It’s a sign of the times, though not a particularly surprising one: Nokia has finally eliminated its European phone assembly infrastructure and will be moving those 4000 jobs to Asia, according to a Reuters report. The factories are not being shuttered altogether, and localizing and finishing work will still be done there, but the primary assembly work is being relocated.

The news and layoffs were expected, as the company has slashed many more thousands of jobs over the last year, but this particular cut is symbolic: the intensely European company has been battered into submission, and will join the others in the now-standard configuration of “design here, build there.”

The job losses are 2300 in Hungary, 1000 in Finland, and 700 in Mexico. They don’t represent all of Nokia’s employees in those countries, just those involved with basic assembly. Nokia did not say where or to what contractor the jobs would be sent, but considering their need to cut costs, the majors in China, Taiwan, Thailand, and others in the area are the natural choice.

Naturally, the countries losing the jobs expressed disappointment, but Nokia’s got to do what Nokia’s got to do, and these job losses have been telegraphed for some time. It’s likely that they were announced today only after extensive negotiations with unions and local contractors.

Whether this approach will prove effective at lowering costs without damaging the company or brand is yet to be seen; it may be that saving money on manufacturing might not be enough to counter the enormous drop in sales Nokia has seen over the last two years.

The Lumia 800 is an excellent device, and if you’re new to the world of smartphones, the Lumia 710 is quite excellent as well. But those of us who’ve been excited about the Nokia/Microsoft partnership since the very beginning have been waiting for a flagship — a real showstopper: the Lumia 900.

And while we still don’t have exact word on pricing and availability, it would seem that employees at the Microsoft Store are offering pre-orders of the 900 in both black and white.

Before today, we didn’t even know whether or not a white Lumia 900 would be an option, but after seeing a pearly white 800 and hearing these reports it appears that white is on the table.

$25 secures your spot on the list for Nokia’s LTE-capable flagship, though how much more you’ll have to pay for the phone is unclear. We’ve heard rumors that the Lumia 900 would be at an aggressive $100 price point, but Slashgear reports that Microsoft Store employees are debating pricing between the $150 and $200 region.

We expect to see the Lumia 900 in March.

Forget about the Lumia 900 for a minute. Nokia just announced white Nokia Lumia 800 is finally on the release block and scheduled to hit stores later this month. Availability will be limited to Europe initially but it will eventually hit other countries as well.

Other than the stark white exterior, it’s essentially the same phone as its colored counterparts. The albino edition (not the official name) still has the same 3.7-inch screen, 16GB of storage, 1.4GHz processor and WinPhone 7.5 operating system.

Nokia didn’t go into pricing details, probably because the phone is set to hit so many different markets, each with a different pricing strategy. However, Nokia has seemed to stress affordability with their Windows Phones so far so this white edition will likely follow the same mantra. Alright, enough with the Lumia 800, bring on the 900!

Nokia’s UK YouTube account has posted a video (below) promoting the pink Lumia 800, and shockingly enough it seems pretty targeted toward women.

Here’s the thing: It’s pretty obvious that, with a pink phone, the majority of its owners will be teenage young ladies. That’s fine. But doesn’t a commercial that shows only women enjoying the phone kind of ruin it for guys? What if there’s a young man in the UK that was really excited about the pink Lumia 800? He’s probably not so excited after seeing this commercial.

The same thing could be said for the HTC Rhyme. The phone was actually a pretty solid, well-priced device. The problem was that it came in purple, and was equipped with something that can only be referred to as a purse charm — a little dangly glowing gem that lights up when the phone rings.

Did you guys see Verizon’s ad for the Rhyme? It’s not only terrifying, but it shows a lady (with six arms) pulling this purple phone out of her purse. The phone comes in a sort of gold and silver, and the “charm” could probably be marketed as something guys let hang out of their briefcase or gym bag, but Verizon doesn’t present it that way.

Bye-bye, boobless customers.

There’s nothing wrong with building a phone that caters to a certain type of user. Some people use their phone mostly for work, while others are textaholics, and still others have to update Facebook every five seconds — gender makes no difference.

