Though Nokia has lost its market share in the US but in Europe and Asia it is still in leading positions. This is why European carriers are worried whether Nokia will cooperate with Android, which can affect on Nokia’s popularity. Symbian powered phones are still very loved by European users and according to the Financial Times, Vodafone, Telefonica and France Telecom are afraid of iPhone and Android duopoly. So the aforementioned carriers hope Nokia will stay away from Android and will come up with something different.

It’s really distressing for European carriers, as if Nokia will sign an agreement for Android, Google will consume and own the market. This means, Apple and Google will have much power over European mobile system and it may go out from their control. This will hurt Nokia either, as if Android gets the main role in European market, Nokia will lose its market share here too.

European mobile market is quite sensitive when it comes to American technology companies. For example, last year Microsoft wanted to implement a browser choice screen for European users after the Norwegian browser maker complained that Internet Explorer is anti-competitive.

European carriers would like Nokia goes with Windows Phone 7, if there is not any other way. So it can balance European smartphone market in terms of platforms.

I guess Nokia will hear European operators’ calls and tomorrow during the meeting with the investors Elop won’t announce anything like we have talked about, and all questions will get their answers on Sunday at the press. We have only to wait.

Source: Financial Times

While many people discus why Nokia has cancelled the first MeeGo device and decided to work on the second, analysts debate what Nokia will do – it’ll switch to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 or Google’s Android. So let’s see what the specialists are thinking about this case. We have studied Bloomberg’s report and here is what we have found.

According to Bloomberg, Nokia is too close to cooperate with Microsoft to bring Windows Phone 7 to its high-end smartphones. But before to make such decision Stephen Elop had met Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer and Google CEO Eric Schmidt and talked about their platforms. According to the authors of the abovementioned report, Nokia has already abandoned MeeGo which has been going to be the successor of Symbian for Nokia’s high-end smartphones. So the specialists think, during the Nokia Strategy and Financial Briefing tomorrow Elop will unveil the company’s plans and probably they will refer to WP7. It could be a real version, as the agreement between Nokia and Microsoft can help both companies to go forward Android and Apple in the smartphone market.

Hakim Kriout, a fund manager at Grigsby $ Associates in New York, who holds Nokia shares, said:

“Very few companies regain their leadership once they’ve lost it. It’s a very difficult thing to do because their demise tends to originate from a combination of problems rather than one or two issues.”

But not all analysts think in this way, for example Inderes analyst Mikael Rautanen thinks Nokia wouldn’t use WP7 platform for its smartphones:

“We do not believe that Nokia will start using WP7, because that operating system has nothing to add to Nokia’s own eco system. It’s quite likely that Nokia and Windows will start some kind of cooperation, but that does not necessarily mean WP7.”

I tend to think Rautanen’s thoughts are more believable as licensing Android or Windows Phone 7 software won’t bring any benefits to Nokia and the smartphone market is fulfill with Android-powered smartphones.

However, I guess all our questions will get their answers tomorrow when Elop will introduce Nokia’s plans to investors.

Source

Recently we picked up some info on Nokia’s plans concerning the release of its first MeeGo running smartphone which is known to public as the Nokia N9.

It was previously supposed that the debut of the Nokia N9 will be hold before the end of this month. According to the rumors the expected handset is endowed with an Intel Atom 1.2 GHz CPU, 64 GB of integrated memory, 12-megapixel camera and a 4-inch AMOLED display.

But now Reuters obtained some new information from two sources close to Nokia which will not please all those folks waiting for the arrival of the Nokia N9. Reuters reported that N9 may never appear on the market. However the reasons why the company decided to close the project, are not known. The dream about the spoken Nokia N9 which was so heavily discussed and expected by all Nokia freaks simply vanished. Too sad!

However the source also claims that Nokia may come up with some other MeeGo-device, though it may be in an incomplete form. Rumors say that the handset will be presented at the upcoming meeting with investors, which will be held on February 11 in London.

By the way, according to the same rumors, during the pointed meeting Nokia will also announce its plans about using Windows Phone 7 on their handsets.

All this sounds fishy but still we have to wait to see how the things are settled.

All audio nerds can equip their Nokia handsets with a brand new Music With Me 3rd Party Symbian application. The app is presented by the Nokia Beta Labs, and will surely appeal to all folks using iTunes and Nokia handsets.

This handy app lets you quickly and wirelessly bring your iTunes music on your Nokia device. Simply choose the preferred iTunes playlists and Music WithMe will handle the rest. It is really cool we can sync the Nokia device with Apple’s iTunes, that’s the reason I love  3rd Party applications.

BetaLabs Blog:

Music WithMe is a straightforward, simple-to-use application for getting music from your iTunes library onto your mobile phone wirelessly and automatically.

