At the launch Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, we had a long chat with Sirpa Ikola, the Head of Smart Devices Product Marketing for Nokia South East Asia and apart from cluing us in on the availability of the white Lumia 800, she also replied to a query about operator billing for apps purchased from the Windows Phone Marketplace in Malaysia. Since many of you are wondering about the same thing, we thought we’d share what she has to say about the matter.

Sirpa said currently operator billing is not supported in Malaysia but local operators are working with Microsoft and Nokia to bring the feature to users as soon as possible. Sirpa didn’t reveal a timeline and mentioned that the three parties and local operators are still sussing out details. She however didn’t mention which operator will offer the feature.

With operator billing, paid apps are charged to a user’s mobile bill. This means you don’t have to tie a credit card to your Windows Live ID to purchase apps. Operator billing will also allow users to pay for apps using prepaid credit. This is great news for prepaid users and for those who don’t have a credit card or don’t want to have their credit card tied up to something that is as vulnerable as a mobile phone.

This is also good news for other Windows Phone users using devices from other brands because they will also get the same convenience.

So now with local support for Windows Phone Marketplace and the launch of the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710, will Windows Phone finally gain traction here? We certainly hope so. The mobile operating system from Microsoft certainly has a lot of potential, combine that with the marketing capabilities of Nokia and you have yourself a potent concoction to drive a lot of interest and desire to both the product and the platform. All that remains to be seen now is, will the Malaysian public buy it.

	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Windows Phone
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Outright, the Lumia 800 retails at RM1,650. So how much does it cost to get a Nokia Lumia 800 from the telcos? It’s time for another round of comparison where we compare the minimum cost of ownership under each different plans available. Head after the break for the full comparo.

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	Celcom, DiGi, Maxis, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Players on the Field, Windows Phone
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Today Nokia has the big 3 major telcos offering the Nokia Lumia 800. Apart from DiGi & Maxis, Celcom too is offering the Lumia 800 from RM998.

There are 3 plans on offer ranging from RM88 to RM250 a month with a choice of either 12 months and 18 months contract duration. The lowest RM998 price is offered on 18 months contract of Celcom Exec 250 which comes with 5GB data. For those that don’t want to commit too much for too long, the Lumia 800 can be yours for RM1,348 with 12 months contract of Celcom Exec 50 with 1GB of data.

As usual, Celcom requires an upfront payment of RM300 to RM600 which will be rebated back to your bill across 12 months period. Those that sign up for credit card auto-billing will get additional 5% off their monthly bill for extra savings.

For more information, head over to Celcom.

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Maxis has finally revealed its Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 contracted pricing from as low as RM799 and RM499 respectively. Without contract, the Lumia 800 is priced at RM1,650 while the Lumia 710 is at RM999.

The details from Maxis on the plan offering is rather brief probably due to time constraints. We assume that the Nokia Windows Phones should be bundled similar to Androids by committing to a postpaid voice plan (Minimum Value First) and bolt-on data plan.

You have a choice to bundle with either 1GB (RM48/month) and 3GB (RM68/month) data plan with contract duration of either 12, 18 and 24 months. For the Lumia 800, they are offering a limited time promotion where you can get it for just RM799 with 24 months contract of 6GB data plan at RM98/month. If 6GB is too much, the Lumia 800 can be yours at RM1099 with 24 months contract of 3GB data plan. For those that want to commit to a smaller data plan with the least contract time, it is offered at RM1,349 on 12 months contract of 1GB data plan.

For the Lumia 710, it is offered as low as RM499 with 24 months contract of 3GB data plan. At the bare minimum contract duration of 12 months with 1GB data plan, it is offered at RM799. It is also interesting to note that Maxis claims to offer the fastest internet experience of up to 14.4Mbps.

For more information, head over to Maxis.

Still deciding whether to get a Nokia Lumia? You might want to check out our hands-on review here.

