Symbian

mobile
October 14, 2011
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Nokia unveils Symbian Belle-powerd 603 with NFC support

By on October 14, 2011 at 12:00 AM.

Nokia unveils Symbian Belle-powerd 603 with NFC support

Nokia took the wraps off of the Nokia 603 on Thursday, a Symbian Belle-powered smartphone that will target first-time smartphone users. The 603 is equipped with a 3.5-inch ClearBlack display, a 1GHz processor, GPS, Wi-Fi and a 5-megapizel camera. It also comes with a near-field communications (NFC) chip for syncing with accessories or tapping another user’s phone to share contacts, photos or movies. The 603 is expected to launch during the fourth quarter of this year for €200 before taxes and su. It will be available in black and white and can be purchased with a variety of colorful battery covers. Read on for the full press release from Nokia. More →

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mobile
August 26, 2011
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RBC raises Nokia outlook for Q3: 'Not as dire as feared'

By on August 26, 2011 at 3:31 PM.

RBC raises Nokia outlook for Q3: 'Not as dire as feared'

Nokia’s situation may not be quite as “dire” as initially anticipated according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Sue. Despite Nokia’s rough second-quarter earnings, which were called “clearly disappointing” by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, Sue sees Nokia in a better position than most. In a note to investors on Friday, the analyst reiterated his Outperform rating on Nokia stock and set a price target of $9. Sue increased his third-quarter unit shipment estimate to 100 million devices from his earlier estimate of 89 million, noting that sales of Nokia’s Symbian devices will likely not drop off as rapidly as had been expected. ”Nokia may be seeing better trends for its dual-SIM devices and less of a decline in its traditional Symbian devices than originally expected,” Sue wrote. “Feedback on Nokia’s new Windows device may be encouraging and we expect Nokia to launch on schedule before the holiday season.” The analyst expects Nokia to announce its first Windows Phone handset, which he says will be based on the N9, at its annual Nokia World show in late October.

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mobile
August 25, 2011
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Nokia launches three Symbian Belle devices

By on August 25, 2011 at 12:00 AM.

Nokia launches three Symbian Belle devices

Nokia announced three new Symbian Belle-powered phones on Wednesday: the Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600. The Nokia 700 is the smallest of the bunch and includes a 1GHz processor, a 3.2-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, 2GB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video and support for near-field communications (NFC). The 701 mimics the C7′s industrial design and has the “brightest ever” mobile display, a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting HD video, a 2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats and 8GB of internal storage. The Nokia 600 has a music focus and sports an FM antenna, a loud speaker, a 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera capable of HD video capture, 2GB of internal storage and support for NFC-initiated pairing with Bluetooth accessories. Nokia says the 600 should offer about 60 hours of music playback on a single charge. Nokia vice president Ilari Nurmi confirmed these will “not be the last Symbian” devices the company launches. Read on for the full press release. More →

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mobile
August 4, 2011
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Android least open of open source platforms, report says

By on August 4, 2011 at 4:55 PM.

Android least open of open source platforms, report says

Android may be an open source operating system, but it’s not as open as other platforms according to a new research report from VisionMobile. The research firm compared Android, Eclipse, Firefox, the Linux kernel, MeeGo, Qt and Symbian and found that, of those open source environments, Android was the least “open.” According to the report’s “open governance index,” which scored each environment on how open it is, Android scored a 23%. It was far below the others; Eclipse scored the best with an 84% open governance index and no other platform scored less than a 58%, ArsTechnica said. Google’s Android compatibility chief Dan Morrill likely swayed the opinion on Android a bit when he said Google was using compatibility “as a club to make [phone maker's] do things we want,” and the report cites that quote specifically. However, VisionMobile also backs up its findings with a statement that can be read in full after the break. More →

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mobile
August 1, 2011
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New Nokia 500 is a race to the bottom [video]

By on August 1, 2011 at 8:21 AM.

