Spotted in an ad over on YouTube was a Nokia Lumia 800 lineup carrying the black, cyan, and fuchsia (magenta) models, alongside a red and a green Lumia 800. This green may be the one labeled ‘yellow’ last year, for with Nokia’s newly found bright colors things are a bit vague sometimes.

The ad is for a Bluetooth headset, and it doesn’t tell us anything except that these color variations probably exist in a Nokia lab somewhere. It stands to reason that they’ll be launched soon, but we don’t yet know when or where. We’ll keep you posted though.

Via Symbian Tweet Via GSM Arena

• Nokia Lumia 800 to get new colors next year?
• White Nokia Lumia 800 will arrive in Switzerland in mid-February
• Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 officially available in the US in February
• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month
• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95

The new device will probably be called Lumia 730, adding a new level of affordability to the Lumia line, but not compromising on features too much. It won’t have a ClearBlack display, or the ‘polycarbonate’ casing of the Lumia 800, but will come with an 8 MP camera unlike the Lumia 710. The camera unit may be an Extended depth of field one, similar to that used in the Nokia E7.

The Lumia 730 will support both CDMA and LTE alongside ‘plain’ GSM/HSPA, which means it may be launched in the US by Verizon. Nothing’s sure for now, though. It will run Windows Phone Tango, the next version of Microsoft’s newest mobile operating system. Tango is rumored to bring support for lower-end hardware, although that doesn’t seem to be needed here.

The Lumia 730 will come with capacitive Windows keys, unlike the Lumia 710 which went with physical buttons instead. It will apparently be a little bit thicker than the Lumia 710, sporting a curved back cover. Price-wise, the Lumia 730 should be similar to the Lumia 710. The Lumia 730 will be focused on the European market.

Do take all of this with a grain of salt, though, for it has ‘unverified rumor’ status for now. Still, we’re bound to find out what the truth is in just two weeks.

Via WPDang Via LiveSide

• Windows Phone Tango could support 120 languages, C++ native coding
• Nokia Lumia 900, Lumia 719, Windows Phone Tango and Apollo launch dates leaked by someone in Finland
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) specs leaked ahead of CES unveiling
• Nokia Ace with LTE and Windows Phone to be released by AT&T on March 18, Lumia 710 headed to Verizon
• Nokia Champagne running on Windows Tango spotted

Until then, it will be sold by China Telecom, that country’s third biggest carrier, starting in March. Pictures of this Lumia 800 have reached the internet, as you can see below. China Telecom will launch the Lumia 800 in black, cyan, and white.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is also getting a CDMA version to work on China Telecom, and it will be released in April. What’s more, even the Lumia 900 may make it to China eventually, though no time frame has been announced yet.

The Chinese launch for Nokia’s new Windows Phones doesn’t come as a surprise, since during the official announcement of the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 in October the Finnish company did let us know that this would happen in the first half of this year. A bit surprising is the CDMA support, but hey, at least Verizon or Sprint customers who are fans of Nokia’s Windows Phones can now hope they’ll see some of these devices in due course.

Via Weibo Via wpcentral

• iPhone 4S (CDMA) to be launched by China Telecom in February or March
• LG KT878 and KV920 announced for China
• Samsung i329 Windows Mobile smartphone for China
• Nokia X3 officially gets a CDMA / EV-DO candybar version (not for Verizon, but for China)
• LG to ship more 3G phones than Samsung, thanks to demand from China

Phones4U (which has exclusivity on the white Lumia 800 for a limited time, and is offering it with various contracts from O2, Vodafone and Orange)  is currently saying that the smartphone will be released on March 6.

Nokia UK’s official website also links to Phones4U’s page when you want to pre-order the white Lumia.

MobileFun.co.uk is taking pre-orders for the white Lumia 800, too, asking £429.95 for a SIM-free unit, but it will most likely have the handset in stock after Phones4U’s exclusivity ends.

Via E’s phoneblog  , WMPowerUser

• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 pre-orders no longer available in Microsoft stores
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now

It will of course retain the QWERTY keyboard, and it adopts a more conservative styling compared to its predecessor. The Nokia 302 will have a 3.2 MP camera (an upgrade from the C3′s 2 MP unit). And that’s all we know about it for now.

The Nokia C3 was that company’s cheapest QWERTY phone, so the 302 should follow in those footsteps. It might even be cheaper than the C3 was when it launched, since that’s the way technology works. So do expect the Nokia 302 to make a lot of people in ‘emerging markets’ happy soon. We’ll let you know when we find out more about this intriguing device.

Via tenaa.com.cn Via tieba.baidu.com Via My Nokia Blog

• Nokia C3 approved and confirmed by the FCC
• Nokia Asha 201 now available at Vodafone UK for £45 on PAYG, Lumia 710 might be on offer too
• Nokia Nseries get Baidu
• Nokia C7 hands-on preview and video at #NokiaWorld
• Nokia C6, C3 and E5 officially coming to the US, prices unveiled

According to The Verge, the company didn’t give a reason for halting pre-orders. But it did say that interested customers “should stay tuned to the Microsoft Store Facebook Page” for further details.

If we’re to believe the latest rumors, the Lumia 900 should be released by AT&T on March 18 for only $99.99 on contract.

In addition to the black and cyan versions of the Lumia 900 that have been officially unveiled at CES, a white version might be launched, too. However, there’s no word if this will be out via AT&T or not.

• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too
• White Nokia Lumia 800 will arrive in Switzerland in mid-February
• White Nokia Lumia 800 to be launched in the UK on March 6
• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• Nokia lets you win 5 Lumia 710 Windows Phones on Facebook

The operator is offering the S40 phone on Pay as you go for as little as £45, in white. If you want to pick one up, head over here.

The Asha 201 comes with a full physical QWERTY keyboard and is sure to appeal to heavy texters looking for a cheap device.

The Nokia Lumia 710 might also be up for grabs in Vodafone shops, although it’s nowhere to be seen on Big Red’s website. Rumor has it that the more affordable of Nokia’s new Windows Phones goes for a pretty nice £150 on Pay as you go, which has to make it the cheapest WP7 device ever.

At that price, Nokia is sure to move some product with this one. Hopefully it will be similarly priced elsewhere too in the future.

Via Recombu and CoolSmartphone

• Nokia Lumia 900 Ace and Lumia 710 to be launched in Canada
• AT&T Nokia Ace (Lumia 900) will get $100 million marketing campaign
• AT&T and Verizon testing 4G LTE Nokia Lumia 800
• Black Nokia Lumia 800 available for pre-order at Vodafone UK
• Nokia Lumia 710 will bring More Windows Phone Mango to Orange UK

The retailer that’s giving you the opportunity to be among the first people in the UK to grab a white Lumia 800 is MobileFun, which has put up a pre-order page for the smartphone.

The price it asks is £429.95. To pre-order a white Nokia Lumia 800 running Windows Phone, go here.

The white Lumia 800 is identical to the Lumia 800s found across the world in other colors. It’s just that it has received a pale paint job. It should appeal to those who are getting sick and tired of black phones being everywhere. We’ll keep you updated as to when the white Nokia Lumia 800 will start shipping.

• White Nokia Lumia 800 to be launched in the UK on March 6
• White Nokia Lumia 800 will arrive in Switzerland in mid-February
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up in green and red in an ad
• Pink Nokia Lumia 800 now available in the UK on Orange and T-Mobile, free from £25.54 per month
• Nokia Lumia 800 to get new colors next year?

The white Lumia 900 was spotted in a photo both at Nokia Conversations and at Nokia’s official Facebook page. However, Nokia pulled the photo mere hours after publishing it.

Luckily, Engadget has managed to save the image:

The Nokia Lumia 900 should be first released in the US by AT&T on March 18, for $99.99 on contract. Since AT&T announced that it would offer the 900 only in black and cyan, the white version of the handset may be destined for other markets (like Canada or Europe). We’ll let you know when we hear more on this.

• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up in green and red in an ad
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 pre-orders no longer available in Microsoft stores

According to SmartphoneGeeks and Eldar Murtazin, the Nokia 801 is real, and is “coming soon.” If the photo seen bellow is not fake, the new handset will look a lot like the N9 and the Lumia 800.