But by marketing directly to a certain gender (or race, or orientation), you immediately discourage every one else from picking up the phone.

Is the pink Lumia 800 any less appealing to women if the commercial shows a guy using it?

Truth be told, this commercial isn’t nearly as bad as Verizon’s, but Friday makes me feel ranty.

[via WMPowerUser]

Nokia earnings are out, and the contrast with Apple’s blow-out quarter results is astonishing. The Finnish phone maker, still the largest in the world by volume, reported a Q4 net loss of 1.07 billion euro, down from a 745 million euro profit in the fourth quarter of 2010.

The company’s smartphone sales decline paints an even bleaker picture: Nokia sold 19.6 million units in Q4 2011, down a whopping 31 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago (even though it’s up 17 percent from Q3 2011 thanks to somewhat decent Lumia sales).

Nokia says it sold “well over” 1 million Lumia devices to date (not just in Q4) and that it plans to bring the Lumia series to additional markets – including China and Latin America – in the first half of 2012. The billion dollar question: is this good enough for Nokia’s future to start looking bright?

Nokia needs it line of Windows Phone-powered smartphones to perform exceptionally well to turn the tide – right now they’re getting crushed by Apple and Android device makers in this particular, crucial game. As a Lumia 800 owner, I know Nokia can still make great devices, and that Windows Phone is in a good position to start competing. But that’s not enough to turn the Nokia ship around.

The company will need to kick up sales and marketing efforts a notch or two, enter more markets more quickly, attract more developers (to get more high-quality apps) and continue to improve the quality and appeal of its smartphone products more rapidly. To have a fighting chance, that is.

Reminder: Apple sold 37 million iPhones last quarter.

Nokia chose not to provide targets for 2012, saying this will be a ‘transition year’, “during which our devices-and-services business will be subject to risks and uncertainties”. Well, quite.

Also read:

The Not-So-Crazy Rumors About Microsoft Taking Over Nokia’s Smartphone Division Resurface

Nokia Exec: iPhone, Android Handsets No Longer Appeal To Youth

Does the term S40 mean anything to you?

It’s a mobile operating system built by Nokia for its feature phones back in 1999, and first appeared on the 7110. Well, apparently a lady over in São Paulo, Brazil has today purchased the 1.5 billionth phone running the operating system in the form of the Nokia Asha 303. Nokia is calling it “one of the most significant milestones” in company history.

According to Nokia’s estimations, approximately 675 million people in the world are using phones running S40. As far as sales go, a dozen S40 phones are sold each second.

But that’s enough about the past. Nokia’s focus is now on its partnership with Microsoft, and according to Bloomberg, the Finnish company likely sold around 1 million units from its Lumia line since its debut. After losing $19 billion in market value over the course of 2011, the Lumia line is Nokia’s greatest chance of rebuilding itself and reassuring investors.

Luckily, a number of different research firms seem to agree that the Windows Phone OS will surpass iOS in the next three years.

[via BBC]

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop was all to eager to show off the Lumia 900 at this year’s CES, but he unforunately kept to himself when it came to its price or release date. Now, thanks to a timely leak, it looks as though Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone could hit AT&T’s shelves on March 18.

That’s apparently the plan, anyway. The date, given to BGR by their anonymous sources, seemingly confirms earlier rumors about the device’s launch window, though they’re quick to note that the date isn’t set in stone since the 900 hasn’t yet completed the technical acceptance process.

While the release date may not come a big surprise to some of you, the Lumia 900′s price tag probably will. The device will reportedly cost a mere $99 with a two-year contract, putting Nokia’s LTE-capable flagship handset right alongside bestselling AT&T handsets like the 8GB iPhone 4. Still, its solid spec sheet — LTE radio, 4.3-inch display 1.4GHz processor, 8-megapixel camera — could provide enough impetus for buyers on the fence to take a leap on Windows Phone.

Between the dirt-cheap Lumia 710 (which can be found for free, if you’re diligent enough) and now the more-than-reasonably priced Lumia 900, Nokia is clearly aiming to sweep new and potential smartphone users off of their feet. If the leak is indeed true, it almost looks like Nokia is mirroring their aggressive European plan to push those units into people’s hands first and worry about profits later.

Could this be the right phone at the right time with the right price tag for Windows Phone to make its long-awaited splash in a crowded market? It may well be — Windows Phone is generally a joy to use, and it’s about time that people started taking a chance on it. Nokia and AT&T’s forthcoming promotional plans will do their part in making sure people hear about the Lumia 900, so here’s hoping that its time will come soon.

Nobody wants to give Windows Phone a chance except for Robin and a whole bunch of analysts. Back in September, IDC and Gartner predicted that Windows would overtake iOS for the number two spot in the market by 2015, and Windows Phone head of marketing Achim Berg called that prediction conservative.

Now iSuppli has joined in, predicting that Windows Phone will grab a 16.7 percent market share by 2015, while Apple’s market share is expected to decline from 18 percent to 16.6 percent in 2015.

Perhaps “overtake” isn’t the best word, since the predictions we’re looking at offer up a .1 percentage point difference. Still, Windows Phone shouldn’t be taken lightly. The partnership between Nokia and Microsoft is a powerful one, even if Nokia’s had a rough go of it lately.

The Lumia 900 is expected to be the most solid Windows Phone offering to date, and every Windows Phone I’ve played with thus far has far exceeded my expectations.

What’s interesting, however, is that iSuppli doesn’t see Android losing much share at all. In fact, Android is predicted to grow from a 47.4 percent share to 58.1 percent in 2015. You’d think that with fragmentation abounding and infuriatingly slow updates in the Android camp, Windows Phone would be digging into Google’s share as much as Apple’s.

At the same time, we must never forget that Apple launches one model at a time, while hundreds of Android-powered handsets hit the market each year. Past that, the iPhone is a premium product and plenty of Android handsets can be found for less than a Benjamin.

In any case, there’s no harm in a third mobile ecosystem gaining a presence in the market. More competition means we all win.

[via WMPowerUser]

Ah, so close yet so far. Nokia’s new flagship Lumia 900 handset was on display here at CES 2012, and though we couldn’t quite get our hands on it, we did the next best thing — we shot some video.

While the Nokia Lumia 710 technically led Nokia’s U.S. Windows Phone charge, the newly-announced Lumia 900 for AT&T is likely to be the one that gets phone fans’ hearts fluttering. With its 4.3-inch AMOLED display, 1-megapixel front-facing camera, stylish polycarbonate design and support for AT&T’s fledging 4G LTE network, it could soon be the Windows Phone to beat in the United States. For a while, anyway.

That being said, Nokia could face some stiff competition from devices like the HTC Titan 2, a whopper of a new Windows phone from HTC that sports (among other things) a 1.5GHz processor and a 16-megapixel camera. Even so, while some customers will end up choosing one over the other if they decide to buy a Windows Phone, either purchase would help grow the Windows Phone platform as a whole.

Personally, I’d be inclined to go for a 900 thanks to the fact that it will be available in the same cyan hue as its little brother that Lumia 800 does. There’s no official release date or price as of yet, but Nokia’s representatives assure us that it will hit store shelves within a few months.

It’s not exactly a surprise at this point, but Nokia has just officially revealed the long-awaited Nokia Lumia 900.

Formerly known as the Ace, the Mango-powered 900 packs pretty much everything we expected it would — a 1.4 GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and the same sort of 8-megapixel sensor as seen on its little brother the Lumia 800. Despite having the same camera, the 900 definitely beats its little brother when it comes to displays as the 900′s 4.3-inch AMOLED display is a solid step above the Lumia 800′s 3.7-inch LCD.

Of course, there’s a front-facing camera too, and users can get their video chat on thanks to the inclusion of the Tango app.

All of those goodies go inside the same sort of polycarbonate shell as seen on the Lumia 800, and Windows Phones fans will be able to pick up one in either black or a fetching cyan.

As Nokia CEO Stephen Elop hinted at this morning at AT&T’s Developer Summit, the 900 is also the company’s first LTE-based Windows Phone (though not the first LTE Windows Phone we’ve heard about today).

