There were plenty of naysayers when Microsoft and Nokia announced their partnership.

Both companies were hit hard by Apple and Google as the smartphone wars heated up, caught off-guard by the new wave of devices.

The Redmond giant stumbled in recent years with the ho-hum Windows Mobile platform, aping the desktop version of Windows. So, Microsoft went back to the drawing board for its latest platform, Windows Phone 7, garnering rave reviews as a result.

Despite the polished user interface, it didn't translate into sales, with Microsoft continuing to lose market-share.

Nokia also suffered a few missteps, with the Symbian platform showing its age and losing market-share, despite some quality hardware in the form of the Nokia N8 and E7.

So, the first fruit of the Nokia/MS relationship is an important step in reclaiming the crown. Enter the Nokia Lumia 800, powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 and designed by Nokia.

A good-looking smartphone

The first thing you'll notice about the Lumia 800 is just how beautiful it looks, being a near-clone of the Nokia N9.

So, you'll have the cool mini-USB and micro-SIM bay doors on the top of the device, much like the MeeGo-powered handset, as well as the requisite earphone jack.

You'll also have the volume rocker and power button on the right-hand side, but the Lumia 800 has a two-stage camera button too, as mandated by Microsoft.

The device is made out of a block of smooth plastic (or polycarbonate, as Nokia says), yet still manages to exude class, a far cry from the cheap plastic or metallic designs of its rivals.

The back of the device is yet another aspect that looks particularly classy, with a stylish camera housing and flash.

On the front of the device is the 3.7-inch ClearBlack display, delivering vibrant colours and deep blacks. Despite the compulsory resolution of 480x800 for WP7, the screen still brings plenty of clarity to the table, although it's no Retina Display.

Below the screen, you'll find the three capacitive buttons, namely "back", "home" and "search". These are all pretty self-explanatory, although I found myself accidentally clicking the "search" button more often than I'd like, due to the capacitive nature of the keys.

Curiosly absent on the Lumia 800 however, is a front-facing camera for video-calls, especially in light of the fact that the N9 had one. What makes the decision even more perplexing is Microsoft's recent acquisition of Skype...

The 8MP rear camera, equipped with Carl Zeiss optics, is a tad underwhelming by Nokia's high standards.

Shots in low light tend to look blurry while outdoor shots also lack the vivid colours of the iPhone 4S and Galaxy Note. That's not to say the camera isn't great, but if you're going to buy a phone purely for the camera, there are better ones out there.

However, the actual photo experience is seamless, as WP7 fans should know, with users simply holding the camera button to bypass the lock-screen and go straight into the viewfinder.

Page two: Software and verdict!