Tag: Nokia

Leaked: This Is What Nokia Asha 503 Might Look Like, Launching This Year

We have been hearing rumors since a long time now, that Nokia is to launch the Asha 503. With the recent news, Nokia Asha 503 is revealed in an image showing different colors.

Evleaks shows up yet another leak for the latest upcoming feature phone from Nokia, the rumoured Nokia Asha 503 on Twitter. The tweet also shows that the phone might launch by the end of this year. The leaked image of the Asha 503 shows the feature phone in multiple colors, with a 5 MP camera sensor accompanied with the LED flash. The image also shows the power button, volume rocker, audio jack and a Micro USB port.

The device shown up in the image has a glass like coating, which could be a clear case from Nokia which might be available in the box. The official launch will be within this year as per the source, we will keep you posted till then enjoy our quick review of Nokia Asha 501:

[youtube id=”l4PMunRDc7s” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[via]

October 10, 2013
Microsoft and HTC in Talks to Put Windows on Android Phones

After buying Nokia’s windows devices, the Lumia range and services business, it seems that Microsoft is now planning to grow the windows phone market.

As reported by Bloomberg, Microsoft is talking to HTC about adding its Windows operating system to HTC’s Android-based smartphones at little or no cost, people with knowledge of the matter said, evidence of the software maker’s struggle to gain ground in the mobile market.

The report also claims Microsoft operating systems chief Terry Myerson discussed lowering the license fee or dropping it entirely as an incentive. The sources is not clear on whether the devices might run both operating systems at once, or let users choose just one. Terry Myerson was planning to visit Asia this month and meet with senior executives at Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC to discuss his proposal, as per the source.

October 4, 2013
Report : Nokia Delays Lumia 1520 Launch Due To Microsoft Deal

The Nokia Lumia 1520 will, if everything goes according to leaks, be the first Windows Phone-powered phablet, a device with a rather large screen that we’ve seen leaked, rumored, mentioned, etc. a lot in the past couple of weeks. Rumor had it that Nokia was supposed to launch this phone at a late-September New York event but on Sunday we’ve heard the first report claiming the event was delayed. The report comes from Reuters.

Reuters could not confirm a new Lumia 5120 launch date, and a Nokia spokesman declined to comment.

The report says that Nokia took this step on the heels of a deal to sell its handset business and license patents to Microsoft. While waiting for that transaction to be closed, Nokia will continue to function as a separate company, though without Stephen Elop, who has stepped aside to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

We’re expecting the Nokia Lumia 1520 to come with a 6-inch 1080p resolution display, Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (with micro SD card slot), 20MP camera with PureView technology (OIS) and ZEISS lens, NFC support, wireless charging with optional cover, and comes in red, yellow, black and white colours.

Under Elop, Nokia struggled to close the gap with Samsung Electronics and Apple in smartphones, although it has stepped up its pace of product launches in the past year.

[Via]

September 17, 2013
Nokia Introduces Ultra-Affordable Camera Phones: Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual-Sim

Nokia has announced two new feature phones, the Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual-SIM. The Nokia 108 Dual-SIM has already been listed on Nokia’s official Indian site.

The Nokia 108 has a built-in VGA camera, the device also features an integrated MP3 player, FM radio and more. The Nokia 108 comes with a battery life of up to 31 days standby, both devices comes with a 950 mAh battery that can deliver up to 14 hours of talktime.

The Nokia 108 and its dual-SIM variant share identical designs and specifications, except that the Nokia 108 Dual-SIM comes with dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) and dual standby support.

Both phones come with dimensions 110.4 x 47 x 13.5 mm and weigh just 70.2 grams. The Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual-SIM feature a 1.8-inch QQVGA (128×160) display. There is 4 MB of RAM, and the phones offer expandable storage support via microSD card.

Commenting on the launch, Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia said:

We continue to connect millions of people, including those for whom mobile phone ownership was previously out of reach. There remains a huge segment of the global population that has yet to own a camera phone. For the next billion people and beyond, we aim to bring new mobile experiences to ever-lower price points, and the Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual-SIM are great examples of this commitment.”

The Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM have a recommended retail price of 29 USD(excludes taxes). Available colors include red, white and black at launch, with yellow and cyan to follow. The devices are expected to start shipping in Q4 this year.

[toggle title=”Press Release “]The Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM – Capture, Share and Play

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today unveiled two new ultra-affordable camera phones: the Nokia 108 and the Nokia 108 Dual SIM. Perfect for people purchasing their first-ever camera phone, the new handsets offer more than just calls and texts. The Nokia 108 also lets people take pictures and record video, helping them capture life’s important moments with an attractively-priced device. With Nokia’s Slam technology on board, content can be shared faster and more easily with friends and family via Bluetooth. Support for up to 32GB of external memory ensures there’s plenty of space to store people’s most cherished content.

Nokia 108The Nokia 108 delivers new mobile experiences without the huge price tag. In addition to a built-in VGA camera, the Nokia 108 also features an integrated MP3 player, FM radio, Snake the game, multiple alarms and flashlight for staying entertained and productive while on-the-go. With exceptional battery life of up to 31 days’ standby when using the single SIM Nokia 108, people will also be able to enjoy the phone for longer.

The Nokia 108 extends the Nokia design story with its softly rounded corners and raised island keys, making it a pleasure to use. Available in Nokia’s signature red, white, black, yellow and cyan, the colorful back covers are also removable. Made with Nokia’s renowned quality and attention to detail, the Nokia 108 gives people an outstanding introduction to mobile technology at a great price, and makes staying in touch with friends and family more fun and enjoyable.

“We continue to connect millions of people, including those for whom mobile phone ownership was previously out of reach,” said Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “There remains a huge segment of the global population that has yet to own a camera phone. For the next billion people and beyond, we aim to bring new mobile experiences to ever-lower price points, and the Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM are great examples of this commitment.”

Great value as a first mobile or back-up phone

The Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM are great value, beautifully designed handsets for calls, texts and on-the-go entertainment including photos, Snake, music and video. With expandable storage of up to 32GB, people can store thousands of images, music tracks and hundreds of videos. With standby time of up to 31 days for the Nokia 108 and up to 25 days for the Nokia 108 Dual SIM, they also make for highly reliable back-up phones for occasional or emergency use. The Dual SIM variant enables people to select which SIM card to use when making a call or sending a text message, helping them manage costs and maintain network coverage on-the-go, without the need to use several phones.

The Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM have a recommended retail price of just 29 USD, excluding taxes and subsidies. Available colors include red, white and black at launch, with yellow and cyan to follow. The Nokia 108 and the Nokia 108 Dual SIM are expected to start shipping in Q4 this year.

Read more about the Nokia 108 and Nokia 108 Dual SIM on Nokia Conversations.

About Nokia
Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia’s technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world. For more information, visit http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia.

– See more at: http://press.nokia.com/2013/09/16/nokia-introduces-new-ultra-affordable-camera-phone-the-nokia-108/#sthash.EMUny3Tf.dpuf[/toggle]

September 17, 2013
Report : Nokia Was Testing Android On Lumia

Back in February of 2011 Microsoft and Nokia entered into a partnership that made Windows Phone “its primary smartphone strategy.” While Nokia reportedly represents over 80% of all the Windows Phone handsets sold, their market share has slowly declined.

Before Microsoft decided to spend a whopping $7.2 billion to purchase Nokia’s Devices & Services, Nokia was considering options – a ‘plan B’ of sorts. According to a report in the New York Times, Nokia was actively testing Android on Lumia devices.

“A team within Nokia had Android up and running on the company’s Lumia handsets well before Microsoft and Nokia began negotiating Microsoft’s $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone and services business, according to two people briefed on the effort who declined to be identified because the project was confidential. Microsoft executives were aware of the existence of the project, these people said.”

This isn’t entirely surprising. Many people thought that Android would’ve been a smart route for the Finnish company to take. These same people noted that Microsoft executives were certainly aware that Nokia was testing Android on Lumia devices before and during the negotiations. They also made clear that Android was not a part of discussions between the two companies, even though it was “widely recognized” that it was possible Nokia would be using Android on smartphones in the future.

Notably, Nokia had an option to exit its partnership with Microsoft at the end of 2014 and may have used the threat of switching to Android as tool in its dealings with the company.

[Via]

September 14, 2013
Here is Why Microsoft’s Buying Nokia

Microsoft and Nokia have been strategic partners for the manufacture of Windows Phone devices for a couple of years. Microsoft helped the company bail out of its financial woes when Nokia took 1 Billion USD to exclusively manufacture Windows Phone devices and drop plans to make devices on Android, Symbian and Meego. Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia comes in after the successful transition of Motorola into Google, for the company may be a proud owner of a high tech manufacturing brand. Such an acquisition will enable Microsoft to manufacture devices as per their own set norms and create benchmarks for other partners. Along with the hardware and services Microsoft will also become the owner of a wide array of patents and licenses that Nokia owns, one of which earns US $ 1 for every iPhone sold.

