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Filed under: AT&T, Editorials, News, Nokia

When will the Nokia Lumia 900 be available and why is there no exact date? We tried to get some answers…

by Mike Macias on January 11, 2012 · 5 comments

When will the Nokia Lumia 900 be available and why is there no exact date? We tried to get some answers... nokia 900 hands on1 660x335

Nokia got lots of buzz this week at the Consumer Electronics show in Vegas about their newly announced Lumia 900 smartphone for AT&T. The buzz wasn’t just about how nice it looks or how smooth Windows Phone is, there was also some chirping about the release date of the Lumia 900 — or lack thereof.

Like I mentioned in the Lumia 900 announcement, the official word from Nokia is it will be available in ‘the coming months’. I’ve received confirmation that the 900 will arrive during Quarter 1 which ends in March. My source also assured me that this won’t be another N8 debacle and come at the very end of the quarter (literally the last day).

With that said I expect the Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T to be available in late February, early March. Considering it hasn’t even been a year since Nokia announced their partnership with Microsoft to make Windows Phone their primary operating system, it’s impressive that the 900 was even confirmed. It would be quite an accomplishment and special day for Nokia if they and AT&T managed to make the 900 available on February 11th, the day Nokia announced their big move to Windows Phone. However, I think that is a long-shot and probably won’t happen.

What’s the holdup?

When will the Nokia Lumia 900 be available and why is there no exact date? We tried to get some answers... lumia900 availability 400x333

The Lumia 900 will be available in black and cyan colors at launch.

The Nokia Lumia 800 is already available in parts of the world. Why isn’t the 900 ready to ship? I’ve held the Lumia 900 in my hands and by all accounts it looks like a finished product. Granted, the device I held still said “prototype” on the top. Nokia has almost no relationship with consumers in the US right now and their track record the past few years around the world isn’t so hot.

They have to ‘get this right’ at launch. We all know how important first impressions are.

The two main factors for the 900 not being ready I was told is the 4G LTE and front-facing camera — both not present on the Lumia 800. Nokia and Microsoft want to make sure both work perfectly with the software and there won’t be any issues at launch.

So why even announce it if it’s not available within weeks?

This is a question I’ve seen numerous times in my Twitter timeline and even something I’ve pondered myself. Why announce it when consumers won’t be able to get it right away.  One of my followers mentioned to me that there were reports that just after Nokia announced the 900 two days ago the AT&T website saw a huge increase in traffic. Seems like a missed opportunity. The fact is CES is still a huge event has millions of eyes watching. Reports are coming in that over 150,000 people attended the event this week! Just about every major US tech news outlet is in Las Vegas this week and Nokia wanted to have a huge presence. They wanted to get people talking and I think they succeeded. They also managed to get the 900 in the hands of a handful of journalists and bloggers to let them share some exclusive content with readers. You can be sure we’ll have some hands-on photos and video of the 900 posted on this site no later than tomorrow.

AT&T and Nokia’s new relationship

Nokia and AT&T have not had a great relationship over the past years. But something has changed and the nation’s largest carrier is showing immense confidence in the Lumia 900 and Windows Phone. AT&T is normally very strict when it comes to announcements and availability. They don’t normally allow months to go by with nothing to offer the consumer. They made an exception for the Nokia Lumia 900 this time around and from what I was told they are extremely excited about this device. And I don’t blame them. The design alone stands out against the rest of AT&T’s lineup, especially the cyan 900 that I think will sell better than the black.

Later today here at Mobile Fanatics I’ll post my hands-on experience and photos with the Nokia Lumia 900. If you have any questions or comments about the Nokia 900 be sure to ask away!

Related Topics:

AT&T Editorials Featured News Nokia

has written 258 articles for The Mobile Fanatics.

Mike is the editor-in-chief of The Mobile Fanatics. Contact him via email or at his twitter page.

