Nokia 'back in the game' as its first Windows phones launch to rave reviews
- 'Comeback' move for Windows Phone as Android conquers 52.5 per cent of smartphone market
- Bigger touchscreen than iPhone
- Simpler to use than Android phones
- Tech site says Windows Phone is 'best technology Microsoft ever produced'
A special event on Friday 28 November will launch the smartphones - a return to form for Nokia, whose tired old operating system Symbian had been losing customers steadily. Nokia's smartphones now run Windows
Tech experts have hailed Nokia's 'comeback' phone a success - at least on the technology front.
Reviews around the world have said that Nokia's Lumia 800 is the most desirable smartphone the company has produced in years.
As the Lumia 800 goes on sale today, what remains to be seen is whether the hi-tech touchscreen will sell.
It's an alliance between Nokia and Microsoft - the 4.5-inch touchscreen phone runs Microsoft's simple, good-looking Windows Phone 7 software.
Both companies are relying on Lumia to catapult them back into competition with rivals iPhone and Android.
So far, Microsoft's Windows software has failed to make an impact, and Nokia's market share has been steadily dwindling.
When current CEO Stephen Elop took over the company, he likened Nokia's situation to a man standing on a 'burning oil platform' - with the choices of staying and burning alive or leaping into the sea.
Lumia is the 'leap into the sea' - an alliance with Microsoft to propel Nokia's handsets back into the limelight.
Lumia is cheaper than iPhone, and simpler than Android.
It also works with Microsoft Office documents, and has Xbox games built in.
The design is pure high-end Nokia smartphone, with a moulded polycarbonate exterior and a Carl Zeiss lens that has already drawn admiring reviews from tech blogs.
It's going to be an uphill battle, though.
At present, Android phones control 52.5 per cent of the smartphone market, and Apple's iOS 15.6 per cent, according to analysts Gartner Dataquest.
The phone costs £364. The cheaper, lower specced Lumia 710 model will cost just £234.
The pricing in particular could be crucial in putting Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 back in competition with its smartphone rivals.
The Lumia is predicted to capture 12 per cent of the European market for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software - a simple, high-design alternative to the complex Android system
LUMIA 800: THE REVIEW
The phone is gorgeous on the outside, courtesy of a moulded-polycarbonate design lifted from Nokia’s N8 and a luxurious-feeling high-contrast touchscreen.
The star of the show, though, is Windows Phone 7 – Microsoft’s jazzed-up, ultra-simple operating system.
The clean, bright-coloured tiles bubble with information – Facebook pictures, Twitter updates, etc – and even gaming is amply catered for, with your Xbox account popping up on the screen, and a surprisingly good mix of big-ticket titles such as Angry Birds and indie offerings.
Rating: 
Analysts Gartner say that Windows Phone 7's market share in the second quarter of this year was just 1.6 per cent - but the operating system has been hampered by pricey handsets from Samsung and HTC.
Nokia's expertise in desirable, low-priced handsets could be crucial.
So far, reviews on sites such as Stuff have hailed the phone as a 'strong newcomer'.
Tech site The Register was particularly effusive about Windows Phone, saying, 'Windows Phone is not only one of the most original pieces of design Microsoft has done – perhaps the best – it has executed it really well. This is a strong candidate for the best piece of technology Microsoft has ever produced.'
Windows Phone division chief Andy Lees said the Nokia devices were a huge development for Microsoft.
'Nokia brings state of the art industrial design and outstanding global distribution,' said Lees, 'Windows Phone brings it to life with an experience that puts people at the center.'
Nokia's Lumia 800 smartphone runs Windows slick Windows Phone 7 operating system, and offers a luxurious-feeling black touchscreen, built-in Office compatibility and Xbox games
The Nokia Lumia 710 handset (pictured) is priced just £234, but offers much of the same smartphone functions as the pricier 800
He said Google, maker of the popular Android operating system for mobile phones, was 'very nervous' at Microsoft's entry into the market, even though Windows Phone has a long way to go before it rivals more established products.
The handsets were unveiled alongside new online services from Nokia - such as a 'cloud' storage service allowing users to store 25GB of data such as pictures and music on Nokia servers, rather than within the phone itself.
HOW NOKIA LUMIA 800 FARES AGAINST THE COMPETITION
iPhone 4S Nexus Galaxy Lumia 800
Processor 1.2GHz A5 1.5GHz 1.4GHz
Screen 3.5in 4.7in 3.7in
Resolution 960x460 1280x720 800x480
Camera 8MP 5MP 8MP
Memory 512MB RAM 1GB RAM 512MB RAM
Weight 140g 132g 142g
Storage 16GB-64GB 16GB 1GB
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