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Although they were first unveiled in October 2011, Nokia’s Asha range of mobile phones truly came of age in 2012.

Throughout the year, new Nokia Asha models were released and they were quick to find a loyal and devoted following, as illustrated in an ambitious, globetrotting video series called ‘Me & My Asha.’

As another example of the progress that was made in 2012, global market research companies and analysts such as GfK designated Asha Touch devices as full smartphones. 

As a new year approaches, we look back on the last 12 months in the Asha family, revisit the new models that were introduced and remind you of some of the stories we published.

Making a splash in Barcelona

The first new Asha models of 2012 were launched in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Nokia Asha 302 was a premium QWERTY phone for young professionals who need to communicate for business, and love to stay in touch with family and friends.

The Nokia Asha 203, and its dual-SIM variant, the Nokia Asha 202 both featured alphanumeric keypads – and touchscreens! They were also the phones that introduced the EA Games partnership that would prove to be another Asha highlight in 2012.

This is how we reported on the launch of these new Asha mobile phones.

A touch of inspiration

The summer saw the debut of the Asha Touch range, namely the Nokia Asha 305, Asha 306 and Asha 311.

They were affordable touch screen smartphones with a quick and responsive user interface, cloud-accelerated Internet browser, with easy access to social networks, that were great for mobile gaming and included essential tools such as Nokia Maps.

One month after the Asha Touch smartphones were launched, Conversations spoke to Saulo Passos, Nokia’s communications director for mobile phones, about how they were helping to connect the next billion people and get them online to a smarter Internet. 

Apps for Asha

I am a proud owner of a Nokia Asha 311 and this is how I looked back on my first week with the device.

As with any new gadget, the longer you spend with it, the more rewarding it becomes. As I kept on discovering new apps in the Nokia Store, this was certainly the case with my Asha 311.

In the last few months I’ve looked at location tools, Nokia Internet Radio and as well as my personal selection of essential apps, I also rounded up apps in areas as diverse as education, sports, art, travel and photo editing.

Additions to the Touch family

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The final quarter of 2012 saw two new members of the Asha Touch family, the Asha 308 and Asha 309.

These two smartphones also heralded the introduction of Nokia’s new Xpress Browser, which uses cloud compression technology to make surfing the web faster whilst consuming up to 90 per cent less data. 

This underlined that being connected and offering a smarter and better value Internet experience lay at the heart of all Asha Touch devices.

Asha is one… And one more

In October Nokia Asha celebrated its first birthday and appropriately enough for  such an event, we looked in detail at Asha’s terrific gaming credentials. 

However, even then Asha wasn’t over for the year. The final model to be released was the Nokia Asha 205 in late November.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

With its QWERTY keyboard, striking two-tone colour combinations, SLAM sharing technology and a dedicated Facebook button – the first ever for a Nokia device – it was the most social Asha of the lot.

Not a bad way to end the year then. Somehow, I get the feeling that 2013 is going to be just as much fun.

Nikki Barton is VP Smart Devices User Experience Design. In other words, a lot of what people love about using their Nokia Lumias is Nikki’s responsibility.

Needless to say, her Start screen shows a lot of attention to detail. Here’s how she has it arranged, in her own words:

I’m using a Nokia Lumia 920, which has a big, beautiful high-resolution screen.

I use it to plan my work AND home life, and you can see that in the apps I’ve prioritised and put at the top of the screen. I’ve got 19 there without scrolling, and the way I’ve organised them and the colour coding makes it easy to recognise them instantly.

First of all I’ve chosen the lovely steel theme, which combined with the white gloss of the industrial design gives a sophistication to the whole experience. I often see people looking at it over my shoulder on the Tube.

The Phone tile is at the top of the screen and it’s large as I use it often every day. I can quickly use the history tab within it to recall numbers I use regularly and also the search tab, which gives me quick access to all my contacts and also the company telephone directory.

Next I have a set of smaller tiles representing my text messages, home and work emails, then browser and store.