Many people were disappointed to see that the low-end Lumia 710 would be the first Nokia Windows Phone to hit the United States, but I daresay the 900 was worth the extra time. Sadly, the wait stretches on even longer — there’s no word yet on pricing or availability.

Developing…

Nokia has acquired Oslo, Norway-based Smarterphone, a company that builds a mobile operating system for so-called feature phones.

The news of the purchase, which was actually completed last November, comes straight from investment firm Ferd Capital, which pumped 6.5 million euros into Smarterphone since 2007.

Other backers of Smarterphone – which was formerly known as Kvaleberg AG, after founder Egil Kvaleberg – include Innovation Norway, Trolltech founder Haavard Nord and management consultant Lars Øberg.

Smarterphone specializes in software that allows handset makers to equip basic models of phones (aka feature phones) with smartphone-like looks and certain capabilities.

Whether Nokia will keep Smarterphone’s platform as a third option for its devices, aside from S40 and Windows Phone, or if this was more about buying talent and know-how, remains unclear.

Financial terms of the deal were also not disclosed.

Analysts at Credit Suisse are forecasting slower growth in mobile phone shipments worldwide for this year, at a growth rate of 2%. The increase is higher than previous forecasts but is down from the 12% growth it had projected for 2011, according to this Reuters report.

According to the firm, they’re expecting to see 1.85 billion handset sales in 2012, up from the 2011 forecast of 1.82 billion. They’re also surprisingly bullish on Nokia’s fate in the new year.

Perhaps the bigger takeaway from the analysts’ projections is how well it expects smartphones to fare in the coming years. By 2015, they are predicting that smartphone sales are on track to reach annual shipments of over 1 billion. The sales of these devices will eventually account for nearly 80% of handset industry revenue.

In somewhat related news, the brokerage also upped Nokia to “outperform,” saying that the handset maker will start to benefit from its transition from Symbian to Windows Phone in the second half of 2012, and will reach a “crossover” point in Q3 when Windows Phone begins to outsell Symbian.

Credit Suisse’s Kulbinder Garcha raised his price target to €6 from €4 on Nokia, saying, “Nokia’s focus on Windows will allow the company to drive a recovery through 2012 in both its top-line and earnings.” He raised his 2012 and 2013 EPS estimates to €0.25 and €0.60 per share, from a prior estimate of €0.24 and €0.40.

Garcha says his firm believes Nokia can command a 13% market share within the Windows Phone ecosystem, given its “sensible and aggressive pricing” and “decent support for Windows ecosystem as confirmed by our recent survey of carriers. (Really?) “And the quality of the Windows platform is quite good,” he added.

OK, the last one he can have – Windows Phone’s quality is good. But the first two are essentially stating that there’s a good chance that Windows Phone can make it as a viable “third ecosystem” after iOS and Android, and that carriers are interested in pursuing that option. This is based on surveys of 27 executives of global telcos who were found to be “widely supportive” of Nokia/Windows Phone.

Hmm. Given this great support from carriers (???), it’s odd that retail employees are reportedly being paid off by Microsoft and Nokia $10-$15 per handset sale to recommend Windows Phone to customers, then, isn’t it?

Features:

• 3.7 inch display (480×800)
• 8 GB storage, 512 MB RAM
• 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon
• Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
• MSRP: $50 with two-year contract

Pros:

• Small and light
• Windows Phone 7 Mango
• Bright, crisp screen

Cons:

• Weak plastic case
• Odd, huge main button
• Some odd port placements

Windows Phones, like Android phones, are hard to review. The operating system is obviously the same across the board and so the real question is “How does the hardware stand up to competitors?” The most important thing to consider here then is whether this phone stands a chance against similarly-priced Android feature phones and whether or not Nokia’s big gamble on WinPho has paid off? I’m leaning towards “Yes.”

First, I won’t address Windows Phone Mango (WinPho 7.5) in this review. We’ve written plenty about it in the past and we did a full review of the platform here as well as a discussion of the Mango update. There is plenty to love about Windows Phone, but we’re really talking about Nokia’s hardware.