Microsoft puts it out there, the company claims that buying a manufacturer like Nokia will enable Microsoft to deliver a

“first-rate Microsoft phone experience for users”.

Microsoft has been trying to be a hardware manufacturer in the past few years, as it attempted with the “bust” Windows RT and 8 based Surface Tablets, the Acquisition of Nokia could lead to new Hardware under the Microsoft name in the mobility segment. What the future of the once world leader in Mobile telephone will be post the acquisition is unknown, but we hope that this does not pan out similar to the HP – Palm acquisition, which ended the life of a very innovative company.

Microsoft could easily be blamed for this acquisition as well, 3 years ago Nokia was valued at well over US $ 25 Billion, Microsoft’s so called “Strategic Partnership” basically ended the marketshare that Nokia had enjoyed in the good old days of Symbian and S40. Analysts claim, if Nokia had stuck to new operating systems like Meego and relatively young Android ( at the time), the company would have prospered and would have been close to the likes of Samsung and Apple in number of movements.

Today Nokia heavily depends on its feature-phone sales for its revenues, and in a global world where the 100$ smartphone is overtaking the 100$ feature phone, Nokia may have realized the limited lifecycle it had left.

Microsoft is no stranger to takeovers, and with many a past companies under its sleeve, Nokia would be more of a trophy, just so the execs at Redmond can say “Hey, We manufacture our own phones! Just like Apple and Google.”

Microsoft really has an opportunity, with the vast array of designers and young minds at Nokia, years of experience and a complete team of experts in mobility, maybe the top brass at Microsoft will be more open to world changing ideas, than they were back at Nokia. Heck in 2006 a fully capacitive touchscreen phone was rejected within the Finland HQ at Nokia stating that the world was not ready for a full touch phone. In 2007 June, the iPhone was launched, Nokia couldn’t have been more wrong.

September 3, 2013
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, Stepping Down Because Of The Upcoming Transition

Microsoft’s Acquisition of Nokia Devices and Services will also result in the end of tenure for Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. After the completion of the deal, CEO Stephen Elop is to step down to become Executive VP of Devices & Services, and should join Microsoft (If he choses to do so).

The shift in rank should minimize any perceived conflict of interest during Elop’s transition: Nokia says.

Chairman of the Board Risto Siilasmaa will assume an interim CEO position while the company looks for a permanent replacement for Elop. Meanwhile, key Nokia executives Jo Harlow, Chris Weber, Juha Putkiranta and Timo Toikkanen are also expected to follow Elop to Microsoft, Executive VP of Design Marko Ahtisaari plans to step down on November 1st, and will leave the company on November 30th to once more become an entrepreneur. Having said that, Microsoft is getting most of the cellphone industry’s better known leaders all together, should they head down Google-rola’s Path.

September 3, 2013
Microsoft Will Acquire Nokia for €5 billion

Microsoft is set to buy Nokia’s Devices and Services unit, bringing the Lumia lineup under its own ownership. The move unites Windows Phone 8 with its biggest hardware supporter, giving the company the integrated mobile offering that it has been looking for with the Microsoft Surface and other similar devices. When the deal closes in the first quarter of 2014, Microsoft will pay 3.79 billion Euros to Nokia, plus another 1.65 billion Euros for its portfolio of patents.

Microsoft hopes that acquiring the largest Windows Phone manufacturer will speed up growth of the operating system that has yet to see commercial acceptance like similar platforms i.e. Android.

“It’s a bold step into the future – a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies. Bringing these great teams together will accelerate Microsoft’s share and profits in phones, and strengthen the overall opportunities for both Microsoft and our partners across our entire family of devices and services.”- Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer.

According to the press release from Nokia, about 32,000 Nokia employees will migrate to Microsoft on the completion of the deal. The release further adds that Nokia is assigning its long-term patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm along with other patents to Microsoft.

Microsoft also announced that it has selected Finland as the home for a new data center that will serve its consumers in Europe. The company also said it would invest more than a quarter-billion dollars in capital and operations of the new data center over the next few years, with the potential for further expansion over time.

