The McLaren, the successor to the Nokia Lumia 1020 will use Microsoft’s Kinect technology

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything about Nokia smartphones in general, assuming we can still call them that. In fact, since Microsoft has acquired Nokia, it’s difficult to predict what brand the new smartphones from the company will sport. Will they retain the Nokia brand, or will we be calling them Microsoft phones? Regardless, we know Microsoft is cooking up a new batch of Windows-based smartphones together with the team at Nokia, and we know that the flagship phone currently bears the name McLaren.

The McLaren will be the successor of the popular Nokia Lumia 1020, a smartphone that many people appreciated for various reasons. According to reports from IKnowToday and The Verge, Microsoft is planning to make use of its Xbox 360 and Xbox One Kinect technology, and alter it to incorporate the Kinect sensor into its future smartphones. This would sound promising and great, if not for the various occasions in which the Kinect does not perform exactly as it is supposed to. For years, the Kinect was regarded as one of those technologies that has huge potential and appeal, yet fails to work good enough to make it popular and wide-spread. However, if Microsoft can alter the tech and integrate it successfully into its smartphones, it could create some great mobile features that may allow the company to compete directly with established market leaders such as Apple or Samsung.

It seems the first phone to make use of the Kinect technology will be the McLaren. The McLaren is now the posterchild flagship device for the Microsoft’s (or Nokia’s, if you will) upcoming line of smartphones. Up until now, the Goldfinger was considered to be that device, but the McLaren has recently garnered attention, and it seems that’s the phone Microsoft wants to release this year and that will act as its flagship product. The McLaren will be both a successor of the Nokia Lumia 1020, as well as an upgrade over the Nokia Lumia Icon, which is arguably the best Windows-based smartphone on the market right now.

The mobile version of Kinect will bear the name 3D Touch, and will be centered on eliminating the need for tapping the display and the presence of buttons. With 3D Touch and a new UI, Microsoft wants to provide users with a never-before seen experience on smartphones, allowing them to interact with apps without touching the display. Just with a sweep of your palm you can answer your phone or end a call. Placing the McLaren on a table will automatically create a handsfree speaking environment, if done during a call. The new MixView interface will allow users to interact with apps and multiple tiles without touching the display itself, but rather by pointing mid-air. On paper, these sound like cool additions, we’re just curious about how useful or well working they will end up being.

The McLaren is said to launch later this year, most likely towards November.