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Nokia: ‘We don’t have a Plan B’

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Wander into Nokia's corporate HQ and, if Victor Saejis is to believed, you'll be hard pressed to find any manilla folder bearing the legend "Plan B." The handset maker's European Manager told Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri that the company has no contingency plan in the event that Windows Phone loses out to Android and iOS saying that "Plan B is that Plan A is to succeed." It's a pretty unequivocal statement that Espoo's betting the farm on consumers embracing Microsoft's OS. Commenting on the company's recent troubles and winding down of Symbian and demise of MeeGo, he said "it's like starting all over again. But we must succeed in the U.S. if we are to succeed in the world" -- pretty honest, if a little disappointing to anyone who hoped there was an Android-powered white N9 lying in a Finnish skunkworks.

Nokia: 'We don't have a Plan B' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia ends European, Mexican production: it’s all Asia now (Updated)

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Nokia's wielding another axe to its operations, cleaving away a further 4,000 employees from its operations in Finland, Hungary and Mexico. It follows a shedding of roughly 10,000 employees and a troubled withdrawal from Romania as the company pushes more operations towards Asia in an attempt to compete with its competitors. Whilst no more phones will be assembled in Europe, the company isn't closing the facilities outright, they'll be retained for "high value activities" (presumably R&D and other big-ticket projects). Whatever comes of Steven Elop's reign of the world's number one handset maker, it's clear to see that he's got a plan and he's sticking to it.

Update: Nokia got in touch to clarify that the factory in Manaus, Brazil is unaffected by these cuts. The three factories mentioned (in Salo, Reynosa and Komarom) will furthermore be used for the software-portion of production, including installing carrier-and-region-specific features in the Americas, Europe and Eurasia. Hardware assembly will now take place at the company's existing facilities in Beijing (China) and Masan (South Korea).

Nokia ends European, Mexican production: it's all Asia now (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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White Nokia N9 hands-on: behold the last unicorn (video)

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Let's keep this short and sweet. This is the rare snow-white Nokia N9 and it's absolutely stunning. We first captured a glimpse of it at Nokia World and now we've obtained a specimen. The only difference between this piano-lacquer white handset and its more pedestrian sibling is the (likely less durable) shiny clearcoat finish covering its machined polycarbonate body and the leather pouch replacing the silicone case normally supplied in the box. Everything else is exactly the same as the matte black phone we reviewed last year. We've attempted to document the exquisite beauty of this mythical beast -- sadly the last of its kind -- in our hands-on gallery below. Go ahead and take a look, then hit the break to watch our unboxing video. Just be warned that there's a strong chance you'll drool profusely whilst ogling these pictures. At least the white Lumia 800 and 900 are just around the corner, right?

Gallery: White Nokia N9 overview

Continue reading White Nokia N9 hands-on: behold the last unicorn (video)

White Nokia N9 hands-on: behold the last unicorn (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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StatCounter: Mobile web usage doubling every year, Nokia leads the way

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:51:00 +0000

We already knew that Nokia sits atop the world's market when it comes to shipments and market share. As it turns out, though, the Finnish manufacturer leads the way in terms of mobile web browsing, too. That's according to the latest report from StatCounter, which found that Nokia handsets account for about 40 percent of the world's mobile browsing, followed by Apple, at around 29 percent. Coming in at a relatively distant third is Samsung, with an approximately 14 percent share. Android OEMs as a whole, however, account for a little under 25 percent of the world's mobile browsing, while RIM came in at just 8.3 percent (thought it still ranks second in the UK, behind Apple). Overall, global mobile web usage has just about doubled every year since 2009, which is both crazy and not crazy. For more numbers and insight, check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading StatCounter: Mobile web usage doubling every year, Nokia leads the way

StatCounter: Mobile web usage doubling every year, Nokia leads the way originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lumia 800 bundle coming to Microsoft retail stores on Valentine’s Day, $899 is the new price of love

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:28:00 +0000

Well, you knew the Lumia 800 would be coming to Microsoft's chain of retail stores this month, but we bet you weren't counting on an $899 price tag. That's the word from our compadres at The Verge, who suggest that Nokia's handset will initially be available only as a bundle, which is set to be up for grabs on February 14th. In addition to the unlocked Lumia 800, buyers with a whole lotta bravado will be able to demonstrate their love with the included Nokia Play 360 wireless speaker, a Purity HD Stereo Headset and an in-ear Bluetooth unit. We know that Nokia has a new conflict-free mineral policy and all, but for $899, you might just want to ask your sweetie if she'd prefer a diamond.

