Tag: Nokia

Rumour : Nokia EOS Rumored To Be First True PureView Windows Phone

The Nokia EOS is set to be the first Windows Phone 8 handset to sport the Finnish firm’s impressive PureView camera technology.

A source “familiar with Nokia’s plans” claims that the codenamed EOS will pack a camera similar to the one found in the 808 PureView – suggesting it also sports a 41MP sensor.

Sources also claim that the Pureview EOS will also be built using an aluminum shell as opposed to the polycarbonate generally used in Nokia Constructions. The phone will be pegged in a higher end category, so it may never reach markets like India commercially, considering the already high price of the Lumia 920. While many rumors are pointing toward a total remake of the Lumia series, the Pureview EOS will be the flagship, while the whole lineup drops polycarbonate to go for a aluminum chassis.

Nokia had first showcased its 808 PureView at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2012. This smartphone garnered a lot of attention, thanks to the massive 41-megapixel camera sensor that it has on-board. Other features of the smartphone include a 4-inch 360x640pixel AMOLED display, 16GB of internal storage, 1.3GHz processor and Nokia Symbian Belle OS.

This rumor is also being backed up by Italian smartphone guru Flavio via his Twitter account, which claims “project EOS” will indeed have a 41-megapixel camera.

Nokia 808 PureView debuted in India in June 2012. Its current price is mentioned as Rs. 26,499 but it is currently listed as out of stock on Nokia India official store.

The Verge claims that the Pureview EOS handset will be primarily designed for US network AT&T, who will make the device available to consumers later this year. Reports are already rimming a replacement of the 920 with a lighter aluminum shell called “Catwalk” . Nokia’s Catwalk device is designed as a successor to the Lumia 920 and will debut as a replacement to the company’s current Windows Phone 8 flagship with similar internal hardware specifications. A move towards aluminum brings Nokia back to the pre-Windows Phone days when the company launched N8 a Symbian 3 device.

[Verge]

January 23, 2013
Nokia Sold 4.4 Million Lumias in Q4 2012, Says Mobile Division “Exceeded Expectations”

Nokia sold 4.4 million Lumia smartphones during the fourth quarter of last year, as the company’s Devices & Services unit exceeded expectations, according to preliminary data.

[quote]Stephen Elop, the company’s often-criticized CEO said, “We are pleased that Q4 2012 was a solid quarter where we exceeded expectations and delivered underlying profitability in Devices & Services.” While net profit was minimal at around $262 million USD, there is reason to be bullish for the next several quarters as Lumia sales continue to rise as the company releases its phones into more markets.[/quote]

The next 12 months will be key for Nokia and Microsoft, and the sale of 4.4 million Lumia smartphones is a step in the right direction, according to Pete Cunningham, principal analyst at market research company Canalys.

Nokia also sold 9.3 million Asha touch smartphones, as well as 2.2 million Symbian smartphones.

During the fourth quarter in 2011 Nokia sold 113.5 million units, including around a million Lumia devices and a total of 19.6 million smartphones.

The 4.4 million Lumia smartphones Nokia sold also compares to the 2.9 million it sold during the third quarter. The company could have sold even more if it hadn’t been for supply constraints, which especially affected the Lumia 920.

Nokia is also getting a €50 million sum from non-recurring IPR income (coincidentally, RIM recently had to pay Nokia €50 million after a patent settlement).

Anyway, the Nokia Siemens networks also exceeded expectations and posted a profit for a third quarter in a row. The non-IFRS operating margin for this division in Q4 2012 is expected to be 13-15%.

While Nokia is ending 2012 on a positive note, the start of 2013 will be less rosy – the seasonally weak quarter will lead to a non-IFRS operating margin of negative 2% (+/- 4%).

Meanwhile, Nokia today launched the Lumia 920, 820 and 620 at an event here in New Delhi.

January 10, 2013
Nokia 10.1-inch Windows RT Tablet To Come With Battery-Equipped Keyboard Cover?

