Windows 8 operating system, PureView camera and wireless charging top features Lumia 920 may be the phone to switch to this fall

Nokia 920 (photo Nokia Corp)

Nokia of Norway, a former leader in world cellphone sales, is making a comeback bid in the smartphone market with two very unique phones.

From the 5 hot colors to the Windows 8 interface, the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are different in the crowded market of iPhone look-a-likes.

The official launch of the first Windows 8 smartphones in NYC by Nokia completes the three device tie-in of smartphones, tablets and computers that Microsoft promised with Windows 8. All three devices share the same look-and-feel and applications. Users will be able to move transparently from one device to the other. This is great news.

Nokia 920 intro video

Of course, phones are more than phones and Nokia’s 920 boast the highest resolution still and camera on the market.

“The Lumia 920 captures “between 5 and 10 times” the light of any other smartphone,”  Nokia executive Jo Harlow told the NYC launch audience, “thanks to “floating lens technology” that surpasses optical image stabilization of most SLRs.”

She was referring the Pure View technology Nokia has pioneered that delivers some of the highest quality video in a hand-held device. In the intro video, Jo Harlow demoed the difference PureView can make in a smartphone picture.

“This means brighter and clearer images without flash, even indoors. The Nokia Lumia 920 takes better pictures and video than any competitor smartphone.”

Nokia 920 City View with linkable labels on pictures (Nokia Corp image)

Nokia is a world leader in automotive navigation.

The phones have both online and offline mapping plus voice-guided turn-by-turn nav. City Lens provides

a service like Google Street View with linkable overlaid labels for the stores and restaurants.

The display is 4.5-inches in size, not the largest screen but bigger than an iPhone 4s or the rumored iPhone 5. The curved glass is made of ceramic and responds to bare and gloved hands with a feature called Super Sensitive Touch. The display has a 1,280 x 768 resolution.

The Nokia 920 uses the same “dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU (the same one that drives the current US supremos, the HTC One X and Galaxy S III” so it is no slouch in the hardware department

The Nokia 920 and 820 also have wireless charging. Just set the phone on the charger and it does the job without a wired connection.

The Nokia 920 has NFC or near field communication which is instantly useable since one of the accessories is NFC enabled speakers from JBL.

Windows 8 integration

“We integrate in the Microsoft account,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in NYC, “a single place to log in and get access to SkyDrive, photos, Skype, Outlook.com and much much more. You see the integration of Xbox services across all the Windows Phone and Windows devices.”

“We started with Navigation,” added Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, “like Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport, Nokia Maps and Nokia Pulse, but today we’re creating the best way to navigate through your life with City Lens. Today, with Windows Phone 8, we’re creating the most personal smartphone experience.”

Nokia Lumia 820

The Nokia Lumia 820 is a slightly smaller – 4.3″ display – and lowered powered version of the Lumia 920.

Price was not announced. Delivery is expected to coincide with the launch of Windows 8 on October 26, 2012.

Engadget has a quick coverage of both phones. All quotes from Engadget coverage of the launch.