Nokia Windows Phone launch - live

Live coverage from Nokia World as CEO Stephen Elop unveils new handsets running on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 Mango

9.49am: Elop is back on stage to unveil the new Windows phones.

First up is the Lumia 800. It has a sleek form, inky black glass, and is available in cyan, black or magenta. It's based on the N9 chassis.

"Lumia is the first real Windows Phone made by anyone," claims Elop.

The intention is to be world leaders in design and production.

9.44am: The Asha handsets are a budget range aimed at developing countries. The Asha 200 and 201 look like colourful BlackBerrys with messaging services and MP3 players. Loud enough to listen to as a radio. Asha 300 has keyboard, touch, colourful case.

9.25am: Nokia Mobile vice-president Blanca Juti has replaced Elop on stage. She is talking about the developing world customers, in Beijing, Delhi or Sao Paolo, who are demanding their own connections to the internet. They want something affordable, irresistible, easy to use, exciting.

9.22am: Who will be the next billion phone users? Nokia produces 365m phones a year and the plan is to drive that higher.

Today it is introducing four new Symbian S40 phones: the Nokia Asha 200, 201, 300 and 303. Asha means "hope" in Hindi.

9.18am: People are tapping NFC devices on transport and in shops around the world. Early demand for its smartest smartphone yet the N9 has been high.

For many the phone will be people's first experience of the internet.

9.17am: Colin files, VP of sales, is on stage to introduce the event and Stephen Elop. Says Elop was so excited, he had been emailing staff at 5am.

8.30am: Good morning and welcome to the Guardian's live blog from Nokia World in London with me, Juliette Garside.

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop will take to the stage at 9am this morning to unveil the kit he ! hopes wi ll allow the world's biggest handset maker (by volume) to rejoin the smartphone race.

Apple and Google's Android are in the lead, and there is a lot of catching up to do. The Finnish giant's worldwide share of the smartphone market languishes at 16%, down from 39% at the beginning of last year.

In February Elop abandoned the "burning platform" of Nokia's in-house operating system, Symbian, in favour of Microsoft's Windows Phone. Today he will unveil Nokia's first Windows handsets, at the Excel centre in London's docklands.

Along with my colleague Stuart Dredge, we'll bring you the first details, plus reaction and comment from the floor.


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