Category Archives: nokia
Nokia’s Chinese win helps wipe $35bn off Apple
Finnish manufacturer triumphs in major tie-up with China Mobile
All eyes will return to Nasdaq today [6th December 2012] to see what happens to Apple after its shares fell 6.4 per cent last night, wiping $35 billion off its value. The fall came as analysts raised fears that it was losing ground to Nokia in China where the latter has just clinched a deal with the world’s biggest mobile operator, China Mobile. Though China Mobile has more than 700 million subscribers, it has no contract to sell iPhones – leaving the field open to the Finnish maker to supply a version of its flagship Lumia 920 smartphone. Continue reading
Nokia offloads Finnish HQ as economic noose tightens
Deal to be completed in just four weeks
Struggling Finnish phone maker, Nokia, is selling off its head office in Espoo for $222 million in a bid to shore up its ailing finances. The company has operated out of the 48,000 square metre building since 1997 but is now selling it off to software consultancy firm Exilion which will then lease it back to Nokia. The move underlines Nokia’s dire financial situation as it continues to lose out to rivals Samsung and Apple and as hedge fund managers bet heavily against the success of its make-or-break Windows Phone 8 (WP8) strategy. Continue reading
Nokia’s job posting fuels rumours it might be planning Android phone
Nokia’s posting of a job vacancy on a social networking site has sparked rumours it might be thinking of easing its dependency on Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS and hitching its bandwagon to Android after all.
Continue reading
OpenCloud helps put operators back in driving seat
Rating: especially when it comes to developing premium voice services
The ‘cloud’ is helping to “put mobile operators back in control” – especially when it comes to voice based services, according to Mark Windle, head of marketing at OpenCloud, Until very recently, mobile operators were severely limited on the scope of ‘innovative’ new services which they could launch because they were almost entirely dependent on their infrastructure suppliers – the likes of Ericsson, Nokia Siemens and Alcatel- Lucent, to implement such services. Typical IN (Intelligent Network) back-ends were effectively proprietary but Windle claims the solutions his company’s software can provide are truly ‘Open’. Consequently, operators can utilise OpenCloud’s ‘Open’ platform to launch services which directly compete against OTT (Over-The-Top) providers – like Skype (and Apple with Facetime). Continue reading
Fund managers short sell Nokia in belief its stock will plunge
Investors betting on failure of its WP8 strategy
Finnish manufacturer Nokia is among European tech firms being targeted by hedge fund managers who are selling its stock short in anticipation its price will dive. Research conducted by Markit, which provides securities lending data, reveals 6.7 per cent of such shares are on “loan” to hedge fund managers who believe the tide is turning against Nokia and other big technology names. Continue reading
RIM in new setback as Swedish arbiter rules it is illictly using Nokia’s Wi-fi technology
Finnish manufacturer to seek ban on new BlackBerry sales on both sides of Atlantic
Canadian BlackBerry maker,RIM, has suffered a serious blow with a legal ruling that it was using Nokia’s patented Wi-fi technology without permission – a judgement that could delay the roll out of its latest smartphones. In court documents revealing the results of the Swedish arbitration ruling, Nokia yesterday [28th November 2012] outlined plans to block sales of BlackBerries in the Britain, USA and Canada unless the two sides can agree on royalties. Continue reading
Apple’s iPhone 5 regains the top spot in America
But elsewhere in the world Android is storming ahead
Apple has snatched back its lead of the US smartphone market from Google’s Android platform, though it’s at the expense of RIM’s BlackBerry devices and Microsoft’s Windows Phone. It is the first time since February [2012], when sales of the previous iPhone 4S were declining, that Apple has regained its No.1 slot in America. Continue reading
Microsoft eyes Europe to open new stores
Hopes to replicate success of Apple retail outlets
Software giant, Microsoft, has been in secret talks with landlords as part of a new strategy to open flagship stores in Europe as it moves increasingly into smartphones and other mobile devices. Britain is said to be high on the store opening agenda in a move that has parallels with Apple which already has two major retail outlets in Central London. If all goes to plan the first stores will open in 2013, though it’s thought Microsoft will reserve judgement until it has had a chance to assess how its first, recently-opened US outlets are performing. Continue reading
Phones 4U in big UK push for Windows Phone 8
Rating: Nokia reliant on this one retailer for its UK sales
It is interesting to see that UK High Street retailer, Phones 4u, will be running a series of Windows Phone 8 launch events in conjunction with Microsoft, Nokia and HTC. No mention of Samsung, the world’s leading handset supplier, lending its support to this event, though. Despite the fact that Phones 4U is also EE’s distribution partner for 4GEE, the retailer seems to be keeping quiet about the fact that only the Nokia WP8 handsets can be connected to EE’s 4GEE LTE network. Continue reading
Nokia shares rocket as German stores ‘sell out’ of latest Lumia smartphones
Is Windows Phone 8 strategy finally paying off?
