A mysterious site that emerged over the weekend actually isn’t so mysterious upon closer investigation. It’s a marketing campaign, apparently from Nokia, that counts down to the end of the “Smartphone Beta Test” — poking fun at past problems experienced by the iPhone and signaling that the “beta” we’ve all been unknowingly experiencing is about to end.
It appears to be part of Nokia’s effort to build buzz in advance of this week’s U.S. launch of the Nokia Lumia 900, coming this week on AT&T for $99. The Lumia 900 is a pivotal device for Microsoft and Nokia as they attempt to build momentum for Windows Phone vs. the iPhone and Android devices.
The site features a video of Chris Parnell, formerly of Saturday Night Live, waiting in a control room for the countdown to end. Separate videos spoof problems including the “Death Grip” that caused reception problems for the iPhone 4.
Nokia hasn’t confirmed that the site is its own, but Nokia North America president Chris Weber referenced it slyly in a tweet, as noted by the Verge.
Also launching on AT&T this week is the HTC Titan II (best known for its 16 megapixel camera) which will cost $199.
