Nokia Lumia Icon Video Review- a Top Spec Windows Phone for Verizon

We loved the Nokia Lumia 1520, and I personally said it was the best Windows phone that I would never use. Why? At 6", it was too big for me personally. Others who felt the same have patiently waited for Nokia to release a smartphone with the same cutting edge specs and 20MP PureView camera, but in a smaller package. Now we have it in the form of the Nokia Lumia Icon, a worldwide exclusive to Verizon Wireless. 
The 5.9 ounce Nokia Lumia Icon has a 5" full HD Clear Black OLED display with outdoor brightness mode and heightened touch sensitivity for gloves but no Nokia Glance feature. Like the 1520 it runs on a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core CPU with Adreno 330 graphics and 2 gigs of RAM, giving it the same horsepower as top Android phones. It has 32 gigs of internal storage but no microSD card slot. The phone has dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and a front HD webcam. Qi wireless charging is built in--no need to buy a special charging back. The 20MP PureView camera that can shoot DNG RAW files? It's every bit as good as the excellent Lumia 1520 camera.

The only place the Lumia Icon lets us down is looks. Lumia has been synonymous with unique and attractive styling, but the Icon looks a little boxy and dull. Somehow Nokia's Lumia models suffer on Verizon and we can only guess that carrier prefers staid looks and eschews zingy colors. The usually curvy Lumia design is squared off here, and in fact the sides are broad and flat enough that you can stand it on three of its four sides (the side with all the buttons won't work). The sides are unibody aluminum and the back is Nokia's usual matte polycarbonate, and the back has a gentle bulge. Verizon Wireless offers the phone in your choice of black or white for $199 on contract and $550 with no contract commitment. This is a CDMA phone with 4G LTE and it has unlocked GSM world roaming with 2G and 3G but no LTE for GSM networks.

Hee's our Nokia Lumia Icon video review. Our full written review will follow.

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Nokia prepares Android phone ‘Normandy’ for 2014 launch

Image courtesy of @evleaks
Nokia is rumoured to be building a low-end Android phone codenamed Normandy, as the Finnish mobile giant nears the finalisation of a deal with Microsoft.
A source close to The Verge claims that Nokia is working on a ‘forked’ version of the Google operating system, which isn’t nearly as homemade as it sounds.
In fact, the ‘forking’ of this potential Nokia doesn’t involve any cutlery at all – confusing, right? – but actually refers to the way in which the Android OS is redeveloped using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code – similar to the way in which Amazon uses Android hardware for its Kindle devices.
Supposed images of the Nokia phone were published by Evan Blass, who is responsible for the @evleaks Twitter account and is notable for past handset leaks.
Nokia has struggled to compete in the budget smartphone market, after its Asha handset on the company’s own Symbian OS suffered heavily from its lack of apps. Nokia will be hoping that Normandy will perform much better with Android backing, particularly in China where millions of phones using AOSP are sold every quarter.
Of course, the Nokia Normandy is still very much in the rumours stage, especially considering the overhanging possibility of Nokia’s deal with Microsoft. The cost of developing Normandy for Android will be very high, and Microsoft is unlikely to want to invest in developing an operating system that competes with Windows.
The deal between Microsoft and Nokia’s handset business is far from a done deal, though, and even if it did go ahead Nokia may be able to release Normandy prior to an agreement between the two companies.
So, what do you think of Nokia’s rumoured Normandy project? Could Nokia enjoy a happy union with Android? Or should it partner with Microsoft and concentrate on its Lumia range? Let us know in the comments below.

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What’s the best wireless home office phone (with headset support)?

It’s about time I stopped using the noddy BT wireless phone when I’m working at home. I often have to participate in lots of conference calls so I really need a headset. Not only is it useful to be able to bash away on the keyboard during a call to make notes, it’s also a lot more comfortable.
I could, of course, make use of all sorts of mobile gadgetry but I value the standard landline telephone connection much more when I’m doing conference calls. I don’t want to be the arse that regularly cuts out thanks to the occasionally patchy mobile signal. It’s not ideal when you’re participating in board meetings and dropping out. So my mobile phones are out.
I’d like to use a decent, comfortable headset. But the first problem I have is that the noddy BT landline DECT devices don’t support headsets.
The actual phone line is at the other side of the house so I need to be able to wirelessly transmit from there. And still use a headset.
The next question is what kind of headset to get. Probably a Plantronics one, yes?
Any suggestions for decent DECT phones that support headsets? And any suggestions for headsets?
Update 2: I think Amazon knew I was coming after this recommendation from gcatteral in the comments:
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