September 3, 2013
Nokia 515 Announced : 2.4″ Display, Aluminum Body

Nokia today announced the Nokia 515 feature phone, with an Aluminum body.

The new phone is a candybar “wrapped in lightweight aluminum,” and reportedly “combines the best of Nokia – contemporary design, high quality materials and top performance.”

The Nokia 515 uses Nokia’s Series 40 UI, and features: a 2.4 inch QVGA display with Gorilla Glass 2, HSDPA, Mail for Exchange, Nokia Slam sharing service, Nokia XpressBrowser, 5MP rear camera with the ability to shoot in Panorama mode, MicroSD card support, and a 1,200 mAh battery.

The battery life is being touted as an unbelievable 38 days for the single sim variant. The price of the Nokia 515 has been set at $150. No word yet on Indian pricing and availability. We’ll let you know soon.

August 29, 2013
Nokia Asha 502 And 503 Specs Leaked

Nokia Asha 501 is one of the best sellers in Nokia’s stable, and now as per rumors, Nokia is planning for two new devices in the same segment Nokia Asha 502 and Asha 503.

“Thisisnokia” reportes, that the Nokia Asha 502 will feature a polycarbonate design, is likely to be slimmer and lighter and will have a 3.2 to 3.5-inch scratch resistant display. The RAM could be in the range of 128 to 512 MB while the processor is expected to be 1 or 1.2GHz. The Asha 502 is also said to support 3G connectivity, the feature that was missing on the Asha 501 along with a 5-megapixel rear camera with the new Nokia Camera app for Asha devices.

Whereas, the alleged Nokia asha 503 is also said to feature a polycarbonate and glass design with a display around 3.2 to 3.4-inches. It could be powered by a 1 or 1.5GHz processor with a GPU and RAM could be in the range of 128 to 512MB.

Both of these rumored devices are supposed to work on 3G and also have dual sim capabilities. If the above information is true, one feature everyone would expect these phones to have is Whatsapp support which was missing on the Asha 501.

[via]

August 29, 2013
Specs And Images Of Rumoured Nokia Windows RT Tablet Leak, Will Launch In September

Windows RT may not have been the belle of the ball Microsoft wished for, and many OEMs are shying away from releasing a tablet with the ARM-compatible OS, but that doesn’t mean it’s dead.

Microsoft itself is rumoured to be launching a second-generation Surface RT in the coming months, having recently discounted the initial version to $349, and Nokia, Microsoft’s only true OEM partner these days, is also planning to release a Windows RT-powered tablet.

Nokia’s rumoured Windows RT tablet was leaked by Chinese site Digwo, and shows off a matte red backing, complete with Verizon 4G LTE logo. Nokia is expected to debut the tablet at a special event on September 26th, and has apparently been drumming up developer support in the process.

The back also says “Windows RT” on it, which is either a good sign that the tablet’s running Microsoft’s operating system for ARM devices or that someone really wants us to think this is a Nokia tablet running Windows RT.

While the photo doesn’t offer any detailed specs, it certainly looks about the right size for a tablet with a 10 inch display.

If earlier leaks are anything to go by, it’s likely that the tablet will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor and feature a 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

It is interesting to note that Nokia believes the Windows RT platform has a future, after Microsoft itself failed to make a dent in the market with its Surface RT tablet, taking a $900 million charge for “inventory adjustments” for the tablet in its last quarterly earnings.

[Via]

August 16, 2013
Nokia Lumia 925 Available for Pre-Order for 33,999 INR

Nokia has still not officially announced the Nokia Lumia 925 in India but this device is surprisingly available for pre-order on Flipkart.com. Estimated availability is said to be last week of this month.

Lumia 925 comes with a polycarbonate body. As far as the specification on the device go, it comes with a 4.5-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with 768×1280 resolution and Gorilla 2 Glass. It is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor alongside 1GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It has an 8.7-megapixel PureView rear camera and 1.2-megapixel wide-angle front camera. The company claims that the Lumia 925’s camera is better than the one in Lumia 920.

With the launch of Nokia Lumia 925 in India the company claims that the low light images would never be this good with the award-winning PureView technology, Carl Zeiss optics and six physical lenses. The Nokia Lumia 925 lets you capture the great moments, day or night. And the beautifully crafted design will turn heads wherever you go. Nokia says one can capture more of the action than our eyes can see. The Action Shot feature in Nokia Smart Camera lets you snap once to get a sequence of movements in a single high-quality image. That means Nokia has come up with all new camera features this time. But, will this work for Nokia ? This is something that we have to wait and see. What’s your take, how many are planning to pre-book ? Let us know in the comment section below.