Quoting information provided by sources familiar with Nokia’s plans, The Verge claims that Nokia is working on a 10.1-inch Windows RT tablet. While rumors of a Nokia Windows RT tablet have surfaced as early as March this year, the latest report reveals some specifications of the device.

The Nokia Windows RT slate is said to be equipped with an ARM chip, HDMI and USB ports. It also has cellular connectivity and AT&T will be among the first carriers to sell it in the U.S.

Nokia’s tablet will go head-to-head with Microsoft’s Surface RT and will feature a battery-equipped cover that “clicks in” like the Surface’s, plus has a built-in kickstand, a keyboard, 10-hour battery life, two USB ports.

Nokia design chief Marko Ahtisaari had said in an interview with Finnish magazine Kauppalehti Optio that he was spending a third of his time on creating a tablet for the cellphone maker, which would stand out among hundreds of iPad-challengers. “We are working on it,” he was quoted as saying.

DigiTimes previously pointed out that the tablet will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2013.

December 26, 2012
Nokia And RIM Agree To New Patent Licenses

Finnish mobile giant Nokia said on Friday it was withdrawing all its lawsuits against Blackberry-maker Research In Motion after reaching an agreement on patent licencing.

Last month Nokia filed lawsuits in the United States, Britain and Canada against RIM claiming it had breached an agreement on using Nokia patents on WLAN local area network technology.

[quote]”We are very pleased to have resolved our patent licensing issues with RIM and reached this new agreement, while maintaining Nokia’s ability to protect our unique product differentiation,” said Paul Melin, chief intellectual property officer at Nokia, in a statement.[/quote]

The terms were not disclosed, but Nokia will receive an unknown one-time payment plus on-going payments from RIM.

Nokia may have lost the title as the top-selling mobile phone maker, but the Finnish company holds patents to over 10,000 types of technology after having invested approximately €45bn in research and development over the past two decades.

Now RIM can focus on bringing BlackBerry 10 to market, plus the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones – which was potentially revealed yesterday as the BlackBerry Z10.

December 21, 2012
Rumour : Nokia Windows RT Tablet Release Date Set For February

Rumours of Nokia coming to market with a tablet has surfaced today. The source is overseas from DigiTimes who states Nokia is in talks with Microsoft and Qualcomm to launch a a 10-inch Windows RT tablet. The unnamed tablet will reportedly be showcased at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in February, known specs are minimal.

Apparently the Windows 8 tablet was supposed to be available in Q1 2013 with a test market of 200,000 units, but Microsoft released the Surface and Nokia wanted to see how consumers responded to it.

Sources say that Nokia was waiting for the Windows tablet market, “To be proven.” It obviously now feels that it has and is preparing to restart development of its 10-inch tablet, with a view to announcing it during Mobile World Congress. Nokia has again teamed up with Qualcomm and Compal Electronics to manufacture it.

As Nokia makes one of the most popular Windows Phone handsets, and has a reputation for producing durable, well-designed mobile products, a Windows RT tablet from the company is an interesting proposition.

December 19, 2012
NaviFirm Showing Windows Phone 7.8 For Nokia Lumia 800, Lumia 510

The Windows Phone 7.8 platform has been spotted in NaviFirm for Nokia’s devices powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 OS, suggesting that it should not be too long before users receive it officially.

What Windows Phone 7.8 brings is a new home screen with live tiles available in 3 different sizes, just like in Windows Phone 8. A whole bunch of new interface theme colors have been thrown in, although the background can still be had in either white or black. Also, the lock screen wallpaper can be replaced with the one featured in the Bing application.

If you want to upgrade your Nokia Lumia 900,800,710,610 and Nokia Lumia 510 to Windows Phone 7.8 by flashing method (all data(s) will be loss), you can just download the firmware from navifirm and use flashing tools (e.g Nokia Care Suite). Simply select the device from the list, and then choose to download the latest firmware available for it (it should be the last item in the list in the middle, labeled 1750.823.8858.12460 for Lumia 800, for example).

Please note that you flash your device at your own risk and we cannot take any responsibility for damage caused to your Windows Phone.

