Nokia Lumia 820

Nokia has published an in-depth article over on its Conversations blog detailing how wireless charging works in its latest Lumia Windows Phones. Both the Lumia 820 (with compatible back plates) and Lumia 920 support wireless charging by simply resting on a compatible charging plate, Fatboy Pillow, or even a speaker such as the JBL PowerUp entertainment system.

Using Qi standards, Nokia is able to allow consumers make use of accessories to achieve impressive results. Gone will be the days of hunting through the mess of cables for the USB adapter, for then to locate a free socket and to then fiddle with the device to connect it to a mains or PC. But just how does wireless charging work?

We're almost at 4G - Lumia 920 promoted for EE

Orange UK has issued the September edition of its Orange Exchange email newsletter, which includes information on upcoming 4G hardware that will be launching on parent network EE (previously known as Everything Everywhere). We were at the EE launch event in London last month where the new network announced an array of 4G hardware including the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820.

We had already created a comparison guide for the higher end Windows 8 devices but many requested a complete guide that included the HTC 8S and Lumia 820.

The specs guide is not designed to be exhaustive but should cover the key differentiators between models. We have the visual guide for comparing the devices by size included below as well should make the decision of what to go for even easier. 

Nokia announces pricing for both new Lumias

Nokia has unveiled today availability and pricing for both of its new Windows Phones in a handful of markets. The Lumia 820, as well as the Lumia 920, will be heading to countries throughout Europe and beyond. We've long awaited confirmation on where the new hardware will be heading, not to mention how much it'll cost consumers to invest in.

The Russian mobile phone website Mobiltelefon.ru has published a fairly long video of the Lumia 920 in action. This follows the video published comparing the video image-stabilisation on both the Lumia 920 and Samsung Galaxy S3.

While we can't tell what's being said throughout, we are aware of the team being located in a "secret Nokia bunker" - this was of course a humorous jab at Microsoft for how reserved they're being of Windows Phone 8. 

Nokia has been a bit cheeky the past couple of weeks by crashing Samsung's party and publishing snarky comments about HTC's latest Windows Phone hardware - the company is certainly on a path of war and utmost destruction. And they haven't halted either. Over at the conversations blog, the team have compiled a comparison chart that details location features present in the Nokia Lumia 920, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the recently unveiled iPhone 5.

Nokia has done a superb job regarding location services on Windows Phone. The manufacturer is set to release Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive as an app available for every Windows Phone owner, which lifts the requirement to purchase a Lumia handset for solid (and free) turn-by-turn navigation. Using Navteq and in-house technologies, Nokia is able to provide apps and services that don't rely on third-parties, and notes that Navteq maps have been "meticulously developed over 20 years of know-how".

We saw the 820 revealed not so long ago, I even have it pegged as My Next Windows Phone. The folks over at Nokia Conversations have gone into a little more detail about the options we'll be seeing for the replaceable cases.

As the Lumia 820 has a replaceable shell design, the options for changing the dynamic of the phone are plentiful, with Nokia will offering glossy, matte and even 'ruggedised' designs. With such a flexible array of case designs, we’re sure that the 820 will prove a popular option for those who like a bit of mix and matching. We’re left wondering if the Lumia 820 might end up being the smartphone choice for builders or other professions based in high impact environments. 

My Next Windows Phone is.....

The Lumia 920 should be the phone of the year. Nokia has pushed innovation with their hardware design and their customer care. Nokia did not make any specific announcements about what carrier’s will get which phones. Which brings me to my problem. I do not want to switch to ATT because I can’t afford it. I am pretty positive that the Lumia 920 might be an ATT exclusive, no official announcements have been made.  

The Lumia 820, which is a great phone but doesn’t have the new Pure View camera. I like the 820 because I feel that a 4.3” screen is a perfect size for me personally, and the removable back covers are a nice touch.  I was hoping for a larger battery, but 1650mAH is pretty good and the screen isn’t as good as the 920 but still pretty classy.

As an IT consultant, my approach to technology is one best described as practical. I examine the circumstances and then try to decide which solution will best fit the needs of my clients.  So when we here at Windows Phone Central were asked to write a piece about what our next Windows Phone device would be, I took that same practical approach on deciding how I would replace my current phone, the HTC Arrive.

I use my Arrive in every facet of my life: personal/work, information/entertainment. It’s because of this that I am looking for a phone that is practical, versatile and does a lot of things well; a Swiss army phone, if you will. For this reason, I am choosing the Nokia Lumia 820. Let me explain.

On Friday, we asked our readers what Windows Phone 8 device they were leaning towards for their next purchase. And although HTC has yet to unveil their new phones, it appears that Nokia has by far demonstrated their dominance amongst our readership.

The poll was simple: Choose one of four new Windows Phone 8 devices, including the Nokia Lumia 820, Lumia 920, Samsung ATIV S or the HTC Accord (a device all but officially confirmed at this point for release).