Nokia did very little to change the stock Windows Phone experience. They added Nokia Drive app and a special “We Care” button that basically says they collect information about your phone and your use of services to improve Nokia products, a nod to a post-Carrier IQ world where we assume our phones are spying on us. Other than that, you are looking at a fairly standard Windows Phone 7 installation.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about…

The Phone
The phone itself is solid and slim, with a bit of a bulge on its rounded back. The 5 megapixel camera, while usable, is no great shakes but call quality and battery life were good. I got about 30 hours of standby with only a little use (with push enabled) and in my stress test (constant website updates over wireless) I saw 90 minutes. This evens out to about a day of strong use but you will need to recharge this thing every evening.

The phone is quite comfortable to use and the excellent Mango updates add a few interesting features to Windows 7.5. Nokia’s tweaks include a new color scheme (aptly named “Nokia Blue”) and the Nokia Drive application. T-Mobile has stuck their T-Mobile TV service on the Lumia and, for some reason, another navigation app in the form of TeleNav. You also have Xbox connectivity through the Xbox live apps.

The Good
I’ve been playing with a great number of phones this month, culminating in the truly excellent Samsung Galaxy Nexus. We have, however, avoided looking into lower-end Android phones because the experience has been poor. Burned too many times by phones like the Motorola CLIQ, the shambling, me-too models weren’t for us.

This phone changes that attitude. Many believe Windows Phone is too little, too late. Heck, I most of us thought the same thing. But it’s not. Carrier availability, aside, if I were to lay out three lower-end phones in front of a consumer – even a savvy consumer like you! – and you had to choose among, say, the iPhone 3GS (at 99 cents or whatever the price is on AT&T as there is no T-Mo iPhone analog), the LG DoublePlay at $49, and the Lumia 710, the Lumia and the iPhone would be the ones to pick. If you’re a T-Mobile customer on a budget? It’s a no brainer. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m bullish on Windows Phone.

The Bad
All is not roses and petunias, however. This thing costs $50 after two-year contract and you can tell. The front glass panel, while delightfully dark with a small bezel, features the goofiest-looking buttons I’ve seen this side of an N95. Nokia’s design language likes to place multiple features on a single, long button, so this button handles the “back” function, the “home” button, and search on one long piece of plastic that looks like a puffy sticker. It works, but it ain’t pretty.

The phone has no front-facing camera, which suggests that video chat won’t be available for the 710 any time soon. Mango brings support for mobile hotspot/internet sharing functionality, but it seems to be strangely absent on the 710. The plastic casing is also fairly chintzy, implying less “luxury” and more “phone you get for a penny at the T-Mobile store.” This is by design (and I mean that in a good way.) The Lumia 710, in short, is Nokia’s first commodity Windows Phone. While many oohed and ahhed over the Lumia 800, there will be none of that here. This is a good, solid phone for good solid folk. It is the good brown gravy in Nokia’s kitchen arsenal while the 800 is the bechamel.

Do these factors matter? Sure, but considering some of the unmitigated garbage that populates the lower price sections of most carriers, I’m happy to overlook some minor cosmetic affronts for the value for money offered here.

This phone reminds me of Windows Mobile devices like the Wing and the Blackjack. Those phones – aimed at, I’m not making this up, “scheduling moms” (or something to that effect – were designed to wrest the final Motorola RAZRs from consumers around the world and replace them with smartphones. Then iPhone came along and did just that, leaving Microsoft with unsold hardware and an OS that was by all rights garbage.

Microsoft regrouped – and took its own sweet time doing it – and figured things out. Thus the 710 was born.

The Bottom Line
Be aware that this is not an encomium of the Lumia 710 in particular but a sort of “Wow, they really did it” for Microsoft and Nokia. The 710 is obviously competing against the Radar 4G on T-Mobile and Windows Phone is still missing a few features like unified inbox and a video chat service, but you’re dealing with a few trade-offs. Microsoft is acting like Apple with WinPho, meting out improvements over time rather than fragmenting the OS over multiple devices.

If Microsoft knows anything it’s how to make code work on disparate and underpowered systems. If Nokia knows anything it’s how to make cheap phones for the millions. Together, these guys are creating a sort of low-end vortex that could pull the base out of the phone sales pyramid. See, the manufacture of the low end supports the mid-range which supports the high end. Until now, Android owned both the low-end while sharing the mid- and high-range with Apple. When Nokia floods the low-end with capable, usable, and fun devices, someone will have to worry.