Feature-wise, it’s said that the Nokia 801 will bring a 4-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with (only) 640 x 360 pixels, NFC, 12MP rear camera with dual LED flash and 1080p video recording, 512MB of RAM, and a 1.4GHz single-core processor. We’ll bring more on this as we get it.

Via TheNokiaBlog

• Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone available at Amazon USA
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 launching in India in December
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Nokia’s Lumia 710 Windows Phone Mango handset available starting today
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed

The white Lumia 800 has the same polycarbonate case as the white Nokia N9 – which, as you may already know, runs MeeGo and was used as a reference design for the Lumia 800 from the beginning.

According to Nokia, the white 800 will be released later this month, first in the following markets: UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Poland and Switzerland.

Just like the Lumia 800 in black, magenta and cyan, the white one features stuff like a 3.7 inch WVGA ClearBlack display, Nokia Drive, 8MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 1.4GHz single-core processor, and 16GB of internal memory.

Via Press release, Nokia Conversations

• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up in green and red in an ad
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 launching in India in December
• Nokia Lumia 710 will become South Korea’s first Windows Phone Mango handset
• Nokia’s Lumia 710 Windows Phone Mango handset available starting today

From the companies involved in the mobile industry, Samsung will have an ad featuring its Galaxy Note Android handset – expected to be launched by AT&T on February 19.

But what about Nokia, which repeatedly said it wants to make a big splash with its Lumia range on the US market this year? Well, Nokia won’t have any ads during Super Bowl XLVI. Instead, it’s bragging on its official blog about the fact that a Lumia phone is “the perfect companion” for Super Bowl.

According to a recent study, about 60% of Super Bowl viewers will use their phone in one way or another. And Nokia says a Lumia is the perfect to have around this Sunday because: its exclusive ESPN app can be used to view real-time stats, the easyTube app lets you view commercials or other clips n YouTube, and the Epicurious app can help you with the food during Super Bowl Sunday (which “is the second–largest day of food consumption in the United States after Thanksgiving”). Right, as if other smartphones (running Android or iOS, for example) don’t have similar apps.

Unfortunately for Nokia, there’s just one Lumia handset released in the US until now: the Lumia 710, which is available only via T-Mobile for $39.99 on contract. The Lumia 800 should be introduced this month (unlocked – thus not via a carrier), while the Lumia 900 will be launched in March by AT&T.

• AT&T’s Galaxy Note will be featured in Samsung’s first Super Bowl commercial
• Nokia Lumia 800 to be released in Australia in March (via Telstra, Optus and Vodafone)
• Swisscom mentions Nokia Lumia 900 launch date, says it actually meant to talk about Lumia 710
• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• Nokia Lumia 900 with Windows Phone Tango to be launched in the US in early 2012?

So, owners of Nokia Belle handsets now have a Skype app that provides free Skype to Skype calls and Instant Messaging, and allows them to save money on calls or texts to numbers from abroad. The app can be downloaded via Nokia Store at this link.

Until now, Nokia announced only four Belle smartphones: Nokia 600, Nokia 700, Nokia 701, and Nokia 603. Others (including N8, E7, C7, X7, C6-01 and E6) will be updated to Belle starting this month.

Via All About Symbian

• Nokia offers Skype for Symbian via Ovi Store
• Skype for Symbian 1.1 launched
• Skype for Symbian updated, now supports Nokia N8, C7 and E5
• Nokia 700 now available at Vodafone UK, free from £26 per month
• Reduced roaming costs in Europe, starting July 2009

According to WMPowerUser, you have to pay $25 to pre-order yourself a Lumia 900. The new handset, which runs Windows Phone Mango, is expected to be released by AT&T on March 18 for $99.99 on contract, coming with LTE connectivity, a 4.3 inch WVGA ClearBlack display, 8MP Carl Zeiss rear camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 512MB of RAM, 1.4GH single-core processor, and 16GB of internal memory.

After being launched in the US, the Nokia Lumia 900 should also be introduced in Canada (via Rogers), Europe and Asia.

• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 launching in India in December
• Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone available at Amazon USA
• Black Nokia Lumia 800 available for pre-order at Vodafone UK
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March

The free Lumia 710 can be had at physical Microsoft stores, the Microsoft online store, or Wirefly. In all three cases you’ll be paying the best possible price for what is a very decent handset that comes with the latest version of Windows Phone, Microsoft’s newest mobile operating system.

The Nokia Lumia 710 has officially gone on sale today in the UK, at least according to Nokia’s UK arm which tweeted as much. We can’t find it listed as being in stock at any retailers at the moment, but it surely is in stock somewhere. So if you’re in the UK and want to grab a Lumia 710 check with your friendly local phone retailer, or your preferred online avenue for buying gadgets – perhaps you’ll be luckier than we were. The Nokia Lumia 710 will surely be available in every store in the UK in a few days, when everyone gets their first stocks, so don’t panic if you don’t find it today.

The Lumia 710 is also out in Canada today, and apparently it should already be in Rogers stores (although it isn’t listed online by the carrier just yet). This is the first Windows Phone to go on sale in Canada in more than a year, and it’s exclusive to Rogers.

You can pick up a Nokia Lumia 710 from Rogers for $49.99 with a three-year contract, $99.99 with a two-year contract, $149.99 with a one-year contract, and $254.99 without a contract being involved.

Via MyNokiaBlog, WMPoweruser, MobileSyrup

• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Rumor: Nokia Lumia 900 headed to Rogers in May
• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too
• AT&T Nokia Ace (Lumia 900) will get $100 million marketing campaign

That’s exactly what several sources told MobileSyrup. Apparently the Nokia Lumia 900 is due to arrive in Canada soon, and you can expect Rogers to be the carrier selling it. Unfortunately those sources kept mum on pricing details, but if the rumored $99.99 pricing with two-year contract on AT&T turns out to be true, expect the Canadian carrier to offer it for about the same amount, or maybe a little bit less, but with a three-year contract.

We do thankfully have a rough release time frame. The Lumia 900 is said to be on track to arrive at Rogers sometime in May. We’ll let you know when we find out more.

• Nokia Lumia 710 now available in the UK and Canada, free with contract in the US
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Nokia X7 with Symbian Anna now available at Rogers
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Samsung Galaxy Note launches in Canada on February 14 for $249.99, pre-orders now available

But now you can get the Lumia 710 from T-Mobile, online only, for only $39.99 (after a $50 mail-in rebate). Yes, that’s just $10 less than before, but to put it in perspective, it’s actually a 20% price drop. And one that comes so close to a phone’s release date isn’t something we see very often. This is where Windows Phone bashers will step in and point out that it probably isn’t doing that well, sales-wise.

Be that as it may, if you have nothing against Microsoft’s newest mobile operating system, this is one great deal for a pretty capable smartphone. So go to T-Mobile now and grab yourself a Nokia Lumia 710.

• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• T-Mobile’s Nokia Lumia 710 can be pre-ordered for $0 at Wirefly
• Nokia Lumia 710 now available in the UK and Canada, free with contract in the US
• Nokia Lumia 730 to be launched soon with 8 MP camera, LTE, and Windows Phone Tango, rumor says
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) specs leaked ahead of CES unveiling

The operator is going to discontinue three devices before the end of this month, and a big name in March. The HTC Flyer, Nokia E6, and BlackBerry Torch 9860 have all apparently run out of time at Orange, since their End-of-Life is at the end of January. So by the day after tomorrow, don’t expect to see either of these in stores (unless they still have some unsold units lying around, that is). Needless to say, if you want any of these three phones badly (and on Orange), act fast, otherwise you may be disappointed.

Due to be discontinued in March is the iPhone 3GS. That will leave only the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the operator’s portfolio, which is certainly decent enough for Apple fans in the UK. Yet if for some reason you absolutely want an iPhone 3GS, you should plan to get yours before March.

These things do periodically happen in the mobile world, as the operators are getting ready to sell new devices, sometimes some of the old ones need to go. It’s only natural.