I’ve been using Cinemagraph for taking rather magical moving photos of my daughter: it really brings the pictures alive.

The other app I use on an almost daily basis (when I’m not cycling) is Transport. This gives me up-to-the-minute travel and route information that lets me get across London quickly without me having to think too much.

My calendar, which is a bigger tile, combines my work and my home calendars together. It really has made a difference to my home life, as my partner and I have managed to get our calendars syncing using family room across multiple devices and platforms for the first time!

Next to that is a large Photos tile, with family and friends photographs making my day more pleasant by displaying a selection of them throughout the day.

Then at the bottom of the screen I have two small rows of tiles that include; Onenote (which I’m using now to write this), Nokia Music (I use Mix Radio most days in the evening), the Guardian newspaper, LinkedIn and Facebook (which I also access information from through the Me tile above), Radio 4 streaming (I listen to this station in the morning), Ocado (grocery delivery) and LOVEFiLM (where I line up films to watch and rent).

If I scroll down the screen I have a lot more, including pinned groups of my work teams – so I can see the faces of people in my teams – useful when you’ve got a large network spread across the world!

There is no time like the present, especially if you are part of the Nokia Connects family! So why not gather round with your virtual peers to celebrate a great year of participation for Nokia Connects.  

Here are just some of our highlights from 2012 – and remember that without you, none of this would have been possible:

Nokia Connects GO!

We introduced NC GO! in 2012 as a way for you guys at home to show us the skills that pay your bills using a Lumia phone. Since the launch we’ve been sent a truck load of cool videos and photos, so here are just a couple of our favourites.

Jacob Spera + a Lumia 900 + a tricycle = a talented guy, pulling off some incredible tricks down a huge hill whilst capturing the whole thing on his Lumia 900.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Also, how could we forget the fusion-of-illusion by the Maine based art duo Casual Arcane. They really blew our minds as the real life walking/talking optical illusionists!  

Watch this video on YouTube.

The deadmau5 ‘This is Lumia’ event

The half man half mau5 is a legend and his Nokia shows leave you feeling very bitter. Bitter that you can’t lead his life! We went down to see his 2012 show with a crew of Nokia Connects community members in tow.

Watch this video on YouTube.

He had to produce a big event to compete with last year’s effort!

Minecraft Lumia 920

Our good friend Gokuroyu (aka Darek) took 14 days to complete this Lumia 920 build in Minecraft. A prime example of the depths our community members went to for the love of Nokia in 2012.

Watch this video on YouTube.

We thought it was only right that Darek came in for an interview.

Cardboard Challenge

Probably the best competition on Nokia Connects this year! Blow the worlds of cardboard and Nokia together and what do you get?

That’s right. A whole world of community creativity!

Have you heard about our latest #NokiaPaperChallenge competition (running as you read this)?

AK47 Vs Lumia 920

We’ve seen some impressive stress tests this year, but this video took things to a whole different level.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Lumia 820 reviews

Here are some of our favourite Lumia 820 reviews from this year.

NokiaLVK competition

Last, but not least, we have some highlights from our recent LeiVanKash fashion competition, we can’t wait for the bespoke jewelery making video in January!

Angela from Korean Doll blew us away with her DIY jewellery skills and showed us how to hand craft your own earrings and necklace. For budding designers, check it out!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The winner who will be joining us in London is the amazing Sonya from Class is Eternal. Sonya’s video captured the true essence of the quest, taking the LVK collection, Skullmania, and showing us her style inspirations. Here is the winning video… 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

So, that’s it for 2012. What did you love on Nokia Connects this year? What have we missed out? There was so much to choose from, so this is your opportunity to highlight even more great events, photos, competition entries and general Nokia love below in the comments section or @Nokia_Connects.

Bring on 2013!

There is no time like the present, especially if you are part of the Nokia Connects family! So why not gather round with your virtual peers to celebrate a great year of participation for Nokia Connects.  

