lumia

We've already covered the Lumia 710 landing on British shores soon enough, but according to the Nokia Lumia Momentum Map (for world domination), we should be looking at a date of February 1st. Three UK is one carrier who has made public their plan to stock the 710, and have the status set at "coming soon". 

Sporting a 3.7" display, 5MP camera and 8GB storage, the 710 is the baby of the Lumia family with the 800 and 900 the "beefed up" brothers. Although the specifications don't match the high end handsets, it does sport a 1.4Ghz chip that will ensure your Windows Phone experience is top notch.

Should you be looking forward to the 710 (review) and reside in the UK then the wait is almost over for you to snap on your favourite back plates and rock out with the Lumia Windows Phone. We expect other major UK carriers to jump on board with Three to provide further choice for customers.

Source: Nokia Lumia Momentum Map

Singapore's SG Best, an online retailer, is listing the Nokia Lumia 900 as "coming soon", following the Carphone Warehouse posting (which was subsequently removed). This is further confirmation that the 900 will be coming to those who reside outside the U.S., which shouldn't come as a surprise - it makes sense that Nokia will have three Windows Phones to cater for three audiences.

The listing is not by accident neither as the specifications and display image all fit in line with the device. Although no date has been provided (the Carphone Warehouse stated June as the month for availability), SG Best at least reinstates hope of the handset traveling across the world.

Source: SG Best, via: Techin5; thanks Jubbing for the tip!

Bloomberg has compiled an average estimation of 22 analysts for just how many Lumia Windows Phones the Finnish manufacturer has shipped. According to the compiled data, the estimated figure is 1.3 million. The projections range from 2 million to a single analyst predicting under the 1 million marker - 800 thousand.

Lee Simpson, a London-based analyst at Jefferies International, had the following to say on the estimations.

"There weren’t a lot of the hero handsets out there -- HTC were struggling, RIM didn’t have a show-me device, Sony Ericsson and Motorola weren’t really stepping into the mix, so there was probably enough space for Nokia to be able to point to fourth- quarter numbers they were happy with."

This fits in with what Morgan Stanley had in their chart for the 37 million Nokia handsets being shipped in 2012 prediction. If investors regain confidence in the company, and analysts continue to calculate impressive figures for the platform, we could hopefully see some positive marketing come from the headlines that will be pumped out.

Source: Bloomberg, via: Business Week

T-Mobile U.S. is hosting a "My First Smartphone" sweepstake on their Facebook page. What are the grand prizes? Nokia Lumia 710 handsets and a free year of service, for four lucky winners. All that's required from entrants are personal details (as is the case with any Facebook promotion) as well as describing what smartphone feature(s) would change your life in 100 words or less.

The competition is perfect for those who are yet to upgrade to a smartphone with the Lumia 710 being a superb low-end Windows Phone. Competition ends on February 17th. Be sure to check out the sweepstake rules.

Source: T-Mobile US Facebook, thanks Kyle for the tip!

Windows Phone is on the rise in France, as can be seen in the above browser share chart. The OS is almost hitting Blackberry, which appears to be still in decline (is there ever any good news when it comes to Blackberry?). This goes on top of the French developer who saw a noticeable increase in Lumia 800 activity using his apps on the Marketplace. If we remember the chart that the developer provided, no other Windows Phone dropped to make way for Nokia's handset so one would assume we've had a number of French platform adopters.

Although it's not all roses in the garden, prior to what seems to be the end-of-2011 surge (thanks to Nokia's marketing frenzy), the graph doesn't show the kind of growth we'd hope to see. But if the sharp increase continues with more Nokia and Microsoft marketing, we should see some positive results indeed.

Source: StatCounter, via WMPU

Nokia announced at the end of last year that two updates would be hitting the Lumia 800 to fix a number of issues that were present. We've already received the first firmware update, but it's time for those who suffer from 800s that aren't using the battery capacity in its entirety to receive some love.

Operators in France have started to push out the second update, so we should see some movement across the board soon. For reference, the firmware version changes are found below, including the first update.

Firmware version: 1600.2475.7720.11414 -> UPDATE 1: 1600.2479.7740.11451 -> UPDATE 2: 1600.2483.8106.11500

We haven't yet got the notification on any of our Lumia 800s. Let us know in the comments if you're also receiving this update for your handset.

EDIT: Nokia UK has confirmed the start of the rollout on their Facebook page, check out a video walkthrough after the break on updating should you be new to the platform.

UPDATE: We've received reports from readers who have updated to the latest version that the lighting of their soft keys are acting up should medium or high brightness be set. If you're also experiencing this issue after updating let us know in the comments.

EA Mobile Games has released a video teaser highlighting eleven (if my count is right) gaming titles that will be heading to the Nokia Windows Phones. We first heard about the exclusive partnership during Nokia World and again during the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show.

The titles spotted in the minute long video include:

• Tiger Woods PGA Tour
• Monopoly
• Spy Mouse
• Yahtzee
• The Game of Life
• Spy Mouse
• Vampire Rush
• Mirrors Edge
• SIMS Medieval
• Parking Mania
• 2 Real Racing
• Picnic Wars.

The video doesn't show much of each title but just enough to spark your interest. Nokia is due to have over twenty titles for an exclusive period available for their Lumia Windows Phones. It will be interesting to see what the remaining titles will be.

source: YouTube; Thanks, pedenske, for the tip!

Update: Additional upcoming titles from EA Games include:

• FIFA 12
• Madden 12
• NBA Jam
• Dead Space
• Bejeweled 2
• Connect 4
• Risk
• Trivial Pursuit
• Bop It!

We've got an all out discussion on these titles over in the forums that you can find here.

If you needed anymore proof that South Africa isn't just being tossed aside when it comes to the Nokia Lumia/future devices, then we have great news for you. We have just received word from an anonymous tipster that Nokia is holding an event in Midrand near the end of this month. Although the invite doesn't outright say that this is a launch party or unveiling event, it's probably quite safe to assume that it is.

And here is the invite:

Besides the obvious positives of Nokia launching their Windows Phone 7 devices in South Africa, there is another aspect that you may not have considered. Blackberry and Android may be all the rage over here at the moment but before that Nokia was a really big player in SA.

I remember a time when almost every person I knew either had a Nokia or was attempting to get one. What this means is that when they start selling their new phones people will not be buying Windows Phone, they will be buying a Nokia, because they trust the brand. So this skips the step of people avoiding WP7 because of their feelings on Windows Mobile, and allows them to experience the amazing everyday with no bias.

EDIT: This is a private event.

Clove is so confident you'll love the Nokia Lumia 800 that they are now offering a 40-day money back guarantee.  The new LoveMeKeepMe promo lets anyone who buys a Lumia 800 between now and February 29 send back their fully boxed, like new phone for a full refund.  To take advantage of this offer, simply buy a Lumia 800 through Clove, then register it within ten days of purchase.  You then have 30 days to love it and keep it, or to send it back. 

Check out the flyer or go to the link above for full details.

Source: Clove UK