At 11 AM EST, Nokia's highly anticipated press event, called "Zoom. Reinvented", kicks off in New York. Despite the previous "41 million reasons to zoom in" innuendo, official details are scarce ahead of the upcoming keynote.
There, the Finnish maker's followers expect the company to unveil a Windows Phone version of the year-old 808 PureView handset, which features a critically acclaimed 41 MP camera. But, speculation aside, we're are certainly looking forward to what will be revealed during the fast-approaching keynote.
The webcast starts at 11 AM EST (that is 4 PM GMT and 8 AM PST) and we will be liveblogging it here. All updates will be listed in reverse chronological order, which means that the newest ones are first and the oldest ones are last. You will have to refresh this page to read about the latest developments.
11:51 am. That's a wrap.
11:50 am. Elop briefly mentions a new "major launch" later this year.
11:48 am. Member of the audience calls AT&T "a dreadful partner" that didn't promote the Lumia 920. Audience applauds. Elop responds by saying that Nokia faces some challenges, promises improvements "with AT&T".
11:47 am. Member of the audience asks why wireless charging is not included out-of-the-box. Elop says it's due to thickness issues and customer feedback.
11:46 am. Elop says the Lumia 1020 will be available later in the year in other markets, following initial roll-out this quarter.
11:45 am. Telefonica, which will carry an exclusive version of the Lumia 1020, will make a separate announcement on the smartphone
11:44 am. Elop responds to how AT&T, Microsoft and Nokia will promote the Lumia 1020 in the US -- in store promotion, advanced sales rep training, arrives in indirect channels after store availability.
11:43 am. Member of the audience asks whether Lumia 1020 meets the needs of developing markets. Elop provides vague answer.
11:42 am. The oversampling crams seven pixels into one, according to the Nokia engineer who answers a question from the audience.
11:41 am. The keynote is over, new host takes the stage -- time for the Q&A.
11:40 am. Lumia 1020 will arrive in China and "key European markets" this quarter. The Nokia Camera Grip will cost $79.
11:39 am. AT&T says that it sells more Windows Phones than "any other carrier". The Lumia 1020 will be offered by the US mobile operator from July 26, costs $299.99 on a two-year contract, pre-orders kick off on July 16.
11:38 am. Elop shows a Cinemagraph-made animated picture. The app received an update for the Lumia 1020.
11:37 am. AT&T will exclusively offer the Lumia 1020 in the US. Just like with the Lumia 920.
11:36 am. The new AT&T host praises the Lumia 1020's camera and the picture quality.
11:36 am. AT&T will carry the Lumia 1020 in the US. A mobile operator's executive takes the stage.
11:35 am. Lumia 1020 gets a snap-on wireless charging cover and a Camera Grip accessory, designed to complement the existing camera functionality to make the smartphone usable like a dedicated camera.
11:34 am. The Nokia SDK is available today, from the company's site.
11:34 am. A host details Oggl (also talks about the Pro version) and how users can take advantage of the app.
11:32 am. Flipboard icon is shown on the display, likely coming to Windows Phone 8. Elop reminds that Hipstamatic's Oggl will also arrive in Store.
11:31 am. Nokia's developer-oriented SDK (Software Development Kit) is mentioned, with CNN, Vyclone, Yelp, Foursquare and Path using it for current and upcoming apps.
11:30 am. Elop says that AT&T is not happy about HERE's offline mapping (in a humorous tone).
11:29 am. HERE Maps' augmented reality (Live Sight) feature is shown, with one host moving the Lumia 1020 to find a flower shop.
11:28 am. Free Nokia Music, HERE Maps and Drive for Lumia 1020 users.
11:28 am. Nokia's Smart Camera, Panorama and Photobeamer are also included.
11:27 am. Elop says Lumia 1020 has Rich Recording, which is designed to improve the sound quality when shooting videos.
11:26 am. Nokia Pro Camera can change exposure time, one host demos the feature on a tripod-mounted Lumia 1020 (with a four-second exposure setting).
11:25 am. Nokia Pro Camera lets you change focus point with a slider placed on the left side.
11:23 am. Elop talks about Nokia Pro Camera, which offers advanced features -- exposure, white balance, etc. (Elop touts professional functionality).
11:22 am. Nokia host tries to find a needle in a haystack (literally). She finds it -- the quality is pretty good at a significant zoom level.
11:21 am. The Lumia 1020 shoots once and offers two images.
11:19 am. A new host takes a photo of Elop, with the Lumia 1020. Camera app allows to zoom, in and out, on pictures.
11:18 am. Lumia 1020 has a six-lens camera, similar to the Lumia 925.
11:17 am. Elop explains the benefits of the large 41 MP sensor, which allows users to zoom without a noticeable quality loss.
11:16 am. Elop shows picture allegedly taken with Samsung' Galaxy S4. Poor image quality. A similar one, shot with the Apple iPhone 5 also has poor quality. Lumia 1020's photo looks best.
11:15 am. A video, taken by Elop with the Lumia 1020, is shown.
11:14 am. Ball bearings and magnetically driven motors are used in the optical image stabilization mechanism.
11:14 am. Elop talks about optical image stabilization and how Nokia implements this in its smartphones.
11:13 am. A new Nokia host takes the stage, discussing the zoom capability.
11:12 am. The smaller pics are designed for "sharing".
11:11 am. The camera captures 34 and 38 MP pictures. Also takes a 5 MP oversampled photo.
11:10 am. Lumia 1020 touted to capture "great pictures" during the day and night, uses oversampling.
11:09 am. The new Windows Phone has a 41 MP camera, and features a Zeiss lens.
11:09 am. Elop calls the Lumia 1020, which features a unibody design, "so slim".
11:08 am. Elop holds two (white and yellow) Lumia 1020s. Will also be available in black.
11:07 am. The handset from the video is displayed in all its glory, running Windows Phone and it's called the Lumia 1020.
11:06 am. Elop introduces "the next chapter in smartphone photography". A video starts playing, showing a smartphone back-facing camera.
11:05 am. Lumia 920, Lumia 925 and Lumia 928, as well as Nokia's Windows Phone camera apps are mentioned.
11:04 am. The 808 PureView gets a shout from Elop, mentioning the 41 MP camera.
11:04 am. Elop discusses Nokia's photography and phone camera history.
11:03 am. The Nokia ringtone plays once again and the company's CEO, Stephen Elop, enters the stage.
11:02 am. The emphasis is clearly on mobile photography, judging by the latest information.
11:01 am. The keynote starts with a pics and videos slideshow about photography.
11:00 am. The Nokia ringtone plays in the background and a counter appears.
10.58 am. The display shows blue and yellow Lumias.
10.57 am. The conference starts in "4.1 minutes" according to latest announcement. Another hint?
10:50 am. Just 10 minutes left before the keynote kicks off. No change on the display.
10:20 am. The webcast has changed from a static picture to a live feed, which now shows scrolling images on the keynote display.