lumia 800

It looks like Nokia got a new talent agent because it has once again seen one of its phones get a walk-on role on a TV show. This time around, it's the cyan Lumia 800 in the BBC series Cuckoo, starring Saturday Night Live alum, Andy Samberg. Not only was it featured on the show, but it also looks to have gotten it's very own close-up.

Nokia were at the V Festival, but instead of simply enjoying the acts playing on-stage the company was out in force to challenge smartphone owners to see if their device could best a Windows Phone - the Lumia 800.

the V Festival, like many other music events held throughout the UK, is a golden opportunity for Windows Phone to be advertised to younger generations. Nokia has stated in the past they wish to rejuvenate their brand with youngsters, and being present at music events is definitely an effective game plan.

If you're looking for a deal on the Nokia Lumia 800, Carphone Warehouse is featuring the Lumia 800 as this week's Smart Deal. The Windows Phone is available to new customers and as an upgrade for free until September 6th.

The Smart Deal does call for a 24 month contract and monthly service plans. Plans start at £12.50 that includes 250 minutes of talk time, 5000 texts and 500mb of data through Talkmobile.

The title sounds familiar, right? It should, as this is the same Nokia offer as what we previously saw here in the UK. The manufacturer is offering Australian Lumia 800 and 900 owners the opportunity to claim a free pair of Purity HD headphones. If you have purchased a Lumia Windows Phone (either the 800 or 900) from today through to August 30th, you'll be eligible for a set of your own.

A new video purporedly shows limited NFC functionality on the Lumia 800

A video has appeared today (which we have been unable to verify for legitimacy) that reportedly shows a Nokia Lumia 800 making brief near-field communication (NFC) contact with a Nokia Play 360 (which supports NFC pairing). The phenomenon happens when toggling WiFi on and off, suggesting the powering of the NFC is connected somehow to WiFi.

The question naturally presents itself: does the Nokia Lumia 800 in fact support NFC? And will it get an update to enable this if so? The answer is a bit messy but we’ll just be brief here and say “no” and “no”.

We've covered a number of deals the past few days and it's certainly a coincidence that most (if not all) have been Nokia Windows Phones. We've got yet another offer to reveal to you should you reside in the UK. High street retailer Phones 4u has the exclusive white Lumia 800 listed at just £15/mo with Orange.

The Lumia 800 is bundled at no extra charge, and the 24-month plan includes 100 minutes, 3000 texts and 100MB of data. It doesn't sound a lot if you're a power user, but it's the Dolphin package from Orange so one can always upgrade should they wish to do so. 

The Phones 4u Lumia 800 product page shows a 3.8 / 5 average customer rating with 77% recommending it. Be sure to head on over to the retail website for more information. Note that Nokia have halted the free Monster headphones offer.

Source: Phones 4u; Thanks, Mark, for the heads up!

Tech2 India has reported that Nokia are kicking off a new campaign in the country titled "Amazing Money Back Challenge". This enables consumers who purchase the Lumia 710 or 800 Windows Phones to return the device within seven days for a full refund if not satisfied. That's some fairly heavy commitment.

The campaign is active on the Nokia India Facebook page, where consumers can enter contact details, select nearest stores and wait for that store to contact the participant. We presume a trip to a supporting store will also yield the same results. Of course, to return the device, you'll need to have it in almost-perfect condition with the original packaging, manuals and accessories. As well as this, the Windows Phone can only be returned to the store it was purchased from.

While many may see this as a desperate move by the manufacturer, we see it as an interesting challenge for consumers. Potential Windows Phone adopters can now fully own a Lumia smartphone for seven days on a free trial of sorts. Should they somehow not enjoy the experience provided by Nokia, there's peace of mind that a refund is readily available.

We've also got Windows Phone 8 ("Apollo") just around the corner, with current generation devices only upgrading to software version 7.8. The average Joe may not be aware of this fact, or are concerned that they will only receive Windows Phone 7.8. Nokia will have to use this time to shift as many devices as possible before the next wave is ready to roll.

via: Tech2.in; thanks, Arpit, for the tip!

Last night we revealed that Nokia had some 8779 OS updates with presumably some new firmware on their servers for the Lumia 710 and Lumia 800. At the time, we didn’t know what the updates included as 8779 is just slightly ahead of the just released 8773. Looks like we got Nokia's attention as they just gave out the details on the forthcoming update.

Technically speaking, we still don’t know what it’s in the OS as far as changes go (they're expected to be minor) but we now know what is coming with the bundled firmware. What’s more, it looks like the Lumia 900 will be getting the update too (although no word about AT&T, specifically). In fact, we’ve heard that the Lumia 900 in Germany already had 8779 on board so this is probably ready to rollout. Also, instead of the Lumia 800 we have info on the Lumia 610 instead.

On the Nokia Connects blog, details about the forthcoming updates were posted and it looks to be quite solid:

• Lumia 900 version 2175.2101.8779.12201: Enhanced sensitivity for proximity sensor performance and improvement to your phone’s screen colours in low light conditions
• Lumia 710 version 1600.3031.8779.12180: Internet sharing (Wi-Fi Hotspot) — Share your phone’s internet connection over Wi-Fi with up to five other devices or computers and Flip to silence — Silence incoming calls by turning your phone face down.
• Lumia 610 version 1066.0000.8779.12201: Enhanced sensitivity for proximity sensor performance and improved sound level for alarm tone during voice calls.

From the sounds of it, these updates are very close to being releases so you’ll have to check for availability (or just watch our site). You can get more info when it’s made available at http://www.nokia.com/support. You do have to give Nokia some credit though, they're on top of these updates.

There was no mention of the post-Tango 8779 for the Lumia 800 though, which is curious because we did see those on Nokia's NaviFirm servers. Perhaps they're not ready for prime time just yet. We'll keep you posted.

Edit: As some users are pointing out, Nokia Connects may have the firmware numbers wrong. The latest firmware looks to be 12221 and not 12201 and some of those 710 new features came out with the 8773 update. So this is still a bit murky.

Thanks, Giovanni, for the heads up and Mark T. for the Germany info

Nokia has today announced The Dark Knight Rises limited edition Lumia 800 in India. The unique Windows Phone will be a steal with only 200 being made available for retail. The limited edition smartphone sports a laser etched Batman logo on the rear of the device, and will be made available from Nokia's website mid-July. 

Reportedly priced at Rs. 24,999, which shares the same tag as the listed standard Lumia 800, it appears to be a solid deal for those interested in the franchise. As with The Dark Knight Rises Nokia Windows Phones launched elsewhere, the lucky owner will be able to take advantage of exclusive content, as well as an interactive game. Lumia owners can also download and install the exclusive app from the Marketplace.

If the Lumia 800 (or the Batman edition) isn't your cup of tea, the manufacturer also revealed the launch of the Lumia 610, which is priced at Rs. 12,999. Unfortunately, we're still waiting for the Lumia 900, and with Windows Phone 8 ("Apollo") drawing ever closer, it's looking less likely that many will choose to adopt such a late release.

Source: NDTV