Via PocketNow

• Orange to launch iPhone in ten more countries
• Apple launches iPhone Your Life mini-site
• Apple delays white iPhone 4 again, won’t be available until “later this year”
• White iPhone 4 Being Tested With T-mobile 3G
• Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders: 1 million in the first 24 hours

Yet someone in Nokia’s Vietnam office may have jumped the gun and announced that date prematurely. For a few hours, there was a Web page available on Nokia’s Vietnam domain which clearly listed that the update would arrive on February 8.

That page has since been taken down, but the Facebook post on Nokia Vietnam’s account linking to the page remains intact (at least it is now). In that post, the February 8 is again clearly being mentioned. As for why the page at Nokia.com.vn isn’t anywhere to be found anymore, we’re guessing that this information wasn’t wrong, it simply was published too early. At least we’re hoping that’s the case. February 8 as the start of the rollout for the Belle update sounds very good to us, especially since Nokia could have waited until the 29th (and it wouldn’t have been the first time for Nokia making a deadline by a few hours).

As was rumored before, it looks like the Belle update won’t be downloadable over-the-air – you’ll have to use Nokia Suite to install it on your phone. That really is a pity, especially now that even Apple discovered the OTA update, to go back in time like this. Apparently that has something to do with the fact that the update is huge in size, but still, we wish this will be a one-time thing only.

Via Nokiapoweruser, Engadget, MyNokiaBlog

• Symbian Belle update will be out for existing Nokia smartphones in early 2012
• Nokia’s Symbian Anna devices get a new bug fixing software update
• Nokia gives up on Symbian (the brand), promises Belle update for February
• Nokia 603 leaked. Symbian Belle update to start on October 26?
• Microsoft Apps for Symbian Belle smartphones coming soon

All you have to do to enter the contest is choose your favorite Lumia 710 color (there are six options), and provide your details here at Nokia’s official Facebook page. Five random winners will be selected after February 13 (when the contest ends), and will receive a Lumia 710 each. The contest is open to anyone who is of legal age in their country. Anyway, make sure to read the rules before entering.

Earlier this month, the Nokia Lumia 710 was released in the US by T-Mobile, for $49.99 on contract. Next month, the Windows Phone handset will also be out in Canada (via Rogers) and in the UK.

• Nokia gives away 5 Lumia 800 phones on Facebook
• Nokia gives away more Lumia 800 Windows Phones on Facebook
• Google gives away 7 Samsung Galaxy Nexus phones via Twitter
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed

And it is a mixed bag of goods. On the surface, the result looks pretty good, and it seems that Nokia managed to stop the free fall it experienced in the first half of last year.

But if you look closer at the reported numbers and guidance for the next quarter – things look a lot bleaker.

Nokia Q4 results. The bright side

The number that impressed me the most – was the the amount of the smartphones Nokia was able to ship in Q4. 19.6 million. It is a huge drop from 28.6 million  in the same quarter last year. But it is a huge improvement over the sales crash Nokia experienced in the beginning of this year. Which should indicate that they managed to stop the decline in smartphone volumes in Q3, at 16.8 million level, and now are back to growth again. Depending on how the final numbers in total smartphone shipments pan out, Nokia may have even kept the market share at Q3 level, or gained a point there. Which would be the first time in 15 months. And they finally stopped the price erosion in their smartphones, with average device selling price rising from 131 Euro in Q3 to 140 in Q4.

Another bright spot comes from Nokia’s Mobile Phones unit. They sold almost the same amount of feature phones in Q4 2011 as they did in Q4 2010. And they increased units shipped by 5% from Q3, while keeping ASP at third quarter levels of 32 EUR. At this point in time, Nokia’s mobile phone unit looks like the healthiest part of the company, and the only sustainably profitable business division of Nokia. As Tero Kuittinen noticed at Forbes – Nokia’s $40 feature phones are now vastly more profitable then Sony Ericsson’s or Motorola’s Android smartphones. And while most mobile phone vendors (except Samsung) abandoned feature phone development, Nokia is increasing R&D investments and earning good money from them. The income generated by mobile phone division might be the only thing that keeps company afloat through the transition, until Windows phone strategy starts bearing fruits.

And even if Windows Phone does not pan out for Nokia, the increased R&D investment and development of next generation Meltemi OS with Qt and Swipe interface on top – might be what saves company from going under. Feature phones as a category might be going away in a few years, but cheap phones most certainly aren’t. If Nokia can create a competitive smart OS for cheap mobile computing devices, and make money selling them – they might buy some time while they explore options of how to get back to the more lucrative part of the market.

Which brings us to the part of earnings report we’ve been waiting the most. The sales of the new Nokia Lumia Windows Phones.

According to Nokia press release – they have shipped “well over 1 million Lumia devices to date”. Given the limited time and market footprint Nokia had, the number looks promising. In fact, as I told you back in November, anything between 1 and 1.5 million units shipped – will be an extremely good result.

Unfortunately, upon closer examination, things are not as great as they seem.

Nokia Q4 results. The dark side

That “well over 1 million Lumias shipped to date” is just a PR trick by Nokia. Because that “to date” part includes not only phones in Q4 2011, but also those shipped between Jan. 1st and 26th, this year.

There’s no doubt that their trick worked. If you read the headlines about Nokia quarterly results, 90% of them report that 1 million, when the actual Lumia shipments were somewhere between 500K and 700K. Nokia will probably be able to build on that next quarter, without disclosing actual sales. And inserting a line with “Lumia sales grew 200% or 300% or 400% in Q1” in their next earnings release.

But that does not change the fact that it was just a trick. And, because of the expectations they created since Nokia World, the actual Q4 Lumia sales were a big disappointment. I wish they were more careful with the expectations game all along, and did not have to resort to PR trickery to paint things better then they are. In the grand scheme of things the number of Lumias they managed to sell in the first 7 weeks is not that important. Staying honest and straightforward, and constantly surprising us to the upside – is. Nokia should just stop the stupid trickery and number painting, and let us sort things out for ourselves.

Another really worrying bit of info in the earnings report was in Nokia’s guidance for the next quarter. Which was not good.

According to Nokia – they expect a higher then normal seasonal decline in Devices&Services net sales. This decline is mainly due to the:

• “pressure in Symbian, which is where we see now in percentage terms the greatest risk of sequential unit decline”.
• lower than seasonal decline in OpEx because of continuing investments Lumia marketing and support, as well as R&D investments in Mobile Phones division
• while the ramp up of the sales of new Windows Phones is too slow to offset the losses in Symbian phones in Q3.

All this will lead to a significant drop in non IFRS operating margin in Devices&Services – from 4.9% in Q4 to somewhere between +2% and –2% in Q1.

Translated from corporate speak, that means that Nokia will probably lose a boatload of money in smartphone division in Q1. And mobile phones may not be enough to keep company profitable on even non-IFRS basis. Including various charges and other non-IFRS items, Nokia may record a loss that will be higher 485 million Euro we saw in Q2 2011.

These loses will come mainly due to the big decline in Symbian smartphone shipments. I am not sure what Nokia means by “greater than normal seasonal decline”, But if last year’s 14% drop in smartphone shipments between Q4 and Q1 was a normal seasonal decline, it will be pretty bad. The 14% decline will bring Nokia smartphones to Q3 16.8 million unit level, and if it’s more then that, it may dip well below that. Which will mean that even with Lumia handsets selling for 5 months in many markets, Nokia is still not able to stem the decline in its smartphone shipments.

To be fair – the Q1 2012 comparisons to Q4 2012 will not be easy to every other smartphone maker too. One of the reasons for those huge upside surprises we saw from Apple and Samsung in Christmas quarter, was because Q4 lasted a week longer then usual last year. Also the Chinese New Year gift giving season started earlier and impacted overall sales already last year. Which means that quite a bit of the smartphone sales in Q4, were effectively borrowed from Q1. So in January-March quarter we may see the first sequential decline in smartphone market in years.

But neither the overall market decline, nor PR tricks with triple digit growth in Lumia sales will be enough to cover/spin a whopper of bad quarter that Nokia will announce in April.

