Windows Phone 7

    LONDON, ENGLAND, May 06, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The first handsets from Nokia's Windows Phone 7 range will be aimed at both the high-end sector of the market and those with a budget to consider, ABI Research has said, which could mean people using cash loans will find something suitable for them.

Eldar Murtazin, editor-in-chief of mobile devices at Mobile-Review.com, recently tweeted that consumers can expect to see Nokia's W7 first, which will be similar to the HTC Mozart.

Meanwhile, the W8 will be a variant of the Nokia N8, with the chipset yet to be determined.

All this will make exciting reading for gadget fans, and some may look to credit card alternatives so they can afford the devices on the day of release.

Michael Morgan, senior analyst of mobile devices at ABi Research, said he expects the first wave of "Nokisoft" devices to be mid and high-end smartphones.

"The high-end versions will focus on best-in-class camera and video capabilities, and, possibly, although not likely, [there will be] a 4G device," he said.

"Mid-range devices will keep price points low by leveraging Nokia's relationships, distribution and scale."

He went on to say that the devices are likely to be made available in a wide range of colours of the same model, in order to capture more shelf space in retail locations.

"All of these smartphones will be given the hard sell using the billions from Microsoft in local marketing campaigns, but the handset will be designed for universal global appeal," he added.

According to market research firm Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales will reach 468 million unites in 2011 which could be driven by people using credit card alternatives to buy mobile devices.

The figure marks an increase of 57.7 per cent since 2010, indicating that the public's passion for smartphone technology shows no signs of going away.

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