Can the Nokia Lumia 800 take on the world?

The Nokia Lumia 800 has decent specifications, but does the Windows Phone 7.5 poster girl have what it takes to take on the mobile world?

The Nokia Lumia 800 has the muscle to stare down any BlackBerry phone released to date. The backing by Microsoft should help it in the corporate community too.

As against the flagship Android phones it is a different matter. With with dual 1.2~1.5 GHz processors, 1 GB of RAM and with giant 4.3~4.65 inch 720p (720 x 1280) displays,  the current Android flagships have more brute power and wow factor than the single core 1.4 GHz processor, 512 MB and 480 x 800 display of the Nokia Lumia 800 can muster. Actually, the Lumia 800 does not even fair so well against Android flagship devices released 6-8 months ago like the Motorola Artix, HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II. Androids with their cutting edge hardware and customizability are the choice for the hardware junkie or techie.

What about Apple's iPhone 4S. Apple could have released a revamped iPhone and blown the Nokia Lumia 800 out of the water even before its release. But the evolutionary iPhone 4S give the Lumia 800 a fighting chance, and Nokia the chance to catch up before an iPhone 5 is released.

The iPhone 4S dual core 800 MHz processors and SGX543MP GPU is a much faster combo than 1.4 GHz processor and Adreno 205 graphics of the Lumia 800, but to the typical buyer it would seem close enough. 1.4 GHz sounds fast. While the iPhone 4S boast of a higher resolution 640 x 960 display, the Lumia 800's AMOLED clear black display which the typical user will find better looking. The Lumia 800 3.7-inch screen is also a bit bigger than the iPhone 4S 3.5-inch display. 

The Lumia 800 does not have Apple online virtual assistant Siri, but it does talk to you in a different way with offline voice guided turn-by-turn navigation. The Windows Phone 7.5 App Market is nowhere near as large as the Apple App Store, but the 40,000 available Windows apps is enough for many. The Lumia 800 also integrates both Facebook and Twitter into the OS, while the iPhone 4S only has Twitter integration. Windows Phone 7.5 device owners can expect Skype integartion down the road too.

As for chic appeal, while not true in the USA, in large parts of the world, owning a Nokia is like owning a Mercedes Benz.

In summary, the Nokia Lumia 800 has enough features to bring the fight to the iPhone 4S.