New Nokia 500 is a race to the bottom [video]

While the Daytona 500 kicks off a race to the top each year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Nokia 500 is a race to the bottom. Nokia on Monday announced a new Symbian-powered smartphone that will aggressively attack emerging markets and smartphone users on a budget. The €150 ($217) Nokia 500 costs about what most popular smartphones do after subsidies, and it features specs we’re not used to seeing on entry-level devices. Highlights include a 1GHz processor, a 3.2-inch 640 x 360-pixel touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera, 2GB of storage and HSPA data. It also weighs just 93 grams, making it the lightest Symbian smartphone to date. As attractive as this handset could be in the low-end market, it begs the question: how long will it be until Nokia can attack young demographics and emerging markets this aggressively with entry-level smartphones powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS? Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has said on numerous occasions that Nokia will be able to push affordable Windows Phones out to market very quickly, but €150 before subsidies is not an easy price point to hit. Nokia did not specify a launch date for the Nokia 500, saying only that it will be available before the end of the year. A pair of videos showcasing the new Nokia 500 follow below. More →

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mobile
July 29, 2011
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SA agrees: Apple now top smartphone vendor in the world with 140% growth

By on July 29, 2011 at 10:37 AM.

SA agrees: Apple now top smartphone vendor in the world with 140% growth

BGR reported last week that Apple had passed Nokia in the second quarter of 2011 to become the world’s top smartphone vendor by volume. The Cupertino-based company had already been No. 1 in the world by profits for quite some time. On Friday, market analysis firm Strategy Analytics released its second-quarter smartphone shipment figures and reaffirmed Apple’s new position atop the market. Apple shipped 20.3 million smartphones last quarter, up more than 140% from the 8.4 million iPhones it shipped in the same quarter last year. The only company to show more impressive gains: Samsung. The South Korea-based vendor slid into the No. 2 spot by growing a remarkable 520% year-over-year to ship 19.2 million smartphones last quarter. Falling to No. 3 on the global market share list is Nokia, which shipped 16.7 smartphones in the second quarter of 2011, down from 23.8 million devices in the same quarter last year. Strategy Analytics reports global market share distribution in the June quarter at 18.5% for Apple, 17.5% for Samsung, 15.2% for Nokia and 48.9% for other manufacturers. The firm’s full press release follows below. More →

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Business
July 28, 2011
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Nielsen: Apple top U.S. smartphone vendor, Android top OS in Q2

By on July 28, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

Nielsen: Apple top U.S. smartphone vendor, Android top OS in Q2

Android continued on its warpath this past quarter, once again showing gains as it retained its position as top smartphone platform in the United States. Nielsen on Thursday issued its second-quarter smartphone market share data for the U.S., and Android finds itself atop the list again with 39% of the market. IOS remains in the No. 2 spot with 28% and RIM slid to 20% in the second quarter. Windows Mobile and Windows Phone combined to take 9% of the market, while webOS and Palm OS combined to account for just 2% of the market. Nokia’s Symbian OS also held a 2% share in the June quarter. On the list of top vendors last quarter, Apple held its lead by a wide margin with 28% of the total U.S. market. HTC devices accounted for 14% of Android market and 6% of the Windows Phone/Windows Mobile market, making it the nation’s top vendor in both categories and No. 2 overall. Samsung owned 8% of the Android market and 2% of the Windows Phone/Windows Mobile market in the U.S. last quarter, while Motorola topped Samsung’s Android share with 11% to slide into the No. 2 spot among Android device manufacturers. More →

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mobile
July 27, 2011
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Nokia Ovi Store now serving 7 million daily downloads

By on July 27, 2011 at 11:35 PM.

Nokia Ovi Store now serving 7 million daily downloads

Nokia recently announced that its Ovi Store has served a record 7.62 million downloads in a single day. The figure is a large jump from the 3 million daily downloads Nokia said the Ovi Store was serving in October of last year. The phone maker attributed its app store’s popularity to the decision to remove a registration and login requirement from the shop. In addition, Nokia said downloads more than tripled in India, the top country in terms of overall download volume. To put the Ovi Store figures in perspective, earlier this month Apple announced that its iTunes App Store had served a total 15 billion downloads. By Business Insider’s math, that’s about of 13 million downloads per day. More →

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Business
July 21, 2011
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Apple passes Nokia to become world’s top smartphone vendor

By on July 21, 2011 at 10:30 AM.

