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Nokia and Microsoft are making a big splash with the first major launch of a Nokia Windows Phone in the U.S. But is the device and the Windows Phone software impressive enough to entice Apple iPhone customers to jump ship?

Like so many people who write in to Ask Maggie seeking advice, I also struggle with big decisions about which new device to buy. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I answer a question that I've been mulling for months about whether I should ditch Apple and its iOS ecosystem for something else. I also help another reader … Read more

In my review of the Nokia Lumia 900, I mention that using the 4.3-inch AMOLED screen with ClearBlack display technology is one of my favorite experiences on the phone.

Sure, the specs aren't technically as advanced as those on, say, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with its HD AMOLED screen and sky-high resolution, but the result is pretty impressive: lots of brightness, black blacks, and a good range of color.

Well, according to screen expert Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, there's at least one other explanation that stands out: reflectance.… Read more

After months and months of waiting for the Microsoft-Nokia partnership to bear smartphone fruit here in the U.S., the Nokia Lumia 900 is finally here! I won't say that I couldn't be happier, because I could, but let's just say that I'm very happy with this phone as a mainstream offering that makes Microsoft's Windows Phone portfolio much more exciting, and AT&T's lineup to boot.

I'd like to direct you to the review instead of spilling all the goods here, because the photos are fantastic, the video will show you what you need to know, and the review goes in-depth to answer some of the questions I think you're going to have about the brightness of the screen compared with other similar phones, the way it feels in the hand, and how fast LTE really is.… Read more

The ink was barely dry on Nokia's deal with Microsoft to use Windows Phone more than a year ago when Nokia rushed to AT&T in an early bid to get a foothold back into the U.S.

AT&T was hesitant at first. The company's existing lineup of Windows Phone devices hadn't sold well, and Nokia hadn't had much of a presence in the U.S. AT&T was looking for a unique device suitable for its customers, but its principal hang-up was the lack of 4G LTE support, which was a … Read more

Nokia has hyped the Nokia Lumia 900's 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and you know what that means: it's time for a camera shoot-out. I traipsed around San Francisco with four smartphones with 8-megapixel cameras: the Lumia 900 and the iPhone 4S to see just how well they captured the moment. I took close to 20 comparison shots, but to keep you from going blind, I narrowed it down to the two best phones and the 11 most representative pictures.

I'm no professional photographer, but I did keep a keen eye out for differences in focal range, overall detail, color tone, and contrast. I share my opinion below, but check out the photos for yourself to make up your own mind.

Unless otherwise stated, all photos were taken using automatic settings. I've resized the images, but left them otherwise untouched.… Read more

By the time you can finally buy the eye-popping Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone on AT&T on Sunday, it will be one of the first two Windows Phones, ever, to surf 4G LTE. (The HTC Titan II, also a Windows Phone, will be the other.)

It's one thing to claim lightning-fast data speeds and another to actually produce them, so the two of us took two Lumia 900 devices on a network test in our respective cities -- Brian in New York, and Jessica in San Francisco.

Though we used the same BandWidth app for Windows Phone OS on identical handsets, results were dramatically different.… Read more

When it comes to making money in the smartphone business, Apple and Samsung have a license to print money, while everyone else is holding a hat out for handouts.

Apple and Samsung accounted for 95 percent of the industry's profits in the fourth quarter -- with Apple generating 80 percent by itself -- as the rest of the players struggle for the scraps. Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley said yesterday that their percentage could rise even higher in the first quarter.

Just five years ago, Nokia and Research In Motion -- two companies now desperately looking for a comeback … Read more

It appears Nokia isn't going to be shy about picking a fight with Apple and its iPhone.

Popping up recently is the Smartphone Beta Test website, which include several "hidden video" clips that poke fun at the iPhone, including a jab at the iPhone 4's "death grip controversy." The implication: that all preceding phones, including the iPhone, were beta tests for the real phone: Nokia's Lumia 900.

The website, which was found by WPCentral, doesn't mention Nokia or the Lumia 900, but a countdown clock ticks down to April 6, or two … Read more

AT&T, Microsoft, and Nokia are aligning their marketing dollars toward making the Lumia 900 a hero phone, a device that's coveted by the masses.

Why the big bucks? Nokia and Microsoft have a very small window of opportunity to make Windows Phone stick, as both Samsung and Apple are waiting in the wings with new devices.

One misfire, and Nokia and Microsoft's Windows Phone may not recover in the U.S. If those two companies can't generate interest with a modestly priced smart device and AT&T's biggest marketing push ever, getting positive … Read more