Finally, with Nokia's Lumia 800, Windows users need not be embarrassed by their phones

Let's admit it, most fans of Windows have been afflicted with smartphone envy, for the longest time. While lovers of the iOS and Android platforms have been proudly and at times brashly displaying their iPhones and Android phones, users of Windows-badged smartphones are surreptitiously using their own.

The humiliation, both self-imposed and bestowed by popular culture and market realities, has continued for quite some time. That is, until now.

Nokia's Lumia 800 eases Windows users' smartphone envy.

Last week's launch of the Lumia 800 smartphone by Nokia finally ends most Windows users' wait for a real "Windows smartphone." Finally, Windows users need not feel inadequate each time an Android or iPhone fan whips out his or her smartphone.

The Lumia 800 comes in cyan, magenta, and black and is powered by a 1.4GHz processor equipped with hardware acceleration and a graphics processor. Its 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss technology-equipped camera allows users to instantly share photos with their friends and family.

Feature for feature, function for function, the Lumia 800 can go toe to toe with  its iOS and Android rivals.

Or they can simply view it via the phone's 3.7-inch AMOLED Clearback display.

The Lumia 800 also features HD video playback and offers 16GB of built-in storage space and 25GB of SkyDrive storage for free.

Nokia's Lumia 800 adds a sense of direction to Windows Phone.