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China Now Gets More Smartphones Than The US

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Everybody knows that it was really inevitable.

In a recent survey conducted by Strategy Analytics, a respected research company, it was determined that China has now overtaken the United States in the total number of smartphone shipments. Shipments of smartphones to China reached 23.9 million devices in the third quarter of this year, compared to the 23.3 million that was shipped to the United States. The increase in smartphone shipments to China was 58 percent over the figures posted in the second quarter, which is phenomenally significant. Compare this to the United States where shipments dropped seven percent for the same period. [Read more…]

Originally posted on November 24, 2011 @ 11:38 am

New Nokia Concept Phone Has a Touchscreen All Over

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Nokia makes the coolest concept phones. More than a decade ago they came out with a cool concept phone where the phone fits inside a ring. It was a marvellous concept in miniature technology and diminutive devices. More than a decade later they revisited the ring idea with the Nenya magnetic ring, a ring that can control your phone remotely. This year, Nokia has once again presented a cool concept phone that is cool beyond words.

The new concept phone was developed by the Nokia Research Center to mark its 25th year anniversary. The Nokia Gem pushes the touchscreen fad to an insane degree – the whole surface of the phone is a touchscreen. The whole touchscreen will change its image or what it shows depending on what function is being used by he user. [Read more…]

Originally posted on November 11, 2011 @ 6:10 pm

Nokia Windows Phones to Be Announced Next Week

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Nokia has been taking a beating in the world market the last few years. The mobile phone manufacturer was once the top dog in the mobile phone industry. But its failure to adapt to changes in the mobile phone preferences of consumers – mainly from the typical mobile phones to smartphones – has resulted in a dwindling market share. In fact, the situation has gotten to a point where it is leaving certain markets because of poor sales. For example, Nokia has basically left Japan and it also hasn’t released any new phones in the United States for the last couple of years. [Read more…]

Originally posted on October 20, 2011 @ 1:40 pm

Will Nokia’s Gamble On Windows Phone 7 Pay Off?

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While it’s no surprise why Nokia chose Windows Phone 7 over Android, what is surprising is the fact that the company is convinced that Microsoft’s OS will help them make a comeback in face of increased competition from iOS and Android.

Despite the fact that Windows Phone 7’s market share is not that impressive, Nokia believes they have an ace up their sleeve that will set them apart from other manufacturers.

But Nokia’s relationship with Microsoft is different from the other Windows Phone licensees, who launched the first crop of handsets, HTC, LG, and Samsung. Nokia alone has the right to customize the Windows Phone UI. […]

“Even if we have the right to change it, it would be unwise to change it in ways that cause problems,” he says. Instead, Nokia plans to exploit the underlying OS to leverage both on-device features and a range of Nokia services: imaging, cameras, maps and navigation, to name just a few. (PC World)

Truthfully Nokia is going to need more than a redesign in order to attract the attention of the masses, let alone convince consumers to purchase their smartphone over iPhone, Blackberry, or the army of Android OEM’s sporting customized UI’s.

It might be wiser for Nokia to take a cue from carriers and strike up exclusive deals with app developers in order to help distinguish themselves from rivals big and small.

Unfortunately Nokia is not launching a Windows Phone 7 device this year, which means the company may find themselves in 2012 competing against yesteryear’s devices instead of the next generation of smartphones.

Originally posted on March 24, 2011 @ 2:07 pm

Nokia Sells Off Qt, Keeps Symbian Hope Alive

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After embracing Windows Phone 7 to the shock of everyone, Nokia has now sold off Qt which might be good news for Symbian and MeeGo fans.

Digia has reached an agreement with Nokia to acquire the relevant licenses for Nokia’s Qt software group. […]

“We are excited to extend our Qt business to serve our new customers. Building on our in-depth Qt expertise and experience from demanding mission critical solutions, we will offer world-class commercial licensing and support services to Qt Commercial customers,” said Digia SVP Harri Paani in a statement.

“We also look forward to driving further the evolution of Qt by bringing in new features and services.” (Know Your Mobile)

While it seems puzzling why anyone would want to own Qt (especially with Android dominating the globe), acquiring the “dying” platform is a wise move by Digia as it will enable them to gain a foot hold in the OS mobile wars without building something from scratch (think Samsung’s Bada).

Despite the sale (or rather the sale of the right to license the platform), Nokia is retaining their copyright’s to the platform, which might signal that they are not entirely wagering their existence upon Windows Phone 7.

Originally posted on March 8, 2011 @ 3:29 pm