Tom Farrell, Vice President, Nokia Middle East, (standing); Humood Al Gubaini (left), Vice Chief Executive Officer for Communication Affairs; Ashok Israni (middle), Vice President of Du for Marketing; and Samer Abu Lafaif, General Manager of Microsoft Gulf, at the launch.

Saeed Al Khotani

Saudi Gazette

 

DUBAI —  Nokia Middle East officially launched Monday at Jumeira Creekside Hotel here what it described as the world’s most innovative smartphones , the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Nokia Lumia 820, based on Windows Phone 8 systems.



“These two products will be available in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates on Nov. 25, and the rest of the GCC states during the summer,” said Tom Farrell, Vice President, Nokia Middle East, addressing a large audience of journalist came from all over the gulf region.



“At the beginning of last year Nokia outlined a new smartphone strategy to deliver devices that not only surpass their predecessors, but revolutionize the industry. We are now proud to stand here and present to you the most innovative device in the history of Nokia, embodying the height of technology, design and user-experience,” he added.



“The Middle East is one of the top key markets for Nokia and continues to be strongly committed to this region. This is testament with Saudi Arabia being among the six global markets for Nokia to introduce the new Lumia range with Arabic language capabilities with strong operator offerings and retail presence,” he said.



Farrell said that the availability of a user interface in the local language combined with strong operator offerings are two key elements in satisfying demands of consumers from the region. We are confident that the most innovative smartphone – the Lumia 920 will be a milestone for the company as a whole.



Nokia also announced its strategic partnership with Mobily in Saudi Arabia, through which the new Lumia smartphones will be made available in its outlets in various plans that suit all customers’ needs.



A number of top executives in Gulf region telephone and communication companies attended the event, including Humood Al Gubaini, Vice Chief Executive Officer for Communication Affairs; Samer Abu Lafaif, General Manager of Microsoft Gulf; and Ashok Israni, Vice President of Du for Marketing.



Commenting on this important partnership, Khalid Al Kaf, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mobily, said “Mobily is glad to have a strategic partnership with Nokia to enrich our subscribers’ lives by launching selected smartphones that use various operating systems which satisfy all of their requirements.”



Al Kaf added that the new Windows Phone 8 operating system powering the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 smartphones is yet another innovative addition that will attract customers to these smartphones, along with their exclusive features.



The Nokia Lumia 920 is the flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone, including Arabic language capabilities and the latest advances in Nokia PureView imaging innovation. Using advanced floating lens technology, the camera in the Nokia Lumia 920 is able to take in five times more light than competing smartphones without using flash, making it possible to capture clear, bright pictures and video indoors and at night.



The Nokia Lumia 820 is a stylish, mid-range smartphone that delivers high-end performance in a compact package. While the Nokia Lumia 820 has the same uni-body look and feel as the high-end Lumia smartphones, it comes with an exchangeable shell design. Exchangeable shells not only make it possible to select from a range of colors, but also to add wireless charging. Beneath the shell is room to insert a micro SD memory card.



The Windows Phone 8 system provides a more personal smartphone experience, with a start screen that can be more easily rearranged to reflect individual priorities and new animated Live Tiles for real-time updates on the things that matter most.



The ability to sync content between Windows Phone 8 smartphones, Windows 8-based PCs and tablets or Xbox means files, music, pictures and video can be accessed in whichever way is most convenient. With Internet Explorer 10 for faster, safer browsing and Microsoft Office apps built into the platform, Windows Phone 8 is also the easiest way to get things done. — SG