The Utility Blog

Nokia’s latest sales figures do not make pleasant reading. The Finnish manufacturer saw its sales drop and its losses rise during the final quarter of 2011 as sales of its Symbian smartphones dropped off, and it launched a new Windows Phone device which failed to ignite the market.

The Nokia Lumia 800 was one of the first Nokia phones produced since the partnership between the Finnish firm and Microsoft was announced. Although they have released scant details about how it went down, Nokia has revealed they sold “well over 1 million Lumia devices”. A huge marketing campaign, early positive reviews and topping the smartphone lists in both the Netherlands and France for a period, there is no way of knowing whether this was within expected margins or represents a disappointing campaign.

The Windows Phone campaign continues with the Nokia Lumia 900. This looks set to be top tier Nokia Phone, ready to do battle with the biggest boys in the smartphone playground. It keeps to the same design as the Lumia 800, has a 4.3 inch AMOLED display with an 80-0 x 400 pixel resolution and the same ClearBlack technology on the screen. Gorilla Glass means it can take the knocks in the pocket or the handbag and the handset is made again in polycarbonate coming either in matte black or cyan blue. Expect more colours in the same way the Lumia 800 did. It should be speedy too with a 1.4 GHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU – although why they are not opting for a dual-core may frustrate some, particularly in the US market where this device will be launched which already has 4G. The Lumia 900 comes with a 1 megapixel forward facing camera and a wide angle lens to the rear.

The design looks engaging and fun. It’s looking as though Nokia are focused on a new streamlined and colour enhanced smartphone design. Under the bonnet and in terms of operating system, the Lumia 900 runs Windows Phone 7.5, same as the Lumia 800. Mango showed a great improvement in terms of OS and some have suggested the poor Nokia figures for late 2011 for Nokia represent a lack of take up for Symbian combined with a late emergence of WP. Perhaps with a longer campaign and the opportunity to start the year with a new release, until waiting until the end, it could have a more positive effect. Nokia does not make bad phones and the operating system works well on the Nokia devices.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is currently a US exclusive but at the very least it provides hope of a viable and stylish alternative to the usual players. Nokia does need a success though and it could well spend much of the first half of 2012 pushing the Lumia phone contracts if it wants to make up ground it lost in the months from October to December