Here are just some of our highlights from 2012 – and remember that without you, none of this would have been possible:

Nokia Connects GO!

We introduced NC GO! in 2012 as a way for you guys at home to show us the skills that pay your bills using a Lumia phone. Since the launch we’ve been sent a truck load of cool videos and photos, so here are just a couple of our favourites.

Jacob Spera + a Lumia 900 + a tricycle = a talented guy, pulling off some incredible tricks down a huge hill whilst capturing the whole thing on his Lumia 900.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Also, how could we forget the fusion-of-illusion by the Maine based art duo Casual Arcane. They really blew our minds as the real life walking/talking optical illusionists!  

Watch this video on YouTube.

The deadmau5 ‘This is Lumia’ event

The half man half mau5 is a legend and his Nokia shows leave you feeling very bitter. Bitter that you can’t lead his life! We went down to see his 2012 show with a crew of Nokia Connects community members in tow.

Watch this video on YouTube.

He had to produce a big event to compete with last year’s effort!

Minecraft Lumia 920

Our good friend Gokuroyu (aka Darek) took 14 days to complete this Lumia 920 build in Minecraft. A prime example of the depths our community members went to for the love of Nokia in 2012.

Watch this video on YouTube.

We thought it was only right that Darek came in for an interview.

Cardboard Challenge

Probably the best competition on Nokia Connects this year! Blow the worlds of cardboard and Nokia together and what do you get?

That’s right. A whole world of community creativity!

Have you heard about our latest #NokiaPaperChallenge competition (running as you read this)?

AK47 Vs Lumia 920

We’ve seen some impressive stress tests this year, but this video took things to a whole different level.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Lumia 820 reviews

Here are some of our favourite Lumia 820 reviews from this year.

NokiaLVK competition

Last, but not least, we have some highlights from our recent LeiVanKash fashion competition, we can’t wait for the bespoke jewelery making video in January!

Angela from Korean Doll blew us away with her DIY jewellery skills and showed us how to hand craft your own earrings and necklace. For budding designers, check it out!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The winner who will be joining us in London is the amazing Sonya from Class is Eternal. Sonya’s video captured the true essence of the quest, taking the LVK collection, Skullmania, and showing us her style inspirations. Here is the winning video… 

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

So, that’s it for 2012. What did you love on Nokia Connects this year? What have we missed out? There was so much to choose from, so this is your opportunity to highlight even more great events, photos, competition entries and general Nokia love below in the comments section or @Nokia_Connects.

Bring on 2013!

Once a year, Father Christmas loads up his sleigh and takes to the skies for an epic night of gift deliverance and joy spreading. He’s probably gearing up for the big night right now! When he finally blasts off from the North Pole on 24th December, you’ll be able to track his progress right on your Nokia Lumia, using the NORAD Tracks Santa app.

However, as we all know, he doesn’t come if you stay awake and wait for him. So, only use this to make sure that he’s making good progress, don’t watch it for the entire duration of the night or he won’t come.

The story of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) tracking Santa Claus is an interesting one. They initially started tracking Santa back in 1955 when a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa.

That misprinted telephone number put kids through to CONAD (the predecessor of NORAD). Colonel Harry Shoup (Director of Operations at the time) asked his staff to check the radar for signs of Santa flying from the North Pole. It’s been a tradition ever since, providing up-to-date information on Santa’s progress.

Rather than phoning the phone number, these days you can look it up on the Internet or the NORAD Tracks Santa app on your Nokia Lumia.

Currently, the welcome screen of the app displays a counter that tracks down the time that you can start to track Santa. When the time comes, that counter will transform into a live map.

As Santa makes his way around the globe, you’ll see exactly where he is on the map. As he stops off in different parts of the world he’ll be leaving gifts under people’s Christmas trees as he goes. All of which, will be shown on the live map.

The snow globe underneath the map will also let you know where he is, in addition to where he’s heading next. If you see your town appear on the list, close your eyes and go to sleep; when you wake, it’ll be Christmas morning and time to spend the day with your family, opening gifts, playing with toys and enjoying highly valuable family time.