The only thing that can cushion the blow, will be a very positive guidance for the rest of the year or at least next quarter. By then Lumia phones will be in many more markets, including Lumia 900 on AT&T, and, hopefully, another Lumia on Verizon or Sprint. Also, Windows Phone Tango and lower priced Lumia phones for many more countries should be out by then, as should the next Lumia flagship.

Maybe that will be enough, maybe not. One thing is for sure, while Q3 and especially Q4 numbers came in pretty good for Nokia, it surely wasn’t the turnaround we’ve been waiting for. The first half of 2012 is shaping up to be as bad as the first half of 2011.

The good news is – Nokia does have enough cash, resources and (still) profitable Mobile Phones division to weather this more or less intact. But the time seems to be running out and we better see some real turn around by the end of this year, at latest.

• Compal to start delivery of Windows Phones to Nokia in September. 2 million units ordered for Q4 2011
• Samsung Q2, 2011: no more then 16.7M smartphones shipped. It’s still #3, behind Apple and Nokia
• Nokia Q4 2010 Earnings. Nokia confirms 5+mil Symbian^3 phones shipped. Loses a lot of marketshare
• Gartner: cell phone sales declined 6% in Q2 2009, smartphone sales grew 27%
• Nokia’s 2011 results are out. Less than 2 million Lumia Windows Phone handsets sold to date

According to Australian IT, the Windows Phone handset (the first from Nokia to use a Microsoft OS), will be launched in March. Reportedly, all three major Australian carriers will offer the device: Telstra, Optus, Vodafone. Moreover, customers will also be able to find the Lumia 800 via major retailers.

For the moment, there’s no word on how much the Nokia Lumia 800 will cost in Australia.

Last week, Nokia announced that it sold well over 1 million Lumia devices worldwide (including the Lumia 710, too, not just the Lumia 800).

The 710 has been released this month in the US (via T-Mobile), while the 800 will be introduced in Canada by Telus, probably sometime in February.

Via WMPowerUser

• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up at Telus’ website
• Nokia Lumia 900 Ace and Lumia 710 to be launched in Canada
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to be launched by all Australian carriers

113.5 million Nokia mobile phones (including 19.6 million smartphones) were sold in Q4 2011, and 417.1 million units (including 77.3 million smartphones) during the whole year.

For the first time ever, Nokia officially disclosed the number of Lumia Windows Phones sold. However, it’s not an exact number, as the company only said it sold “well over 1 million Lumia devices to date.” But it’s enough for us to say that this means less than 2 million units – otherwise, they would’ve simply said they sold 2 million or more.

Is less than 2 million Lumias sold disappointing? For Nokia itself, it probably is, especially since the company was pretty confident that the Lumia 800 was going to be a hit (announcing multi-million marketing budgets, and record-breaking pre-orders). But for us, it’s not disappointing – we’ve been expecting this.

More info on Nokia’s 2011 results are available in this press release, and in this detailed PDF.

• Nokia reports Q4 2009 results: 126.9 million phones sold, 39% market share
• Sony Ericsson announces 2011 results. 6 million Xperia smartphones sold in Q4 2011
• Nokia’s market share shrank to 37% in Q4 2008
• Nokia posts Q1 2010 results. And no, Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 are not delayed
• Nokia stops smartphone sales drop in Q3, but it’s now No.3 behind Samsung and Apple

Now, thanks to Mobile Syrup, we have the complete picture on the new smartphone’s pricing: $99.99 with a 2-yr contract, $149.99 with a 1-yr contract, and $254.99 outright.

The Lumia 710 runs Windows Phone Mango, and features a 3.7 inch WVGA ClearBlack display, HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Nokia Drive with free turn-by-turn navigation, 5MP camera with 720p video recording, and a 1.4GHz single-core processor.

Rogers will reportedly sell the Nokia Lumia 710 starting February 6, making it Nokia’s first Windows Phone device in Canada. Telus will launch a Nokia WP device, too – the higher-end Lumia 800 – but it’s not clear when exactly this is going to happen (sometime “soon” anyway).

• Nokia’s Lumia 710 Windows Phone Mango handset available starting today
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Nokia Lumia 710 pre-orders start in the UK for £318, expected release in late February
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March

If BGR’s reports (here and here) are correct, the second largest US mobile carrier will introduce other four handsets on that day – including the Nokia Lumia 900, which will join the Titan II in becoming one of AT&T’s first Windows Phone LTE devices.

It’s said that the Lumia 900 (pictured above) will cost only $99.99 on contract – that would be a wise decision from Nokia, Microsoft and AT&T, since the 900 can’t really stand next to the latest dual-core Android handsets on the market.

Speaking of Android, the other three devices that will be available at AT&T starting March 18 are based on it.

First we have the Samsung Galaxy Note, the 5.3 inch smartphone-tablet hybrid, which should cost $299.99 on contract. The other two handsets haven’t been officially announced yet, and are the Samsung Rugby Smart ($99.99 on contract – this could be a rugged device), and the AT&T Fusion ($124.99 on contract). We’ll bring you more details as soon as we get them.

• Nokia Lumia 800 with LTE coming to AT&T in 2012?
• AT&T’s HTC Titan II hits the FCC with LTE in tow
• AT&T’s Samsung Focus S and Flash will be launched on November 6
• Samsung Galaxy S III to be launched in March? New Galaxy S II Plus and Note S also in the rumors
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)

MobileZone, a Swiss mobile phone retailer, told a customer inquiring about the white Nokia Lumia 800 that it would indeed sell that model starting in mid-February. That said, Swisscom, the country’s biggest carrier, apparently said it won’t be stocking any colors other than black and cyan.

Further confirming the white Lumia 800′s existence and imminent launch is a thread over at XDA Developers, where a member played with his “app that browses Nokia firmwares” and found… you guessed it, a white Lumia 800 headed to Switzerland. So it’s pretty much settled.

What isn’t clear is how soon the white Lumia 800 will reach other countries and territories (since it would be quite illogical for it only to be sold in one country). Stay tuned though and we’ll let you know when we find out more.

Via WMPoweruser and IntoMobile

• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up in green and red in an ad
• Nokia Lumia 800 to get new colors next year?
• Swisscom mentions Nokia Lumia 900 launch date, says it actually meant to talk about Lumia 710

The Nokia Lumia 900 was announced in the US for AT&T during CES, and so far there’s no official word on whether it will eventually make it to other countries as well. Its listing in the UK had us believe so (even if we assumed its LTE support found in AT&T’s version would be taken out).

Yesterday a rumor about there being a Lumia 910 in development, that should be released in Europe in May, further made it look like the Lumia 900 will stay an AT&T exclusive forever. But now we have some more info, and it’s as confusing as ever.

Two retailers, one in Singapore and the other in the Czech Republic have now added listings for the Nokia Lumia 900. SG Best in Singapore only says that it’s coming soon, but Obchod S Mobily in the Czech Republic goes further and actually has a price for the device. It’s CZK 14,955, which translates into roughly €590 or $763. At that price, you’re clearly getting a SIM-free and unlocked phone.

The fact that these listings exist in the first place seems to suggest that the Lumia 900 is indeed headed to other countries outside the US. Perhaps Europe will see both the Lumia 900 as well as the Lumia 910 with its 12 MP camera this summer. It’s impossible to tell for sure at this point, but we’ll keep you posted.

Via Techin5 here and here

• Rumor: Nokia Lumia 910 with 12 MP camera will be available in Europe in May
• New Countries Confirm August iPhone Launch
• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• HTC Desire S available in Europe starting today
• Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in the UK in June

The 1.5 billionth S40 device was a Nokia Asha 303 sold in Brazil recently to a 21-year-old woman, most likely for the equivalent of around €115 (this is the phone’s official price, before taxes and subsidies).

The Asha 303 (pictured below) is the flagship of the new Asha family, coming with a 2.6 inch QVGA touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz single-core processor, HSPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Angry Birds pre-installed, and a 3.2MP camera.

“We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone. Having 1.5 billion Series 40 devices sold is a hard-to-reach mark, let alone one attainable in a single line of products. At a time when we are maintaining our commitment to connecting the next billion customers around the world – it is gratifying to consider how Series 40 devices have made mobile technology accessible and help continue to change people’s lives for the better,” declared Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President for Mobile Phones at Nokia.