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  • Anonymous

    GARGH! What is with this “instant gratification” obsession? I hate it, hate it, hate it! I don’t know if those “market analysts” forced it on to the consumers or if it was the other way around, but either way, it’s a horrible disease that has caused so many untold problems that I for one stand tall and proud and applaud any company that refuses to cave in to this thing!

    Nokia have decided to get to it right, and this article highlights that. And besides “Good things come to those who wait.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/7589696/Good-things-do-come-to-those-who-wait-scientists-say.html

  • CP

    I really like the Nokia Lumia 900. I’m an iPhone user, but I think I’ve secretly always liked the Windows OS, and the 900 just brings it to a whole new level.

    I really want to get this phone, but there’s a few things I’d like clarified first, like can I use the 900 as a hot spot, will I somehow be able to do FaceTime with iOS users, and perhaps most importantly – will the apps I currently use on the iPhone become available in the Windows store.

    I do have a 3G iPad, so maybe I can live without an iPhone, and Nokia’s left some time to think about the change as well.

  • http://www.themobilefanatics.com Mike Macias

    Hi CP,

    Let me try to answer your questions…

    1. Can the 900 use a WiFi hotspot? Yes, with the proper data plan from AT&T. We’ll have more info on that soon.

    2. Apple has disabled FaceTime for all devices not made by Apple. So no, you won’t. But there is a video chat app called Tango that should work well.

    3. Visit http://marketplace.windowsphone.com to see what’s available. Once Windows Phone becomes more popular in the States, even more apps will come.

    I’m looking forward to seeing your reply.

    Can I ask you a question…

    What about the Lumia 900 interests you?

  • CP

    Thanks Mike,

    For question 1, I actually meant using the phone as a hotspot, not the phone using a WiFi hotspot. I use my iPhone often to get my laptop, and a friend or coworker, online. I think the Lumia 900 will allow up to 5 devices to connect via a hot spot.

    As for your question, it’s not really the Lumia 900 that really interests me, but rather the Windows Phone 7 OS. It looks different from iOS, which in all honesty, is starting to get boring. It’s also different from Android, which I normally refer to as a bootlegged copy of iOS (gets my friends angry). It’s also no longer cool and unique having an iPhone, everyone in the world seems to have one. ….but yet, I still love the iPhone and iOS.

    On the other hand, the Windows Phone OS is unique, and still has much room for growth and potential. The Lumia 900 doesn’t have the best specs, yet it still looks cool and sleek, and gets the job done. It works really well with Office, which is what most of the world uses, unlike iPhone which works with iWork and documents need to be exported to Office, oftentimes messing up formatting – especially in Numbers/Excel. Windows Phone also works well with SharePoint and Office 365, both are popular collaboration and document management solutions in the business world.

    I still have thinking to do, because I am a heavy iTunes user, and Windows Phone doesn’t natively support iTunes. I’ve also been taking advantage of iCloud a lot more than the average iOS user, and I’m sure iCloud won’t play nicely with Windows Phone, perhaps preventing me for synching data with my iPad, and some Mac’s on the network.

    Perhaps my last challenge is my car, it’s designed for iPhone. It’ll work with other phones, but not as well as it does with iPhone.

    I’m due for an upgrade in about 3 weeks, and if I had to pick now, I would still go with the Lumia 900. Since the Lumia won’t be out until March, there’s still a chance Apple’s press event next month might convince me to stay with an iPhone.

  • http://www.themobilefanatics.com Mike Macias

    Thanks for the comment. About the WiFi Hotspot… what you are referring to is what I meant. Check out this video I shot at CES while I was talking with the Nokia 900 product manager about hotspot…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC_8YotST6Q 

    You make good points about iPhone users wanting to switch to Windows Phone. Microsoft should do a better job of making it a smoother transition, but there is only so much they can do. Luckily the Zune account is a decent alternative to iTunes and works seamlessly with a Windows Phone.

    I’m actually working on a feature right now about Windows Phone and who they will lure more easily: iPhone users or Android users. Be sure to subscribe to this feed so you can see the article!

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