August 9, 2013
Nokia Working On Bluetooth-Powered ‘Treasure Tag’ To Track Precious Objects

Is Nokia getting into the accessories business? The Finnish company is reportedly making a Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy-based device that, combined with NFC connectivity, will allow users to “tag” certain objects by attaching it to them, or placing it near them.

Like the Selfstarter-funded Tile, Nokia’s “Treasure Tag” as it will apparently be called will communicate with a Nokia Lumia device via Bluetooth in order to gauge where the tag, and therefore the associated object, happens to be.

The whole idea is to fix this small device to something that’s precious to you: your keys, your laptop, your shiny golden Ring of Power. You’ll then be able to keep track of said object by using an app on your Lumia smartphone. You’ll even be able to find your phone by sending a notification from the Treasure Tag back to the phone, but that will only work if you’re in range.

At this point, it’s clear that Nokia is creating Treasure Tag to expand the desirability of its Lumia line; this is not a cross-platform product, and is unlikely to work with non-Nokia Windows Phones.

The Treasure Tag app, according to The Verge, will let users see where the tag is on a map, or its last location if it has fallen out of range. LiveSight, Nokia’s augmented reality technology recently integrated in the HERE series of apps, will be available for more easily orienting oneself to the object. Users will be able to activate an alarm to more easily locate the object, too.

In terms of usability, Treasure Tag is ostensibly rated for six months of “always on” usage, and will be inexpensive enough to replace on a bi-annual basis.

The accessory requires Bluetooth 4.0, which Nokia is planning to enable across its entire Windows Phone 8 lineup with the upcoming Amber update, which will begin rolling out shortly.

There’s no word on pricing but similar devices are in the $25 range so it should probably be close to that.

[Via]

July 29, 2013
Front Panel Of A 6-Inch Lumia Device Spotted

Nokia has long been rumoured to be moving beyond the 4.5-inch screen range for its Lumia devices, even supposedly working on a 7-inch Windows RT tablet.

With the impending release of a Microsoft’s GDR3 update for Windows Phone 8, which should increase the maximum screen resolution of its partners’ smartphones to 1920×1080 pixels, it’s safe to say that Nokia is looking for a way to differentiate itself in the highly-competitive smartphone market.

This latest leak which supposedly comes from a factory floor in China brings a phablet Lumia device from Nokia one step closer to reality, the kind that would compete against the increasingly popular Galaxy Note series from Samsung.. It measures 6-inches in diagonal and is supposedly already being mass-produced by Nokia.

The updated software is also rumoured to bring support for quad-core processors, likely from Qualcomm, adding extra CPU and GPU horsepower to continue Windows Phone’s consistently-high framerates.

Nokia recently launched it’s flagship device, the Nokia Lumia 1020 with a 4.5-inch, 1280×768 pixel LCD display with PureMotion HD+ and Super Touch Sensitivity.

[Via]

July 25, 2013
Report : Microsoft Was Close To Acquiring Nokia But Talks Broke Down

Technology pundits have long speculated that, one day, Microsoft would buy its way into manufacturing of its own mobile phones. Apparently that day came a lot closer to fruition than people had thought.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone business – the deal you probably assumed would happen sooner or later – has been scuppered before talks were even made public, according to a new report.

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal wrote that Microsoft has been engaged in “advanced talks” to snap up the Finnish mobile maker, but that those discussions have recently broken down and are not likely to resume.

The WSJ also adds that both companies were close to an oral agreement with Microsoft purchasing the device division of Nokia, using some of Redmond’s reported $66 billion held in off-shore businesses. That method would have let Microsoft avoid a hefty tax penalty for purchasing the massive phone maker.

The price was reportedly too high in Microsoft’s reckoning and the software giant was understood to be concerned by Nokia’s inability to mount a serious challenge to the likes of Apple and Samsung in the smartphone business. This may sound a little rich coming from Microsoft, but the addition of HTC to the ranks of top class smartphone makers and the recent return to form of Sony and BlackBerry has made Nokia an outside bet in the smartphone race.

Nokia’s smartphones exclusively use Microsoft Windows Phone software, under a deal the two companies struck two years ago.

[Via]

June 20, 2013