Nokia’s S40 phones are really popular in emerging markets, because they’re cheap and usually reliable.

Via Press release

• Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300, and 303 with S40 get announced too
• Nokia Asha 201 now available at Vodafone UK for £45 on PAYG, Lumia 710 might be on offer too
• Nokia’s Asha 300 and Asha 200 S40 phones launched in India
• Nokia reports Q4 2009 results: 126.9 million phones sold, 39% market share
• Nokia posts Q2 2010 results. Sales are up, but profits are down 42% YoY

The Russian journalist also uncovered the fact that Nokia is working on a new Windows Phone. It will be called Lumia 910, and will become available in Europe in May, if you believe Murtazin. The Nokia Lumia 910 will come with a 12 MP camera, he says, staying mum on other details.

However, we can infer those from the phone’s model number. This will clearly be just a slightly upgraded Lumia 900, in which case it very well may be that the only improvement will be the camera. As Nokia is known for its great cameras outside the US (because it’s hardly known in the US at all at this point), this may be a good selling point for the upcoming smartphone. We can also assume that the LTE support found in AT&T’s Lumia 900 will be dropped as there’s no use for it in most of Europe, but the 4.3-inch screen should probably stay. As for other specs, your guess is as good as ours.

This is interesting because yesterday in the UK, the Carphone Warehouse put out a special page for the Nokia Lumia 900, as we reported. In it, the retailer let us know that the phone would arrive in the UK in June.

Now if the (upgraded) Lumia 910 arrives in May (so earlier), will there even be any need for the Lumia 900 to make it to Europe? That’s a good question, especially seeing as how the Carphone Warehouse has since removed all traces of that Lumia 900 page. The plot thickens, as they say.

One way or the other, it’s pretty clear that a higher-end Nokia Lumia Windows Phone is headed to Europe by this summer.

• Nokia Lumia 900 spotted in Singapore and the Czech Republic
• Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in the UK in June
• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) specs leaked ahead of CES unveiling
• UK: SIM-free Nokia Lumia 800 to be available on November 16 after all, but not everywhere

The pink Lumia 800 can now be ordered at Mobiles.co.uk, with contracts from either T-Mobile or Orange. The phone is free with plans starting at £25.54 per month. That cheapest option is at T-Mobile and nets you 600 minutes, 500 texts, and unlimited data each month. The contract is two years long.

On Orange, the cheapest plan that gets you the phone for free costs £31 per month and gives you 400 minutes, unlimited texts, and 750 MB of data.

Aside from the paint job, the pink Nokia Lumia 800 is identical to its black and cyan siblings.

• Acer Liquid Express now available at Orange UK, free from £20.50 per month
• BlackBerry Torch 9810 now up for pre-order on contract in the UK, free from £31 per month
• UK: HP Pre 3 now up for pre-order with Orange and T-Mobile contracts, free from £20.42 per month
• Pink HTC Wildfire S now available in the UK, free from £15 per month
• Nokia E7 now available in the UK

That’s because in the UK, where the Lumia 900 will arrive in June (according to Carphone Warehouse), there’s absolutely no need for the LTE radio that’s found in AT&T’s version of the phone (since the UK doesn’t have LTE networks yet). So that will clearly be taken out, as it would be a useless cost. The LTE radio is one of the reasons for which Nokia packed a bigger battery in the Lumia 900, since those things do need a lot of power. But with the chip gone in the UK, the battery may receive some shrinkage.

Which would make the Lumia 900 entirely identical to the Lumia 800, save for the screen size (and front-facing camera). Still, the 900 will most certainly be regarded by most people ‘on the street’ as the better, higher-end device (as bigger is always thought to automatically mean better) – and may be quite a decent seller for the Finnish company. We’ll see.

If you’re dying to be the first to know when Carphone Warehouse will have the Nokia Lumia 900 in stock, you can go here and register your interest. Other than the rough release timeline of ‘June’ we have nothing else to report just yet. But we’ll keep you posted.

• Rumor: Nokia Lumia 910 with 12 MP camera will be available in Europe in May
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Nokia Lumia 900 spotted in Singapore and the Czech Republic
• Nokia Lumia 900 officially on its way to AT&T with 4.3-inch screen, 4G LTE, 1.4 GHz CPU, 8 MP camera
• Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) renders leaked with AT&T branding

Right now, the Windows Phone bet isn’t a winning one. Not yet. And how could it be, since Nokia has launched only two WP handsets (Lumia 800 and Lumia 710), and announced a third one (Lumia 900) that doesn’t really bring anything new?

In any case, Nokia repeatedly said that it plans to introduce numerous Windows Phone handsets this year, some of them aimed at budget users.

Until we’ll see new Nokia WP devices, we’ve found out that Stephen Elop, the company’s CEO (as of September 2010), recently talked about the current situation at Nokia, and about competition. More exactly, in an interview with Pocket-lint, Elop declared:

“We don’t want fragmentation being introduced into Windows Phone because we are beginning to see how in a certain other eco-system that fragmentation becomes a problem.”

That “other” ecosystem is, of course, Android. Yes, Android fragmentation can be bothersome, although not really for the OS itself (or for Google), but for end users. And still, this doesn’t stop users from activating more than 700,000 Android devices each day.

I bet Nokia wouldn’t give a f*** about fragmentation if it would manage to activate even half of the number of devices that are currently activated with Android.

Elop also said that the “first priority, always, always, is to differentiate our experience from Android and iPhone. That is job one, two and three quite frankly.” Ok, good for you. But remember: different doesn’t necessarily mean better. In fact, until now, if we look at how well the Lumia 800 has performed sales-wise, it clearly doesn’t mean better. For the moment, Nokia’s Windows Phone handsets are just that: different, but without the power to attract the broad mass of consumers (who generally want either Android, or iOS on their next smartphone).

In another interview, this time with TechRadar, Stephen Elop defends the lack of multi-core processors from the first three Nokia WP handsets (they all use a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU).

According to Elop:

“You don’t need a quad-core phone unless you want to keep your hands warm in your pocket. We’re believers in the experience so, fine you have this camera density and you have that camera density. Let’s put the pictures side-by-side and we’ll show which ones are better.”

HTC, Samsung and Apple are all working on quad-core smartphones that should be unveiled later this year. And I’m pretty sure that most users will always choose a quad-core smartphone over a single or dual core one (assuming these are all high-end devices priced similarly). That’s because, regardless of what Elop believes, selling products is not just about the experience, but also (and maybe more importantly) about the marketing hype.

Next week, Nokia will announce its Q4 and full year 2011 financial results. I’m eagerly waiting to see if it’s going to unveil the exact number of Windows Phone handsets sold. If not, this would be a confirmation of the fact that they simply didn’t sell well. But Nokia could have better luck this year, right? We’ll see.

• Elop says Nokia’s first Windows Phones are on track for Q4
• Windows Phone Marketplace now has a Nokia category
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• Rumor: Nokia Lumia 910 with 12 MP camera will be available in Europe in May

The newest of them all is the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, which was officially unveiled at the beginning of this month. The Ace Plus (pictured below) runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and features a 3.65 inch HVGA display, TouchWiz UI, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 512MB of RAM, 1GHz single-core processor, 3GB of internal memory, and MicroSD card support.

Customers will be able to buy the Galaxy Ace Plus SIM-free, too, starting February.

The Lumia 710 (which is also headed to Orange and Three) will be Vodafone’s second Windows Phone Mango handset from Nokia, after the Lumia 800.

As for the BlackBerry Bold 9790 (already available unlocked in the UK), this will come with BlackBerry OS 7, a 2.44 inch HVGA touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, NFC, 1GHz single-core processor, and a 5MP rear camera.

Via TechRadar

• BlackBerry Bold 9790 coming to Three UK
• BlackBerry Bold 9790 now available at Vodafone UK
• Nokia Lumia 800 bundled with free Xbox at Orange UK
• Nokia Lumia 710 will bring More Windows Phone Mango to Orange UK
• BlackBerry Bold 9790 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 officially announced

However, as it happens sometimes, exclusivities don’t last forever. In fact, we’re hearing that AT&T’s Lumia 900 exclusivity will end 45 days after launch (the launch is expected to take place on March 18).