December 14, 2012
Nokia Asha 205, Nokia 206 Dual-SIM Launched, Priced At $62

Nokia unveiled on Monday two new cellphone models, the Nokia Asha 205 and the Nokia Asha 206, pricing both models at around $62, excluding subsidies and taxes.

The dual-SIM Nokia Asha devices have been unveiled in four countries (Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and India) today as the Asha series completes one year of launch.

[quote]”Asha is a huge category for us and in Q3, about 6.5 million Asha touch devices were sold, which speaks volumes about the popularity of the device. The new phones are also aimed at giving users a smarter Internet experience at affordable costs,” Nokia India Director (Mobile Phones) Sari Harju told reporters during the launch.[/quote]

The Nokia Asha 205 is a QWERTY device with a 2.4-inch display and a dedicated Facebook button. It comes with 2G connectivity, Bluetooth, VGA camera and a battery that offers 11 hours talk-time. The phone comes with pre-installed apps like eBuddy Chat, Twitter and support for popular email accounts such as Gmail as well as 40 free games from EA. The Nokia Asha 205 will be available in Cyan, Magenta and Orange colour options.

Nokia 206 is a regular ‘bar’ style feature phone with a 2.4-inch display, 1.3-megapixels camera and 2G + Bluetooth connectivity. It comes with pre-installed apps like eBuddy Chat, WhatsApp and a gift pack of 10 free, premium content items. The Nokia 206 will be available in Cyan, Magenta and Yellow colours.

The Nokia Asha 205 and Nokia 206 are expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012 for an estimated retail price (excluding taxes) of $62 (Rs. 3,450)

November 26, 2012
Video Of Nokia Lumia 510 Running Windows Phone 7.8 Surfaces Online

After the Windows Phone 7.8-powerd Nokia Lumia 900 spotted in China earlier this month, a new device has been caught on camera running the unannounced operating system, the Lumia 510.

A new video, presumably from Winp.cn, shows the current build of Windows Phone 7.8 (8858) in action on the Nokia Lumia 510. Actually, it’s less action and more of a nice, soothing stroll on some of the more superficial changes coming in the OS update. The new tiles are shown off and we even see the Bing lockscreen wallpaper working.

A new rumour states that Windows Phone 7.8 will launch as early as Wednesday of this week, though in what capacity we don’t know. We may get a roll-out schedule in the very least, though even that is up in the air.

There have been several leaks that indicate Nokia is actively working on a new major Windows Phone update for its first generation Lumia handsets, though there has been no word on availability.

One nice feature exclusive, it seems, to Nokia phones is the ability to keep WiFi on in the background when the screen is off. This may seem trivial to most smartphone users but amazingly the functionality is not currently present in Windows Phone as we know it.

We still expect WP 7.8 to come out sometime early 2013.

November 26, 2012
Windows Phone 8 Hit With Random Reboot Issues

HTC Windows Phone 8 and Nokia Lumia 920 owners have taken to forums looking for answers to a vexing reboot problem. Pages worth of complaints have sprung up on Microsoft and Nokia’s forums web sites, as well as that of WPCentral.

The problem, which has the device reboot at random several times per day, seems to affect the HTC 8X more than the Lumia 920. Some users report as many as four to five reboots every 24 hours.

It is unclear exactly what is triggering the problems — and whether they are related or down to specific issues with different handsets, although since multiple handsets from different makers are involved a problem relating to the OS seems most likely.

Microsoft is reportedly investigating the issue, and if it can’t be resolved server-side, which seems the most likely cause, it will likely be overcome with an OTA patch in the coming days.

Nokia acknowledged there have been “reports of a small number of people experiencing this unusual performance on their Nokia Lumia 920? and pointed to problematic apps as a potential cause — noting in a statement: “We are investigating but suspect some apps may be at the root of the issue when left running in the background. While we learn more, we advise people when finished with an application to navigate away using the back button to ensure it is no longer active.”

Have you had any issues with your new Windows Phone 8 devices? Let us know.

November 20, 2012
Nokia HERE Maps For iPhone And iPad Released

HERE Maps by Nokia, the mapping alternative to Google Maps and Apple’s own Maps service, is now available for iOS. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 4.3 or above and is optimised for the iPhone 5.

