Microsoft chief executive Steven Ballmer joined Nokia boss Stephen Elop to reveal the Finland-based mobile phone titan's plans to hit the US market in coming months, with a Lumia 900 smartphone designed for the media-gobbling habits.
The price and release date for Lumia 900 was not disclosed, but it will be offered exclusively on the latest generation 4G LTE network of US telecom giant AT&T.
Sporting a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with a resolution of 480 x 800, Nokia Lumia 900 will come with 8 megapixel AF camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 720p video recording at 30fps and 1 megapixel front facing camera.
Powered by 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor, the phone will include 16GB internal memory and 512MB RAM. For connectivity, Lumia 900 will offer support for 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, LTE, Bluetooth v4.0 and NFC.
Lumia 900 runs on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango mobile software and will tap into the growing trove of hip, fun, or functional mini-applications for handsets based on Microsoft's latest mobile software.
"We believe the industry has shifted from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems," Elop said.
"Clearly there are strong contenders on the field in this war of ecosystems," he told a room packed with press on the eve of the opening of CES expo in Las Vegas.
"With Lumia, we are establishing beachheads in countries and we will push forward with sales, marketing and successive products."
Nokia in October introduced the Lumia line, which Elop described as the "first real Windows phones."
In a presentation loaded with war metaphors, Elop said that Nokia had used Lumia models to establish "beachheads" in Europe, India, and Hong Kong.
The company planned to start the US invasion on January 11 with a Lumia 710 model that will be priced at $49 when bought with T-Mobile service contracts.
"The work Nokia is doing around Windows phone and this third ecosystem is really going to pay off," Ballmer said, caressing a sleek Lumia 900 touchscreen handset.
"When you pick it up and love and touch and feel your Lumia," he continued making a playful 'mmmmm' sound that drew laughs, "it really is quite fantastic."
