Nokia Lumia 800

The presidential election isn't the only tough choice facing Americans this November, as today T-Mobile announced the mid-November availability of two Windows 8 phones, just in time for the holiday season: the Windows Phone 8X by HTC and Nokia Lumia 810. But which of these 4.3-inch display smartphones is right for you?

Today's Windows Phone 8 announcement brings mobile to the Microsoft metro layout mix, which already includes the new Surface Tablet and Windows 8 desktop OS. If you're a T-mobile subscriber sold on upgrading to the latest Windows Phone, take a look at our side-by-side comparison of the carrier's holiday offerings.

The much-buzzed-about Nokia Lumia 800 is now for sale in the UK, and the company chose to celebrate the occasion in a major way yesterday. Nokia took over the Millbank Tower in London for a free electronic music performance by deadmau5, set to a light show projected across the skyscraper's looming exterior.

The 387-foot tower's 800 windows were covered in vinyl, which doubled as a canvas for the 16 projectors beaming the 3D video show from the opposite side of the Thames River. In what they call 4D technology because of what the live music and physical landscape added to the experience, the Millbank Tower pulsed, collapsed, rebuilt itself, swayed, and even served as a virtual roller coaster in perfect sync with deadmau5's track before reminding the crowd below of the Windows-based Lumia 800's arrival.

There's no way around it, we've fallen for the upcoming Nokia Lumia 800 phone. With the beautiful cyan and magenta colors, 3.7-inch screen, and Windows Mango OS, we can't wait to get our hands on it when released in 2012.

After spending years under the smartphone market radar, Nokia is pulling out all the stops in the months leading up to the Lumia's arrival. The company just released this eight-minute documentary giving viewers a look into the making of a mass consumer device. Nokia created the phone in just six months and worked closely with the Microsoft team to seamlessly integrate the Windows phone operating system.

Unlike most phones on the market today, the Lumia 800 is built of a polycarbonate plastic material, though specific design details were included as if the designers were still working with a metal. After consulting on a range of materials, the plastic was chosen for the ultimate antenna performance.

The video (seen after the break) verges on the dramatic, but it's still an interesting look into how a smartphone moves from sketched concepts to final product.

The Nokia Lumia 800 was announced in the wee hours of yesterday morning, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Not only is this device a spitting image of the drool-worthy N9, but this one is US bound in "early 2012" with a rumored price tag of $600 off contract. You've got your preferred Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone device already, so why should you even bother giving this phone a second glance? I've got five reasons for you right here.

1. It's beautiful — Say what you want about colorful phones, but the cyan and magenta tones of this device are pretty stunning. Nokia eliminated any unnecessary ports to keep the sleek polycarbonate shell as smooth as possible. This, of course, means that there is no external SD card support, but with 16GB of onboard storage, it shouldn't be a problem for the average user. Plus, the slightly curved AMOLED 3.7-inch display is crisp, clear, and the perfect size for storing in your clutch or handbag.
2. It's a Windows Phone — The Nokia 800 fits the style and feel of Mango like a glove — the sleek look and brightly colored tiles make these two a match made in heaven. Plus, Mango 7.5 comes with some amazing features — like Kinect and Xbox support, Handsfree, and Threads — that are built right into the software.
3. It's got a great camera — The Lumia 800 comes stocked with an 8MP camera with f/2.2 lens, which stands up to the iPhone 4S, but comes with extra features like manual exposure and white balance, a dual LED flash, red-eye reduction, and Carl Zeiss optics.
4. It can be your navigation device — Nokia is stocking the Lumia 800 with a free voice-powered turn-by-turn navigation system, allowing you to ditch all your other GPS devices and apps.
5. It's a break from the norm — If you're craving something different, I urge you to check out the Mango OS. You might find it counter-intuitive to move from app icons to tiles and threads, but the user experience is quite pleasant once you get used to it. Plus, it's simply beautiful. The live tiles, colors, threads, and fonts all make for a unique device. Adding in the look and feel of the Lumia 800? That's just icing on the cake.

What do you think of the new Nokia Lumia 800 Mango phone? Get a look at it in action in the demo video after the break.