The app is based off HTML 5 and offers an array of mapping views – map view, live traffic view, public transport line view or satellite view – and has maps/directions from over 200 countries.

The UI follows Nokia’s own interface pattern, rather than the usual iOS conventions, which could lead to some confusion, but otherwise it’s pretty much what we’ve grown to expect from the Nokia Maps browser-based option.

HERE has a public transport view that handily shows nearby routes and stops overlaid on the map. It also provides driving and walking directions, and even lets you cycle through the days of the week when planning routes to see how traffic and other factors on different days might affect trip times and planning. Searching for locales brings up nearby interest points, too, in addition to routing options, as well as website and phone number info if they’re available.

We’ve had a quick look around the app and it features an extensive database of locations and points of interests. The navigation feature seems to work nicely as well.

You can download Nokia HERE from the iOS App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think about this Apple Maps alternative in the comments.

[toggle_box title=”Features” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Features:
• Map views: Pick the map you need from map view, live traffic, public transport line or satellite
• Save map areas & wander without data coverage
• In selected countries, access community maps created and updated by users
• Maps, search and place coverage for nearly 200 countries
• Search with history and suggestions
• Share places with just a tap, including location & how to get there, over SMS, email, social networks
• Organize places you love into Collections
• Sign in to HERE Maps with your Nokia Account or Facebook login
• Sync with Here.net – Access your Collections anywhere
• Step-by-Step voice-guided walk navigation
• Walk navigation through pedestrian routes, parks, alleyways, and more
• Public transportation and driving directions

[/toggle_box]

November 20, 2012
Launched : Nokia Here Cloud Maps for iOS, Android and others (PR)

Looks like it was the right opportunity for Nokia to jump on the iOS maps bashing wagon. No one does maps like Nokia and with iPhone users feeling the incompleteness of iOS Maps, Nokia has stepped on to the winning plate with Nokia HERE. A cloud service delivering excellent mapping for those all over the world on any device.

[quote]Titled “Here,” it’ll tap into Nokia’s map expertise and better still, work across multiple devices and operating systems — CEO Stephen Elop, attending the launch event in San Francisco[/quote]

The new web-based map is live now and will work on any PC running Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome and Macs using Safari, Firefox or Chrome. On mobile, it’ll run on iOS 4+ and Android 2.2’s (or above) internet browser.

Reports also claim that iOS and Android Apps are already on their way pending approval from the “authorities”. Nokia will have a Here SDK for Android and a web version of Nokia Here maps for Firefox OS ready by early next year.

Nokia has seen 75 times more use of its mapping data compared to last year, and it’s looking to tap into user-submitted data. A new Map Creator tool will let people assign more specific information and detail to Nokia’s original maps and satellite photos. Nokia Here.net will allow users to log in using their Nokia accounts or create new ones to save places as “collections” add images etc. which will all be launched soon.

According to reports iOS app for Nokia Here will provide offline maps, voice guided walking directions and public transportation directions at launch. Additionally, Nokia revealed the name for the technology powering its City Lens app. Live Sight will be available and in other applications as well.

Nokia will also foray into 3D mapping by acquiring company “earthmine Inc.”based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software. This information is to be used for future expansion of Nokia Here service.

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Nokia redefines digital map landscape by introducing HERE as new brand for its location and mapping service

Nokia extends its service across devices and operating systems

Nokia announces new partnership with Mozilla and planned acquisition of 3D capture company, earthmine

San Francisco, California – Today Nokia introduced HERE, the first location cloud to deliver the world’s best maps and location experiences across multiple screens and operating systems. With the new brand, HERE, Nokia aims to inspire a new generation of location services and devices that make the mobile experience more personally significant for people everywhere.

“People want great maps, and with HERE we can bring together Nokia’s location offering to deliver people a better way to explore, discover and share their world,” said Nokia President and CEO Stephen Elop. “Additionally, with HERE we can extend our 20 years of location expertise to new devices and operating systems that reach beyond Nokia. As a result, we believe that more people benefit from and contribute to our leading mapping and location service.”

