Lumia-1520, a fighting soldier

Lagging behind Android in hardware specs for what seemed like ages, WP8 managed to catch up in one fell swoop. With the Lumia 1520 at the spearhead, Nokia evened the playing field with a massive 1080p screen and a Snapdragon 800 chipset, then tilted it in its favor with a 20MP OIS-enabled PureView camera.

    
The Nokia Lumia 1520 in white, red and yellow

The Lumia 1520, along with the midrange Lumia 1320, are the first Nokia-made phablets and the first for Windows Phone 8 altogether. The 1320 has last year's hardware though, unlike the Lumia 1520, which is virtually on par with the best Android flagships.

Nokia Lumia 1520 at a glance

• Dimensions: 162.8 x 85.4 x 8.7 mm, 209g
• Display: 6" ClearBlack IPS display of 1080p resolution, Gorilla Glass 2, 367ppi
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800; quad-core Krait 400 at 2.2GHz, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM
• OS: Windows Phone 8 GDR3 with Nokia Black
• Camera: 20 MP, Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash, PureView technology
• Video camera: 1080p @ 30fps video capture with main camera
• Storage: 32GB built-in, microSD card slot with support of up to 64GB, 7GB SkyDrive cloud storage
• Connectivity: NFC, A-GPS+GLONASS, WLAN (2.4/5Ghz) a/b/g/n/ac, microUSB 2.0, BT 4.0 LE
• Battery: 3,400mAh with built-in wireless charging (Qi compatible)
• Misc: Nokia Camera app, FM Radio, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor

Windows Phone's market share is rising - it's a distant third at the moment - but it's the low-end devices like the Lumia 520 making up the bulk of that growth. Meanwhile flagships have failed to make much of a splash and even the Lumia 1020 isn't exactly flying off the shelves. Can the 1520 be the first flagship WP8 device to claim a piece of market share matching its size?

It certainly has all the right ingredients. Windows Phone is known for simplicity and efficiency - it runs smoothly on much less powerful hardware and doesn't bury you under a mountain of gimmicky features like some Android smartphones do. The Lumia 1520 does pack the latest Windows Phone 8 updates - GDR3 and Nokia Black, so there are further improvements over previous WP devices we've handled.

The screen is pleasantly crisp - only made possible by the jump to 1080p resolution - and features Nokia's ClearBlack tech, which provides some of the best viewing under direct sunlight. The Nokia PureView camera is equally responsible for some of the best cameraphone experience ever.

   
Nokia Lumia 1520 in our office

In terms of imaging, this is midway between the Lumia 1020 and the 920. The sensor is bigger than most, but not so big that it takes a hump to accommodate, while it still packs enough resolution for Nokia's supersampling magic. There's optical image stabilization too, which is a confident display of superiority over the non-stabilized cameras on competing phablets. There's no xenon flash on the Lumia 1520, but that would have required room for another bulky component.

Nokia Lumia 925 preview

Introduction

Nokia refined the design of the Lumia 920 flagship, but didn't fundamentally change it - the Lumia 925 is, in essence, the 920S. The number of changes might be small, but their magnitude isn't. With a better body, screen and software, the Nokia Lumia 925 is a more desirable device than its 920 sibling.

  
Nokia Lumia 925 official photos

Let's break down the changes. The thick and heavy polycarbonate unibody is gone, with an exposed aluminum frame and polycarbonate back taking its place. The diet has shaved 36g and 2.2mm off the waistline of the Lumia 925.

Part of that is the new AMOLED screen, which is thinner than the LCD of the older phone. It has the same basic specs - a 4.5" diagonal, WXGA resolution, Gorilla Glass 2, ClearBlack and Super sensitive touch. But we believe that AMOLED is a better match for Windows Phone - LCDs just don't do the interface justice . AMOLEDs simply render colorful squares on a black background better.

There are some other changes too, like the added Nokia Smart Camera app and FM radio support.

