The ingredients are there, and the pot is being stirred. Can Nokia, after its mildly successful foray with Windows Phone 7, become the powerhouse it once was by introducing PureView into its WP formula? With Android and iOS bigger than they’ve ever been, the holiday season will likely consist of the same two-horse race. But Nokia’s got a ringer waiting in the wings that just might tilt the momentum in its favor.
Because PureView
Smartphones today take excellent photos. For most of us, they’ve directly replaced point-and-shoot cameras. The quality is there, and the convenience of it slides easily into your pants pocket. But PureView is on an entirely different plain; PureView is like going from a steam engine to a bullet train.
The only thing is: PureView only previously showed up in a Symbian device that mostly went unnoticed by consumers. It made appearances all over the world, sure, but Symbian’s ship sailed in favor of iOS and Android a long time ago, meaning not too many folks got to — or wanted — to scoop the handset up. Therefore, the experience fell on deaf ears (eyes?).
We explained the brilliance of the engineering side of PureView earlier this year: sensor size, pixels and real honest-to-goodness results. The fact of the matter is, Nokia’s PureView packs a larger sensor, giving it the performance advanced photographers need in a wholly accessible consumer package. Facebook vacation photos are about to look that much better.
Including PureView in a Windows Phone 8 device, something Nokia has hinted at over the past several months, is the company’s in. You want to see how we’re going to differentiate ourselves? Here’s a Lumia with PureView. Heads will turn, and people will be intrigued.
Going to a Baseball game? Zoom in on your favorite player’s face without losing any detail. You’ve got processing, optics and algorithms keeping your shots as pristine as possible. Better yet, take better photos in low-light situations that don’t look like abstract paintings. Ooh, aah.
Think of the marketing possibilities: Outdoor enthusiasts, world travelers, photographers and a number of other subsets who are looking for a batter smartphone camera. Who isn’t?
Because Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 7 was cool, new, different. But it always felt stuck. While user experience largely trumps specs, Microsoft’s OS never supported the market’s bleeding edge tech. No high res screens, insane processor, expandable storage or mind boggling RAM. Windows Phone 8 is different. And it looks nothing like iOS or Android.
In addition to a kick in the specs, Windows Phone 8 is introducing a number of superficial improvements as well. Killer games, killer wallet experience, Nokia maps and a new start screen that allows for greater user flexibility. The kind of features and services a mobile OS needs in order to compete and vie for consumer attention.
So that’s two ingredients melding together in Nokia’s WP8 gumbo…
Because Nokia, and because it Can’t Fail
The one thing you can always count on Nokia to deliver is fantastic hardware. In a dealership of sedans, Nokia’s Lumia 900 was like a Lambo. (We’d only request that the company shave off a few mm in order to make its upcoming Windows Phone 8 handsets thinner.)
But its reputation as one of the leaders in innovative hardware remains in tact. Windows Phone 8 is up-to-speed to support today’s best specs, and you can bet Nokia is drawing up some pretty fantastic devices for next week’s unveil — we may have already gotten a peak at what to expect.
Nokia still has a lot riding on its multi-million dollar partnership with Microsoft. Windows Phone is still in the pits, as is Nokia’s plunging marketshare. There’s a lot of potential and promise that still really hasn’t been tapped in to, so this next wave of devices will have to really get consumers talking in order for the Nokia/Microsoft journey to be considered a success.
A potion for success is definitely brewing. Whether it’ll strike the consumer money bone remains to be seen. Integrating PureView is a huge boon for Nokia’s cause, but this late on, and with Jelly Bean having been announced, and the iPhone 5 to come at the end of September, the Finnish company still has a massive uphill battle to climb.
