PureView

Nokia to pack 41-mp camera into Windows Phone, report says

Nokia could be planning to bring its true 41-megapixel PureView camera to a Windows Phone handset this year, according to a new report.

The company is working on a device, codenamed EOS, that will come with its full PureView camera, The Verge is reporting today, citing people who have knowledge of Nokia's plans. The device will be the first Windows Phone from Nokia that comes with the company's genuine PureView camera.

Although Nokia throws the "PureView" name around rather casually, the true, high-end camera has really just been available in its Symbian-based Nokia 808 PureView handset. … Read more

Smartphones with unusual features (roundup)

These days, almost every smartphone contains the same bag of tricks, with little to differentiate handsets, apart from the hardware and maybe some software extras.

Sure, one might have a better camera, more external or internal storage, and other specs that help us tell one phone from another. But on the whole, you can access e-mail, text messages, and social networks from them all, share photos and videos, surf the Internet, and install any number of apps.

This kind of uniformity is actually good news, since it means that even midrange smartphones can be just as capable as high-end products, even if they have a smaller screen or shorter battery life, for instance. Of course, there are some smartphones that stand out from the crowd for a certain physical or software feature. In no particular order, here's the current crop of unique handsets that have me looking twice.… Read more

Nokia's soon-to-be-ex camera chief heading to car company

How does one switch from developing smartphone cameras to working on cars? Maybe it's that they both have to do with going mobile?

Damian Dinning, head of imaging and photography for Nokia for almost a decade, told mobile-photography blog PureView Club (which is, of course, focused on Nokia's PureView technology) that he's leaving the phone maker and heading to Jaguar Land Rover. Dinning said staying on at Nokia would've required a move to Finland, which wouldn't have jibed with his family situation.

PureView, you may recall, is the technology involved with Nokia's 808 PureView phone, … Read more

Nokia Lumia 920 is PureView but not PureView

One thing is very clear when it comes to Nokia's mobile devices: Cameras are extremely important.

Kicking off today's press conference about its Microsoft Windows Phone 8 devices, Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia, started by talking about the Lumia 920 and its PureView camera.

However, for the Lumia 920, there was no mention of megapixels or oversampling or lossless zoom, making it clear this is not the same 41-megapixel PureView camera module in the Nokia 808 PureView. PureView is now and, according to Nokia imaging head Damian Dinning's tweets, has always been about branding for … Read more

Nokia imaging chief throws cold water on 41-megapixel PureView

Nokia is expected to unveil a new smartphone tomorrow featuring PureView camera technology. There's just one problem: that branding might not mean what consumers think.

In a tweet this morning, Nokia imaging head Damian Dinning said that the "PureView" branding "is NOT a single specific feature or specification." That came just minutes after he said that the technology is "about blending optics, pixels, and image processing in new and different ways to allow you to do things you otherwise cannot."

Dinning also laid down the death knell: "as said many times before, … Read more

Smartphones with unique designs (roundup)

Phone-makers use every trick in the book to differentiate their phones on store shelves, from bright colors to unusual proportions, textures, and materials.

Here are five smartphones that turn heads for striking shapes, aggressive style, and distinct physical features that you just don't see every day.

Nokia 808 PureView (unlocked), June 2012 You can't expect to slip a camera module as large as the 808 PureView's 41-megapixel shooter into a smartphone chassis without a little give. The trade-off is a thicker middle and a huge hump at one end of the phone that makes for some potentially … Read more

Nokia 808 PureView camera vs. Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 4S (pictures)

The Nokia 808 PureView's fame comes down to its camera, which can capture up to 41 megapixels of digital information and output incredibly detailed images at 5, 8, and yes, even 41 megapixels if that's what you really want.

The secret to the camera's performance is the extra-large sensor, which is physically much larger than usual 5-megapixel and 8-megapixel sensors (see the difference here.) Still, the camera's software has to render the image correctly as well.

I added my own shootout to CNET Asia's excellent photo test, to see how well the camera performed in … Read more

Nokia Lumia phones to expand to Verizon

Verizon customers looking to buy a Nokia Lumia Windows Phone may soon get their wish.

The Lumia lineup is headed to Verizon, according to comments made by Richard Kerris, Nokia's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. In an interview with tech enthusiast site Neowin, Kerris said that "it won't be long" before Lumia phones are available to Verizon customers, though he didn't reveal an exact time frame or which models might pop up.

AT&T and T-Mobile are currently the only U.S. carriers that offer the Lumia handsets. Nokia has been counting on … Read more

With Nokia 808 PureView, Symbian draws final U.S. breath

commentary Raise your hand if you know what Symbian is. Now keep it raised if you ever expected to see another phone running Nokia's mostly defunct OS in the U.S.

It may be "popular demand" that's bringing the Nokia 808 PureView smartphone to the U.S. by way of Amazon, but it sure as shooting isn't because of its operating system.

What makes the 808 PureView shine -- the sole feature that puts it on the map -- is its 41-megapixel hulk of a camera, which uses a clever technique and some larger-than-usual parts … Read more