Lumia 800 bundle coming to Microsoft retail stores on Valentine's Day, $899 is the new price of love originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia 801 adds one part Belle, one part polycarbonate body for 100 percent possibility

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:07:00 +0000

See that up there? That slick-looking, Belle-operating beaut is most definitely not Nokia's rumored 801 handset. No, what you're looking at above is simply a mock-up based on recent rumors circling the web, which peg this 12 megapixel-toting unicorn as the successor to the N8 and 701. It's hard to tell which considering the supposed bits of borrowed specs and chassis conspire to blend the polycarbonate stylings of the Lumia 800 and N9 with a 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display. You might dismiss this gossamer whisper as a mere ghost of Espoo future, but before you do, keep in mind that it has Eldar Murtazin's backing. Sure, there are more concrete paths to credibility (an official announcement for one), but given the existence of the company's 603 -- a Lumia 710 with a Symbian heart -- he might be right on the euro.

Nokia 801 adds one part Belle, one part polycarbonate body for 100 percent possibility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Belle update arrives for compatible Nokia Symbian phones (video)

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:50:00 +0000

The latest reformation of Symbian has started to appear for compatible handsets -- and it's arrived a few days earlier than planned. MyNokiaBlog has already began the upgrade process on its N8, through the Nokia Suite software. (Update: Nokia's now officially announced the release.) Belle will furnish your smartphone with NFC sharing, more homescreens, adjustable widgets and, yes, a pull-down notification bar. Handsets fortunate enough to be blessed by the update include the N8, E6, E7, X7, C7, C6-01 and Oro, arriving on the Nokia 500 in the next few weeks. A cheerful upgrade tour awaits after the break.

Continue reading Belle update arrives for compatible Nokia Symbian phones (video)

Belle update arrives for compatible Nokia Symbian phones (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia accidentally reveals white Lumia 900

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:26:00 +0000

It looks like it. It seems plenty of you were enraptured by that hypnotic white Lumia 800 we paid a visit to yesterday, but in all the glossy fun, Nokia accidentally revealed the above press shot -- a white Lumia 900. The picture was soon lifted from Nokia's Conversations blog, but it remains on its Facebook page, flashing an exposed micro-USB port and front-facing camera that identifies this snow-white slab as the Lumia 900 kind. The press shot also flashes a view of that non-curved glass front; it certainly looks like our wishes are coming true. Now we just have to wait and see if this color option is ready for that plausible March release date.

Update: Dave Zatz was apparently offered a choice of white or black models when discussing his Lumia 900 pre-order options at a Microsoft store. Maybe we'll see this one from launch.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

Nokia accidentally reveals white Lumia 900 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia reveals polarizing secrets of ClearBlack display

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Nokia's revealing the secrets behind ClearBlack: its display technology that, even under the brightest sunlight, renders black as black as blackest night during a dark spell. Wedged above the E7, Lumia 800 and 900 displays are three thin layers, a linear polarizer, a quarter-wave retardation film and a reflecting surface. When light enters the first layer, it vertically aligns the "wave vibration" of the light so when it hits the retardation layer, it begins to rotate towards the right. Hitting the reflecting surface causes it to reverse, becoming left-circularly polarized before passing through the retardation later again, where it polarizes horizontally. This enables the polarizing filter up top to screen out horizontally polarized light, meaning it doesn't reflect back in your face. Why (we hear you ask) then doesn't it happen with the light from the display itself? Because it only passes through the second half of the process, it doesn't become horizontally aligned, leading to that beautifully dark display reaching your peepers. It's a clever and elegant solution that we can't help but be impressed at, even if we've used up the world's supply of the word 'polarize' in order to explain to you.

Nokia reveals polarizing secrets of ClearBlack display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:40:00 +0000

Today's been all about the white phones, and Nokia's new Lumia matches that glossy finish we saw on its near-identical twin, the white N9. Here, opposing the matte goodness of the rest of Lumia 800 family, the unibody shell has an almost-enamel feel on what we've heard is still polycarbonate material. From our brief play with the device, it's looking to be a pretty pervasive color choice to go alongside that pitch-black AMOLED screen. We know the phone is set to arrive later this month, blessing fans of blanc in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and another handful of European countries. See how its good looks stack up against the rest of the Lumia rainbow in our hands-on gallery below.

Gallery: Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on

Nokia Lumia 800 White hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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