Nokia prunes Lumia 900 price

Nokia has cut the price of its Lumia 900 smartphone, halving the handset's upfront cost when punters sign up for a new contract in the US.

Barely three months have passed since the Windows 7 phone was launched in the States, but after recent revelations that the Lumia 900 will never see a Windows 8 upgrade, the handset is now half price. It'll cost you $50 (£32) with a two-year contract, down from $100.

Although the Lumia 900 took longer to reach the shores of Blighty and was only released towards the end of May, we'd like to think the US price cuts will have a knock-on effect here too.

We asked Nokia to clarify and were told that as pricing is "part of commercial agreements with its customers", further cuts aren't something the firm will comment on.

Nokia's declining fortunes show little sign of slowing, as analysts claim Windows Phone 7 has insignificant traction.

Consumers choosing to wait for Microsoft's next major mobile OS release will hinder short-term Lumia shipments, said broker Sanford C. Bernstein's Pierre Ferragu. And apparently any material success of Windows 8 will attract increased competition from the likes of HTC and Samsung anyway.

Grim times ahead for the Finnish firm, then. Perhaps Batman can't save Nokia after all. ®