Is this the Windows Phone to buy? If you’re in the market now (and you’re on T-Mobile), go for it. As Ross Miller notes CES is next week but I have my doubts that anything announced there would steer you one way or the other. Otherwise, keep an eye on Windows Phone. It’s only going to get better (or at least more popular) and when it does, expect a sea change in the way we think about feature phones.

Mobile industry watcher Eldar Murtazin took to Twitter today, claiming that Microsoft and Nokia executives will be meeting each other shortly to discuss the possibility and terms of a deal involving the sale of the Finnish phone maker’s smartphone division (including “one or two” manufacturing plants).

Such an agreement between the two tech giants, which Murtazin says could be finalized in the second half of 2012, would leave Nokia with nothing but its ‘dumbphone’ or feature phone business, mapping services subsidiary Navteq and Nokia Siemens Networks, the flailing networking and telecom equipment company (a joint-venture with Siemens).

Murtazin also asserts that current Nokia head honcho Stephen Elop will resign from his chief executive role in the course of this year (possibly to return to Microsoft, where he used to run the Business Division?). Furthermore, Windows smartphones would no longer be branded ‘Nokia’.

Finally, Murtazin says the decision to make the move is entirely Microsoft’s to make at this point, and that they’re particularly interested in purchasing Nokia’s valuable mobile patent trove.

Let’s back up for a second.

First, we should note that Murtazin has been telling everyone who would listen that this deal was in the works since May 2011, mere months after Microsoft formed an alliance with Nokia to make Windows Phone the primary platform for Nokia-made smartphones.

Nokia vehemently denied that such a sale of its smartphone division to Microsoft was ever on the table, but I’m increasingly leaning towards believing that it was – and that it still very much is.

Murtazin isn’t always right, but some of his predictions about everything related to Nokia’s business have been pretty spot on in the past, and the man has had some massive scoops, often breaking major news before any official announcements were made, as a result.

We should also note that Murtazin is not the only one whispering about a potential sale of Nokia’s smartphone unit. Such a move would make sense, after all; Nokia certainly hasn’t exactly been heading in the right direction in recent years.

On that note, it’s worth reminding you that Microsoft and Nokia were also rumored (see WSJ report) to make a joint bid for troubled Blackberry maker Research In Motion just two weeks ago.

If Microsoft were to buy out Nokia’s smartphone division, the deal would be reminiscent of Google’s (pending) acquisition of Motorola Mobility, and put the Redmond software giant in a slightly better position to compete with Apple, ‘Googorola’ and other Android handset vendors.

Rumor today, reality later this year? I wouldn’t be too surprised.

Also read: Chart: How Google And Apple Won The Smartphone Wars

I’ve been playing with the Nokia Lumia 710 for a week or so now and I’m pleased to report that Nokia may have a chance. The phone, while a bit chintzy, is inexpensive, fast, and feature-rich. I doubt you’d be able to find a device as easy to use and comfortable as the 710 at a $50 price with two year contract.

We also tried the Meizu MX and came away, well, un-awed. It’s a cool phone, it’s only available in China right now, and there are a few bugs to work out before it could consider a second life on this side of the pond. I was more kind to it than Erick, but we’re both equally trepidatious.

Look for a full Lumia 710 review in a few hours and until then, enjoy our handsome mugs and even more handsome cellphones.

If you’re not a Windows fan, then these next few months may not be too pleasant for you. WinSupersite’s Paul Thurrott reports that Microsoft and OEM friends like Nokia and Samsung will be spending around $200 million in order give Windows Phone a big U.S. marketing push in early 2012.

It’s quite a handsome sum, but the platform is in dire need of a shot in the arm. While the platform is picking up steam when it comes to app submissions, comScore’s most recent report shows that Microsoft’s mobile platform only accounts for 5.2% of all smartphone subscribers in the U.S.

