It's no secret that the U.S. version of the Nokia Lumia 800 will make its debut at CES this month. There's also little doubt that the Lumia 900, as it's widely expected to be called, will come packed with two important goodies that the global version lacked: LTE support and a front-facing camera.

Our friends over at Pocketnow.com got their eyeballs on a few more details as well: the Lumia 900 (code name: Eloko) will come with a 4.3-inch WVGA display instead of the Lumia 800's 3.7-incher. It will also feature an 8-megapixel camera (of course) and an 1,830mAh battery.

That's not all; a few days after the leak reached our ears, The New York Times also pitched in its confirmation of the Lumia 900, through two sources who spoke on conditions of anonymity.

Although Nokia will announce the phone next week, the word on the street is that the Windows phone won't hit AT&T stores until March.… Read more

For a slow holiday news week, there's been plenty of chatter over the last few days about Windows Phone 7.

It all started Tuesday when several tech blogs posted editorials on why Microsoft's operating system was failing, a fact that Mobile Burn's Dan Seifert wryly pointed out on Twitter. And then, almost as if in response, a leaked memo on WMPoweruser spilled details on the next software update, the Windows Phone Marketplace hit the 50,000-app mark, and WinSupersite reported that AT&T will be the first carrier to offer LTE-enabled Windows Phone 7 devices.

I'… Read more

Samsung is still the biggest maker of mobile phones, but Apple is gaining ground, according to data released today by market researcher ComScore.

Samsung accounted for 25.6 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers for the three months ending November 11, a slight increase of 0.3 percent over the previous three months. While Apple came in fourth with 11.2 percent, its 1.4 percent increase was the greatest market share increase for the previous three months.

Samsung and Apple were the only mobile phone makers in the top 5 to boost their share of the market during that … Read more

Microsoft and Nokia have been linked to the posting of astroturfing comments on a negative Nokia Lumia review.

The review of the Nokia Lumia 800, posted on the Indian Web site Moneylife.in, was based on the technical specifications rather than hands-on experience with the Windows Phone device. The review concluded that "Although Nokia sees its Lumia 800 to be a competitor to Apple iPhone [sic], it is nowhere near the niche product. In fact compared with iPhone, the Lumia 800 can be termed as 'noPhone'."

Many commenters were unhappy with the review. However, the tenor of the … Read more

I've long suspected that Nokia had something big up its sleeve for CES; mainly the U.S. version of its Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone that CNET first saw in October. Thanks to an invitation to a CES press conference, Nokia has just confirmed it.

OK, OK, you got me. They've officially confirmed nothing, except the fact that there will be something to announce. However, I have some sound reasons to believe that the phone being announced at CES will undoubtedly be a version of the Lumia 800:… Read more

Smartphones continue to be a changing category at the Consumer Electronics Show. Though they started out by taking a relatively low profile in the face of giant TVs and fancy Blu-ray players, over the past couple of years they've gone big.

In 2009, for example, the Palm Pre swept the show and just last January the Motorola Atrix 4G and the Xoom took three CNET Best of CES awards.

So what does the 2012 show hold? Considering that the industry never stands in one place for more than a week, it will be an exciting few days for mobile … Read more

Looking for a truly modern smartphone experience on T-Mobile but don't want to shell out too much cash? You're in luck since Nokia just announced that its new $49.99 Lumia 710 handset will hit the carrier soon.

I was able to spend a little hands-on time with this Windows Phone Mango device, which is expected to cost just $49.99 with a two-year contract. The Lumia 710 is the first Nokia phone on T-Mobile to run Windows Phone 7.5 Mango; it's compact if not exactly thin, at 4.7 inches tall by 2.5 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. The stylish Lumia 710 sports a playful plastic design typical of Nokia products. The phone will be available in two color schemes, either all black or two-tone white (front) and black (back). Hopefully T-Mobile will also sell the slick, colored battery covers that Nokia demoed for the unlocked model of the Lumia 710 (red, blue, yellow) at Nokia World in London. Check out Jessica Dolcourt's First Take for a closer look at the unlocked model. … Read more

Sometimes, the simplest gadgets turn out to be the most useful, and such is the case with the Macro Cell Lens Band.

What you see here is pretty much what you get: a rubber band with an embedded macro lens that you can wrap around any smartphone to take close-up photos. When not in use, you can simply wear it on your wrist or store it in your wallet on a credit card. … Read more

AT&T is carving out a niche for itself as a friend to Windows Phone.

In the last month, it's released the mammoth, terrific HTC Titan, the low-cost-but-high-value Samsung Focus Flash, and the sleek, premium Samsung Focus S--in my opinion the most appealing all-around Windows Phone to date.

There's good reason this Windows Phone 7.5 handset scores high marks. It's got nice internal specs, high-performing dual cameras (1.3-megapixel and 8-megapixel, respectively), and Samsung's brilliant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen. The specs aren't surprising. After all, the Focus S is essentially … Read more