According to WinSupersite and a “a source at a rival wireless carrier”, T-Mobile, “probably Verizon” and “possibly Sprint” could also introduce a version of the Lumia 900 – most likely in the second half of the year. Reportedly, the new version of the 900 should come with a 12MP camera (instead of an 8MP one, like AT&T’s handset).

Sure enough, since this isn’t confirmed by any official sources, we should take it as a rumor for now.

The Nokia Lumia 900 (pictured above) in an upgraded Lumia 800, coming with a 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED WVGA display, LTE connectivity, 1.4GHz single-core processor, and 16GB of internal memory.

• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Nokia Lumia 900 with Windows Phone Tango to be launched in the US in early 2012?
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, Nokia Lumia 710 and BlackBerry Bold 9790 coming to Vodafone UK in February
• Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 with Windows Phone available at Amazon USA
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now

At one point in the past, we thought it would be out on January 6, yet that obviously hasn’t happened. But last we heard anything about this, it was going to launch in “late February”. So compared to that, it’s going to be early.

The Lumia 710 is the more affordable of Nokia’s Windows Phones, and depending on how it will be priced, it may become a best seller or be relegated to “expensive novelty” status.

Oh, and it will also be sold by Three and Orange at some point. Those are all the details we have now. It’s unclear if the operators will also start selling it on February 1 or at a later date. We’ll have to wait and see.

Via NokNok and Pocket-lint

• UK: Cyan Nokia Lumia 800 will be out in December, pink next year
• Swisscom mentions Nokia Lumia 900 launch date, says it actually meant to talk about Lumia 710
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Nokia Lumia 710 may be out in the UK on January 6
• AT&T and Verizon testing 4G LTE Nokia Lumia 800

Now, thanks to the official Nokia Developer Newsletter (see the screenshot below), we know that the new handset should be out in March. Of course, that’s when AT&T will launch it in the US only, as there’s still no word if or when we’re going to see the Lumia 900 on other carriers / in other markets.

The Lumia 900 is Nokia’s third Windows Phone Mango handset, and is pretty much a larger Lumia 800 with LTE connectivity. It features a 4.3 inch WVGA ClearBlack AMOLED display, 1.4GHz single core processor, 512MB of RAM, 8MP rear camera with 720p video recording, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and a 1,830 mAh battery.

I’m really curious to see how well the Lumia 900 will sell. The Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 haven’t done great until now. Can a launch via a major American carrier do wonders for Nokia? Well, we’ll find out later this year.

Via WMPowerUser

• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 launching in India in December
• Nokia Lumia 710 will become South Korea’s first Windows Phone Mango handset
• Nokia Lumia 900 possibly coming to more US carriers (T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint)
• New Nokia 801 with Symbian Belle coming soon?

There’s no word on the price Telus will ask for the Lumia 800. However, looking at the carrier’s other smartphones, it shouldn’t be higher than $50 with a new 3-yr contract agreement.

It remains to be seen if Telus manages to launch the Lumia 800 before Rogers releases the Lumia 710 (this should happen in February). The two Lumias are Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices for the Canadian market.

Via Mobile Syrup

• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• White BlackBerry Torch available at Rogers. Telus’ LG Optimus One to cost $200 off contract
• Nokia Lumia 900 Ace and Lumia 710 to be launched in Canada
• BlackBerry Curve 8900 quietly launched by Rogers?

Especially up there at the top.

Could you please shut up now, and let the results of your work speak for themselves? Instead of creating wildly unrealistic expectations that are bound to backfire when not met.

You’ve been doing such a great job managing expectations prior to Nokia World and the launch of first Lumia handsets:

• Never committing to the first Windows Phone launch and shipment dates
• Insisting that first Nokia Windows Phones, even if they are launched in 2011, will not ship in big volumes. They will be there more to enter the market, show presence. Establish a beachhead as you say now. That’s it. Nobody expected any huge sales this year
• We knew that you will have something with WP Mango to show at Nokia World. But having the first phone ship few weeks after the announcement was a welcome surprise. Having the second one ready 3 weeks later, was even better

All in all, at Nokia World you did surprise us to the upside. For the first time in years you under promised and then over delivered.

And then you got carried away:

• It started small – with that clip of Nokia Lumia 800 being put in a box in Salo factory and shipped to the carrier stores. It was a neat trick for the keynote. The problem – it was just a trick. You then took 3 weeks to deliver the first Lumias to paying customers. And it certainly shouldn’t take 21 days for the phone shipped from Finland to get to the store in the U.K.
• Even before that, you started talking about enormous multi multi million marketing budgets, which are several times bigger than for any other Nokia product launch.
• And started touting unprecedented carrier and retail support. With 31 “operator and retail” partners in 6 European countries. Which, while technically may be true, was an exaggeration as perceived by the press and public. In most of Europe – carrier support is the key, while retailers matter much much less. Lumping both of them into one big number might make it more impressive to brag about, but does not help much beyond that. And, by my count, on Nov. 23d – one week after launch – you only had 14 carriers with Lumia on display.
• Then you started talking about record breaking Lumia 800 pre-orders. While the fact that those huge numbers were only on one network, and a part of the free XBOX offer that came with a new Lumia contract, was mostly drowned out by the noise.
• After that came reports on various Nokia and Windows phone fan blogs that Lumia 800 is the most popular phone on many carrier websites. Most of the  reports had no relation to actual sales, but were promoted by your employees nevertheless.

All of this has created huge expectations for Nokia Lumia sales in Q4 2011.

We, tech press folks and some analysts, are pretty lazy crowd. When looking at what to expect from a new product launch, we will gladly fall back to something that we can easily compare it too. And what’s easier to compare Nokia’s Lumia launch to, then Symbian^3/Nokia N8 in Q4 2010? Both Lumia and S^3 were next generation devices. Both started shipping in the last quarter of the year (more or less). In both cases Nokia touted unprecedented carrier support, huge marketing budgets and record breaking pre-orders.

And we also know how many Symbian^3 devices you sold in Q4 2010 – 5 million. Which gives us a good benchmark of Nokia’s distribution and marketing strength for a new product line. The same 5 million.  Some of us may take into account the shorter period of sales – launch in mid of the quarter instead of the beginning. But it still conditions us to expect  2 million+ of Lumias sold in 2011. And that does not even account for the overall smartphone market growth.

Which is all great, if you can hit those numbers. But a closer look into when and how Nokia Lumia 800 was sold during Q4, makes me think that 5 million is out of the question and even 2 million is highly unlikely. Given that during Lumia 900 launch at CES you did not mention how Nokia Windows Phones fared last year, the actual sales must be pretty low.

Which would have been OK, if you kept to that pre-Nokia World “beachhead establishment”, “not focused on high volumes yet” line, and haven’t hyped up expectations to such crazy levels. You have built enough of goodwill and understanding that implementing the new Windows Phone strategy takes time.

But now, if the actual sales numbers are as low as I think they are, you can expect a barrage of negative headlines about how Nokia Windows Phone strategy is failing, after you report results on January 26th. All that goodwill you’ve built up will be gone, and renewed excuses that everything is good and you never planned for big Lumia volumes in 2011 anyway, will sound pretty hollow.

Your sales&marketing people should have known and forecasted all this even before the first Lumia left Salo factory. Why the heck would you shoot yourself in the foot this way?

Which brings me to the U.S. Lumia launch. I can understand Jo Harlow hinting about frequent Windows Phone releases next year. You have a full year to work on it, and you can probably meet and even exceed that promise. But what the heck Chris Weber was thinking when he promised that “Rolling Thunder” for CES? Blown up Lumia 800 with LTE antenna, on one U.S. carrier? That’ it? That’s your rolling thunder? Really?

While at it, can you please stop taking pot shots at iPhone? You know – stuff like Niels Munksgaard’s “youth are pretty much fed up with iPhones” , or Marko Ahtisaari’s “iPhone UI is becoming more dated as we speak”. Until you have some Lumia sales numbers to impress us with, quips like that just make you look desperate and out of touch. It’s not yet on the level of Ballmer’s famous iPhone dissing in 2007, but you may get there pretty quick, if you continue this nonsense. Just forget about iPhone and Android when talking on the record, and focus on your own strengths.

