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This year, Nokia started giving business leaders the opportunity to trial Nokia Lumia devices for 30 days. If you’re interested in participating, tweet @NokiaAtWork and tell them The Nokia Blog sent you.

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LiveSight shows what’s around you through your camera view. It also integrates a compass that shows you which way you’re facing so you can get oriented quickly. You can activate it when you click the LiveSight icon when you are centered at your current location.

We noticed it was a little slow. You can probably see what we’re talking about in this video. Download Here Maps and let us know what you think.

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The Nokia Lumia 928 is a little bit taller, but the width and thickness are very similar. It’s the shape of the two devices that make them feel different in the hands. The Nokia Lumia 928 feels boxy, compared to the curved sides on the Lumia 920. For the most part, the Lumia 920 feels better in the hands, but the sides on the Nokia Lumia 928 make it easier to handle for taking photos.

They both have a 4.5-inch display with 768×1280 resolution. The Nokia Lumia 928 appears to be brighter. It is also more visible in sunlight. The colors seem to pop more on the Nokia 928, but there’s one problem. The display on the Lumia 928 seems to have a green tint. It becomes more noticeable when you look at the display at certain angles.

Both the Lumia 928 and Lumia 920 have the same 8.7 megapixel camera and optical image stabilization, but the Nokia Lumia 928 has an advantage. The 928 has xenon flash which does a better job at freezing moments at night than LED flash. Both devices take great low light photos, but you don’t have to worry about people moving around when taking photos on the Lumia 928. There’s also an LED light on the 928 for video recording at night.

Both of these phones have the same high quality microphones that let you record loud events without distortion. They’re great for concerts. The main microphone for video is the one on top, so make sure not to cover that while recording.

Also on top are the microSIM slots. On the Lumia 928, you need to slide it out. On the Lumia 920, you need to push a pin inside the hole. The audio jacks are located on top of both devices. What’s different is that the microUSB port is on top of the Nokia Lumia 928 and the bottom for the Nokia Lumia 920.

On the sides are the volume controls, power button, and the deicated camera button. I like that the camera button is placed higher on the Lumia 928. This makes it easier to hold when taking photos. It gives space for the middle finger for extra stability when getting ready to shoot.

A lot of the other things are the same on both devices. They have the same battery with 2000mAh capacity. They both support wireless charging. They both have a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, and 32GB of storage.

The two major differences are the camera flash and the display. The Nokia Lumia 928 seems to better on those things than the Nokia Lumia 920. Choosing between the two isn’t such a big problem because they are sold by different carriers. In the US, the Nokia Lumia 920 is available at AT&T while the Nokia Lumia 928 is available at Verizon Wireless. Your decision depends more on your carrier preference.

Which one is for you? Nokia Lumia 928 or Nokia Lumia 920?

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Photo 3:

This comparison shows us that the xenon flash on the Nokia Lumia 928 is great at low light photos even when the subjects are moving. You don’t need tell your friends to stay still because the xenon flash emits a much brighter light than LED flash. This enables the camera to use a faster shutter speed. In simpler words, xenon flash combined with PureView technology on the Nokia Lumia 928 kicks ass.

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The Nokia Lumia 925 features a polycarbonate back with an aluminum frame. I was surprised. I thought it would be fully metal. There’s nothing wrong with polycarbonate, but the leaks, teasers, and even the metallic name badges they gave us at the press conference led me to believe it would have a fully metallic body like the HTC One.

The color options for the Nokia Lumia weren’t that exciting. I got used to seeing bright reds, yellows, and cyans. You can fix this by adding colorful wireless charging snap-on cases.

Coming from a Nokia Lumia 920, I noticed the thinness of the Nokia Lumia 925 right away. The Lumia 925 is 2.2mm thinner and 46g lighter than the Nokia Lumia 920. It doesn’t sound much, but it felt better in the hand.

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I’m a little concerned about the camera bump on the back. Will the lens be more prone to scratches? We’ll have to see.

The Nokia Lumia 925 has six lens compared to five on the Lumia 920. I was curious if this meant better photos than the 920, but I couldn’t see any major differences. They both have 8.7 megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization. I was only able to compare by looking at the screens of the phones after capturing the photos. A better comparison would be to look at the actual image files. I’ll do that in our review.

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On the software side, the Nokia Lumia 925 comes with the Lumia Amber update. It brings a small number of improvements. I noticed FM radio which a lot of people have requested. Another one I noticed is the option to make other camera apps as the default app to open when pressing and holding the camera button. This option is available for the new Nokia Smart Camera app. The update will also be rolled out to other Lumia devices later this summer.

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Overall, I don’t see the Nokia Lumia 925 as a huge improvement over the Nokia Lumia 920. Stick to the 920 if you’re happy with it. If you complained about the 920′s weight and thickness, then the Lumia 925 is worth checking out.

In the US, the Nokia Lumia 925 will be available to T-mobile so there isn’t much of a conflict. AT&T users can get the Lumia 920, Verizon users can get the Lumia 928, and T-mobile users can get the Lumia 925. Sprint… where are you?

We were told at the press conference that more Lumia devices will be announced this summer.

The Nokia Lumia 928 features a super-sensitive 4.5-inch OLED display, 8.7MP PureView camera, Xenon flash, HAAC microphones, and a new high-performance loudspeaker. This Nokia Lumia device will be available at Verizon Wireless starting May 16 for $99.99 after $50 mail-in-rebate with a new two year customer agreement.

We’ll have more coverage on the Nokia Lumia 928 in the next few days and weeks. What do you think about it so far?

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Let’s take a look at the device closely. It has a front facing camera, rear camera with a bump, dual-led flash, and appears to be metallic. We’re guessing this device is a metallic version of the Nokia Lumia 720 with higher specs.

The camera probably has a wide F/1.9 aperture lens like the Lumia 720 for good low-light performance that shows you more than your eyes can see. We could be wrong, though, and Nokia surprises with a 41 megapixel sensor in this smartphone like the Nokia 808 Pureview.

What do you think?

Two Nokia Lumia 928 videos from Nokia

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The Nokia Lumia 928 has a super-sensitive 4.5-inch OLED display, 8.7MP PureView camera, super-fast Xenon flash, three high-audio-amplitude-capture (HAAC) microphones for high quality recording, and a new high-performance loudspeaker.

“Verizon Wireless customers, we heard you and the wait is over,” said said Matt Rothschild, vice president, Nokia North America in the press release “We’re excited to offer a Nokia flagship smartphone, specially designed and optimized for the nation’s largest 4G LTE network.”

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Here are the steps:

• Go to AT&T Wireless Travel and International page
• Click Chat Now (on the right side)
• Tell them you would like to unlock your phone so you can use it when you travel.
• Give them your IMEI number. It’s on your box. You can also go to settings – about phone.
• They will give you a 20-digit unlock code.
• Insert any SIM card other than AT&T in the Nokia Lumia 920.
• Restart phone (turn off then turn on).
• The Nokia Lumia 920 is going to ask for the unlock code. Type it in and press enter.
• That’s it!

Others have been successful calling AT&T directly, but I think this way is faster. Try it and let us know if it works for you.

This photo is available from the official Nokia Lumia 928 page. A new video was also just published showing off video recording on the Nokia Lumia 928. It can record a performance without distortion so that video sounds as loud and clear as you heard it in person. Watch it below.

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Cinemagraphs are basically photos with some parts of it that are moving. You can get really creative with this app. I especially like cinemagraphs that have very smooth loops.

Show us your best cinemagraph.

This photo is available at the Nokia Lumia 928 page that asks you stay tuned for more updates. A sample video for Nokia’s latest Lumia device is also provided.

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We spotted the Nokia Lumia 928 before at a private concert, but it was covered by thick black cases. We now see it in a different angle. The Nokia Lumia 928 appears to have a the microUSB port at the top and center, while the audio jack is placed to the left of it. There appears to be another slot which could be for a SIM card. The other hole could be a microphone for voice cancellation.

When is Nokia going to tell us more about the Nokia Lumia 928?

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The ad says:

Capture the highlights. Even in low light. Nokia exclusive PureView technology, with Optical Image Stabilization and high-end Carl Zeiss optics lets you capture and share amazing blur-free photos and videos, even in low light conditions.

There’s a Nokia event on May 14th. Are we going to learn more about this device that day? Take a closer look at the edges of the phone. Does that material look polycarbonate or aluminum?

The Nokia Lumia 928 is shown taking a photo against the sun. Usually in this kind of situation, two things happen. Either the subjects would appear to be very dark while the sky appear blue, or the subjects are properly exposed while the sky is blown up to white.

If you want your subjects AND the sky to be properly exposed when shooting against the sun, I can think of two solutions: strong flash and/or HDR.

We already know from previous leak that the Nokia Lumia 928 has xenon flash. We even saw the Lumia 928 in action already. Could built-in HDR mode be added to the camera, too? We’ll have to wait for more details.

Nokia is hosting an event on May 14th in London. Perhaps, that’s when we’ll learn more about the Nokia Lumia 928. Are you ready?

via Engadget

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Rowi is very popular among Windows Phone users and it got better with instant push notifications. There are still some bugs as you may have noticed in this video. I hope they’re working on that to make the experience better. Download Rowi at the Windows Phone Store.

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The Nokia Lumia 521 features a 4-inch touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera and 720p HD video recording. It runs Windows Phone 8 and includes exclusive Nokia apps such as Nokia Music, Cinemagraph, Creative Studio, Smart Shoot and HERE Drive, Maps and Transit. It’s a VERY good deal at $129.99 without contract and $30 per month with unlimited Web and text plan on T-mobile.

The audience was a select group of media and influencers. I talked to some tech bloggers, fashion bloggers, and culture bloggers. Many of them were given Nokia Lumia 920 smartphones to check out, take photos and shoot videos.

I thought the event was about the Nokia Lumia 920, but it wasn’t. I noticed several devices covered in black cases on tripods, monopods, and even carried by a few people walking around. It matched the description of the rumored Nokia Lumia 928. The xenon flash was unmistakable. I think the event was was set up to be filmed with several Nokia Lumia 928 devices. Nokia will probably publish this video during the launch.

Here are some photos of the devices:

Observations

The back of the devices at the event matched what we’ve seen on the Nokia Lumia 928 leaks already. It has xenon flash and roundish speakers on the back. The top of the Nokia Lumia 928 has the audio jack on the left and a microUSB or HDMI port in the center.

I stood next to one of the guys holding the Nokia Lumia 928 and noticed a white light go on for about 2 seconds every time he took a photo. The flash wasn’t brief so it couldn’t have been the xenon flash. I think it was the focus assist light.

It was a great night. I wish I got to play with the Nokia Lumia 928, though. We probably don’t have to wait long before it goes official.

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Think of it as Foursquare for beer. You can track, rate, take a photo, and share it with all your friends. There’s also a badge system just like Foursquare.

There are a couple of things I didn’t like. I couldn’t find a way to find and add friends from my Twitter or Facebook accounts. There’s also no support for live tiles yet. It’s not bad for the first version, but I think it can be better. I’m also not sure if I’ll be able to use the app after many rounds.

Untappd for Windows Phone is free. I’ve included a QR code in the video so you can download it directly.

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The app is still in beta. I noticed some errors when clicking on the like button on some photos. It may crash randomly too. Let Microsoft know if you notice anything unusual in Settings>About in the app.

You can install the app alongside your current version of Facebook. I’ve included the QR code in the video so you can scan and download it on your phone. Here’s the direct link.

A “flat design” removes artificial elements like lighting effects that make buttons and controls look like they’re made from metal. Take a look at the majority of Windows Phone app icons and native apps. I have some likes and dislikes about this design.

I’m glad that there are three different sizes for icons, but I’m not a fan of apps that use the default tile color as background. For example, having a homescreen filled with mostly red icons become boring. I wonder if iOS is going to follow this implementation too.

The design language on Windows Phone is more typography-based. It relies more on words and less on graphics. While I do like this approach, I sometimes feel there’s too much text on some apps. For example, I think the header titles on the Facebook app for Windows Phone takes too much space. I like how the new Tumblr for Windows Phone handles header titles. They disappear when you scroll down, taking advantage of the screen space.

TechCrunch says that Google has also been moving towards a flat and more modern design with Android. An example is the Google Now app which also just came out for iOS.

What are your thoughts on flat design?

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The video ends with a question, “You think if they knew about the Nokia Lumia, they’d stop fighting all the time?”

What do you think?

If you don’t feel like extending your contract, you can try our eBay price check for the lowest prices for the Nokia Lumia 920 currently offered on eBay. There are several available for less than $300.

The Nokia Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch touch screen with 1280×768 resolution. It has an 8.7 megapixel camera with Pureview technology for better low light photos. Check out our full review right here.

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To make this phone even better, combine it with Walmart’s, exclusive T-Mobile no-contract $30 per month unlimited Web and text plan.

The Nokia Lumia 521 features a 4-inch touchscreen, 5MP camera with autofocus and 720p HD video recording. It will also include exclusive Nokia applications such as Nokia Music, Cinemagraph, Creative Studio, Panorama, Smart Shoot and HERE Drive, Maps and Transit.

T-mobile stores will start selling the phone at a later date.

Are they going to announce the Nokia Lumia 928? How about a tablet? How about an aluminum Lumia? I’m excited. Are you?

via BGR

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When you open the app, you see your dashboard. These are posts from people you follow. With one swipe, you can explore different topics from people you don’t follow. This app makes it very easy to post, like, and reblog so Tumblr users on Windows Phone will be happy.

Another cool feature is support for animated images. You see the animations only after you scroll a page. For example, if I click on this topic here, a page will show up. The images won’t animate until you actually start scrolling down.

There are a couple of things to complain about. Right now, you can’t swipe through photo galleries. You actually have to press the left and right buttons. Swiping would definitely feel better. I hope it gets added in an update. Another complaint I have is that I can only upload one photo per post. In the next version, I would like the option to upload multiple photos.

Even with these complaints, I still think this app is really good. It’s fast and it looks beautiful. It’s available at the Windows Phone Store right now for free. You can scan the QR code I’ve included in this video so you can download it directly.

Unsurprisingly, Verizon and Nokia have not responded to Bloomberg’s inquiry about the rumor. Bloomberg also did not mention xenon flash or Pureview technology. We wish we could learn more about this device, but it looks like we have to wait a few more weeks.

Are you interested in the Nokia Lumia 928?

A major differentiator for this device is the xenon flash which should give you a better flash performance than other cameraphones. The Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be Verizon Wireless’ second Lumia following the Nokia Lumia 822. Verizon customers waiting for a high-end Lumia device could hear an official announcement very soon.

Update: Photos of the White Nokia Lumia 928

If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter, it lets people invest in projects in exchange for a tangible reward. If the funding goal is not met by the deadline, no funds are collected. The most affordable pledge for Smart Bags is $5 which gives you 5 Smart Bags. If this is something that interests you, check out the Kickstarter page for the product.

Funding ends on May 9th with estimated delivery of July, 2013.

From the photos, we can see that the rumored device has 3 dots on the back similar to the Nokia Lumia 720 for wireless charging cases. No other details were given, but we’ll probably learn more about the device in the coming weeks.

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Out of the box, you get the speaker, power adapter, user guide, and audio cable if you don’t want to connect devices wirelessly.

The JBL Powerup isn’t meant to be carried around, so we expect many users to leave it on their desk. The design is simple just like Nokia Lumia devices. The front has the metallic grille, buetooth button, JBL logo, and the power/bluetooth status indicator. It lights up when there’s a bluetooth connection.

On top, you can see the volume and playback controls, Nokia logo, NFC area, and some cool lights to show you the wireless charging area. I think there’s some kind of motion sensor here, because the lights go on when you wave your hands near it.

The back has the power button, power input, microUSB connector for software updates, and audio input. There are 2 holes on the back which I thought connected to each other, so I made this stupid mistake by putting a coin on one side and assumed it would go out on the other side. It did not work and now there’s a coin inside the speaker. Learn from my mistake and don’t put anything inside these holes.

To use the JBL Powerup Wireless Charging Speaker, just tap your Lumia to the NFC area to activate the bluetooth connection between the two devices. This is confirmed when the bluetooth indicator lights up. From there, you now have two options. You can place your Lumia on top of the JBL Powerup to charge your phone wirelessly or you can continue using your phone. I haven’t tested how far I can go, but I was still able to control the speaker from 20 feet away and even from the next room.

Other devices can be connected as well. Just press and hold the bluetooth button for 2 seconds and pair it with another bluetooth-enabled device. I connected my Macbook Air this way. You can also connect other devices using the included audio cable.

I’m not an audiophile, but I’m happy with the sound quality. It can get really loud. On your Lumia phone, you can go up to volume 30, but you can still increase the volume on the speaker. I don’t want to disturb my neighbors, so I haven’t checked the loudest volume. Trust me. It’s loud.

One thing I don’t like about the JBL Powerup is that the controls on top don’t give you feedback. It would be nice to feel some kind of vibration when pressing these buttons.

Overall, I’m happy with this accessory on my desk. I can listen to my phone’s music with better quality speakers and it doubles up as a wireless charger. You get two things in one. Keep in mind though, that it is faster to charge your phone the old way.

You can get a JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker for Nokia now at Amazon for $299. It comes in White, Black or Cyan. If you have any questions about the JBL Powerup Wireless Charging Speaker, let me know in the comments section below.