Move over iPhone: AT&T to spend up to $150M on Lumia 900 campaign

AT&T previously said it planned its biggest launch ever for the just-released Nokia Lumia 900, even bigger than the iPhone. Now we have a figure that shows AT&T is actually putting up serious dough: $150 million, according to Ad Age.

In a weird move, AT&T launched the Lumia 900 yesterday on Easter Sunday when many AT&T stores were closed. But even with that, AT&T is at least looking to push this phone heavily for a few months with up to $150 million dedicated for its campaign. Ad Age notes that AT&T spent $3 billion on advertising in 2010, so $150 million on a single campaign won?t hurt its bottom line much.

The Lumia 900 has the best chance of bringing Microsoft?s still-young Windows Phone 7 OS into the hands on Americans, who thus far haven?t been attracted. Our own Devindra Hardawar is bullish on the Lumia 900, calling it the best $100 phone on the market. For specs, the Lumia 900 features a huge 4.3-inch screen, LTE 4G connectivity, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing camera, and an updated version of Windows Phone Mango (7.5).

Thus far, the biggest drawback for consumers using the Windows Phone OS instead of iOS or Android is apps. While there are 70,000 apps or so in the Windows Marketplace, the competition has many more apps and more recognizable titles. To remedy that, Microsoft is writing checks to developers to help its app store catch up.

Lumia 900 image: Sean Ludwig/VentureBeat

bob costas jerry sandusky chelsea clinton kat von d tiki barber minnesota vikings packers vs vikings packers vs vikings