Nokia Lumia 925 at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz or 580/900/1700/1900/2100; HSDPA 42.2 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps; LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600 or 700/1700/2100; LTE Cat 3 100Mbps down, 50Mbps up
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 129 x 70.6 x 8.5 mm, 78 cc; 139 g
• Display: 4.5" 16M-color WXGA (768 x 1280 pixels) ClearBlack AMOLED capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla glass 2; Super sensitive touch
• Chipset: 1.5GHz dual-core Krait processor, Adreno 225 GPU, 1GB of RAM
• OS: Windows Phone 8
• Memory: 16/32 GB of built-in storage
• Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss lens, OIS, face and smile detection; 1080p video recording at 30fps; 1.3MP front-facing camera with 720p video
• Connectivity: dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, stereo Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS, HERE Drive+ free worldwide navigation, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC
• Misc: Exclusive Smart Camera app, FM Radio, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor

Lumia - a hardware hitshow or a software flopshow?

Nokia lumia has gone hot in markets, selling more than even Nokia expected, in Q4 only, as reports says that finnish giant turned a net profit of $270 million. But however with the superb hardware innovations in the bag, Lumia 920 was the most cherished baby of finns. The super screen, wonderful lowlight camera, great covering body designs, fastest and most reactive touch, wireless charging, great nfc stuff, all were enough to make it a chartbuster.
But where things went wrong? Where it lacked? What was missing?
Our panel of experts, after some dense research, quoted few things, which are being published in non technical, general language.

Windows 8

After the final rituals of symbian, nokia adopted windows platform for its further smartphone development program. Windows as we all know is the most widely used operating system on macro stuffs like PCs and Laptops, but windows was unable to find its berth in the fast overcrowding smartphone market. With mega expectations, nokia and microsoft launched Nokia Lumia 920, a finnish flagship phone, in hope to get some breadth from the brutal setbacks from the market. Nokia poured its everything in hardware, but windows was unable to attract many people although as a phone operating system.

Android

Although android has no connection with nokia, but its presence in the market as its rival creates a huge difference. People loves the acute customization in android, its incredible app market, and timely better upgrades. Android has captured almost everything we know as smart interface.

Apps

Windows drastically lacks apps. And most importantly, you have to loose your pockets for even most vital apps, which are even free in apple's app store. When you opens playstore in android, you are flooded with thousands of apps, mostly free

Developer drought

Windows 8 is unable to attract developers to develop wonderful apps, although being so smooth platform, it is unable to find developers.

Conclusion

So, concluding our research and summarizing it, Lumia altogether is undoubtedly wonderful hardware combination, but its software again made nokia to pay its success.

asus' new PC with android and windows 8

ASUS' new PC

Android with Windows 8

Trying to cook the enormous success of Android along with the utility and trust of Windows, ASUS announced its Transformer all in one PC, the first of its kind in the world that will be having the dual OS base, with Android 4.1 and Windows 8. Android as we all know that it has taken all the places in the stadium in previous years, whereas the revolutionary Windows 8 is being greeted by the users across the globe cordially. Asus in its amazing combo device integrated the two cherries.

This device features an 18.4 inch IPS touch screen with 1920x1080p resolution. It can be detached from its associated hardware and can be used as fully functional tablet. When it is on its hardware, it is a complete desktop, operating on Windows 8, powered by Intel's third generation processors. Graphics are boomed by Nvidia GT370M.

As it is when used as tablet, user can select to operate between Windows and Android. While as a tablet, device is powered by QUAD CORE NVIDIA TEGRA 3 processor. With a handle on its top, Asus has made it sure that comfort should not be the field of defeat. 

Overall, a cool and awesome concept, need not to spend bucks on two individual devices for Android and Windows 8.

Nokia Lumia 920 - game changer for nokia?

Lumia 920

Game changer for Nokia?

With almost stocks out and Nokia Lumia 920 selling 2nd most at amazon with AT&T, sell out apparently in complete U.S. and Europe, it must be perceived that Lumia has turned the table for Nokia. But however many analysts still do doubt that. 

However, estimates say that Nokia will be ending up the 4th quarter with approximately 7 million windows 8 devices sold up, which seems to be good buissness. Apart the magical 10 million mark will also not be the mere hypothesis for nokia, who was once the unbeatable ruler of mobile phone industry.

However, lumia is so far launched only in US and Europe, it is still to hit middle east, and Indian subcontinent, where Nokia still holds grounds by name. Hitting a 10 million sale mark will be a good recovery for once almost broke giant.

