for yourself after the break, and as mentioned, please forgive the clip's piratical quality.

Update: Nokia has put out a press release confirming the above, and saying that the new NFC-equipped Lumia 610 will be out on Orange early in the next quarter. It's also certified for MasterCard's PayPass technology. Official video now added too.

Continue reading NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube (update: now official)

NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube (update: now official) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TheNextWeb  |  sourceThegadgetbuff (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments