Nokia introduces its first tablet, shows off Instagram and Vine for Windows Phone

Vine revealed it was planning its own Windows Phone app back at the Lumia 1020 launch in July, and it’s now in beta testing. Nokia provided an early demo of Vine for Windows Phone today at Nokia World in Abu Dhabi. It looks almost identical to the iOS and Android versions, but in keeping with Windows Phone’s "Metro-style" aesthetics. There’s four sections that are available in the main part of the app, without the need to flick down, that provide access to activity, explore, profile, and of course the main home screen of Vine videos. Just like the Android and iOS versions, you’ll be restricted to six second videos, but all the normal stop motion techniques will still work.

Nokia may have had a bunch of hardware on display at its Abu Dhabi event today, but some of the company's most impressive work is linked with its camera improvements. While the Lumia 1020 introduced a 41-megapixel camera and a new Pro Cam app, Nokia is detailing a new addition to its app line-up today: Nokia Refocus. It's a separate app that works with all of Nokia's PureView Windows Phones to allow owners to refocus parts of an image.

Nokia's desire to be known as the best mobile-imaging company is being proved today with the announcement of RAW image file support for its two premier devices, the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 1520. In describing the breadth of new possibilities opened up by the unprocessed pics, Nokia underlines that "the image stays totally natural." That will mean a fair bit of unhidden imaging noise and other flaws that JPEG processing usually tidies up for you, but this move undeniably opens up a whole new avenue for photographic creativity with Nokia's phones.

Just as significantly, Nokia is also announcing a new "Refocus" feature for its PureView devices. Like Lytro, this allows you to shift the focus of your photo after the fact, as illustrated nicely by Nokia's Refocus website. The company hasn't yet detailed how it achieves the effect without dedicated hardware as with the Lytro cam, though it's reasonable to expect it's done by combining a quick series of shots, with each one focusing at a different distance — rather like the Focus Twist app for iOS. In any case, it looks like a cool feature and should be rolling out to all PureView devices in November.

Inside, the 2520 matches the new Surface 2 spec for spec. It has a great-looking, 10-inch, 1920 x 1080 display with strong viewing angles and beautiful colors. Its 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor should be at least as capable as the Tegra 4 in the Surface 2 — it seemed to run Windows RT 8.1 quite well, in our few minutes with the device. It comes with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a card slot for adding up to 32GB more.

Windows Phone is finally getting an official Instagram client. After months of pressure from Nokia, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom confirmed today that an official client will be made available to Windows Phone users shortly. "Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it," says Systrom. "We're looking forward to watching the Windows Phone community use Instagram to capture and share beautiful moments in the coming weeks." The app closes a big hole in the Windows Phone ecosystem, allowing owners to use an officially supported Instagram client.

Nokia and Instagram aren't detailing all of the app's features today, merely confirming it's planned in the coming weeks. 6tag, an unofficial Windows Phone app, recently launched for Windows Phone with full support for photo filters and video uploads. The app has been continually updated, and most recently gained a collage option that's not found in the official Instagram clients for iOS and Android. While an official app is welcomed, it's possible that third-party alternatives may still offer a better experience for Instagram on Windows Phone.

Smartphones, especially Android and Windows Phone devices, have been growing rapidly in size over the past few years, from devices with mere 4-inch displays to those with screens almost six inches in size. Today Nokia is announcing its largest devices yet. The new Lumia 1520 (along with its low-end counterpart, the Lumia 1320) features a massive 6-inch display, making it the largest Windows Phone ever released. The 1520 is also the first Windows Phone with a 1080p screen and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor.

The 1520 retains Nokia's familiar design language — it's a single piece polycarbonate design that looks like a bigger version of the Lumia 720 — and build quality. But when you have a 6-inch display, there's no getting around having a big phone, and the 1520 is downright massive: it's 3.36 inches wide, 6.4 inches tall, and weighs 7.37 ounces, despite being only 0.34 inches thick. You can hold it with one hand, but for the most part, this is a two-handed device. The new LCD display is bright and vibrant, and as is the case with most Nokias, it has great viewing angles and deep blacks.