NEW YORK, NY, United States – Initial reactions to the Nokia Lumia 710 from technology media are very positive. They appreciate the great value on offer for the high quality hardware and software package on offer.

Brian Bennett, senior editor for mobile phones at CNET, says: “Specced out with a 1.4GHz Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of internal memory, the Lumia 710 felt responsive as I flipped though its Windows Phone Mango menus and opened apps.

“Nokia says it envisions this device as an entry-level smartphone made for users stepping up from low-end feature phones. I do admit that Windows Phone has come a long way since it was first launched, and many of my staple apps can now be found in the Windows Marketplace.”

Overall, it’s a cool phone, he concludes in his video on CNET.

Chris Burns of Slashgear says: “You’ll have the ever so impressive Nokia Drive inside for GPS navigation, Microsoft Word, Bing apps galore, Xbox Live, Zune Music, and Windows Phone Marketplace for apps.

“ESPN has an app on here specifically for Nokia Windows Phones that works with Live Tiles to allow you to put your favorite team right there front and center, and the whole package is rounded out by a unique service: Nokia Concierge service. You’ll be able to call your Nokia representative any time to answer any question you’ve got about your device outside of billing (as that’s still T-Mobile’s domain) and get your answers quick as a flash.”

Read more here.

Engadget’s Joseph Volpe says: “The mid-range handset also runs along the operator’s HSPA+ 14.4Mbps network, so you’re in store for some heady ‘4G’ speeds should you decide to take the plunge this January 11th when it hits stores.”

Read more here.