And could you also ease up on that “Real Windows Phone” thing? Yes, it’s a catchy phrase, and I know Nokia is doing its best job on Windows Phone. But with 16 megapixel camera to brag about, HTC Titan 2 looks no less real to me than Lumia 900.

(Btw, what’s with that camera thing? With Nokia’s prowess and experience in digital imaging, close ties and work you are doing with Microsoft – how the heck HTC was able to leapfrog you in Windows Phone camera flagship department? At least in megapixel count – we’ll have to wait for some real tests  to see about picture quality).

All things considered, you seem to be doing quite OK with the implementation of your new Windows Phone strategy. Better then many expected when you announced it on February 11th, last year. Do brag about that. Point it to everyone who cares to listen. Hype the best features of your new Lumia phones through the roof.

Just try to keep it real were future promises and expectations are concerned. And let the results speak for themselves.

It’s always better to under promise and over deliver.

• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• Nokia Lumia 800 vs Samsung Galaxy S2 vs iPhone 4S/4 price comparison and NWP shipment expectations
• Compal to start delivery of Windows Phones to Nokia in September. 2 million units ordered for Q4 2011
• AT&T Nokia Ace (Lumia 900) will get $100 million marketing campaign
• Nokia Q4 2011 results. PR lipstick on the approaching trouble

The Blaze 4G will be the third handset to support T-Mo’s HSPA+ 42Mbps network, and should become available “later this year.” The fourth largest US carrier didn’t unveil all of its features, but it did say the Blaze would come with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 dual-core processor, and a Super AMOLED display. The new smartphone doesn’t look too different from the Galaxy S II that’s been launched by T-Mobile in October.

You can sign-up for updates on the Blaze 4G here.

Today, T-mobile has also released the Nokia Lumia 710, the first Nokia Windows Phone handset for the US market. As previously announced, the Lumia 710 costs $49.99 with a new 2-yr T-Mobile contract, and is now available both online (in black or white), and in stores.

Via Press release

• Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile USA officially announced, won’t be released this year
• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month
• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too
• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• White Nokia Lumia 800 to be launched in the UK on March 6

The Lumia 710 will be available at T-Mobile tomorrow. As for the Lumia 800, it hasn’t been picked up by any carriers so far, but Nokia plans to bring an unlocked version to the US as soon as next month. This will be found in all the usual places (some of which offer imports even as you read this), and also, interestingly, in Microsoft’s stores throughout the country.

There’s no word on pricing unfortunately, but do expect it to be lower than what the Lumia 800 imports are currently going for in the US. Because the Lumia 800 is a pentaband 3G device, you’ll be able to use it (complete with HSPA support) on either AT&T or T-Mobile.

You’ll be able to buy the phone on its own, or as part of a bundle which will also include the Nokia Play 360 speakers and the Nokia Purity headset made by Monster. The unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 will be available in the US in cyan, black, and pink/magenta, so all the colors in which it’s been sold internationally so far.

Via SlashGear and MobileBurn

• AT&T-compatible Nokia Lumia 800 now available in the US unlocked for $789.99
• Nokia Lumia 800 to be launched on November 16 in the UK
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Nokia Lumia 710 pre-orders start in the UK for £318, expected release in late February
• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95

The Lumia 710 will be released by Rogers in February as part of its “Smartphone Lite lineup of affordable devices.” The Canadian carrier will offer the 710 for $49.99 with a new 3-yr contract agreement.

Telus didn’t say how much its Lumia 800 would cost (it should be more expensive than the 710), and neither when it would be launched. We only know that the handset is “coming soon” in black, cyan and magenta.

We’ve heard that the Lumia 900 would also make its way to Canada, but for the moment there are no official details on this. Perhaps Bell will want to carry the 900? We’ll see.

Via Press release

• Samsung Galaxy S II LTE to be launched by Bell?
• BlackBerry Torch 9860, 9850 and 9810 launch details: AT&T, Sprint, Rogers, Telus, Bell, O2, Orange, Vodafone
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up at Telus’ website
• Nokia Lumia 800 shows up in green and red in an ad
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now

The Nokia Lumia 900 is basically the Lumia 800′s bigger brother in almost all respects. It has the same design language (first seen in the N9), and most of the same specs. Some things though are different. The Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED 480×800 touchscreen and 4G LTE support.

It also comes with two wide-angle cameras, the rear unit being 8 MP (which can do 720p HD video), and the front-facing one 1.3 MP, a 1.4 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 3.5 mm headset jack, and a 1,830 mAh battery. It will be 11.5 mm thin, weigh 160 grams, and will run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

The Nokia Lumia 900 will be available at AT&T in cyan (seen above) and matte black “in the coming months”. Pricing information hasn’t been made public yet. So for more accurate release details as well as the price of this device, keep coming back here. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out.

• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) specs leaked ahead of CES unveiling
• White Nokia Lumia 800 gets official, will be launched this month

That rumor, about Microsoft buying Nokia, or at least its smartphone arm, keeps popping up regularly, primarily thanks to Eldar Murtazin, the Russian journalist who leaked the Windows Phone-centric Nokia-Microsoft alliance established last year long before anyone even considered that it could happen.

Some time ago, Stephen Elop himself denied this rumor. But yesterday it came back. And now Nokia has denied it again, even if this time not through its CEO. Nokia UK got in touch with SlashGear and issued the following brief statement on the matter:

“We’ve put these rumours to rest a long time ago. The focus for Nokia is on executing on our partnership around Windows Phone and growing the ecosystem, and each company has the tools they need to do so”

Don’t, however, let this make you think that there’s absolutely no possibility of talks between the two companies regarding that sale. After all, most companies strongly deny any future deal, sale, or acquisition. Until, that is, they officially announce it. It’s just the way things work in the corporate space.

Also note that according to yesterday’s rumor, the discussions between Nokia and Microsoft aren’t finalized yet, but they might be after CES when executives from both companies will meet in Las Vegas. No company in the world would ever issue a statement saying something like Oh, yes, we are indeed in talks to sell half of the company, but we’re not sure the deal will go through yet, even if that may just be very representative of the Nokia situation right now.

As always, stay tuned and we’ll let you know when there are more developments.

• Nokia to start talking to Microsoft about phone unit sale next week
• Elop: Rumors about Nokia selling its mobile business to Microsoft are baseless
• Microsoft again rumored to be in talks to buy Nokia’s smartphone division, Elop to resign next year
• Adding few more pieces to Nokia Microsoft deal puzzle. Interview with Nokia’s EVP Dr. Kai Öistämö #MWC11
• Nokia, Microsoft to announce alliance tomorrow, possibly related to MS Office

According to DigiTimes and “sources in the supply chain”, Nokia decided not to outsource the production of the 900 to Taiwanese or Chinese companies, and will manufacture it itself. I assume that’s because Nokia wants to have complete control over the final product.

From what we’ve heard until now, the Lumia 900 will look like a bigger Lumia 800, sporting a 4.3 inch display (sadly, its resolution seems to have remained unchanged – 800 x 480 pixels).

(image via PocketNow)

The Lumia 900 Ace is expected to be released by AT&T on March 18, and should also be introduced in Canada, probably not long after its US debut.

• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• Nokia Lumia 800 to be released in Australia in March (via Telstra, Optus and Vodafone)
• Nokia Lumia 900 with Windows Phone Tango to be launched in the US in early 2012?
• Nokia Lumia 900 Ace and Lumia 710 to be launched in Canada
• Nokia Lumia 900 possibly rendered, could be announced at CES 2012

The price you’ll have to pay in order to become one of the first individuals in the UK to get your mitts on the Lumia 710 is £318, VAT included.

As for when the device will arrive in your arms, although this isn’t officially confirmed yet, expect that to happen sometime in late February.

If you’re interested in Nokia’s first midrange Windows Phone, just head over to Clove and pre-order one. We’ll keep you posted on the actual release date.