There’s also a counter that shows the number of presents Santa has delivered. By the end of the night, he’d have delivered a staggering amount, so make sure you leave him a glass of milk and a mince pie for his hard work.

Download NORAD Tracks Santa on your Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 920 or Nokia Lumia 820 – it’s free.

Image credit: Rennes.i

Tom Messett is a good friend to Nokia Conversations, though his name rarely appears here. His responsibilities include co-ordination of the Connects editorial, the Trial-a-Nokia programme, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Needless to say, he’s Mr. Social when it comes to his Lumia Start screen.

Tell us the apps you’ve prioritised and why?

My phone is my social hub (a no brainer being in the social media team) and my mobile office so my top tiles are the Facebook and Twitter apps, People hub and the Calendar/Outlook.

I am also training for a marathon right now so Sports Tracker takes its place on the shortcuts next to Nokia Music (I listen to Mix Radio while running) and Nokia Maps in case I get lost!

What apps do you use to pass the time?

I pass a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter and you can often tell when I’m not too busy by when I am checking in a lot on 4square! I also love Skype as I travel a lot away from friends and family.

I like to put my 920 on the wireless charging stand, log into Skype and chat to my friends on video chat. I have also started to spend a lot of time with the Lenses on the camera, I love taking great Panorama shots like this one and playing around with Cinemagraph!

What is the last app you paid for, and what does it do?

Actually I’ve never downloaded a paid app for Windows Phone 8!

Which app(s) is your guilty pleasure?

I have got kind of into Draw Something recently (yes, late to the party) and there is a free game I downloaded called Archer that is very addictive and keeps me occupied on the Tube.

Thanks, Tom! And buy some apps! I am sure our readers can suggest some that are must-haves.

We love holidays almost as much as we love music. What better way, then, to celebrate both than to showcase a sparkling array of the most kitsch Christmas tunes ever. These records are, by definition, contrived and often even cheesy, but one man’s cheese is another man’s … erm … chalk. So sit back, grab a mince pie and thank Santa’s elves that Christmas records come out, but once a year.

Wonderful Christmas time – Paul McCartney

Lennon’s 1971 single Happy Xmas (War Is Over) had already garnered credibility and staying power before his erstwhile writing partner decided to have a shot at Christmas immortality. Fab Macca pulls out all the stops (sleigh bells, chimes etc.) and continues the descent into twee that would eventually lead to the Frog Chorus.

Mistletoe and Wine – Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard has had a great run on the UK singles charts where he has been part of four Christmas number ones in a career spanning five decades. Mistletoe and Wine, taken from the musical Scraps (where it was a pub song sung by a prostitute) and re-written to reflect Richard’s religious sensibilities, was the most successful and takes the cheesy biscuit. Pop fact- Richard’s failed 1999 Xmas bid “Millennium Prayer” actually has Jesus Christ credited as a lyricist as it features the words of the Lord’s Prayer.

Last Christmas – Wham

The most successful German Christmas single of all time, Wham’s 1984 single cover featured heartthrob Andrew Ridgeley in a reindeer outfit and George Michael dressed as Santa Claus. Need we say more?

All I Want for Christmas – Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber

First appearing on Carey’s 1994 Merry Christmas album, this is one of those incredibly catchy and relentlessly upbeat songs. Evidently this wasn’t enough. How could one make this song cheesier than it already was? Re-record it as a duet with current teen chart sensation Justin Bieber and film a video featuring Carey as a sexed up Elf.

Do they know it’s Christmas?  – Band Aid II

Of the three recorded versions of this song people only tend to remember the original and then the recent update. Few can recall the 1989 Band Aid II travesty with production by Stock Aitkin and Waterman and featuring artists as diverse as Kylie Minogue AND Jason Donovan. The result jettisons the studied concern of the original and goes all out for re-creating I Should Be So Lucky.

Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth – Bing Crosby and David Bowie

This unlikely meeting of Ziggy Stardust and Bing Crosby happened in 1977, filmed as part of Crosby’s holiday special TV show and released as a single several years later. Whilst suitably impressed by the cojones required by both men in participating, the real kitsch-fest lies in the unusual dialogue between the two at the beginning.

Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea

Chris Rea’s 1988 hit apparently holds a place in the heart of businessmen and truck drivers heading home for to spend the holiday season with their loved ones. Unfortunately, it’s played so often on the radio in the countdown to Christmas Day it’s also akin to the Road to Hell for anyone stuck in a traffic jam on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Wrapping – Spice Girls

The title alone should be enough to guarantee it a place on the festive cheese board. Originally written and released in 1982 by Ohio based “The Waitresses”, it was re-recorded by the Spice Girls in 1998 (well two of them anyway, the record only features Baby and Sporty) complete with curd inducing new lyrics reflecting the current state of Spice World(“world tour, aeroplanes and babies.”).

These are our choices for the kitsch Christmas tunes list, but what else deserves a mention? Everyone’s got a favourite, so why not get into the festive spirit by gifting us yours. In the meantime, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, musical or not.

Image credit: Ozcast

Once a year, Father Christmas loads up his sleigh and takes to the skies for an epic night of gift deliverance and joy spreading. He’s probably gearing up for the big night right now! When he finally blasts off from the North Pole on 24th December, you’ll be able to track his progress right on your Nokia Lumia, using the NORAD Tracks Santa app.

However, as we all know, he doesn’t come if you stay awake and wait for him. So, only use this to make sure that he’s making good progress, don’t watch it for the entire duration of the night or he won’t come.

The story of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) tracking Santa Claus is an interesting one. They initially started tracking Santa back in 1955 when a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa.

That misprinted telephone number put kids through to CONAD (the predecessor of NORAD). Colonel Harry Shoup (Director of Operations at the time) asked his staff to check the radar for signs of Santa flying from the North Pole. It’s been a tradition ever since, providing up-to-date information on Santa’s progress.

Rather than phoning the phone number, these days you can look it up on the Internet or the NORAD Tracks Santa app on your Nokia Lumia.

Currently, the welcome screen of the app displays a counter that tracks down the time that you can start to track Santa. When the time comes, that counter will transform into a live map.

As Santa makes his way around the globe, you’ll see exactly where he is on the map. As he stops off in different parts of the world he’ll be leaving gifts under people’s Christmas trees as he goes. All of which, will be shown on the live map.

The snow globe underneath the map will also let you know where he is, in addition to where he’s heading next. If you see your town appear on the list, close your eyes and go to sleep; when you wake, it’ll be Christmas morning and time to spend the day with your family, opening gifts, playing with toys and enjoying highly valuable family time.

There’s also a counter that shows the number of presents Santa has delivered. By the end of the night, he’d have delivered a staggering amount, so make sure you leave him a glass of milk and a mince pie for his hard work.

Download NORAD Tracks Santa on your Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 710, Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 920 or Nokia Lumia 820 – it’s free.

Image credit: Rennes.i

Tom Messett is a good friend to Nokia Conversations, though his name rarely appears here. His responsibilities include co-ordination of the Connects editorial, the Trial-a-Nokia programme, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Needless to say, he’s Mr. Social when it comes to his Lumia Start screen.

Tell us the apps you’ve prioritised and why?

My phone is my social hub (a no brainer being in the social media team) and my mobile office so my top tiles are the Facebook and Twitter apps, People hub and the Calendar/Outlook.

I am also training for a marathon right now so Sports Tracker takes its place on the shortcuts next to Nokia Music (I listen to Mix Radio while running) and Nokia Maps in case I get lost!

What apps do you use to pass the time?

I pass a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter and you can often tell when I’m not too busy by when I am checking in a lot on 4square! I also love Skype as I travel a lot away from friends and family.

