Microsoft Ends Pre-Orders for Nokia Lumia 900

Anyone who might have been putting off pre-ordering there Nokia Lumia 900 in the US might have lost their chance. After only one week, Microsoft has shut down its pre-order, without offering a reason why.

The Lumia 900, which is the successor to the Nokia Lumia 800 released in the final quarter of 2011, was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Initially only said to be available in the US, in fact rumors began only a few weeks after its launch that the device would be available in the UK, potentially in the summer.

The device comes with a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm processor and a 4.3 inch AMOLED display made with Gorilla Glass. The pixel resolution is 800  x  400 and is powered with 512 MB of RAM with 16 GB of storage. It comes with an 8 Megapixel cameras with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash on the back, a 1 megapixel camera on the front for video calling. For connectivity there is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC. Like its predecessor the device comes with Windows Phone 7.5, Mango.

The device was able to pre-order through a Microsoft Stores website. The page has been shut down and while Microsoft has told consumer to look out for offers on the Microsoft Store Facebook Page in the next few months, but others have been left scratching their heads as to why?

Exclusively for US consumers, the pre-order allowed shoppers to put down $25 so they could reserve the device before it is made available on 18 March. Consumers who took advantage of the offer had to pick it up in person at one of Microsoft’s 14 retail sites in the US.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is the first of the finish manufacturer’s handsets in the US to come with 4G LTE Windows Phone. The Lumia 800 was the first handset released by Nokia after their partnership with Microsoft was announced. With an ambition to make a greater splash in the smartphone market, Nokia brings their impressive build and design quality to the table, with Microsoft’s often-praised operating system that integrates Word and excel products across a range of devices as well as connecting all updates across messaging and social networks. It is seen as an important step and a pivotal moment for Nokia who saw sales slide in the smartphone market in 2011 and want to be able to compete with Apple and Android manufacturers. For Microsoft the development was also a big step as they wanted to increase the influence and reach of their operating system, emphasising its connectivity across the Microsoft platform which includes the gaming console the Xbox.

Whether availability of the Nokia Lumia 900 will be affected in the US over the closure of the pre-order scheme remains to be seen. For many UK consumers the closure of the deal will leave some hoping that there will be a new deal announced to coincide with confirmation the device will be made available in the UK, where Nokia has always had a strong support base.