Nokia Arriving In The US ?

[TheWeeBear]

T-Mobile & Nokia Event (December 14th)

Nokia and T-Mobile USA making announcement on December 14th | The Verge

What do you think ? Lumia's a plenty shortly ?

 

[Reflexx]

Would be pretty nifty.

Even though I won't get a new phone for at least a year, I'd like to be able to try one out.

 

[TheWeeBear]

Yes that would be a nice Christmas present, although I doubt if the handsets will be available this month Reflexx.

But you never know!

 

[HeyCori]

Launching first on T-Mobile? Mistake. Even if it's just the 710, Nokia's first US Windows Phone should be a SHOW STOPPER! Launching on the 4th place carrier with a low tier phone does not inspire confidence.

 

[Major]

They launched with a low- and a mid-level device everywhere else. Guess that's just how Nokia rolls.

 

[Reflexx]

Nokia's bread and butter comes from the low-mid market. That's where most of their market share has always been.

They were bleeding badly and need to regain that market before focusing on the high end.

 

[HeyCori]

But we Americans are finicky. The perception of buying premium hardware is more important than buying premium hardware. Much like how the iPhone 3GS continues to sell well despite being woefully outclassed. If Nokia's first major release is the 710 then the Nokia brand could be associated with low end hardware. That's going to be bad for their public image. They need to release the 710 along side a more quality handset like the 800.

 

[Duvi]

I believe I was the one who said it... if I can find the post, but that it was coming to T-mobile USA very soon.

They've (T-mobile) have had and continue to have a good relationship with Nokia.

 

[davidkhou]

Agree with Figure 8.
I'm glad that they're announcing a phone now, but they can't rely only on the 710, especially since it will be in the shadow of the Titan and Focus S, and if it's on T-Mobile, it's not very much different, other than form factor, from the Radar.

Piecemeal releases aren't going to build any momentum. Nokia really needs to have a big release announcement of all of their lineup at once, to get people excited. Slipping in a mid-range phone into the lineup of the smallest national carrier isn't going to cut it. In my opinion.

 

[HeyCori]

According to wmpoweruser it's definitely going to be the 710. Even if I'm not a fan of the 710 congrats to T-Mobile customers for getting more WP7 options.

T-Mobile US Nokia Lumia 710 confirmed by manual at FCC | WMPoweruser

 

[Major]

The 900/Ace/top of the line device will not be unveiled until CES. Frankly, I'm surprised they jumped the gun, for this or any device. Good for T-Mobile, I suppose.

 

[Reflexx]

This won't hurt Nokia. T-Mobile is small enough that it won't make a big deal.

When Nokia comes to AT&T, you know it's going to be with multiple devices. And they're going to make a huge deal out of it.

 

[palandri]

MobileCityOnline already has them in stock and you can see which of the Nokia devices T-Mobile is getting by the frequency. T-Mobile is getting a black and white Nokia Lumia 710:

 

[theefman]

They are better off not bothering. This phone won't be looked at twice by most consumers and store reps will hardly push this over a dual core, large screen android device, it will eventually just be pushed to one corner in each store. They should have come with a high end phone, even the 800 would be better. The 710 has 8GB of storage, 5MP camera that lacks Carl Zeiss lens, no FFC, no gyro and an LCD screen, not going to compare very well to a GSII or whatever the latest flavor of the day android is available when it's released. As a current tmobile user this doesn't interest me one bit and I'm hard pressed to imagine this appealing to newcomers to WP7 and apart from that, it means another mediocre option for tmo WP7 users. Not worth upgrading from even the much maligned dell venue pro.

 

[Duvi]

They are better off not bothering. This phone won't be looked at twice by most consumers and store reps will hardly push this over a dual core, large screen android device, it will eventually just be pushed to one corner in each store. They should have come with a high end phone, even the 800 would be better. The 710 has 8GB of storage, 5MP camera that lacks Carl Zeiss lens, no FFC, no gyro and an LCD screen, not going to compare very well to a GSII or whatever the latest flavor of the day android is available when it's released. As a current tmobile user this doesn't interest me one bit and I'm hard pressed to imagine this appealing to newcomers to WP7 and apart from that, it means another mediocre option for tmo WP7 users. Not worth upgrading from even the much maligned dell venue pro.

How about for those consumers that want cheap? Or don't need all those features? Or find 5MP to be perfect for their uses?

It has a place, like all low-end smartphone devices. I understand you wouldn't want it, but a lot of those on T-mobile probably will... the reason they're with T-mobile; it's cheaper!

 

[palandri]

They are better off not bothering. This phone won't be looked at twice by most consumers and store reps will hardly push this over a dual core, large screen android device, it will eventually just be pushed to one corner in each store. They should have come with a high end phone, even the 800 would be better. The 710 has 8GB of storage, 5MP camera that lacks Carl Zeiss lens, no FFC, no gyro and an LCD screen, not going to compare very well to a GSII or whatever the latest flavor of the day android is available when it's released. As a current tmobile user this doesn't interest me one bit and I'm hard pressed to imagine this appealing to newcomers to WP7 and apart from that, it means another mediocre option for tmo WP7 users. Not worth upgrading from even the much maligned dell venue pro.

I agree, they should let T-Mobile have the 800 if AT&T is getting the 800.

 

[theefman]

How about for those consumers that want cheap? Or don't need all those features? Or find 5MP to be perfect for their uses?

It has a place, like all low-end smartphone devices. I understand you wouldn't want it, but a lot of those on T-mobile probably will... the reason they're with T-mobile; it's cheaper!

Good point, but at this point a US Nokia needs to hit with a bang, and have people drooling, like the 800 has done in Europe. The buzz around the first Nokia handset cant be that its cheap, it has to be that its the device that everyone wants. The 710 doesnt do that, its not a device that people will queue up for. This should be a companion launch to an eye catching handset, which will make headlines and bring people in then you could pitch the 710 as a low cost alternative, but this will sink without a trace at Tmobile.

Remember most people still dont know about WP7, nothing about this handset is really going to get people to sit up and take notice. For instance, the WP7 handsets with the biggest buzz today are the Titan, Lumia 800 & Focus S. Desirable, mid-high end devices. The Radar and Flash are good devices but not the ones seen as flag bearers for the platform and while they are advertised, they arent getting the buzz. This forum is an example, most of the talk has been about the Titan, Focus S or Lumia 800 and these are the devices most people want. Nokia or not, the 710 is not going to be seen as a must have device.

 

[Reflexx]

I agree that the Nokia 710 won't be a must have device. But keep in mind, this is on T-Mobile. Nobody launches their must have devices with T-Mobile.

T-Mobile is largely about getting something decent for a low price.

 

[aubreyq]

Like Duvi said, T-Mobile's always had a good relationship with Nokia. Sounds to me like Nokia went, "Hey, T-Mo, you want to sell the 710? We have the production to make that happen. Can't do the 800, though." and then T-Mo said: "Sure, why not?"

This is a good move. There is a market for low-end smartphones. There are plenty of people who can't shell out $200 for an iPhone or what not. If this comes out at, say, $50 or maybe free, it will be great. The more people get introduced to Windows Phone, the better. Eventually those low-enders will "graduate" and buy higher-end Windows Phones when they come out.

 

[Reflexx]

This is especially good for feature phone people who are looking to try a smartphone. These people stayed feature phone users so long for a reason. When they get their first smart phone, it will likely be with some trepidation. These people are the ones that have made Android so huge.

They don't want to spend $200 on their first smart phone. They want to try something inexpensive first. And if they like it, they'll get the better model next time.