One of the main disadvantages of Windows Phone devices is that at the moment they do not offer Wi-Fi connectivity. The feature is actually a built-in feature, but because of FCC regulations it got disabled on the handsets. That’s the reason why the manufacturers are offering various software updates, which will help enable it.

The current list of Wi-Fi disabled devices includes the latest launches of the manufacturer, that is the Nokia 710 and the Nokia 800 Lumia, which is something unexpected.

Nokia’s response is the following: ”Microsoft takes very seriously meeting (and exceeding) the requirements outlined by agencies such as the FCC in the USA. They felt it was really important to fully address the concerns raised by recent FCC regulations before enabling this feature and are optimistic they can deliver on these requirements though a software update and are working diligently on that now.”

Most likely this issue has to deal with the charges assigned by the carriers (tethering allows to take some extra charges from their customers). There are rumors that unlocked versions of the devices will allow to use Wi-Fi update as soon as they get their software update.

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During Nokia World 2011 the manufacturer announced about its further developments of the NFC capabilities. Nokia also made a statement concerning the agreement with MTA to use NFC tickets. This means that in 2012 the NFC  will include other payment features.  The first test will include the Nokia 603, which will get the chance to use NFC emulation card update allowing to have secure mobile payments. If the test reports good results, the rest of the devices will undergo the same process. Note that the manufacturer’s planning to port this feature to all of its Symbian devices.

The most common use of the NFC technology is definitely gaming (including the popular Angry Birds). It allows the users to have additional characters and levels for their games. Among the latest additions are the Foursquare integration and the possibility to share location info with friends. The manufacturer hopes the users will get used to NFC and will make use of its main capabilities.

Microsoft is currently planning to add NFC capability to its devices, which means that in 2012, there’s a chance that upcoming Nokia Windows Phone devices will also get this feature.

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The Design Museum of Shad, Thames demonstrated 3 Nokia  devices. The list includes the Nokia Lumia 800, the Nokia N9 and an unknown device. The handset comes with a large and thin display, which is a hint of Windows Phone. The analysts claim this is the Nokia Ace, which was rumored earlier, but never actually faced a release.  We expected to see the device at Nokia World 2011, but the hope is not all gone. We assume the device will be unveiled in Q1 of 2012.

It’s very much possible that what we see is simply a render from Nokia and not a real device. But we will never know unless we hear a word from Nokia representatives.

So what is the Nokia Ace? It’s rumored to be a 4.3 inch AMOLED display device coming with ClearBlack technology, 1 GHz processor, an 8 megapixel rear camera with video capturing capabilities (as usual we don’t have a front-facing camera for a WP device), 16 GB of internal storage, HSPA+ connectivity and Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS.

The Nokia Ace is expected to get released by AT&T at the beginning of next year. There’s no feedback from the carrier itself.

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Nokia World will take place next week and we’ll finally see the novelties working with Windows Phone. As for now we don’t mind getting a fresh leaked shot of the prototype of the Nokia Sabre Windows Phone.

Besides this “not that clear” photo we also have the entire list of Nokia Sabre specs. The smartphone will come with a 3.5 inch WVGA display with a resolution of 800 × 480, a 1.4 GHz single-core processor, a 5 megapixel camera and 1 GB of RAM. What makes us sad is that judging by the photo we can’t say whether the device comes with WP-style buttons on the screen or not. Hopefully they are invisible because of the shot angle and lighting condition.

The price of the handset is expected to be something like 300-350 EU (around $410-480) for the SIM-free and unlocked versions. This is pretty cheap considering the specs and features of the smartphone.

The device will most likely be launched during Nokia World within the “a bunch” (Steve Ballmer) and “a wide range” (Andy Lees) of Windows Phones.

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Mango is the new brilliant version of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, and it has found its way onto quite a few handsets from Samsung, HTC and others. Now it’s our turn to get excited as we have a weеk only left till Nokia World where Mango flavored phones will be introduced. If you are one of the die hard Nokia fans like us and can’t wait to get hold of one of these smartphones, here are the must have apps for you to install on your Nokia Windows Phone handset as soon as you have one.

