How the Lumia 920 could still leave the critics LTEating their words

Their launch may have left the technorati reaching for the snooze button, but the new Nokia Lumia 820 and 920 smartphones could still be set to defy the critics by making a huge commercial splash in the UK this Christmas.
 
After being widely derided by analysts for a less-than-inspiring unveiling which was light on detail and even lighter on USPs, Nokia’s big push to re-establish itself as a major league player in the mobile handset market looked to be floundering before its new flagship devices had even hit the high street.
 
Throw in a major PR gaff surrounding a YouTube ad which staged the Lumia 920’s image stabilization capabilities using professional photography equipment – all well and good, until your sleight-of-hand gets picked up by someone with a Twitter account – and floundering starts to look more dead-in-the-water.
 
But, let’s face it, the analysts have been wrong before, and no doubt they’ll be wrong again. With all eyes glued to the imminent unveiling of the new iPhone 5, it could just be that everyone has missed a trick and underestimated what the Finnish giant has up its sleeve.
 
It’s ace card may yet prove to be its partnership with the equally maligned Windows 8 operating software. Microsoft’s latest attempts to muscle in on Apple and Google’s OS territory with a hybrid desktop and mobile platform hasn’t exactly enamoured the people who are paid to have a respected opinion about these things. But say what you want about Microsoft, it sure has pulling power.
 
A very important lesson to learn in business is that it is sometimes just as important, if not more so, to pick and nurture the right partners as it is to have the best product, or the best business plan, or the most innovative ideas. Although some might have questioned Nokia’s decision to adopt Windows 8 given Microsoft’s less-than-inspiring record with mobile OS, one feature – its 4G broadband compatibility – could yet see it make an impact in the UK.
 
Timing is as important as who your friends are in business, and the Lumia’s launch has dovetailed nicely with conformation by Everything Everywhere – the parent company of UK mobile operators Orange and T-Mobile – that it is about to roll out the UK’s first 4G LTE broadband service.
 
With a 12 month head start on any of its operators in getting LTE up and running, Everything Everywhere has signed exclusivity deals with Nokia and Apple to offer superfast 4G on the Lumia 920 and iPhone 5. Its LTE service is expected to go live in 16 cities across the UK in November, just in time for the Christmas rush, making the Lumia and iPhone instant hot tickets for the festive spend-a-thon.
 
It would, of course, take something miraculous for the Lumia to challenge the new iPhone for smartphone supremacy. But the Everything Everywhere deal, made possible by the Windows 8 hook-up, could see getting back in the game in a big way in the UK.
 
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Claire

Photo Courtesy of Free Digital Photos
 
 

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