While Nokia is increasingly focusing on the lucrative mid-range and budget smartphone segments, it hasn’t by any means abandoned the high-end market. The Lumia 930, launched in the UAE in July, is one of the latest in the company’s attempts to compete with the likes of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Straight out of the box the Lumia 930 looks great and feels nice in the hand; its 5-inch Oled display looks beautiful, with deep, crisp colours. The build quality of the handset is impressive, with a silver trim and a choice of green, orange, white and black backings.
While Nokia’s recent high-end models have pushed the envelope in the camera department, the 930’s 20MP sensor is the same as that offered by 1020 before it, far below the 41MP offered by the Lumia 1020. Nokia will argue it’s not the size of your sensor but what you do with it that matters, and they have a point: at the end of the day the 930 takes great pictures.
The handset marks the high-end debut of Windows Phone 8.1, the newest iteration of Nokia’s owner Microsoft’s mobile operating system. The OS has come a long way in four years, its tile-based user interface becoming increasingly friendly and intuitive. It still doesn’t have the range of apps of Google Play or Apple’s App Store. But given that traditional favourites like Instagram, Angry Birds, WhatsApp and Spotify are all available, most people are unlikely to mind.
It’s not without its minor flaws, with the user interface still falling a little short. Despite a dedicated button on the side of the handset, the camera was noticeably slower to launch than my iPhone 5. More noticeably, the user interface still feels a little rough; this was most noticeable when surfing the internet, with several of my most commonly used websites failing to load properly.
But at Dh2,199 the Lumia 930 is still a very good high-end smartphone and excellent value for money, particularly given its generous 32GB built in memory. It’s not quite up there with the Galaxy S5 and the newest iPhones, but you feel that Nokia is getting closer all the time.
Q&A
So the Lumia 930 runs Windows Phone 8.1? Does that mean that it’s noticeably better?
Well, it certainly has some nice new features. And while it doesn’t set the world on fire it brings it in line with many of the features that are standard in Android and iOS. For one, swiping down from the top of the screen opens a notification centre (it looks remarkably similar to the Android notification centre) which shows your most recent updates and gives you easy access to Bluetooth and WiFi controls.
Sounds useful. What else is new?
The other key feature for me is the World Flow text input system, similar to apps like Swype and Swiftkey on Android, that allow you to enter text by sliding your finger over the keyboard rather than tapping every single key, making text input so much faster.
Interesting, but what if I want to interact with my phone only via voice?
Windows Phone 8.1 also introduces Cortana, a voice assistant which many are saying is better than Apple’s Siri. Sadly however, it’s not yet available here in the UAE.
All of that sounds good, but at the end of the day Windows Phone still doesn’t have many apps does it?
It’s still a long way behind Apple and Android, which each have more than 1 million apps available. That being said, there are now more than 300,000 Windows Phone apps, so “doesn’t have many” is a bit disingenuous.
jeverington@thenational.ae
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
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Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
3%20Body%20Problem
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The view from The National