Pushing location beyond Nokia

To further extend its location services, Nokia is launching a maps application for iOS under the HERE brand. Based on HTML5, it will include offline capabilities, voice-guided walk navigation, and public transport directions. The application is scheduled to be available for free download from Apple’s App Store in the coming weeks.

Nokia further announced a strategic partnership with Mozilla to bring new location experiences to the Firefox OS. Nokia plans to debut a mobile Web version of HERE Maps for the new Firefox OS next year. The companies are working together to give people the best mapping experience on Firefox OS.

“Mozilla is a leader in HTML5, building the Web as a platform for developing compelling applications, and location is a key part of that platform,” said Jay Sullivan, Mozilla Vice President of Products. “We are excited to work with Nokia as the combination of Firefox OS and HERE’s location platform provides rich possibilities for mobile application developers to create amazing experiences for users.”

Nokia also demonstrated an Android OS-based reference application and announced plans for the availability of a HERE SDK for Android OEMs in early 2013. This is aimed at enabling partners to create location-based applications for Android devices with Nokia’s leading content.

Innovating modern mapmaking
To advance the 3D capabilities of HERE, Nokia announced the planned acquisition of Berkeley, Calif. company earthmine. The company’s reality capture and processing technologies will become integral parts of HERE’s 3D map making capabilities.

Nokia expects the transaction to close by the end of 2012.

[/toggle_box]

[Here (Nokia), (2)]

“Maps are hard to get right – but location is revolutionizing how we use technology to engage with the real world,” said Michael Halbherr, Executive Vice President of Location & Commerce and responsible for the HERE brand. “That’s why we have been investing and will continue to invest in building the world’s most powerful location offering, one that is unlike anything in the market today.”

Using LiveSight(TM) to see more of the real world
As part of its announcement, Nokia introduced LiveSight(TM), a technology based on a highly accurate, 3D map of the world. LiveSight(TM) provides the most precise and intuitive augmented reality experience and uses a phone’s camera viewfinder to make discovering the world as easy as lifting up a phone. Nokia City Lens, which was developed exclusively for Nokia Lumia devices, is the first application providing a LiveSight-enabled experience.

“Establishing a new brand is the right move for Nokia in the map and location business. Nokia’s assets in this space are world class. We believe mapping and location will be increasingly important to developing next generation devices and services across a wide array of segments,” said Crawford Del Prete, Executive Vice President and Head of worldwide research at IDC.

______________________________

Nokia To Acquire earthmine Inc.

BERKELEY, CA – November 13th, 2012 – earthmine Inc. announced today that it is has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Nokia. earthmine, based in Berkeley, California, is a privately-owned company that develops a powerful end-to-end 3D street level imaging solution – from collection hardware to processing workflows, cloud hosting and client software.

The earthmine team is expected to join the Nokia Location & Commerce business and Berkeley, California will become a key site for the development of 3D reality capture technology.

“We are very excited to be joining Nokia – a company with a huge presence and vision in mapping,” said John Ristevski, co-CEO of earthmine Inc. “We could not hope for a better place to fulfill and accelerate our mission of indexing the world in 3D.

November 14, 2012
Nokia Lumia 830 Leaks In China

Nokia has so far unveiled four Windows Phone 8 devices – the Nokia Lumia 920, 820, 822, and 810. It appears the company has another device coming, as today images of a device said to be the Nokia Lumia 830 has been leaked on Chinese forum Dospy.com.

While at first the new phone resembles the 820 in some ways, it is actually slightly narrower than the upcoming follow-up to the Lumia 800. While there is no indication that the 830 will be more powerful than the 820, WPCentral is positing that this could be in fact a successor to the successful (and cheap) Lumia 710.

No further details were revealed about the device, but from the photos above you can see that the device will come in five different colors – black, white, red, yellow, and a distinctive green. We’ve heard previously that Nokia is planning to release a Nokia “Zeal” Windows Phone 8 device, which is said to come with 4.3” screen, 1GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, 8GB of storage and microSD card support.

