Nokia

Mobile
August 11, 2014
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Lumia 730 Selfie Phone Reveal

Microsoft’s ‘selfie phone’ expected to be revealed on September 4th

By on August 11, 2014 at 5:15 PM.

Microsoft’s ‘selfie phone’ expected to be revealed on September 4th

It looks like Samsung won’t be the only smartphone maker trying to get the jump on Apple next month. According to The Verge, Microsoft has begun sending out preliminary invites to the press that seem to indicate the rumored Lumia 730 will be making an appearance at IFA 2014 in Germany at the beginning of September. Dubbed the “selfie phone” by leakers, the Lumia 730 is rumored to have a 5-megapixel front-facing camera — an especially attractive feature for younger smartphone shoppers. More →

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Mobile
August 7, 2014
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Lumia 730 Selfie Phone Photos Leak

Leaked pics give us our first look at Microsoft’s ‘selfie phone’

By on August 7, 2014 at 4:45 PM.

Leaked pics give us our first look at Microsoft’s ‘selfie phone’

The release of the next Nokia devices might not be too far off. Windows Phone Central has obtained photos of what appears to be the Lumia 730, or the ‘selfie’ phone, which is reportedly going to be the follow-up to last year’s Lumia 720. It has been said that the standout feature of the new phone will be its 5-megapixel front-facing camera for taking some of the highest quality selfies on any Windows Phone device to date. More →

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Business
August 6, 2014
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Microsoft Nokia Layoffs Employees

Microsoft is trying to make laid off Nokia employees feel better in the worst way possible

By on August 6, 2014 at 8:45 AM.

Microsoft is trying to make laid off Nokia employees feel better in the worst way possible

Microsoft is definitely not setting high standards for bedside manner when it comes to laying off Nokia employees. MarketWatch reports that Microsoft is trying to assuage anger in China over its plan to ax thousands of Nokia employees by offering laid off Chinese workers… wait for it… a free Nokia handset. More →

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Mobile
August 1, 2014
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Nokia Android Phones Job Listings

Is Nokia getting back into the phone market with Android?

By on August 1, 2014 at 2:17 PM.

Is Nokia getting back into the phone market with Android?

Ever since Microsoft acquired Nokia’s devices and services business, we’ve been waiting to see how the future of Nokia’s hardware strategy will play out. The Nokia X line of heavily modified Android devices looked like it might be the end of the line for Nokia as a phone maker, but an abundance of recent job listings on LinkedIn seem to indicate otherwise. More →

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Apps & Software
July 30, 2014
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Nokia Z Launcher

Nokia’s innovative Android launcher gets a huge update and opens up to new users

By on July 30, 2014 at 9:20 AM.

Nokia’s innovative Android launcher gets a huge update and opens up to new users

We called Nokia’s first Android app “wonderfully simple and shockingly innovative” when we gave the world its first look at the sleek Z Launcher app back in June, but the app was only available as a limited pre-beta at the time and Nokia quickly filled all available slots. Well, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that the Z Launcher app just received a major update and opened up to a new wave of pre-beta users at the same time. The bad news, however, is that you can only get in if you had previously signed up for access to the app. More →

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Mobile
July 22, 2014
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Opinions
Windows Phone Vs iPhone

Are we witnessing Windows Phone’s last stand?

By on July 22, 2014 at 3:15 PM.

Are we witnessing Windows Phone’s last stand?

Much has been written about Microsoft’s unsettling plan to cut loose some 18,000 of its employees by the end of 2014. You could argue that it’s a necessary evil, or you could argue that it’s a short-sighted misstep. From what I’ve read, this is about Microsoft repositioning itself for the current reality it finds itself a part of.

In many ways, Ballmer never took the steps to shape the company into a viable behemoth. Just as he laughed off the iPhone in 2007, he never really figured out that the company was slipping in a lot of ways — not the least of which was mindshare.

Out of the 18,000 announced cuts, a staggering 12,500 will come from Nokia’s devices division. A division that Ballmer was hellbent on acquiring before heading for the exits. To me, however, the question shouldn’t be on Microsoft’s commitment (or lack thereof) to building phones. The question should be about Windows Phone.

I’ve long since believed there are some battles worth fighting, and some worth conceding. The trick, as you know, is figuring out which slots where. More →

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Mobile
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Nokia Layoffs Analysis

Nokia’s handset business is nearly dead – but Microsoft would be crazy to give it up

By on July 17, 2014 at 12:09 PM.

