What you need to know about Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile
Overview
Nokia and Microsoft have joined hands to launch their first ever Nokia Windows Phone in the US in the month of January, Nokia Lumia 710 smartphone. The entry-level smartphone will run on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, being backed by T-Mobile USA’s 4G network.
Pricing and availability
T-Mobile will offer this smartphone to customers at an attractive and reasonable price of $50, if they sign a contract stating that they will use T-Mobile USA’s mobile network service for at least 2 years. The phone will hit the stores on January 11, 2011.
What's so great
The phone is available in only two color schemes: one is all black and the other is white on front and black, white, cyan, fuchsia, yellow on the back (back panels). It is 4.7 inches tall, 2.5 inches wide and 0.5 inch thick. It has a 3.7 inches, 800-by-480 LCD scratch-resistant touchscreen display. It boasts of Nokia ClearBlack display on a screen made from Corning Gorilla Glass. Nokia’s ClearBlack technology claims to cut out the glares and reflections on the phone screen caused by direct lights, so you can see the display better. Immediately below the display, there is a physical button spread out along the phone’s width. The phone has 5 megapixel camera boasting an autofocus feature. With features like Geo-tagging and face detection. It also allows the users to share the pictures on most social networking sites. You can also take videos of 720p @ 30 frames per second. The camera lens shares the back of the phone with the speaker grille. The power button, a Micro USB port and 3.5 mm headphone jack sit right atop the phone. The volume slider and the camera shutter button are located on the side.
Let us move on to slightly technical specifications of the phone. It is loaded with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU, an 8GB of internal memory and 512MB of RAM. It’s operating system is Windows 7.5 Mango. The phone’s pre-installed apps include ESPN, T-Mobile TV, Netflix, MS Office and Drive GPS software. It is also expected to offer other software apps by Electronic Arts (EA), kids’ apps from Sesame Street and Nokia Mix Radio, a streaming radio app. Its 4G claims are backed by the HSDPA 14.4 Mbps network speed.
What’s not so great
So, there is no debate that the Lumia 710 phone is the budget-friendly, simpler cousin of the flashier, costlier of Lumia 800. To start with, Lumia 710 is shaped like any other slab phone and has nothing outstanding about its appearance. So, as far as looks are concerned, it blends in with the other phones from Nokia with its plastic body and curvy edges. It does look like the appearance of the phone is where all the cost-cutting took a little toll.
Things to watch out for
They are seconded by Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile USA added, “Windows Phone offers a compelling mobile OS choice for people who want a smartphone built around them, their family and friends.”
Andrew Sherrard, senior vice president of marketing for T-Mobile USA, stated that with this new product, they aim at tapping on the 150 million US phone users that have still not made the move to smartphones. Nokia's US president, Chris Weber, and T-Mobile's senior vice president of marketing, Andrew Sherrard share the feeling that phone will become choice of first-time smartphone buyers owing to its low price and functionality. They are seconded by Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile USA who pointed out that "nearly everybody in the US wants a smartphone".
Verdict
Nokia, which is struggling to stand tall amidst all the competition from other smartphone manufacturers, will be hoping that this collaboration helps it to get customers back, it must have lost its rivals. T-Mobile, too, will be hoping that this deal will make it a lucrative acquisition for AT & T, which plans to acquire it. So, both the companies expect to gain much from this deal. But, will the buyers get benefited? We have to wait to see how the phone hits the stores. But the companies are already confident of a positive response. January 11, 2012 will be the day to watch out for.
Further readings
"Our research shows nearly everybody in the U.S. wants a smartphone, but many believe they can't afford it," Brodman said. "That's where T-Mobile shines. Our Unlimited Value and Monthly4G plans make it more affordable than ever to step up to mobile data on our 4G network", he added.
"We're excited to team up with Nokia in bringing its first Windows Phone to the US with the elegantly designed Nokia Lumia 710," said Cole Brodman, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. "Windows Phone offers a compelling mobile OS choice for people who want a smartphone built around them, their family and friends. We expect it to play a more prominent role in our lineup and marketing efforts in 2012.", he added further.