Music WithMe is made up of two components: the mobile app and the desktop client (Mac or Windows). The first time you launch the mobile app you will need to create a new account, the same account can be used for signing in to the desktop client. So set up your account and there it goes. Once you update your playlist, the songs will be automatically downloaded to the Nokia handset.

Enjoy hassle free music experience with Music WithMe.

Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop recently introduced a memo to its employees where he describes Nokia’s current status. For more figurative introduction he compared Nokia with the man who is standing on a burning platform and has to jump in order to survive. Of course, you understood the man is Nokia and the fire is Nokia’s competitors in face of Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and the low-end phone manufacturers in such countries as China or India are.

So from Elop’s word we can assume that Symbian didn’t prove itself and by the end of 2011 we’ll see only MeeGo-powered devices. Though I guess this is not news for many geeks, as such conversations buzzed for a long time. All its attempts to promote Symbian^3 platform has not success, and probably Nokia decided not to deceive themselves and switch to more promising policy. We can also think about Windows Phone 7 as an alternative for Symbian.

Besides his “novel” Stephen Elop also introduced three treats for Nokia: first, Symbian and MeeGo is not enough to compete with other smartphone makers. Second, Samsung is the main competitor of Nokia as it develops “home” markets such as Europe, while Nokia implements several kinds of campaigns in Asia and Africa. But it’s under great pressure from low cost Asian newcomers in India and China.

For this case Nokia is the most popular brand in India, which has the fourth biggest economy in the world, and will overtake Japan in third place this year. This means half a billion people join a new middle class, which is about the size of Europe. So it’s a good market for sharing.

Anyway, Nokia decided to change its strategy understanding Symbian and MeeGo yield their positions. I guess Stephen Elop was invited to Nokia for these deals – to change the company’s policy wholy.

Source

If you are a Nokia user and are still having a troubleshoot situations on your mobile phone, Nokia has good news for you. Nokia has recently updated the Nokia Diagnostics Beta application for S60 5.0 version and now it is available for all Symbian^3 handsets, including N8, C7 and C6-01. To install this application, the owners of the above mentioned devices should update their phones from PR1.0 to PR1.1; only the lucky owners of E7 needn’t worry as the application will work without firmware update.

The new version contains a wide range of test sets allowing millions of Nokia users to diagnose, figure out and solve problems with ease. In addition, this version also includes the advanced mode functionality for techie users with possibility to run all tests and subcategories of tests.  You will find out the look and feel improved and the S60 5.0 version front camera problem now fixed.

In order to concentrate on creating a better product rather than maintain lots of compatible devices, the 3.2 version has been discontinued to be updated.

This new version includes the following tests:
•    Vibrating alert
•    Memory
•    Battery charger
•    Memory card
•    Cameras
•    Keypad
•    Screen
•    USB cable
•    Web browser
•    Network coverage
•    Data coverage
•    GPS
•    Earpiece
•    Microphone
•    Loudspeaker
•    Headset
So, check out the video below and learn more about the application which will let you test some crucial problems on your handset to see if they are functioning properly.

Source

Nokia is the world’s leading mobile phone supplier and has come up with an amazing Nokia E6 smartphone, which will surely be appreciated by Nokia lovers. Pocketnow informs Engadget has recently unveiled two photos of Nokia E6, an advanced QWERTY candybar handset having a front-facing camera with VGA resolution which will probably make Nokia E6 the best Nokia phone for its display type.

Integrated with 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, capturing high quality pictures and videos, volume rockers on the sides, Nokia E6  has a number of capacitive buttons used for call/end and also some program shortcuts. There volume rockers on the sides, flanked by a screen-lock button and much more. The Nokia E6  also features  a 2.4-inch touchscreen which is believed to be touch-sensitive.

Powered by Symbian^3, Nokia E6 smartphone specs include FT 16M colors of display screen, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g connectivity, polyphonic, Mp3 ringtones, Micro SD/T flash memory card and up to 32 GB of external memory, Email, MMS, instant messaging facilities, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM radio, Micro USB v2.0 port, 850 mAh LI-ion battery providing long hours of battery life.  The back of the phone resembles with that of Nokia C7.

Good news for the ones who like social networks sites: Nokia E6 comes pre-installed with Facebook, Twitter and Flicker.

The Nokia E6 smartphone comes in black and silver and is going to be available in June, 2011. Price details haven’t been revealed yet.

As far as this is a new device and not all the specs have been revealed, it possibly holds more secrets. So be sure to follow the upcoming news to uncover all the features of the Nokia E6. Stay tuned and follow our posts.

