lumia

Nokia Lumia 521: One of the best bargains around

If you're all about value, then mosey on up to T-Mobile's Nokia Lumia 521. For $150 off-contract (or $130 if you manage to nab it from Walmart) the Windows Phone 8 device brings on solid performance and Nokia's signature apps for a bargain price.

Its biggest drawback -- besides the obvious step-down in screen and camera quality compared with the now-discontinued Lumia 810 and upcoming Lumia 925 flagship -- is that the 521 lacks LTE support. However, you won't be hobbled by 3G speeds; the 521 will still ride T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network.

Most $150 … Read more

Verizon's CTIA event: Join us Wednesday, 11 a.m. PT (live blog)

LAS VEGAS -- What does Verizon Wireless have up its sleeve?

Verizon is one of the few companies opting for a splashy press conference at the CTIA Wireless, which officially kicked off today. As such, it's essentially headlining what is expected to be a quiet show this year.

The company is holding its press conference on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Pacific (2 p.m. Eastern). CNET's Jessica Dolcourt, Kent German, and I will bring you all the live news, photos, and commentary starting about 30 minutes before the event.

Join CNET for live coverage of Verizon's CTIA event at 11 a.m. PT on Wednesday.Read more

Nokia video ad touts Lumia 928's low-light camera

Nokia is out with another promo showing off the camera of its new Lumia 928 smartphone.

A spot posted on YouTube reveals a series of videos and photos taken by the phone under low-light conditions. One sequence shows a man dancing along a sidewalk at night. A second reveals a group of people in a dark dance hall. And another shows a girl on a swing in the evening hours.

Of course, no Nokia ad is complete without a dig at the competition. So, the spot ends with a simple comment that the Lumia 928 is better than the iPhone … Read more

Nokia Lumia 928 launches for sale via Verizon

Verizon subscribers eying Nokia's new Lumia 928 can now pick up the phone either online or offline.

As previously promised, the 928 went on sale Thursday, available through Verizon's Web site and its brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Selling the phone for $99 with the standard two-year agreement, Verizon is currently offering a ship date of May 20, so eager buyers won't have long to wait.

The Lumia 928 is a smaller, lighter, and sleeker version of its 920 predecessor and offers an AMOLED display and a brighter flash. Like all Lumias, it runs Microsoft's Windows Phone software.… Read more

BlackBerry Messenger jumps to iPhone, Android

CNET Update busts out the Breakout:

Lots of news around BlackBerry in today's roundup. Not only is BlackBerry expanding the popular Messenger service as an app for Android and iOS, but it also is giving Messenger a social-media twist with BBM Channels.

BlackBerry keyboard fans in the U.S. are finally able to own the Q10 this summer when it arrives at T-Mobile, Verzion and Sprint. (Get the full Q10 review here.) Considering the phone was unveiled at the end of January, BlackBerry fans in the U.S. have had to wait awhile for any availability details. But as … Read more

Nokia Lumia 925: Great phone, wrong carrier

ORLANDO, Fla.--The Nokia Lumia 925 is a sexy-looking smartphone. Too bad a vast majority of U.S. consumers aren't going to even consider it.

Nokia unveiled its latest flagship smartphone at an event in London on Tuesday. But U.S. customers will care most about where it will sell here, and the news isn't great.

T-Mobile, the smallest nationwide carrier -- by far -- will get exclusive rights to sell the Lumia 925.

In an era when the top-tier handset vendors are moving away from exclusive deals, Nokia appears to be betting even more heavily on them. … Read more

Nokia's Lumia push to get 'much more aggressive'

Nokia has vowed to get more aggressive when it comes to promoting its Lumia phones, promising advertising that will take direct aim at the company's biggest rivals.

"I think what you're going to be seeing," Nokia's global head of smart phone marketing, Vesa Jutila, told CNET, "not only from Nokia but also from our key partner Microsoft, is that we're going to be much more aggressively going head-to-head with competition."

The Finnish firm, which is struggling to make a dent in Apple and Samsung's hammerlock share of the mobile market, recently … Read more

Nokia's Lumia 925 is a big T-Mobile win

Nokia' new thin, lustrous metal Nokia Lumia 925 is all that many of the company's fans have ever wanted in the so-far polycarbonate Lumia line.

Compared with the hulking plastic Lumia 920, the 925 is rake-thin and feather-light -- 0.33 inches thick compared to the 920's 6.5-ounce bulk, and 4.9 ounces to the 920's 6.7-ounce tip-of-the-scale. If the Lumia 920 is a suit, then the Lumia 925 wants to be a tux.

If you're T-Mobile, carrying the dramatically slimmer and flashier metal handset is a big win for your new no-contract business. … Read more

The Nokia Lumia 925 sports a metal design, but shares many specs with its predecessor

The Nokia Lumia 925 is the second flagship phone Nokia has added to its Lumia lineup in a week. While the Lumia 925 shares many key specs with the Lumia 928 -- screen size, processor, and camera resolution -- it sports a metal design and, crucially, will be available outside of the U.S.

It's due to go on sale in the U.K., Europe, and China starting in June, with an estimated price of 470 euros before taxes -- expect that number to vary wildly once local taxes are applied.

Following its global debut, the 925 will alight … Read more

Nokia Lumia 928 review: Verizon's most powerful Windows Phone

For everyone who thought that Nokia's Lumia phones are too heavy and thick comes the start of an antidote: Verizon's notably slimmer Nokia Lumia 928, which sells for a decidedly wallet-friendly $99.99.

Flat sides and a slimmer profile give the 928 a cleaner, sharper look than its chunkier Lumia 920 counterpart for AT&T, though it lacks the even slimmer silhouette and metal allure of T-Mobile's new T-Mobile's new Lumia 925.

Under the hood, the 928's specs mostly match up to its AT&T and T-Mobile cousins. The 4G LTE devices feature … Read more