<p>Seton</a> Hall Freshmen Get Free Nokia Lumia 900 Smartphones | News & Opinion | PCMag.com</p>
<p>Seton Hall University freshmen will be easily discernible this fall as they walk around the New Jersey campus tapping out texts and making phone calls on their university-provided Nokia Lumia 900 smartphones.</p>
<p>As part of Seton Hall's Mobile Computing Initiative, Nokia, AT&T, Microsoft and the university recently partnered to bring smartphones to all members of the class of 2016.</p>
<p>The cell phone giveaway is meant "to support the university's mission of providing state of the art technology tools to enhance the student experience and prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world," according to a press release.</p>
<p>Seton Hall is following up on its 15-year technology kick, continually integrating technology into the school's curriculum since 1997. Students will receive pre-paid access to AT&T through the fall semester, according to Engadget, but will need to foot the bill or catch local Wi-Fi hotspots after the school's contract ends.</p>
<p>"Smartphone use in higher education has tended to rely on finding a specific app to fulfill a specific curricular purpose," Michael Taylor, academic director at the Center for Mobile Research and Innovation, said in a statement.</p>
<p>All students have access to a multi-platform mobile app that provides campus news feeds, directories and maps, but now freshmen will have access to a custom component of the app, exclusive to the Lumia 900. The personalized element provides social media integration and direct communication with other freshmen, peer academic advisors, housing information and roommates.</p>
<p>"By providing our new incoming students with the Nokia Lumia 900, Seton Hall University can expand our existing Windows services and infrastructure while providing a unique, high quality, dynamic and engaging mobile experience," said David Middleton, executive director of the Center for Mobile Research and Innovation, and Seton Hall's assistant vice president of administration.</p>
<p>The phones come with a small catch for incoming students: The university will use the technology this summer to conduct polls and send freshmen reading material in preparation for the new semester.</p>
<p>Seton Hall already reduced its 2012 tuition costs by two-thirds, offering some a discount of $21,000. For the 70 percent of the school's undergraduate population hailing from New Jersey, the cut brings payments to the equivalent of public school Rutgers University, according to the New York Times.</p>
<p>The Lumia 900 is the first high-end Windows Phone-based Nokia smartphone to land in the U.S. It made its debut here in April to mostly positive reviews, but Windows Phones still struggle to compete against Android devices and the iPhone, which make up the majority of the U.S. smartphone market.</p>