Australia

The Windows Phone 8X by HTC (or just HTC 8X to the rest of us plebs) is the high-end device from HTC that runs Windows Phone 8. It launched last year and offers a premium experience for consumers with numerous features, including Beats Audio. A superb deal is on offer for those who reside in Australia. You can pick up a black 8X for just $299.

It has been reported that Telstra is well on the way to releasing a Windows Phone app for subscribers in Australia. The mobile operator's 24x7 app is a portal for consumers to access account management conveniently from a smartphone while on the move. Paying bills, viewing usage, checking remaining account credit and locating nearest Telstra stores are just a handful of features sported by the iOS and Android versions.

Want to keep on top of sport in Australia? There are three new Windows Phone apps that are now available on the store and are 2013 versions of the top selling sports apps for both Australia and New Zealand in both 2011 and 2012 - ranking high in the paid sports genre throughout both years. AU Footy 2013, AU League 2013 and Sup-Rugby 2013. 

We've previously seen retailers and carrier stores get things wrong. Whether it be labelling Windows Phones as Android handsets, or by listing incorrect specifications - mistakes can happen. But what about publishing incorrect pricing for the latest Nokia flagship? Australian retailer Harvey Norman made that very mistake when revealing the price for the Lumia 920.

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.

If you bank in Australia and have a Windows Phone, the National Australian Bank (NAB) has released their Windows Phone app to help you keep track of your banking needs. The NAB App allows you to access services on the go such as:

• Balance Inquiry
• Transaction History
• Transfer funds to linked accounts
• Pay bills
• View your NAB online trading portfolio

Your access to the National Australian Bank is secured by a four digit passcode and data is protected with 128 bit encryption.

NAB (National Australia Bank) and Microsoft have been collaborating on an official mobile banking app, which is soon to be released to the Windows Phone Marketplace. According to data compiled in a report over at WPDownUnder, NAB customers are into not only mobile banking, but they prefer to use developed apps for supported platforms. 80% of those who use Internet banking while on the move, do so with official apps from the Australian bank.

After calls and cries for an app since late 2010, NAB has officially announced an app is currently working its way through the Windows Phone Marketplace approval process and WPDownUnder expects the app to be available by August 8th. Should you be a customer and own a Windows Phone, be prepared to get highly excited at what's on the horizon regarding features and functionality to enhance your mobile banking experience.

Nokia's Camera Extras for the Lumia Windows Phones has been available in the US for a while now. While the initial release was in the U.S., Indian and Chines markets, we knew it was only a matter of time before other markets would get the camera app.  Such is the case now with Australia, the United Kingdom and Italy (and probably other markets) where Windows Phone shutterbugs in these Countries can enjoy the extra camera settings.

The entry-level Lumia 610 Windows Phone is now available at Big W in Australia (following New Zealand), at an enticing price of just $229. The low end hardware running Windows Phone "Tango" enables Microsoft and manufacture partners to penetrate the prepaid market, which we've seen with in the states with both Best Buy and Walmart offering Nokia Windows Phones on prepaid plans.

While the Lumia 610 is considered a "low-end" smartphone, unlike Android counterparts, it doesn't suffer from performance issues and the same Windows Phone experience witnessed on the likes of the HTC TITAN II or Lumia 900 is packed within. In fact, the Lumia 610 goes one better than more expensive Windows Phones as it has Internet sharing pre-loaded and ready to go, and an upcoming version even supports NFC.

Big W, the retailer stocking this handset, is offering the Lumia 610 with a bundled Boost Mobile prepaid agreement. Included with this deal is $40 Boost Mobile credit and SIM to get started (which further pulls down the cost of the handset itself to just $189).

Available is both pink and blue, there's no confirmation that the deal present at this time will still be listed after the catalogue dates close on July 25th - so be sure to hurry up if you're interested. While the device is quadband, it's locked to the Optus network. That aside, it's a solid deal for a starter package with a solid experience on a Nokia Windows Phone.

Source: Big W, via:  WPDownUnder