Let there be Lumia! A report from Nokia World 2011

http://youtu.be/Isr7ZSyU7R8 A grey, rainy morning out in the Docklands area of London - business as usual. In the halls of the ExCel London, however, something slightly more extraordinary was taking place: Nokia World 2011, and the launch of Nokia's first Windows phones, as well as a new family of web-ready mobile phones for the developing markets. It wasn't too long ago - less than five months, actually - when Nokia announced its N9 phones, and only a couple of months since those phones have actually hit the market. And while the prevailing sentiment was that the N9 was a beautiful piece of work, it seemed a pity that it was running MeeGo, a platform seemed doomed to obsolescence as everyone waited for the fruits of the union between Nokia and Microsoft to come into existence.

Well, now they have. And the good news for fans of the N9's design is that the Lumia 800, the Windows phone flagship, has the same stunning looks as its older cousin. For those who would like a smartphone running on the Windows platform without the price tag, there's the Lumia 710, another Windows phone that retails for just half the price of its flagship sibling.

A rundown of the specs, then: Lumia 800:

1. 3.7 inch curved AMOLED display
2. 1.4 GHz processor
3. f/2.2 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics
4. 16GB internal memory and free 25GB cloud storage
5. Windows Phone 7 platform, with all that entails
6. Expected in Europe in November, and in selected Asian countries (including Singapore) by the end of the year
7. RRP: 420 euros

The Lumia 710

Interchangeable backs for the 710

So what can Nokia fans expect from the new operating system? During the keynote, Nokia execs were keen to emphasize three Nokia-specific features. There's a voice-guided GPS system called Nokia Drive for (you guessed it) drivers. There's a tie-in with ESPN to give sports fans a customisable, dedicated hub where they can catch up with all the latest scores and news from their favourite clubs, teams, and players. And there's the music app, with music mixes that you can download and listen to offline - all perfectly legally. Of course, there's the fact that it runs Windows Phone 7, the only smartphone UI out there that deviates from the application-grid standard by having customisable tiles that give you direct access to all the things you personally hold near and dear to your heart.

The Asha 201

The Asha 200 and 201 are more basic models - the 200 features dual-SIM functionality and integrated social networking, email and IM. The 201 tops that up with an integrated Nokia web browser and WhatsApp.

The Asha 300

The Asha 303 Both come with a 1GHz processor, 3G capabilities, and the bandwidth-crunching Nokia Browser. As well as a lite version of Angry Birds (very important feature, this one). The 303 has a large 2.6-inch touchscreen, which is pretty expansive for a phone with a full keypad, WLAN connectivity, and - as though the inclusion of Angry Birds wasn't damaging enough to productivity - support for Facebook chat and WhatsApp messaging. The 300 has Bluetooth capabilities, a 5-megapixel camera, and the usual music-playing frills. So there you have it - after a wait of months, the new lineup from Nokia is finally official. The smartphone market is undergoing some shakeups at the moment -  and with these new lights to guide their way, it will be interesting to see, over the coming months, if Nokia can gain back some of the ground they've lost as market leaders.