Shazam

This is one of the nicest apps you will find on Windows Phone. It identifies any song, simply by listening to it. If you happen to love the song, Shazam will take you to the Zune Marketplace from where you can download it, of course. What makes this app great is the fact it allows you to preview the first 30 seconds of the song before you buy it.

Download Shazam Free or paid Shazam Encore

Iheartradio

This amazing app allows you to stream music from any of the 750 radio stations in the U.S.. One of the best features is that you can find channels by genre, or find a radio station by its city. You can also locate some celebrity channels, thrown in for fun. Just like Shazam, if you love the song being streamed you can grab its lyrics, as well as download it from the Zune marketplace. All this takes place within seconds. If that is not enough, you can also sign up to build your own radio station, which will keep streaming songs from your collection.
Download free

Foursquare

If you are a fan of Foursquare, you need to have the official app on your Nokia Windows Phone. It’s nicely designed, and you’ll find all the features here that you get on their website. You can access your past checking, friends and all the other information you store in one easy to use interface. Foursquare is even quicker to use than the official website.

Download Foursquare

YouTube

Since Windows Phone does not yet support flash, the official YouTube app is an absolute must-have for video junkies. Once the app is installed, watching videos is pretty much like on the actual website. You can search for videos and upload just as easily and share them with the world. You might also want to try the mobile YouTube site.

Download

Flickr Manager

Flickr has become such an integral part of our lives that we absolutely need it on every device we own, including the Nokia Windows Phone. Flickr Manager is really easy to use. Setting up an account or signing into an existing one is so straightforward you will be surprised. You can leave comments on photos with a single tap. Most importantly, photos look absolutely gorgeous on the screen because the app is designed rather well.

Download Flickr Manager Lite free or paid for 0.99$

Angry Birds

Once you have played Angry Birds, we promise you will never want to quit. After playing it for some time, you will ask yourself, “How on earth did I live without this crazy, birdbrained game?” It works very well on the large touch screen and it’s simply a joy to play. Install this app as soon as you buy your Windows Phone and you can play it when you have time to kill.

Download Angry Birds Scoop free or Angry Birds paid There are some other versions so go ahead to check them out.

Netflix

If you are a Netflix subscriber (as you most probably are), then this app makes it easy to view your movies on the go. Video quality through streaming is absolutely great. Navigating around the app is made as easy as possible. You can find the list of movies that you have watched, and those that are in line. You can also see which movies are the most popular at the moment and do just anything you want with this app.

Download

Flixster

This is  the must-have Windows Phone app for all movie buffs. Quite frankly, if you watch movies, you should not be caught without this app. It lets you know the show times for upcoming movies. You can also see ratings and reviews for each and every movie. What’s more, you also get information about DVD and home media release dates, so that you can purchase them. The interface is clean and it lays out information in a simple way. Overall, it is an incredibly helpful little app.

Download or may be you can have a look @ IMDB’s WP app as well

Yelp

If you refer to Yelp (who doesn’t?) for reviews of nearby restaurants, you need to install the Yelp! app right away. As on other phones, this app is feature rich and locating nearby restaurants is so easy. Posting your own reviews about the places you have visited is also quite simple. In many ways, it is more pleasing to view than the official website.

Download

The Weather Channel

This app pretty much does what its name suggests. Find out whether it is going to be bright and sunny, rainy, or cold outside, before you venture out of your home. What makes it a must-have app is the way it is integrated with the Windows Phone. Its layout is minimal and fits in well with the tile structure. You can in fact learn about the weather without entering the app. You can see the updated information on the tiles, if you place the widget on top of the home screen.

Download

ESPN Scorecenter

All sports lovers need to have this app for easy access to the latest scores in any game that are being played. The app also lets you check out the latest news and commentary on running games. If you want to go to a specific match in the past to know about the scores, it is pretty easy to do.

Download

Tripit

If you are a regular user of Tripit, you will want to install the official app without hesitation. Like other apps, it makes the process of logging in to the service and finding information about your previous trips as well as entering new information about your travel very quick. Information is laid out in a clutter free manner and finding what you need is always very easy.