Finnish manufacturer Nokia has received a boost to its dented morale with a surprise 9 per cent hike in its stock price last night [19th November 2012]. The struggling handset maker has pinned its hopes on an alliance with Microsoft, where CEO Stephen Elop previously worked, with its new line of smartphones running Windows Phone 8. Continue reading
Rumours point to Windows Phone 7.8 being imminent
Rating: Plus there’s something called Windows Phone 7.x
Well there has been a spurgle of stories about the impending release of Windows 7.8 for those with existing W7 Mango (7.5) smartphones. As we all know now such handsets will not be upgradeable to Windows Phone 8, so we will just have to be content with 7.8. Or will we? One site says there is something called Windows Phone 7.x. The drawback to these stories (for us here at GoMobile Towers at least) is that the main source of the leak is a Chinese site – WinP whilst the secondary source is a German site WParea. So we can’t be 100 per cent sure what exact details have been leaked. However, both sites have anonymously received Windows Presentation slides which appear to have emanated from Nokia itself. Continue reading
Q3 mobile sales generally down but smartphones still bucking trend
Overall mobile phones sales are continuing to slow but Apple and Samsung remain in the lead and accounting for almost half of worldwide purchases, latest third quarter figures from Gartner reveal.
As might be expected smartphones bucked the trend with sales up nearly 47 per cent over Q3 2011 though Nokia, despite its new Lumia handsets, still only managed to sell 7.2 million phones in this segment. The Finnish maker’s sales generally fell nearly 22 per cent as fewer Symbian handsets were sold – with Canadian BlackBerry maker taking up most of the slack with its operating system now boasting the No.3 slot after Android and Apple. Continue reading
Last chance to win a free NFC developer day pass
Rating: Excellent excuse for visiting San Francisco, too
This is very definitely a case of get your skates on for any North American app developers (or those who just would like to visit San Francisco to learn all about Near Field Communication (NFC).
The organisers (WIMA) are offering ten free workshop passes in a free draw but you have to fill out a short form online here by today [Tuesday November 13th 2012]. If you don’t feel lucky then there’s a way of getting the day passes cheaper. GoMobile News is not sure if everyone has received this but if you use the discount code WIMAUS12, you should get a 20 per cent discount off the normal ticket cost. Continue reading
Big scoop for Nokia with Red Bull app
Rating: Forget iOS and Android, it runs on Series 40
Here’s a complete scoop for Nokia www.nokia.com. The struggling handset maker has done an exclusive deal with Red Bull Media House to launch a ‘World of Red Bull’ phone app for its Lumia (W7 Mango) and Asha handsets. The app provides users with access to all of Red Bull’s music, sporting and cultural based content. For Formula One fans this is something of a scoop because red Bull doesn’t just have one team it has two [Red Bull & Toro Rosso]. The application aggregates the latest news, interviews, interactive maps (based on the Nokia’s Maps platform), localised events – along with real time access to athletes, videos and still images. And it’s free. Continue reading
Samsung’s Galaxy S3 pips Apple to the top slot
Court injunctions fail to dent rise of Korean manufacturer
One in ten smartphones now sold globally is Samsung’s Galaxy S III, overtaking even Apple’s iPhone. Latest figures from Strategic Analytics show the Korean manufacturer shipped 18.0 million units worldwide during Q3 2012, compared to an estimated 16.2 million iPhone 4s. Though the impact of Apple’s newest iPhone 5 has yet to show up fully in trading figures, news that Samsung has overtaken the Californian giant is disturbing enough. Continue reading
