As promised, the OTEKBITS team was on hand to bring you the full report on the launch of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 in Lagos, Nigeria. The stage was opened by James Rutherfoord, Vice President of Nokia West Africa, with a short video introducing Lumia 920, the world’s most innovative smartphone as it is popularly referred to.
Map, City Lens and PureMotion
Introduced by James, the Operation Account Manager, Kola Oshinowo, was next on stage to present Map and City Lens. Nokia City Lens is an augmented reality app that superimposes the names of coffee shops, restaurants and other destinations on the screen while the user is viewing through the camera lens. It also lists all the nearby hotels, restaurants, cinemas, shopping malls and other locations around you.
The Nokia Map gives a beautiful experience of mapping – it tells you the time needed to cover certain distances. An example of the time taken to get to Ikeja from Victoria Island (Lagos traffic excluded) was cited by Kola. With this feature, HERE Nokia is ready to rock the mapping market.
To end his presentation, Kola demonstrated PureMotion HD+ by using his car key to scroll on the device. This feature makes every colour clear and sensitive enough to respond to your fingertips – even with fixed nails, you can scroll without scratching your phone.
Camera and Wireless Charging
Olumide Balogun, the Partner Manager for Developer Experience, Nokia West Africa, took the stage next to introduce the imaging experience on Nokia Lumia 920 and 820. The Lumia 920 comes with the same PureView technology that was on Nokia 808. Nokia has added an Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) that enables you to take a clear picture on a bumpy road or in a crowded environment. You can also edit a picture you took if you find unwanted context in it.
He also explained that Nokia will be leveraging on Near Field Communication (NFC) technology for its wireless charging. This will enable users charge their devices without having to plug with a charger.
Accessories and Colours
The Marketing Manager for Nokia West Africa, Kesina Ogbemi was up next to to showcase the new accessories coming with Lumia 920. He stated that Nokia has partnered with several accessories manufacturing companies like JBL to deliver accessories like JBL PowerUp speaker with quality bass, wireless connection and wireless charging built in; JBL PlayUp Portable Wireless Speaker; and wireless, noise-cancelling headphones from Monster.
The OS
Emmanuel Onyeje, the General Manager, Microsoft West and Central Africa, presented the first Window Phone 8 devices Lumia 920 and 820. Eventually, Window Phone 8 will be available coming on Samsung, HTC and others.
Mobile Network Operator (MNO) and Pricing
General Manager for Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Kola Oyeyemi, rounded up the event with the announcement that Lumia 920 and 820 will be exclusive to MTN. Lumia 920 will go for N105,000 while Lumia 820 will go for N82,000. They are both available for pre-order and the first users will have their devices in mid December.