Apple passes Nokia to become world’s top smartphone vendor

Continued strong sales of Apple’s blockbuster smartphone have propelled the Cupertino-based company into the No. 1 spot globally. As noted by the Financial Times, Apple shipped 20.34 million iPhone handsets last quarter, up from 18.7 million units in the first quarter of 2011. Meanwhile Nokia’s smartphone shipments dropped from 24.2 million units in the first quarter to just 16.7 million smartphones in the June quarter — 3.64 million fewer smartphones than Apple. With just two smartphone models currently available for sale, Apple had already been the world’s top smartphone vendor by revenue and profits. The June quarter marks the first time the company has managed to out-sell Nokia by volume, however. More →

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Business
July 18, 2011
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Nokia may slash prices across entire cell phone line this fall

By on July 18, 2011 at 7:19 AM.

Nokia may slash prices across entire cell phone line this fall

Nokia plans to drop prices across its entire product line this September in an attempt to bolster sales, industry insider Eldar Murtazin claimed on Friday. The struggling Finnish cell phone vendor will cut phone prices by 10% according to the Russian blogger, who has an extensive history of accurately reporting inside information pertaining to Nokia and other smartphone vendors. “Nokia are going to cut prices for the whole product line by 10 per cent in September,” Murtazin posted on his Twitter account. “They struggle for a market share worldwide.” Nokia’s share of the global cell phone market has been steadily declining as the company failed to adjust its strategy to the changing marketplace over the past few years. As a result, Nokia recently announced that it would dump its aging Symbian smartphone platform in favor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system moving forward. The vendor is expected to launch several new Symbian devices through the first half of 2012, but it will offer Windows Phones as well beginning later this year with a device codenamed “Sea Ray.” More →

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Business
June 23, 2011
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Symbian is officially no longer Nokia’s problem

By on June 23, 2011 at 1:24 PM.

Symbian is officially no longer Nokia’s problem

What a long, strange trip it’s been, and now it’s almost over. Nokia may not be done building and selling Symbian smartphones, but at least now it can wipe its hands of Symbian development as of October 2011. Nokia and Accenture on Wednesday announced that their deal to outsource Symbian software development and support is now finalized. About 2,800 Nokia employees will move to Accenture in October when the new arrangement takes effect. “Our collaboration with Accenture allows us to meet our ongoing commitment to support our Symbian smartphone customers and continue to leverage the talent that has the deepest experience on the platform,” said Nokia’s EVP of smartphones, Jo Harlow, in a statement.  “As we move our primary smartphone platform to Windows Phone, we will look to explore potential opportunities to tap this talent pool as they develop and expand their knowledge and capabilities beyond Symbian.” Nokia’s full press release can be found after the break. More →

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mobile
June 22, 2011
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Nokia might unveil first Windows Phone on October 26th

By on June 22, 2011 at 5:50 PM.

Nokia might unveil first Windows Phone on October 26th

Nokia has announced that it will hold its annual Nokia World conference from October 26th through the 27th in London. Given Nokia’s recent announcement that it’s still on-track to launch a Windows Phone this year, it’s entirely plausible that Stephen Elop will take the stage during Nokia World and do just that. An October announcement could mean that the new phone will land on store shelves right in time for the holiday season, too. Nokia has listed France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, England, and Spain as the first six countries that will receive the first Windows Phone, so it may not land in the United States as quickly. The Finnish firm also said it will launch 10 new Symbian devices over the next 12 months, and we’ll likely hear more about those devices soon, too. More →

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Gaming
June 21, 2011
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Rovio launches Angry Birds Seasons: Summer Pignic trailer

By on June 21, 2011 at 11:56 PM.

Rovio launches Angry Birds Seasons: Summer Pignic trailer

Rovio just pumped out the Mine and Dine update for Android, and its developers aren’t sitting still… on Tuesday the game publisher launched a teaser trailer for its new Angry Birds Seasons: Summer Pignic game. The short clip suggests that you’ll only have one bird on each level to knock out all of the pigs, which is definitely a tough twist on the standard fowl lineup. The update will be available for Android, webOS, iOS, and Symbian devices. Hit the jump for the full video. More →

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