Nokia unveils the Lumia 920 at Windows Phone 8 event, NFC, 4.5-inch curved glass and PureMotion HD

The Next Web is reporting Live from Nokia’s ‘Switch to Lumia’ launch event in New York today, and the Finnish mobile giant has a couple of product announcements up its sleeve – one of which was the Lumia 920, which we were told is launching in Q4 2012. Though no specific date was given.

Indeed, we knew it was coming, but taking to the stage in front of a packed New York crowd this morning, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop kicked off the opening gambit before Jo Harlow, Executive Vice President, unveiled the 920. And it has near-field communication (NFC) tech integrated, which means you can use it to pay for small-value items in outlets with NFC terminals installed.

Nokia also announced that PureView HD technology would be integrated – the “most immersive viewing experience on any smartphone”, as Harlow put it.

“We can’t control lighting, nor do we have time to fiddle with settings to capture the perfect moment,” she says. “We are all familiar with dark and blurry pictures when shooting indoors or at night. The reason for this, is that the shutter has to stay open longer.”

She noted that the PureView tech in the Nokia 920 captures up 20 times as much light as normal sensors. It reacts to the movements in a user’s hand to balance the lens – more light means brighter, clearer images. “It’s another example of how Nokia challenges point and shoot cameras,” she says.

Moreover, the Nokia Maps, Drive and Transport features are designed to encourage users to jump on board the Lumia bandwagon. “These apps bring value to people every single day,” she says. “The Lumia 920 will bring together location-based apps to create a suite of location services.”

Augmented reality

Then there is Nokia City Lens, which Harlow described as “the most intuitive way to experience the world around you”. It’s augmented reality designed to ensure you can locate the nearest restaurant or cafe, and make reservations. Nokia Maps will also get augmented reality on Windows Phone 8, giving users directions and key landmarks along the way.

Check out our coverage of the new AOL/Nokia partnership, which also reels in augmented reality in the new Entrance entertainment hub.

Next up was Nokia PureMotion HD Plus. “It’s better than HD resolution, and its sharp and flicker free,” says Harlow. “The clarity is so incredible, it pops off the 4.5-inch curved glass display.” Curved glass – nice.

It also features optimized sunlight readability, to help generate brighter and clearer displays “that can be viewed even in the desert.” Then there’s the 2000 mAh battery, a Snapdragon S4 (dual core) processor, which Harlow noted offers 30% more efficiency than the quad-core alternatives. But the battery – it comes with built-in wireless charging capabilities.

Wireless charging

While wireless charging wasn’t a surprise, it was interesting to see the fatboy recharge pillow unveiled. A Qi standard (pronounced Chi) will be implemented by Virgin Atlantic, which will add them to flight lounges for customers to top up the juice on the Lumia 920 –  it’s the first of a number of new partnerships “coming soon”. Another one is the JBL Power Up, which has wireless charging built-in.

Nokia’s Virgin Atlantic link-up will offer wireless charging facilities at its London Heathrow Clubhouse – it constitutes colourful Nokia wireless charging plates, and will be expanded to the JFK Clubhouse “at a later date”.

Finally, Super Sensitive Touch was also unveiled at the event today, a new feature that can be used with gloves on – ideal for winter in cold places. A really neat looking new feature, judging by the on-stage demo in New York today.

Just to recap, Nokia launched its Windows Phone Lumia series starting with the 800 back in 2011, and prior to today the Lumia series consisted of the 610, 710, 800 and 900 – the latter of these being a higher-end smartphone released back in April.