That hefty marketing budget will be used to build awareness around all of the new Windows Phones that should soon see the light of day at a carrier store near you. Nokia’s Ace in particular will be enjoying a turn in the spotlight — BetaNews reported earlier today that Microsoft and AT&T will give the Ace the full hero treatment, which in this case means a concerted advertising push and in-store promotions.

Thurrott also notes that the time and money will be spent to bolster Windows Phone awareness with retail employees. While Windows-focused trainings are a given, Thurrott also mentions that sales incentives may on the books:

“The amount of payments are $10 to $15 per handset sold, depending on the number sold, for some handset models.”

It’s an interesting idea but it has the potential to make things a little dicey. If true, the plan will certainly entice employees (especially commissioned ones) to push Windows Phone like crazy. The inherent downside to it though is that customers may ultimately end up with a device that isn’t quite right for them.

Educating employees (and making a good time out of the process) is a great way to make sure that the platform’s strengths and features get a fair shake during a sale. Paying employees a little extra to push one platform over another seems more than a little disingenuous, especially when a customer could potentially be stuck with an unwanted device for a few years. It’s a very fine line to tread, and it’s possible that Microsoft could be left with some ill-will and unsatisfied users if a few salespeople take things too far. Thurrott makes no mention of specific carriers or retail outlets that have agreed to the spiff scheme.

In any case, I’d prepare for a veritable blitz of Windows Phone promotions and media soon. If Microsoft and company play their cards right, we won’t be able to think of buying a new phone without thinking Windows.

Until now the 4G LTE-capable Nokia Ace (or Lumia 900, if you prefer) has been largely a mystery. We got a peek at some leaked press shots last week (pictured), but all we’ve heard is that it’ll hit AT&T shelves on March 18, it’ll be powered by the Windows Phone platform, and that it’ll come equipped with an LTE radio.

Today, however, PocketNow claims to have confirmed the specs on this bad boy.

If true, we’re looking at a 4.3-inch WVGA display (a tad larger than what we’ve seen so far out of the Lumia line), an 8-megapixel camera, a front-facing camera, and 512MB of RAM. The phone features T-Mo’s 1700MHz band, so there should be a way to hop onto the pink network shortly after the phone’s release.

According to PocketNow, the Lumia 900 weighs in at 160 grams with a waist line of about 12mm. The source also confirms that this particular handset will run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, rather than the incremental Tango update.

All in all, this looks like a solid flagship from Microsoft and Nokia, and we expect to see the official announcement cross the wires at CES or Mobile World Congress. Stay tuned.

Have you been wondering which mobile browser is the fastest of late? It would be an understandable thing to pontificate, seeing that Android takes the cake when it comes to LTE support, iOS has the class-leading dual-core A5 chip on its side, and Windows Phone’s IE mobile browser is basically a beast. It’s a worthwhile question, to say the least.

Luckily MyNokiablog noticed a YouTube video uploaded by user 359gsm, in which the iPhone 4S, the Lumia 800, and an iPhone 4 (running iOS 4.3) are put through the ringer. The specific definition of ringer: Browsermark, Speed Reading, Sunspider, Acid3, and HTML5 tests.

Since the headline already spoiled the ending, I don’t feel bad mentioning that the iPhone 4S pretty much wiped the floor with the other two. It only makes sense if you take a look under the hood — the Lumia 800 features a single-core processor compared to the iPhone 4S’s dual-core A5 chip. In some instances, WP7′s IE mobile browser beat out Safari in iOS 4.3 (it’s very unclear why the user tested the iPhone 4 while it was running an older version of iOS).

As RedmondPie notes, real-world testing can be very different. In our review of the Windows Phone 7.5-powered Samsung Focus Flash, I found that it beat out my iPhone 4S a number of times.

(Note: It’s also still very unclear to us what this music about, or why it’s included in this video.)

Nokia played Grinch this year by barring a small, Lapland-based maker of iOS games from a Santa Claus Foundation delegation at Wanda Plaza in Beijing, China. The delegation, consisting of a number of Finnish tech companies, including Nokia, was to show off the best tech Lapland had to offer.

The smaller company, Lapland Studio Ltd, created a game called Elf Rescue in honor of the studio’s nearest neighbor, Old St. Nick. The Santa Claus Foundation invited founder Ilkka Immonen to the event where he would be able to show the game to Chinese press.