The Nokia Lumia 710 has a 1.4 GHz single-core processor, a 3.7-inch 480×800 ClearBlack LCD touchscreen, a 5 MP camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, 512 MB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in storage, microSD card support, 14.4 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and a 1,300 mAh battery. It runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 launching in India in December
• Nokia’s Lumia 710 Windows Phone Mango handset available starting today
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Nokia Lumia 710 will become South Korea’s first Windows Phone Mango handset

According to Mobile Syrup, after the Lumia 710, Nokia will release the still unannounced Lumia 900 Ace in Canada as well – so the company is following a strategy similar to the one for the US (where AT&T should introduce the Ace pretty soon).

For the moment, there’s no word on what Canadian carriers will offer the Lumia 710 (pictured above) and Lumia 900. In any case, the 710 will be the more affordable handset, since the Lumia 900 is supposed to arrive as Nokia’s WP flagship device (featuring a 4.3 inch display and LTE connectivity). We’ll bring more on this as soon as we get it.

• Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 announced for Canada (Telus, Rogers)
• Nokia Lumia 900 production won’t be outsourced, report says
• Nokia Lumia 800 to be released in Australia in March (via Telstra, Optus and Vodafone)
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• Unlocked Nokia Lumia 800 officially available in the US in February

But if you want to get the handset for even less, Wirefly is the place to get it from. The retailer lets customers pre-order the Lumia 710 for $0 on contract, or $359 without contract.

You can go here to order the black 710, or here for the white version.

The Lumia 710 is Nokia’s first Windows Phone device to be released via a US mobile carrier. The second one will most likely be the Nokia Ace 900, which should be introduced by AT&T pretty soon.

Via WPCentral

• White Nokia Lumia 800 now up for pre-order in the UK, yours for £429.95
• CDMA Nokia Lumia 800 lands in China in March, Lumia 710 and Lumia 900 to follow
• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too
• Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile USA officially announced, won’t be released this year
• Black Nokia Lumia 800 available for pre-order at Vodafone UK

Interestingly, most of these ‘Microsoft will buy Nokia’ rumors tend to come from the same source: Eldar Murtazin, the Russian journalist who has famously leaked the fact that Nokia was going to switch its smartphones to Windows Phone before anyone even considered that it could happen.

Despite not believing that at first, after it actually happened, I vowed never to simply dismiss anything that Mr. Murtazin says again. After all, Nokia switching to WP sounded quite preposterous at the time – yet it did happen. So if Microsoft snatching up Nokia’s smartphone unit sounds absurd right now – well, it may just happen.

Image via IntoMobile

And if it won’t, don’t start shouting that “Eldar was lying!” (as some people like to do). The two companies are talking about this, I’m sure. But those talks don’t always lead to action. So perhaps they’ll eventually decide not to go through with the deal. That doesn’t mean there were never any talks.

Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s take a look at what Eldar Murtazin actually said about this takeover (complete with my comments).

Nokia’s and Microsoft’s head honchos (including Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer) will meet up in Las Vegas (CES is a great excuse apparently) and discuss the deal. It may even get finalized over there. If it goes through, it will happen in the second half of 2012, and will involve Nokia’s smartphone R&D, as well as two plants.

The Nokia brand wouldn’t be used by the new unit under Microsoft. Instead, Microsoft will presumably sell own-brand Windows Phones. This may have been a requirement by Stephen Elop (perhaps to not confuse consumers).

That’s because Nokia will continue to exist (sans smartphones, at first) and make and sell ‘dumbphones’ (featurephones). They’ll also have an updated device category which will in the future compete with smartphones (perhaps a new ‘smart’ OS born out of S40 or the likes).

Apparently it’s all up to Microsoft right now. If they decide to go through with the deal, it will happen. If not, it won’t. But Nokia seems to be pretty much happy with the state of what has already been negotiated. That said, Microsoft is still unsure if it actually needs hardware R&D and manufacturing plants in-house. However, it sure would like to get its hands on Nokia’s smartphone-related patents (to use against Android makers, undoubtedly).

Nokia’s new Chairman will be Risto Siilasmaa, who will replace Jorma Ollila. His main goal will be to finalize this deal and then find a CEO to replace Stephen Elop with. That’s because Elop will resign in 2012 (supposedly heading back to the Microsoft mothership if the deal goes through).

Microsoft partners aren’t happy with the state of Windows Phone, yet Microsoft still believes in it and would like it to be its next successful product, replicating the Xbox. Google’s acquisition of Motorola makes for a good example of hardware-software integration in this space, along with Apple of course. An example that Microsoft could decide to follow. After all, they’ve been copying (nay, emulating) Apple’s mobile unit in every other respect (just consider how locked-down the entire WP experience is, and don’t forget Zune), so going for that famous Apple tight integration next just makes sense.

Just like the Nokia-Microsoft deal over Windows Phone did. All of these things make a lot of sense for Microsoft. If you’re wondering if they’ve ever made any sense for Nokia, that’s a good question.

One way or the other, this year we’re bound to find out whether Elop was in fact a trojan horse planted inside Nokia just to make it cheaper so Microsoft could buy a part of it. That’s exciting.

• Elop: Rumors about Nokia selling its mobile business to Microsoft are baseless
• Nokia once again denies rumored smartphone division sale to Microsoft
• Nokia to start talking to Microsoft about phone unit sale next week
• The first Nokia Windows Phone (Sea Ray) unveiled by Stephen Elop?
• New Nokia Windows Phone 7 concept – would you buy this?

The Nokia N9 is the first and last MeeGo smartphone (even though its UI is Nokia-specific, and not generic MeeGo code). It comes with an interesting swipe-based user experience paradigm, and is just gorgeous. And that probably concludes all the possible reasons for someone to buy it.

You certainly won’t purchase one for its specsheet, or for the number of apps available for it, or for the ‘geek cool’ factor, or because all of your friends have one.

So are you ready to take the plunge? If so, know that the magenta-colored version with 16 GB of built-in storage costs £349.99. If you’d like the black variant (also with 16 GB of storage), you’ll have to pay £364.99 for the privilege.

• Nokia N9 now available in the US, unlocked for $689.99
• Nokia N9/N950 RM-680 developer device will launch next week ?
• Early MeeGo code released to developers (for Nokia N900 and Intel Atom-based devices)
• Nokia’s MeeGo head resigns. Will we see the N9 this year?
• Nokia N9 will be available in Sweden on September 23

First of all, it will happen in ‘late March’. That bodes nicely with a past rumor claiming that the superphone will be in stores on March 18. Nothing as specific today, but it’s pretty clear that the Ace will be released in March. Apparently, the Ace will be a ‘hero’ device on AT&T, meaning that the carrier itself will be actively promoting the phone through ads and retail channels.

Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) mockup (left) alongside the Nokia Lumia 800 (right)

Image via PocketNow

But that’s not all. To ensure that the Lumia 900 will be a success in the US, Nokia, Microsoft, and AT&T will pour a staggering total of $100 million into the phone’s marketing campaign throughout the second quarter of this year (so April to June).

We don’t know exactly how that sum will be split between Nokia, Microsoft, and AT&T, yet we’re willing to bet that Microsoft will be the main financial contributor to this campaign. After all, it’s in desperate need of a ‘hero’ device for the entire Windows Phone platform, especially in the US, and the Lumia 900 might just be it. So far, Windows Phone has a smartphone market share of just 5.4% in the US, so something clearly needs to be done.

This campaign and the Nokia Ace’s launch will undoubtedly also impact future similar endeavors for Windows Phones in the US. If the Nokia Ace is successful, then expect many more similar (and similarly-priced) marketing blitzes to follow. If not, then… well, we’ll see. Microsoft certainly has the money to keep throwing at the Windows Phone ‘problem’, so it’s not clear that it would give up so soon.

One way or another, Nokia’s big splashy re-entrance in the US market is about to happen very soon. Brace yourselves.

Via BetaNews

• Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on
• AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 pre-orders no longer available in Microsoft stores
• Rogers Nokia Lumia 710 complete pricing revealed
• Rumor: Nokia Lumia 910 with 12 MP camera will be available in Europe in May
• Nokia Lumia 800 to be released in Australia in March (via Telstra, Optus and Vodafone)