Maxis, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Players on the Field, Windows Phone

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The Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia 710 will be officially launched here in Malaysia tomorrow but already the recommended retail pricing for the device has been revealed by local device retailer IMCC.

Officially the Lumia 710 will retail for RM999 and as earlier indicated, the Lumia 800 will be priced at RM1,650.

At just a smidgen under RM1,000 the Lumia 710 presents an enticing value for consumers as it delivers the same level of performance as the Lumia 800 because they have identical processor and RAM – 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm MSM8255 chip with 512MB of RAM. The two devices even have the same screen size and resolution at 3.7-inches and 800×480 pixels but the more expensive Lumia 800 uses the brighter AMOLED technology while the Lumia 710 uses standard TFT LCD.

Other differences between the two devices: The Lumia 800 has an 8MP camera where the Lumia 710 only has a 5MP shooter but then again we all know that pixel count is not what defines camera performance so there might not be much separating the two devices in this respect. The Lumia 800 also features a bigger 1,450mAh battery compared to the 1,300mAh on the Lumia 710, though we suspect the bigger battery on the Lumia 800 is to accommodate the more power hungry AMOLED screen so you’re not going to get much gain in battery performance there.

Where the Lumia 800 sits in a price bracket with a number of very capable dual-core Androids with bigger screens and arguably better cameras, the Lumia 710 sits in a price point where there’s fairly not much competition. There are the of course a few good Samsung Android phones below RM1,000 but with its refreshing Windows Phone OS and free turn-by-turn navigation that works really well here in Malaysia the Lumia 710 is a competent and comparable value-packed alternative to the Android set.

Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone

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After its earlier teaser, DiGi has finally offered its pre-booking for the Nokia Lumia 800. The Nokia Lumia 800 is priced at RM1,650 outright and is offered as low as RM1,099 on DG Smart Plan. Bundled pricing as follows:

DG Smart Plan 48 (12 months) – RM1,449
DG Smart Plan 48 (24 months) – RM1,299

DG Smart Plan 68 (12 months) – RM1,349
DG Smart Plan 68 (24 months) – RM1,099

Currently only the Black version is available for pre-order and it takes about 3 days for delivery.

For more info, head over to DiGi’s Online Store.

	DiGi, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Players on the Field, Windows Phone
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Nokia has confirmed that its Windows Phone powered Lumia 710 smartphone is suffering from an issue that causes the device to show a call is still connected even when the user ends the call leading many to think that they are being charged for additional call time despite trying to hang up. The only way to temporarily solve the problem, it seems, is to power off their Lumia 710 and switch it back on again.

As we approach the launch of the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 here in Malaysia, will this be a cause for concern for prospective buyers? Well not being able to end a call is certainly something to worry about but Nokia is quick to point out that the problem is a software bug and the company is “close to a fix”. Nokia added that the fix will be available via Zune but “it is difficult to say when” the fix will be available.

Nokia also says that the inability to end a call is actually a display bug and Lumia 710 shouldn’t worry about incurring additional charges to their mobile bill. Official Nokia Support representative ‘Unwired’ issued the following statement, detailing the issue:

One other important fact about this issue is that the phone modem is responding to the call disconnect signal from the touch display, the call is taken down as it should. The issue is that the user interface displays the call disconnect button but is should not. Consequently consumers are not being excessively billed for a call that seems to be staying up.

In any case, we’re not able to determine if Lumia 710 units sold in Malaysia are affected by this problem but we will definitely test it out once we receive a review unit.

This is not the first time that Nokia has seen issues with its Windows Phone smartphones. An early firmware version in the the Nokia Lumia 800 caused some battery issues not allowing users to turn on their device if the battery had drained.

For Malaysians, this is nothing to worry about as Nokia Malaysia has assured us that the Lumia 800 sold here will come preloaded with the latest firmware that fixes the problem.

