'So excited' Microsoft jumps gun on Lumia 1520 preorders
The big-screened Nokia phone was due to reach AT&T on November 15, Microsoft claimed on its now defunct preorder page.
The official Microsoft Web page taking preorders for Nokia's Lumia 1520 phone went live Wednesday and then suddenly disappeared.
The page -- which now says "this product is currently unavailable" -- had listed the 1520 at $199 with the usual two-year agreement, or $549 without a contract. Carried by AT&T, the phone would be available in black, white, yellow, or red.
Microsoft also had listed a release date of November 15.
Why did Microsoft put up the preorder page, only to take it down? A Microsoft spokesperson explained the snafu in the following statement sent to CNET:
Preorders for the new Nokia Lumia 1520 will be offered at all Microsoft retail store locations, as well as through MicrosoftStore.com. We're so excited with the upcoming arrival of the Lumia 1520 that a product page went up prematurely last night on MicrosoftStore.com. Please stay tuned for additional details about preordering, pricing, and availability.
AT&T revealed last month that it will be the exclusive US carrier of the 1520. However, AT&T's Web site offers no release date or preorder page. A spokesperson for AT&T told CNET that the company has yet to announce pricing and availability for the 1520.
So, the folks in Redmond apparently jumped the gun before AT&T was ready. That could mean the November 15 release date is valid -- just not officially announced.
The Lumia 1520 sports a 6-inch HD 1080P display, making it the largest Lumia phone to date and pushing it into phablet territory. It packs in 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage space along with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and a 20MP PureView camera.
Updated 11:25 a.m. PT with statement from Microsoft.
