Nokia
Lumia 920

When it was announced, the Lumia 920 was positioned as Nokia’s new flagship Lumia device. It was larger than its predecessors and reflected the market trend at the time toward larger-screen devices.  The phone incorporated new features such as an 8.7-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation which was a first for a mobile phone. This allowed the shutter to remain open for longer, dramatically improving photos taken in low-light conditions. Furthermore, Nokia emphasised how image stabilisation also meant that video quality was significantly improved on the device. This turned out to be a controversial claim as a result of Nokia using footage at the launch event that was apparently taken on the Lumia 920 but was actually taken by someone using an SLR camera in a van (see image below). This was widely reported in the media at the time and unfortunately for Nokia this tainted the launch at a time when the company could have done with a more positive reception. Other notable aspects of the Lumia 920's hardware were the inclusion of a vibrant 4.5-inch IPS (in-plane switching) display which supported what Nokia called "super sensitive" touch, allowing the phone to be used while wearing gloves. This was particularly relevant to Nokia designers and engineers given the winter climate in the company’s home country, Finland.  The Lumia 920 was also the first smartphone outside Japan to include wireless charging as standard, something which is commonplace in mobile phones today. It used the Qi standard defined by the Wireless Power Consortium.  Beyond the hardware on the device, Nokia introduced several software and service enhancements. In music, it extended its Mix Radio service to cover the North American market. Mix Radio was a competitor to Pandora and Spotify offering free streamed and offline music mixes in several genres, and letting listeners buy tracks. Unlike other services at the time it worked directly on the phone with no registration, no adverts and no payment.  In maps and location, Nokia announced it had incorporated its upgraded City Lens augmented reality app (with new 3D views) into the Nokia Maps. This service was ahead of its time. When the phone was held flat it showed a map, but when it was tipped vertically it displayed an augmented reality view (see picture below). City Lens supported points of interest such as restaurants, shops and theatres as well as allowing users to search for addresses or companies. The phone was memorably differentiated from rival smartphones through the company’s use of vibrant colours on the phone’s distinctive polycarbonate casing. The launch colours were black, grey, red, yellow and white, with an exclusive Cyan variant being made available later for US carrier AT&T.