Immonen bought his ticket and booked a hotel in China. A few days before his trip, he found that his presentation had been cancelled. Why? Because his game only ran on iOS and Nokia didn’t want it to be shown.

“I was excited, because as a small company I was told that I had the possibility to be present in press event, talk about our game and also show a video,” says Immonen.

“The Santa Claus Foundation told me that everything is cancelled for me. That was after we had produced all the material, planned and booked everything. I asked these people that what is the problem and they said that I cannot show any of my material, nor talk about my game nor speak to any press, even if I came by myself just to see the presentations. They said ‘You should understand that Nokia will definitely not allow that an iOS game would have a slot.’”

Considering Lapland studio is right by the Arctic Circle, it would have been a hoot to have them on the delegation. Lest anyone think he’s joking about living next to Santa, Immonen reported that it is currently -5 degrees Celsius outside his office, which he deemed “not too cold.”

Immonen isn’t upset, just bemused that Nokia pulled his presentation. He suspects that the Foundation was paid handsomely by Nokia and a few other major sponsors and that keeping the big guys happy was a priority over supporting a small games studio. The story even got some coverage in Finland.

“This is Finland,” he said. “It is almighty Nokia for some people here, still.”

Say a prayer for Android. Nokia’s new Lumia 710 Windows Phone, a $49 smartphone aimed at the feature-phone set, is about to change the way carriers sell – and customers see – cellphones. Forget LTE, dual cores, and all that flummery. Microsoft and Nokia are essentially buying a few million people stuck in the 20th century a new cellphone and they’re doing it in a way only the world’s two finest proprietors of technology to the masses could.

On the surface, the Lumia 710 is redolent of the bargain basement. The amateurish (but rugged) protruding buttons and a rubberized back are a direct attack against the carbon-fiber power slabs that most carriers are flogging while the OS is all animation and pop, aimed at a market that’s used to constantly moving images associated with ad-clogged web pages and Xbox dashboards. It is, to quote Ren and Stimpy, a jolly candy phone, priced to move and ready for the anything but iPhone crowd who, whether by dint of economics or aesthetics, don’t go much for Nexii or RAZRii either.

If you’re thinking that I’m suggesting the Lumia 710 is in any way bad or too “mainstream,” think again. Nokia and Microsoft were – and, to an extent, still are – on the ropes. Convinced for too long that their vaunted N-series was still lounging in high Olympus while it was really playing-second fiddle. It took Elop and his “sell-out” to Microsoft – whose money is helping subsidize this handset – to remake the brand.

The 710 is what Nokia does best: solid, acceptably-specced hardware at a price that’s approaching free. I would equate these phones with the long-dead Wing and Shadow, two “feature-smartphones” Microsoft belatedly tried to foist on a public salivating for the iPhone and the Nokia 5310, a music phone that circulated for a few years in the wake of the app phone revolution. Those were phones aimed at the low end at a time when the low end was looking up.

These past few years have changed the way we think about phones and, although there are cheap Android and iOS phones to be had for under $100, Nokia is really aiming at parents who may be buying their kids a new cellphone (the Xbox Live app is a huge deal) and out-of-work folks who are looking for a real smartphone experience for not a lot of money. Microsoft and Nokia excel at this.

I won’t estimate sales in the millions for this model, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a slow and steady trickle of phones like the 710 in the next few years. If Microsoft knows anything it’s that low-end, commodity hardware is just fine to showcase their software and if Nokia knows anything it’s low-end, commodity hardware is a great base on which to build a business. Nokia didn’t get huge by selling the Nokia N810. They got rich selling Neo’s 7110.

That said I also feel that this is a real and credible threat to Android. A single OS provider the size of Microsoft sending out updates to an entire line, from low to high, is increasingly seeming more credible than newcomer Google pumping out Ice Cream Sandwiches and other updates to the older phones that they clearly consider dross. Microsoft, through the execrable Windows Mobile platform, learned how to code to the lowest common denominator.

Claim chowder or not, 2012 is the year of WinPho.