Could this be it?

November 7, 2012
75% Of Smartphones Shipped in Q3 Run On Android

Smartphones running Google’s Android software have leapt to 75% share of worldwide smartphone shipments, according to market tracker IDC.

Google’s OS was present on 136 million devices shipped in Q3, up from 71 million a year ago, a boost of 91.5% year-over-year. Apart from RIM and Apple, most smartphone manufactures have produced a wide variety of handsets that run on Android.

Coming in a distant second was Apple’s iOS with 14.9% of the smartphone market. That is also impressive as Apple has only three phones in production, the iPhone 4, 4S and 5.

Top-end Androids like Samsung’s Galaxy S III (which is expected to sell 30 million this year) are holding their own against Apple’s iPhone.

Coming in 3rd place is RIM – who hasn’t come out with a new smartphone in over a year – and they captured 4.3% of the market, significantly dropping of 34.7% over last year. Hopefully RIM’s tune will change when they launch their new BB10 devices in early 2013.

Nokia’s Symbian squeaked in with 2.3% market share, meanwhile Microsoft’s Windows Mobile/Windows Phone rose 140% over the year to take hold of 2% of the market, but have failed to grab the buyers attention. This might shift with all their new WP8 handset coming out in a couple weeks.

November 2, 2012
Nokia Launches new Nokia Lumia 510 for the Budget Windows Lover
Nokia has brought what others have failed to deliver, a Windows Phone at a budget price. The Lumia 510 has been launched at a press event in New Delhi, the 510 has a 4 inch capacitive screen with a 480 x 800 pixel density. On the spec sheet of the Lumia 510 you will find a 5-megapixel camera at the back (no front-facer), an 800MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB RAM and 4GB of non-expandable storage.

Nokia is targeting markets like India and China for this phone expecting it to penetrate the lower strata of Smartphone users shifting up from an Asha Phone to a smart phone. The price of the Lumia 510 is expected to be US $199, so expect it to hit the Indian market in the coming weeks for under Rs 9999.

Sales are planned to begin in November, starting with India and China, and followed closely by other Asia-Pacific countries and South America.

Windows Phone is different to other smartphone platforms thanks to Live Tiles, making it easy to see incoming messages and updates; People Hub, which brings together contacts and updates from across social networks into one location, and access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile.

The Camera Extras app provides exclusive digital lens functionality to go with the five megapixel camera and built-in autofocus. Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport also offer comprehensive smartphone location and navigation experience available.

Complete Specs
- 4 inch LCD
- 480 x 800 px resolution
- 5 MP camera
- Windows 7.5
- 800 MHz Processor
- 256 MB RAM
- 4GB Fixed Storage
- 7GB cloud with SkyDrive
- Interchangeable Back Panels
- Price : US $ 199 or Under Rs. 9999 in India
October 23, 2012
Nokia Asha 308 Dual-SIM Phone Launched At INR 5,865

The Nokia Asha 308 unveiled last month alongside the Asha 309, is now available in the country for Rs. 5,865. Users can head to the Nokia store and purchase the device online. The Nokia Asha 308 is available in Black and Gold colour variants. The company is also offering Yatra.com travel vouchers worth Rs. 4,500 for a limited period.

As far as the specs are concerned, Asha 308 has a 3 inch capacitive multi-point touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixel resolution, 800MHz processor, 2MP rear camera with fixed focus, 64MB internal memory, 128MB mass memory and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

In terms of connectivity, the Nokia Asha 308 packs features including Bluetooth and micro USB 2.0. Also, the handset is powered by a 1,110 mAh BL-4U battery.

Also, the Nokia Asha 308 comes with a fluid ‘swipe’ user interface and an open environment for third-party application development. We have seen the fluid ‘swipe’ interface before when Nokia unveiled the Asha 305 and the Asha 311.

The Nokia Asha 308 also comes with the free gift of 40 premium EA games, and pre-loaded Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp apps. The device also features Nokia Messaging Service, and video streaming through the browser from sites like YouTube.

October 22, 2012