Last year, Nokia attempted to reinvent itself with the N9 touchscreen smartphone. While that attempt didn’t go as well as expected, Nokia is giving it another stab, with the local announcement of the Lumia 800, the company’s first Windows Phone.
Taking the shell from last year’s N9, the Lumia 800 makes the jump from the recently introduced Meego operating system to Microsoft’s own Windows Phone, effectively bringing the “Metro” look seen on Xbox 360’s dashboard to Nokia’s new smartphones.
“Nokia Lumia will change the way people think about Nokia,” said Chris Carr, Nokia Australia’s managing director. “It signifies a new beginning for the company, bringing together the very best of Nokia’s handset design and services with the latest Windows Phone software.”
Announced last year at Nokia World in London, the Lumia 800 features a 3.7 inch AMOLED screen, WiFi, 16GB storage, and an 8 megapixel camera with 28mm Carl Zeiss lens. With Windows Phone on-board, staple Microsoft apps – Outlook, Word, Excel – look to be included in the smartphone.
Nokia has said that the Lumia 800 will be available from all major telcos from March.
UPDATE (02/02/2012): Nokia Australia has now confirmed a $699 outright price for the Lumia 800 handset.