LUMIA 920

Nokia's brightest show Lumia 920

Nokia's latest breed, it's flagship one NOKIA LUMIA 920 must be stealing the show this time. Lumia 920 is equipped with the most advanced display ever in any mobile device so far. Powered by new Windows operating system. Although it lacks it's app store for time being, but the efforts being poured in by Microsoft and the app developers particularly interested in this OS. The 4.5" Pure Motion HD+  IPS display, with the deepest blacks we have seen so far. The screen also responds to fingernails and gloves, which reduces your irritation and adds up to its cool. Adding a cherry on the top, it is the fastest screen so far... Just touch this baby and feel amazed and fall in love with the display of this amazing baby of finnish giant. Nokia claims that this screen is impossible to scratch. A smartphone smart enough.

The finnish Giant is once again better at what it is best in, camera. The 8.7 MP pure view camera surely puts it head and shoulders above the rest. Already ahead of iphone 5 and samsung s3 in low light performance, its capturing is unmatched. The video recording by its rear cam is amazing 1080p @ 30 fps. The secondary cam aslo records the stunning 720p videos @ 30fps. The stunning feature of optical image stabilization or OIS will add up to the party.

CONCLUSION: Trust the trusted NOKIA and enjoy the most amazing hardware with fastest developing software. Let your fingers be amazed about holding the one of most sexiest gadget of its time.

New Windows 8

New about Windows 8

Windows 8 is the reimagining of Windows, an OS used by over a billion people across the world. It is also the riskiest. In 2010, Ballmer had said that "the next release of Windows" is the riskiest bet company has made. In terms of user interface, Windows is the biggest change in the history of OS after Windows 95. 

Consequently, there is lot that is new in Windows 8. We list 8 big changes that are going to impact the way people use their computers.

This is the new 'desktop'. Well, there is no proper desktop in Windows 8. Instead, it has been replaced by a Home Screen, from where you can access you programs. Also, there are no icons. 

Not for programs. And not for folders. Instead, you have tiles, which can dynamically show information. Clicking on these live tiles opens the program. Depending on the resolution of your computer you can see around 25 to 20 tiles. If you want access tiles that are on visible on screen, you can swipe right on a tablet or use a scroll bar on bottom on desktop and laptop. Home screen also features a powerful universal that can be used to quickly access a program, system settings or files.

The 'desktop' has been changed into an app in Windows 8. This means by clicking the Desktop app on Home screen you switch to the good old Desktop but only until you have work to do there. The biggest change here is that users no longer have access to Start button. 

If users have to access some program, they have to go back to Home screen. Now, there are two ways to switch between Desktop app and Home screen. One, you can use Windows key. Or you can use Charms, which are hidden. On tablet, Charms can be revealed by swiping left from the right bezel. On desktop or laptop, navigating the mouse pointer to the left or right corner on the bottom of the screen does the trick. Charms also have options to access search, settings, share, and see connected devices. All of these change depending on the context, or in other words the program open on the screen. For example, if you click search on Home screen, you get universal search. But if you click search in windows store, you get app search.

Currently, programs are installed after a user downloads the installer from the web. In Windows 8, all the programs with Modern UI design language will be distributed through Windows Store, a concept that is similar to app stores on Android devices, iPhone and iPad etc.

Microsoft says that developers can offer their apps for free or sell them. If they decide to sell, Microsoft will take 30% cut. But if an app makes more than $25,000 than Microsoft will reduce its share to 20%. Installing apps through Windows store is just a matter of looking for those apps and clicking install. Uninstall is also easy. Just select an app and click uninstall. Though currently, the number of apps in Windows Store are rather limited.

The current Lock Screen is boring and useless. So, Windows 8 changes it to something that is more useful. Just like Lock Screens on iPad or Android tablet, the Lock Screen on Windows 8 can show information like battery status, connectivity status, number of unread mails, Twitter mentions, Facebook updates etc. 

The new Lock Screen features several new ways to unlock the PC. You can use a picture password. This means on a tablet, you can draw a pattern on a picture to unlock the device. You can also use your Microsoft