Download

These are the apps we think are a must-have for your brand new Nokia Windows Phone. Twitter and Facebook are not included on our list only because they are already installed by default. Enjoy!

Nokia has announced a ringtone competition. The winning ringtone will be placed on the devices that will be released in 2012.

In the video below you can see 4 current generations of Nokia devices and a Windows Phone 7 handset in hot pink. The overall design of the handset looks similar to the Nokia N9, which runs MeeGo-Hartman, while the tile-designed display of the handset proves that the device is running Windows Phone.

There’s a chance that the device shown on the video is the Nokia 700. It doesn’t exactly resemble the Nokia 700, but still all handsets that appear in the video look somewhat “redesigned,” so this might be the case.

Going back to the Nokia ringtone competition, we should mention that Nokia is not planning to change the popular Nokia Tune, which was created in 1994. The company plans to update it, which is being done since the first release of the tune.

Nokia Tune is one of world’s most recognized audio brand assets and is estimated to be heard over one billion times a day. Nokia is launching a global crowdsourcing campaign to find a fresh version of the Nokia Tune. This is the first time Nokia is inviting people to work with the iconic tune with the winning tune to be placed next to the standard Nokia Tune in a selection of the company’s 2012 product portfolio. In this unique crowdsourcing competition Nokia challenges you to create your own Nokia Tune using elements of the popular original.

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According to Nokia’s vice president of smart devices, Jo Harlow, after Nokia releases its first WP7-based phone, many other smartphones will follow.

“We should be launching new devices in a rhythm that might be every couple of months, every three months, something like that,” Harlow said.

The first smartphones based on Windows Phone were released less than a year ago, but seems like they weren’t that popular, maybe because the biggest smartphone manufacturers used WP only as a “secondary platform” with Android being their main one. Jo Harlow said that WP is going to be the main OS for Nokia, so Nokia will focus mainly on it. Maybe it will really make both the platform and the manufacturer more famous, who knows.

As for now, we can say Nokia already has some influence on Microsoft’s WP. According to Harlow, some of WP’s “gaps” will probably be filled by Nokia’s cloud services. For example, in the countries where some of Microsoft’s services and applications are not available, Nokia’s similar services and apps will replace them.

Harlow also said that Nokia’s WP devices will probably come to the U.S. on CDMA networks, the attitude to which “has changed,” whatever it means.

She also mentioned that Nokia will probably switch to Qualcomm chipsets, since Microsoft required them in WP smartphones.

“You have to have multiple chipset suppliers that allow you to address different levels of performance, different parts of the business geographically given different modem requirements, etcetera. So the starting point is clearly with Qualcomm… we are in the process with Microsoft of defining other chipset suppliers as well,” Harlow said.

Things become more and more clear, Nokia wouldn’t refuse its plans only for cooperating with Microsoft. May be many people have been waiting to see Nokia phones running on Windows Phone platform, but last statements show Nokia is tend to promote the Symbian^3-powered smartphones than switch to the Microsoft’s product forgetting everything. As proof of my words I can mention the Nokia X7 that has been surfaced in pictures made in Pakistan. Surprised? Me to! Therefore let’s discover what we could expect from Nokia in coming times.

The Nokia X7 is a music-oriented handset running on Symbian^3. The first rumors we heard at the end of November, 2010, when a video leaked introducing some abilities of the upcoming handset. Than it was surfaced in photos and we got sure the phone is really on the way to be launched and it will sport a 4-inch touchscreen and 8MP camera. There also was an AT&T logo and it seemed AT&T would offer this phone in the US, but regardless the fact many companies began to offer Nokia X7 accessories, AT&T cancelled the X7. Though about two months ago we saw the official photos of the Nokia X7 with AT&T branding, but there are still a mystery with the smartphone.

Now we can say the phone will be launched after all, but may be it was not available in the US via carriers like AT&T. If you think such smartphones are not designed for Asian markets, I’ll remind you the words of Nokia India’s manager who said Nokia will out 40-50 phones this year, of which 20 will be smartphones running on Symbian. And if the US market focuses on Android and iOS, probably Nokia has developed a new strategy to bring many high-end smartphones to other markets, like Pakistan. Why not? It may work.

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