The Nokia C5-03 is the latest Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphone which was released in December, 2010. It is a good upgrade for those who uses and likes his/her Nokia 5230 or Nokia X6.

It comes with a nice rounded design and inherited the Lock button from the Nokia X3-02. You have to press it and then push the screen to activate the phone. This method is quicker than the standard lock method.

The Nokia C5-03 is a quite different handset to the original C5, and the first difference is its 3.2-inch touchscreen. The device is also packed with 5MP camera with resolution of 2592х1944 pixels.

The C5-03 looks better in comparison with the Nokia 5800, but he Nokia C5-03 has a slightly smaller and definitely more rounded feel to it. The buttons were changed too and you can find three function keys located on the same slim rocker bar.

The handset supports GPS functionality, and there are also Ovi Maps pre-installed which will help you to use the Nokia C5-03 as a replacement for your stand-alone sat-nav.

The Nokia C5-03 is priced £189 including VAT without any contract.

Cons

1. Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
2. Tri-band 3G with 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support
3. 3.2″ 16M-color TFT LCD resistive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution
4. 5 megapixel fixed-focus camera and VGA video @ 15fps recording; geotagging
5. Symbian S60 OS
6. 600 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 128 MB RAM
7. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g; UPnP
8. GPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigation; free city guides and traffic information
9. Digital compass
10. 40MB on-board storage, microSD expandable up to 16GB; 2GB card included
11. Built-in accelerometer
12. Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
13. Stereo FM Radio with RDS
14. microUSB port (charging)
15. Flash and Java support in the web browser
16. Stereo Bluetooth 2.0
17. Very good audio quality
18. Voice commands

Pros

1. Symbian S60 hasn’t aged well
2. Relatively limited 3rd party software availability
3. Screen has poor viewing angles and behaves badly in the sun
4. The camera is a fixed-focus unit with no flash, shutter key or lens protection
5. No office document editing (without a paid upgrade); No PDF viewer
6. No proximity and ambient light sensors
7. No DivX or XviD video support out of the box
8. No video-call camera
9. No smart dialing

Below is a picture gallery of the C5-03, take a look at it and let me know whether you like it.

Source

The first firmware update of the Nokia N8 is available now, its version is 13.016 and also known as PR 1.1, but this is not the BIG update. The update’s size is 7MB which is not so large to be downloaded over the air (OTA) or it can be downloaded using Device Manager (type *#0000# in the dialler to get to it quickly).

The PR 1.1 update includes Web and Quickoffice updates, and there are also upgrades and patches for email and Music player and fixes for a lot of miscellaneous issues. Once you have updated your N8, it will support for landscape mode in the dialer app.

The PR 1.1 is a minor firmware update to improve UI features, and the Big 2.0 update will come with the new browser, overlaid keyboards and portrait QWERTY options.

The PR 1.1 whole changelog:

• Web updated to 7.2.8.10
• Quickoffice updated to 6.4.166, editing functions now enabled on the N8 (i.e. don’t have to pay to upgrade), improved zooming functions
• Adobe Reader updated to 2.5.653
• Big update to Nokia Email; performance improved; ‘unread emails’ flag added to homescreen widget; meeting requests can be accepted directly from email invitations; maps integration, which means people can view the meeting location on the map when the address is mentioned in the location field in the invite
• General performance improvements
• Dialler now works in landscape mode
• Previous performance updates are rolled in and, in the full (Ovi Suite-installed, >100MB) image, there’s the facility to provide a better working starting point than hard resetting a PR 1.0 device

One of the main changes coming with this update is the ability to now respond to meeting requests in email.

To update the Nokia N8 just go to /Settings/Phone/Phone management/Device updates. This is not a Software update, so do not try to find this there).

Source

Can you imagine your life without mobile phones? It really sounds very strange as they have become an integral part of our daily lives. But believe there are lands that haven’t still experienced the usefulness and importance of mobile signal.

Recently Nokia has come up with a series of four films called ‘Eyes on Africa’, concentrating on the innovative work done for the people of Nairobi, Kenya. The first film introduces Nokia’s work in Africa, particularly the ways in which they try to give locally relevant solutions to knit with local culture and communities. The second film explains mobile’s role of empowering communities.  We have  already informed you about these two films, and now I guess you’ll be interested in checking out the next two short films.

Unfortunately many rural areas in Africa lack GSM coverage and it is Nokia that has come for help. The videos below show how some villagers start to make use of the advantages of mobile telephony having no signal.

To satisfy their needs people first choose mobiles and not computers and this creates a huge potential market for new applications. In our last video you’ll see how African developers start to take advantage of this chance.

Though in recent years the phone market has become full of smartphones, Nokia goes on doing a human-centered work never forgetting its main slogan ‘connecting people’.

Source