[source]

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Click for larger image

The Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 will be launched here in Malaysia in a few days but if this photo – accidentally mistaken for a Lumia 800 by Nokia themselves — is anything to go by, then we can expect at least one more Lumia making its debut here.

Earlier thought to be a US-only version, what we see here is very possibly a GSM version of the Lumia 900. What’s the difference between the device you see here and the recently announced white Lumia 800 we mentioned earlier? The biggest difference between the Lumia 800 and 900 is of course the screen size but that’s not clearly obvious in pictures, what is evident is the difference in the placement of the micros USB slot. On the Lumia 800, the micro USB slot is located underneath the micro SIM tray cover at the bottom of the device but on the Lumia 900, the slot is located exposed at the top, as you can see in the picture above (thanks for correcting us on this in the comments joevo2).

We’ve established that this is a Lumia 900, but what makes this a GSM version? For one, the obvious omission of the logo of US carrier AT&T is a tell-tale sign. Currently the Lumia 900 is only sold in the US by AT&T, so what’s with this official looking press picture not having an AT&T logo? That points to the device being available for other operators, very likely on GSM networks as well.

The Lumia 900 brings a larger 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display versus the smaller 3.7-inch AMOLED CBD display on the Lumia 800 but with identical screen resolution at 800×480 pixels. Also, you get a 1.3MP front camera and because the Lumia 900 is running LTE in the US and have a bigger screen, the device also gets a bigger 1,830mAh battery compared to the 1,450mAh in the Lumia 800.

Those are the features that separate Lumia 800 with the Lumia 900. The 1.4 GHz processor, eight-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, 16 GB internal memory and 512 MB RAM are identical on both devices. We’re hoping the larger battery stays in the GSM Lumia 900 as well.

So can we expect the Lumia 900 to come to Malaysia? It’s very possible but without an official word form Nokia, don’t expect this phone to be here anytime soon. Although we do expect to see the GSM Lumia 900 making its debut at Mobile World Congress at the end of this month.

[Source, via]

	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Uncategorized, Windows Phone
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Update: Word has it that Celcom and Maxis will jump on the Nokia Lumia bandwagon as well. Expect plans for the Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 from Celcom, DiGi and Maxis at launch day (February 10)

The Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 shall be officially available this coming Friday, 10th of February. If you’re wondering which telco is offering it on contract bundle, DiGi has posted a teaser on its Facebook page.

It will be offered on DiGi’s Online Store just like the recent new devices and there’s a possibility that DiGi might be doing an early pre-order where you can order it and have it delivered directly to you on launch day. If you want to try it out, the Lumias are already being displayed at several Nokia stores.

Don’t forget to check out our hands-on video for both Lumia 800 and 710 if you haven’t.

[ SOURCE ]

	DiGi, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Players on the Field, Windows Phone
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Update: @ganaeshd tells us via Twitter that the Nokia Lumia 800 is already on display for you to play with at the Nokia Store in the Gardens Mid Valley. We can assume that a number of other Nokia Stores will have the device and possibly the Lumia 710 on display as well. Thanks for the update Ganaesh!

This is it folks, the Nokia Lumia Windows Phones will be officially launched next Friday, 10 February. The event is happening at Pavilion KL around 6.30PM.

The Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 duo are the first batch of Nokia branded Windows Phone 7 devices to hit the market. The only last clue to the puzzle is the pricing which we expected the Lumia 800 to be priced around RM1700-1900 range while the Lumia 710 below the RM1000 mark. According to sources familiar to the matter, Nokia is planning something special as this is one of the most important launch for them this year.

Earlier on, we managed to play with both devices and you can watch our hands-on video as well.

Follow us on Twitter at @Soya_cincau for the latest updates.

	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	microsoft, nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 710 launch Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 710 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 710 Malaysia launch, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia Lumia 800 launch Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 800 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 800 Malaysia launch, Nokia Lumia Malaysia, windows phone, Windows Phone 7.5