Nokia strengthens Windows Phone assault

Barcelona: Nokia announced a broad refresh to its device portfolio, with Stephen Elop, its CEO, stating that one year on from its strategy refresh, it is "very clear that we have changed the clock speed of Nokia."

In its smartphone portfolio, the company confirmed wider availability of its Lumia 900 device, which was announced earlier for this year in an LTE version for the US market. The vendor will offer a DC-HSPA version for markets where LTE is not supported, with availability from the second quarter of 2012.

Also announced was an entry-level Windows Phone device called Lumia 610, which is "designed as the perfect introduction to Windows Phone for a younger audience." This terminal is the result of a new software release from Microsoft, which enables Windows Phone to be supported with lower memory and processor requirements — and therefore enabling lower price points.

Due to the Windows Phone upgrade, Nokia also said the platform will now support devices targeting the Chinese market. The company is now planning to offer a range of devices for this country, "covering both CDMA and WCDMA technologies" — marking a debut for Nokia in the CDMA smartphone space.

Nokia announced three more handsets in its mid-tier Asha portfolio, the 202, 203 and 302.