Microsoft releases its first Windows Phone 8.1 devices into the wild

29 May 2014

Sales of Microsoft’s first Windows 8.1 smartphones, the Lumia 630 and Lumia 630 dual-SIM, begin this week followed by Europe and the US next week.

The devices are the first new products out of the new Microsoft Mobile division established following the conclusion of Microsoft’s acquisition of former mobile giant Nokia for US$7.1bn.

The new devices come with Microsoft’s Siri-rival Cortana initially in the US but eventually spreading to other geographies.

The devices come with a Clearblack 4.5-inch LCD screen protected by Corning gorilla Glass 3.

It comes with a Lumia 630 quadcore Snapdragon processor and a SensorCore processor that monitors users’ movements in real-time without using up the device’s large 1,830mAh battery.

In terms of apps it includes Bing Health and Fitness, HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ as well as fitness mixes on MixRadio.

The Lumia 630 will be available at first in black from O2 with prices starting from €129.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com