Nokia’s handset business is nearly dead – but Microsoft would be crazy to give it up

The new Microsoft layoff wave will axe thousands of employees from Nokia’s old handset unit and will close down the once crucially important Oulu R&D center that used to be the source of global phone innovation, from internal antennas to 3G tech. Many now view the handset industry as an unprofitable sunset business that has little relevance outside Apple and Samsung. More →

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Business
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Nokia Layoffs Elop

Here’s what Elop told the 12,500 Nokia employees who just got axed

By on July 17, 2014 at 9:45 AM.

Here’s what Elop told the 12,500 Nokia employees who just got axed

It’s safe to say that Stephen Elop really isn’t very popular in Finland, especially after Microsoft announced on Thursday that it was laying 12,500 people who currently work for its Nokia devices and services division. Since Elop is both the former CEO of Nokia and the current boss of Microsoft’s devices and services division, we were very curious to get his take on this week’s massive layoffs that hit his division harder than any other. More →

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Business
July 15, 2014
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Microsoft Layoffs

Thousands to lose their jobs as Microsoft prepares biggest ever round of layoffs

By on July 15, 2014 at 7:40 AM.

Thousands to lose their jobs as Microsoft prepares biggest ever round of layoffs

Microsoft will soon announce a massive round of layoffs, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Thousands of employees will be let go as Microsoft looks to integrate the devices and services business it recently acquired from Nokia. The report says that the reductions could be announced as soon as this week, and it could be Microsoft’s biggest ever round of layoffs, topping the 5,800 cuts it made five years ago in 2009. More →

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Mobile
July 7, 2014
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Nokia Lumia Android Smartphone

The Nokia Android handset you’ve been waiting for is reportedly coming

By on July 7, 2014 at 6:50 AM.

The Nokia Android handset you’ve been waiting for is reportedly coming

It took Nokia several years to launch an Android handset of its own, but the company’s Android vision wasn’t exactly what fans were expecting. In early 2014, Nokia announced budget-friendly Android smartphones that weren’t top-of-the-line flagship handsets and didn’t even run an Android OS version filled with all the goodies most Android users have grown to love. Following the Microsoft purchase, Nokia released one more mid-range Android handset, which was in line with its predecessors. However, Microsoft is now rumored to launch a different kind of Android handset in the future, one that will be included in the Lumia family rather than the X family of affordable devices. More →

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Mobile
July 3, 2014
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Lumia 830 Photos

Leak reveals sleek unreleased Microsoft smartphone

By on July 3, 2014 at 7:30 AM.

Leak reveals sleek unreleased Microsoft smartphone

In terms of launches, Microsoft has been relatively quiet since taking over Nokia’s devices and services business. In fact, the company’s only launch to speak of was the Nokia X2, an Android-powered device that will never see the light of day in the United States. Rumors continue to swirl that suggest Microsoft has several Lumia smartphones in the works though, and it looks like one of them has broken cover for the first time. More →

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Business
July 1, 2014
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Nokia Future

Nokia’s destiny: From boots to phones to… boots

By on July 1, 2014 at 10:00 AM.

Nokia’s destiny: From boots to phones to… boots

The year 1973 was crucial for one for the giants of European industry. That was when Finnish Rubber Works merged with Finnish Cable Works, forming a company called Nokia Corporation. That year, Nokia had a massive consumer market blockbuster with Kontio Rubber Boot. Kontio was named after the Finnish term of endearment for “bear” that was commonly used in Middle Ages to avoid the religious taboo against using the true name of this animistic deity (Karhu).

This groundbreaking footware introduced many key features that would become staples of modern rubber boot manufacturing: a tightening strap, a reflective band and a rotationally rigid midsole construction. Kontio would define the Nokia brand in Europe during late 1970s and the 1980s. More →

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Business
June 25, 2014
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Mobile Messaging Apps

Messaging mania has shocked tech leaders twice – in 1994 and again now

By on June 25, 2014 at 5:35 PM.

Messaging mania has shocked tech leaders twice – in 1994 and again now

One of the most unanticipated developments surrounding mobile phones is the fact that people don’t really want to use them to talk to each other. They want to use them to send messages. This phenomenon was so counterintuitive that it has now disrupted the entire tech industry twice — first in 1994 and later in 2012. It was messaging that turned Nokia into king of the mobile phone market in 1990s and then WhatsApp into one of the most successful startups in the history as Facebook was forced to pay $19 billion for a tiny company that was just five years old.

The astonishing popularity of text-messaging on phones has now blindsided two generations of tech leaders. It goes to show how difficult reading consumer behavior can be for even the most accomplished companies. More →

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