Nokia Lumia 800

Vodacom just held a really amazing launch party to welcome the Nokia Lumia 800 (and the 710 at a later stage) Windows Phone to South Africa. This particular event was the one we previously spoke about being held in Midrand.

Nokia South Africa recently announced that the Lumia 800 would be available from the 7th February. However yesterday we learned of a promotion starting tomorrow for the phone. The latter turns out to be correct and will most probably mark the start of the rollout to stores nationwide.

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

Australia's online mobile retailer MobiCity is now offering the Nokia Lumia 800 for $679.  The unlocked handset can be used on Optus, Telstra, Vodaphone and Three.  It carries a 12-month warranty, though an extended one can be added at the time of purchase.  In addition to the standard accessories, MobiCity is offering a free gift, which includes your choice of a case, screen protector, car charger, or free gift wrapping.  You can also opt for a discounted Jawbone Prime headset instead.

Note: They have an "add extra memory" option but don't fooled, the Lumia 800 cannot take additional memory cards to expand memory.

Click the source link below to order.

Source: MobiCity (Thanks for the tip, James!)

Looks like we have an update for the Nokia Lumia 800 rolling out. According to an article over at Nokia Conversations, the update includes the following:

• Charging improvements
• Voicemail notification improvement
• Replying to mail improved for Microsoft Exchange 2003 users
• Improved display switching in bright light
• Improved audio quality

While charging improvements is indeed listed, we should not confuse this with the planned battery capacity increase (currently being limited by software), which Nokia has said will arrive early next year and will be accompanied by more improvements (fixing anything that's not included in this one). We took a look at issues reported by early adopters of the Lumia 800, so these two updates are welcome indeed. Unfortunately, no Internet Sharing was included in this update for us, there's always next month.

• Firmware version: 1600.2475.7720.11414 > 1600.2479.7740.11451

Thanks to everyone who sent in the tips!

Arnaud Michelet, developer behind the France traffic app on Windows Phone, has provided some statistics regarding device usage and the above graph shows something interesting (particularly for anti-WP Nokia fans). Nokia has been pushing hard, not just only in the UK, but France too. This shows with the line for the Lumia 800 shooting up through the roof, and still climbing steeply after taking the lead from the Samsung Omnia 7.

Should this chart be taking into account as a valid indicator on how well the Lumia 800 is performing in France, it also shows that majority of new owners are migrating from other platforms, since the massive incline is not met by a steep drop across the board for first generation handsets. While these aren't official numbers from Nokia (though they back up previous sales reports), it's worth checking out and feeling good about the data in-time for the festive holiday.

Source: MonWindowsPhone

While the HTC Titan and Samsung Focus S are both proving to be fairly popular in the U.S., we've heard analysts down Nokia for Lumia 800 sales and the manufacturer bouncing back with positive statements. MyNokiaBlog have compiled some feedback (published at Nokia Connections) from carriers and retailers in Europe, which all show positive signs on how well the Lumia 800 is selling. Nokia (and Microsoft) have the daunting task to help train sales staff in stores to push out Windows Phone handsets and is needed after reports we've received from those who reside in the U.S., Europe and (more recently) Australia. We're going to leave this to the employees at UK carriers and retailers to explain how things are going.

Joe Moody, Orange:

"This phone is the best phone out there by far. I have managed to switch 15 customers within a week to pre order the Lumia, I love the device so much I can’t wait to get one when I’m due a new phone, the customers that are interested in apple iPhones or galaxy s 2 I manage to persuade some to go for a Lumia."

Ian McLaren, Carphone Warehouse:

"The Lumia is flying off the shelves, especially from one who has really taken the training on board and pitching them to everyone. The main things that are selling the phone are the design, superb screen and the way the social networks are integrated into the phone OS so don’t need to keep switching apps and all the messages are compiled into one thread.

From a standing start, Nokia have really grabbed people’s attention with the Lumia and the advertising is starting to pay off as people are coming in and asking about the handset, and asking to upgrade to it."

Over at the XDA Developers forum, member z33dev33l has created a thread where he explains that a Nokia Lumia 800 (our review) survived an accidental drop test carried out by his one year old offspring. Before you ask, yes the one year old is a Windows Phone owner. Staying at a hotel (two stories up), the child dropped his Lumia 800 from the balcony where the handset hit the concrete floor below, just inches from the pool edge.

The device itself took the fall graciously with its polycarbonate casing. The only issue is a loose power button, which is still functional. z33dev33l has stated that he can't locate any scratches or marks and the loose button is the only outcome of the two story fall and concrete landing. See the photo above for a blurry look at the loose button, note it's difficult to see as it's flush with the body. Should this test be real then it's an achievement for the Lumia 800 and it's strong encasing. Remember that when purchasing the handset, included in the box is a protective cover too - just in case you happen to hand it to a one year old.

Source: XDA Developers forum, via: MonWindowsPhone

Now this is pretty exciting (unless you couldn't give two hoots about diagnostic reporting). Nanapho.jp has come across the Nokia Lumia 800 On-Device Diagnostic Tool, which will enable the user to perform tests and receive readouts for the accelerometer, battery, gyroscope (if supported), and more.

What's semi-interesting is the Gyroscope test reports that the Lumia 800 doesn't have support, which we're already aware of, but the tools are still an insight should you be into this kind of access. To access the tools, simply enter "##634#" on the call screen and it'll load up. 

Source: nanpho.jp (translate)

We only recently covered Nokia's statement about sales of the Lumia and what the mission is for the manufacturer, and now we have some indications to back the positive statement published by the company. For starters, we can see in the above shot that Vodafone UK is selling the Lumia 800 (our review) in both black and cyan (pre-order) well enough for them to be sitting in 2nd and 3rd place behind the disappointing iPhone 4S. Not only that but take a look at the customer review rating for the iPhone 4S, and now look at the black Lumia 800.