czech republic

With so much Nokia news these days, we're just going to start recapping what we can to save space around these parts.

First off is the Czech Republic where the Lumia 710 and 800 went on sale two days ago. At least one online retailer is reporting great numbers so far with Alza.cz showing the Lumia 800 as their top seller. Not a bad a start at all and something we're getting used to these days.

Next up is Indonesia. We reported earlier that that country was due to get the Lumia 710 and 800 as well and while no firm date was given, it was stated to be in February. In fact, two large big events are planned to coincide with the launch--one a massive developer day featuring 800 devs making 800 Windows Phone apps and the other a Facebook contest.

Now we're getting word that pre-orders for the devices will start on February 6th with the following offers:

• Nokia Lumia 800 - IDR 5.250.000 (about USD 585), incl. Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster (WH-930) and 12-month of Unlimited Internet package by XL.
• Nokia Lumia 710 - IDR 2.900.000 (about USD 325), incl. Nokia Purity Stereo Headset by Monster (WH-920) and 12-month of Unlimited Internet package by XL

Heck, we're even hearing that some Nokia flagship stores are being renamed, temporarily, to Lumia stores. Not a bad deal and we're real excited to see how Indonesia kicks things off here as they will be an important market to watch.

Source: Alza.cz (Czech); Thanks Ondřej Š, for the tip; Tekno Kompas (Indonesia) 1, 2; TribunNews; Thanks, ruddevil, for the links

Just a couple days after the Lumia 900 showed up for sale on a Czech site, it looks like the its brethren Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 are headed that way too.  Computerworld.cz is reporting that the two Nokias are coming to the Czech Republic on February 1.  They will be available on all of the country's carriers (O2, T-mobile and Vodafone), along with the Electroworld retail chain and Alza.cz e-shop.  Word is that the 710 will fetch about 7,990 CZK and the 800 an estimated 12 490 CZK. 

The two handsets will come with the Nokia Collection, Nokia's own app marketplace, as well as a twist: a choice of search engines.  Users will be able to select the factory-installed Bing search or opt for Czech search engine, Seznam.cz. 

"Seznam.cz is a Czech company focused on the Czech market. We are glad that we got the opportunity to offer our users the Czech search. In cooperation with the Czech representation of Nokia, we modified the home page as searching and displaying results specifically for phones Lumia, to the best possible user experience, "says Ivan Mikula, product manager for mobile services Seznam.cz. (Please forgive the Google Translate)

The search engine option is surprising, given its tight integration in Windows Phone and Nokia's close relationship with Microsoft.  However, it's also a great way for Nokia, and Microsoft for that matter, to break into smaller smartphone markets around the world.  A similar strategy was taken up by T-Mobile who had Google as their default search engine and later offered a selector to choose between Google and Bing.

Source: ComputerWorld; Thanks for the tip, petibear!