Nokia Lumia 900 Release Date April 8: AT&T Bets Big on Flagship 4G LTE Windows Phone

AT&T has revealed that the Nokia Lumia 900 is coming to the network from April 8, describing the launch of the phone as on par with the iPhone.

At all levels, this is a notch above anything we've done, AT&T's Senior Vice President of Devices - Jeff Bradley - said in an interview with CNET.

The device is launching for $99.99 on the network. At the very least, the device will gain attention for its low price point, if not for the amount apps on Windows Phone 7.

With a two-year contract, the Lumia 900 will cost $100. That beats the price of many other LTE smartphones, which have been launching at $150 or $200, Computerworld report. The success of Android has largely been down to cheap devices that cover a range of price points, a move that Microsoft hopes will benefit them too.

[E]very app downloaded onto an Android or iOS device means one more reason that an end user won't switch from those platforms, Examiner add. Windows Phone 7 is struggling to lure users away from iOS and Android devices, with advertising campaigns such as Smoked by Windows Phone drawing controversy as users are prevented from receiving prizes despite winning. One competitor claimed Microsoft had been throttling the Wi-Fi connection.

The iPhone 4S doubled AT&T's record for single-day activations and sold ... 1 million units during its launch weekend, Cult of Mac says. For a network that pushes the iPhone as their killer device, and sold it exclusively in the U.S. for three years, touting another device could take the focus away from the iPhone 4 and 4S.

[T]he rollout plan ... includes a massive television marketing campaign, AllThingsD confirm, and signs will advertise the phone on AT&T stores. AT&T's all-out approach with the Lumia 900 is needed if Windows Phone 7 is to get off the ground and establish itself as the third main smartphone OS.

To re-enter the U.S., we know we have to be aggressive, Chris Weber - president of Nokia in North America - said. Nokia has almost completely abandoned its Meego operating system, which debuted on the well-received Nokia N9, to join Microsoft and Windows Phone 7. While the initial reaction from employees was caution, the company has rolled out the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 devices along with the Lumia 900.

There is still the question on Windows Phone 7's amount of apps, however.

[O]ne Silicon-Valley-centric pundit is claiming that Windows Phone's 70,000 available apps are too little too late, ZDNet suggest. That's despite Microsoft reaching the figure at a faster rate than Apple and Google.

(reported by Jonathan Charles, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)

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