I like to put my 920 on the wireless charging stand, log into Skype and chat to my friends on video chat. I have also started to spend a lot of time with the Lenses on the camera, I love taking great Panorama shots like this one and playing around with Cinemagraph!

What is the last app you paid for, and what does it do?

Actually I’ve never downloaded a paid app for Windows Phone 8!

Which app(s) is your guilty pleasure?

I have got kind of into Draw Something recently (yes, late to the party) and there is a free game I downloaded called Archer that is very addictive and keeps me occupied on the Tube.

Thanks, Tom! And buy some apps! I am sure our readers can suggest some that are must-haves.

We love holidays almost as much as we love music. What better way, then, to celebrate both than to showcase a sparkling array of the most kitsch Christmas tunes ever. These records are, by definition, contrived and often even cheesy, but one man’s cheese is another man’s … erm … chalk. So sit back, grab a mince pie and thank Santa’s elves that Christmas records come out, but once a year.

Wonderful Christmas time – Paul McCartney

Lennon’s 1971 single Happy Xmas (War Is Over) had already garnered credibility and staying power before his erstwhile writing partner decided to have a shot at Christmas immortality. Fab Macca pulls out all the stops (sleigh bells, chimes etc.) and continues the descent into twee that would eventually lead to the Frog Chorus.

Mistletoe and Wine – Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard has had a great run on the UK singles charts where he has been part of four Christmas number ones in a career spanning five decades. Mistletoe and Wine, taken from the musical Scraps (where it was a pub song sung by a prostitute) and re-written to reflect Richard’s religious sensibilities, was the most successful and takes the cheesy biscuit. Pop fact- Richard’s failed 1999 Xmas bid “Millennium Prayer” actually has Jesus Christ credited as a lyricist as it features the words of the Lord’s Prayer.

Last Christmas – Wham

The most successful German Christmas single of all time, Wham’s 1984 single cover featured heartthrob Andrew Ridgeley in a reindeer outfit and George Michael dressed as Santa Claus. Need we say more?

All I Want for Christmas – Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber

First appearing on Carey’s 1994 Merry Christmas album, this is one of those incredibly catchy and relentlessly upbeat songs. Evidently this wasn’t enough. How could one make this song cheesier than it already was? Re-record it as a duet with current teen chart sensation Justin Bieber and film a video featuring Carey as a sexed up Elf.

Do they know it’s Christmas?  – Band Aid II

Of the three recorded versions of this song people only tend to remember the original and then the recent update. Few can recall the 1989 Band Aid II travesty with production by Stock Aitkin and Waterman and featuring artists as diverse as Kylie Minogue AND Jason Donovan. The result jettisons the studied concern of the original and goes all out for re-creating I Should Be So Lucky.

Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth – Bing Crosby and David Bowie

This unlikely meeting of Ziggy Stardust and Bing Crosby happened in 1977, filmed as part of Crosby’s holiday special TV show and released as a single several years later. Whilst suitably impressed by the cojones required by both men in participating, the real kitsch-fest lies in the unusual dialogue between the two at the beginning.

Driving Home For Christmas – Chris Rea

Chris Rea’s 1988 hit apparently holds a place in the heart of businessmen and truck drivers heading home for to spend the holiday season with their loved ones. Unfortunately, it’s played so often on the radio in the countdown to Christmas Day it’s also akin to the Road to Hell for anyone stuck in a traffic jam on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Wrapping – Spice Girls

The title alone should be enough to guarantee it a place on the festive cheese board. Originally written and released in 1982 by Ohio based “The Waitresses”, it was re-recorded by the Spice Girls in 1998 (well two of them anyway, the record only features Baby and Sporty) complete with curd inducing new lyrics reflecting the current state of Spice World(“world tour, aeroplanes and babies.”).

These are our choices for the kitsch Christmas tunes list, but what else deserves a mention? Everyone’s got a favourite, so why not get into the festive spirit by gifting us yours. In the meantime, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, musical or not.

Image credit: Ozcast