Nokia Hopes to Regain U.S. Consumer Interest with the Lumia 710 and 900

by Holly Shoemaker

Industry insiders, businesses and resellers attended the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that ended yesterday in Las Vegas, NV. While the show was not open to the public, I found Nokia’s presence at the show noteworthy - along with Nokia re-entering the U.S. smartphone market on Wednesday.

Before the days of smartphones, I recall having a Nokia phone. Then Nokia dropped off the radar for many years in the United States. Now, Nokia hopes to win over U.S.-based consumers with the announcement of the Lumia 900. The company may gain some insight regarding how its brand will be received in the United States now that consumers may purchase an older version of the phone – the Lumia 710 went on sale at T-Mobile on Wednesday. Both phones run on the Windows platform.

Concluding Thoughts

The Lumia 900 garnered a lot of media attention at CES and Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, has stated the company did not want to go the tablet route at this time. Partnering with Microsoft to run a Windows phone on the 4G LTE network provides a way for the company to compete in the United States – something the company has not done since the smartphone evolution.

This is Nokia’s best chance to regain consumers in the United States and Canada. The 900 model also impacts AT&T who will start selling it in March 2012. If the phone catches on with individual consumers, it will give AT&T something to celebrate after its failed acquisition of T-Mobile.