Nokia Lumia accessory lineup may get customers to try Windows Phone 8
Yesterday I posted my annual top 5 smartphones for the holiday season article and as you can see I placed the HTC 8X just in front of the Nokia Lumia 920. I think they are both superb devices and have been blessed to have the opportunity to use both for at least a week. While I find the 8X to be a nicer device to carry daily, the Lumia 920 has a LOT to offer. Given today's announcement of a $99 price for the 32GB Lumia 920 versus $199 for the 16GB 8X, I would probably switch my picks around for these two devices. Windows Phone has not done particularly well in the market place and I believe to succeed they are going to need a strong retail presence and Nokia's accessory lineup should go a long way in attracting customers into the physical store while helping retail sales associates move products.
Nokia will be offering the following accessories for the new Lumia devices.
- JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speaker (aka MD-100w): This accessory serves as both a NFC-enabled wireless Bluetooth speaker and Qi charging stand for the Lumia 920.
- JBL PlayUp Wireless NFC speaker (aka MD-51w): These speakers are similar to the Nokia Play 360 speakers I purchased a couple of months ago, but have an updated look with a new manufacturer. They sound great in my office and the NFC capability is another great convenience.
- Fatboy wireless charging pillow (aka DT-901): I have been testing this out and love the ease of charging up the 920. Of course wireless charging accessories need a cable to the pad, electricity isn't magic you know, but the convenience of placing your Lumia on a pad rather than trying to find the microUSB plug and make sure it is the right way up is huge when you consider the daily usage. Nokia mentioned that people's devices tend to stay charged up more with wireless charging accessories and that makes a lot of sense to me as it is much easier to just set a phone down on a pad rather than connect a cable.
- Nokia Wireless Charging Pad (aka DT-900): This pad is what you will find inside the Fatboy pillow, but it can also be used without the pillow to charge up the 920.
- Nokia Wireless Charging Stand (aka DT-910): This wireless pad is similar to the other pad, but sits up at an angle with the intent that an application launches when docked. You may have a slideshow play or something when you dock the Lumia 920.
- Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset: These colorful Bluetooth headsets fit into a small wireless charging dock that you can set on the Qi-enabled pads to keep them charged up and ready to go.
- Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset by Monster: These over-the-ear headphones can be used with or without a cable.
These accessories are as colorful as the devices and when you walk into a store they get noticed, especially when you compare them to black and gray phones and accessories. BTW, Nokia also went with the standard Qi technology and I have to test out my old Energizer Qi charging pad to see if it is compatible as well. I look forward to seeing pads on tables in the coffee shop, restaurants, and other locations that people frequent with their smartphones.
In addition to an accessory line, Nokia will have some props in the store for customers to use for comparison purposes with their own current smartphone or other smartphone in the store. One prop is a setup that test low light photo capture quality and performance. Nokia had one at our meeting last week so I tested out my Galaxy Note II against the Nokia Lumia 920.
Nokia Lumia 920 Low Light and Image Stabilization Testers
The two photos are included here and as you can see it is clear that the Lumia 920 excels at low light imagery. You can check out my smartphone camera comparison article to see even more comparison photos with the Nokia Lumia 920. You simply place your smartphone camera lens over the opening in the box, with the flash off, and capture the image inside.
Nokia Lumia 920
Samsung Galaxy Note II
Another prop I saw from Nokia is a side-by-side cardboard holder when people will be able to capture images and video with their current phone and a Lumia to see how photos outside the box compare. Props like this and accessories like these are important to the retail experience and I think they will go a long way towards helping Nokia attract new consumers while also selling quite a few accessories along the way.