Nokia, Microsoft to expand battle vs. Android and iPhone

The mobile industry will be gathering in Barcelona, Spain, this week for the big Mobile World Congress, providing a glimpse of the phones and other mobile devices that will be hitting the market over the next year.

One device expected to be unveiled is Nokia’s Lumia 610, a scaled-down Window Phone reportedly designed to give Nokia new traction against cheaper Android devices, particularly in the developing world. The device is rumored to run a new variation of Windows Phone, dubbed “Tango,” designed to support lower-end processors.

Nokia’s news conference won’t begin until early Monday morning, Barcelona time, but overnight, BGR India quoted anonymous sources on the expected specs of the device, including plans for a 3.2-inch display, and a 3 MP camera.

On the high end of the market, Nokia is slated to announce the rollout of a global version of the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone that the company previously unveiled for the U.S. market.

The U.S. version of the Nokia 900, expected on AT&T next month, comes with a 4.3-inch screen, an 8MP camera and a 1.4 GHz processor — designed to give prospective iPhone buyers a reason to consider Windows Phone, at least.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone division won’t have a press event of its own in Barcelona, but the Windows team is slated to unveil the Windows 8 Consumer Preview at Mobile World Congress later in the week — effectively kicking off Microsoft’s bid to make traditional Windows more of a force in tablets and other forms of mobile computing.

Posted in: Android,Apple iPhone,Microsoft,Nokia