Nokia UK: New Windows Phone is 'Stunning'

Nokia says anyone they've shown the first Nokia-branded Windows Phone 7 handset to has branded it 'stunning.'

At the beginning of this year, Nokia announced that it had signed a deal with Microsoft that would see Windows Phone 7 become the its primary smartphone OS. The Finnish company had previously said it didn't want to run Android, or any other smartphone OS that wasn't distinctly Nokia, because it felt that if multiple manufacturers were using the same OS, there was a danger users would no longer care about or recognise brands, because the OS was all the same. However, that all changed when Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer announced plans to collaborate. 

Over the last eight months, Nokia has been working on the first of its Windows Phone 7 devices. Scheduled to arrive before the end of the year, we've heard very little about this phone (though we've caught a glimpse or two). However, in a recent interview with Pocket-Lint, Conor Pierce, head of Nokia UK & IRL, said that those that have seen the first WP7 device described it as 'absolutely stunning.'

"To the partners we have shown the device to, their words, not necessarily mine - although I agree - upon showing it to them. It's spontaneous and unprompted. They say 'the first Nokia Windows Phone is absolutely stunning' and that’s die hard gurus in this business, who have thick skin," Pierce told Pocket-Lint. "For them to say that spontaneously without any sales pitch shows what we are bringing is pretty spectacular. And that’s only the beginning," he added.

Piece is likely referring to the Sea Ray, a phone that was briefly shown off by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop earlier this year. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop unveiled the device at a private event back in June. Despite the Chief Executive's request to turn off all cameras because he was going to show something 'super confidential [they] do not want to see it out in the blogosphere,' one wily attendee managed to catch a glimpse of the phone on camera and posted it to YouTube for all the world to see. This video has since been removed due to a copyright claim from Nokia, but Elop mentions in the clip that the phone looks very similar to another device that was just shown to the audience. Indeed, Nokia had just shown off the MeeGo-based Nokia N9 and the two phones look extremely alike. Check out the two phones below:

Nokia hasn't said much about the release of the Sea Ray, which is supposed to hit before the year is out. However, Nokia's Conor Pierce told Pocket-Lint that he believes Nokia's WP7 efforts will be a success because of the 'emotional connection' customers have with the Nokia brand. Pierce said that for many people, Nokia was their first phone, so they still have a special place in their heart for the brand. He said that the company recently ran a focus group and asked participants which company they would most like to see release a Windows Phone and the answer was Nokia. Check out Pocket-Lint for more of his interview.