nokia

Microsoft beefs up Windows Phone 8 camera phone features

NEW YORK--At its Windows Phone 8 press event today, Nokia and Microsoft gave us more than just the Lumia 920. Microsoft Corporate Vice President Joe Belfiore also announced new camera features for Windows Phone 8 devices.

The new features aim to integrate the camera deeper into the smartphone user experience and with the operating system's social features.

Screenshots: User will now be able to snap screenshots and share them via Twitter. That's a big boost for a phone reviewer.

Flash: New flash controls for the camera will be easily accessible in the viewfinder interface.

Bing Vision: Part of … Read more

Nokia's turnaround hopes come to focus with new Lumia phones

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop isn't one to shy away from bold proclamations.

"The Lumia 920 is the world's most innovative smartphone," Elop told CNET, proudly holding up the company's latest flagship device.

Strong words, but then again, this is the company that proclaimed that the "smartphone beta test was over" with the Lumia 900, a campaign that ultimately backfired on Nokia. And while supporters of Apple, Samsung, and even HTC may vehemently disagree with Elop's assessment, it's that kind of confidence that's required if he is to see his company … Read more

Nokia bringing wireless charging to Virgin, Coffee Bean

Nokia is taking wireless charging one step further.

Its new Lumia 920 comes with wireless charging using the Qi (pronounced "chee") standard, which is found in other products like some BlackBerry devices and third-party inductive chargers.

Nokia knows it isn't enough to integrate Qi, but that it also has to provide the ecosystem for people to use it. To that end, Nokia has partnered with Virgin Atlantic and the coffee chain Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to begin seeding wireless charging stations in airport lounges (London's executive lounge at first) and coffee shops.

In addition, Nokia … Read more

Nokia aims to dazzle with Windows Phone 8 Lumia 920

Nokia today unveiled its latest flagship phone, the Lumia 920, its first to run on Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system.

CEO Stephen Elop showed off a bright yellow Lumia 920, larger than its predecessor, the Lumia 900. Nokia later showed off the smaller and lower end Lumia 820 as well.

The phones represent Nokia's latest bid to vault back into the smartphone business in a big way. They also represent a last chance of sort for the company to pull out of its recent decline. … Read more

'Zune-like' smartphone in Nokia's future?

Nokia is reportedly working on a midrange smartphone with design cues reminiscent of partner Microsoft's Zune.

The Finnish handset maker plans to release next year a 4.3-inch Zune-like smartphone that will run Windows Phone 8, sources tell The Verge. The "Zeal" will appear in the middle of Nokia's new Lumia lineup and reportedly feature a 1.0GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a microSD slot. … Read more

Join us for Nokia's Windows Phone press conference (live blog)

Editors' note: The live blog has concluded. Here are some of the stories on what was announced: •  Nokia aims to dazzle with Windows Phone 8 Lumia 920 •  Nokia bringing wireless charging to Virgin, Coffee Bean •  Nokia's turnaround hopes come to focus with new Lumia phones •  Microsoft beefs up Windows Phone 8 camera phone features •  Nokia Lumia 920 is PureView but not PureView •  Editors' Take: Bright yellow Nokia Lumia 920 could strike gold You can replay the live blog by clicking the link below.

Tune in to CNET's live blog from Nokia's Windows Phone press conference … Read more

Apple user data uncovered by hackers

Tuesday's tech news roundup is cracking the code:

Members of the hacker activist movement AntiSec claim they accessed an FBI agent's laptop and found the unique device identification numbers for 12 million Apple iOS devices. The group posted one million of these ID numbers online. Hackers criticized the data that these UUID numbers can reveal about a user, and called into question what the data could be used for.

These UUIDs are not the same as Apple ID email and passwords used to log into iTunes accounts. Rather, these are unique serial numbers for every Apple device, and … Read more

Android, Apple capture still more U.S. smartphone users

Android and Apple continue to bite bigger hunks out of the U.S. smartphone market.

As of the three months ended July, Google's mobile OS held a 52.2 percent share of the market, a gain of 1.4 points from the prior three months, ComScore said today. In second place, Apple's iOS grabbed 33.4 percent of the market, up 2 points from the prior period.

That left the rest of the top five platforms still spinning down the drain.

RIM's BlackBerry OS took third place with a 9.5 percent share, down 2.1 points … Read more

Nokia video hints at City Lens augmented reality app

Nokia is touting its City Lens augmented reality app through a brief, teasing video clip.

The clip on You Tube features a woman walking down a city sidewalk as an ad for a nearby shoe store pops up, complete with ratings and recommendations from her socially networked friends. With its emphasis on a local business, the clip seems to be a clear reference to City Lens.

Dubbed an augmented reality app, City Lens displays nearby stores and other businesses when you point your phone in a certain direction. The phone's camera displays the view around you with an overlay … Read more