Nokia announces the X and X+, its first Android phones Beware Samsung

Nokia is officially launching its very first Android devices, known as the X and the X+, on stage at its annual Mobile World Congress press conference. We were all taken aback by the second (and third) device (since only one leaked), so it's incredible to see Nokia make such a huge foray into enemy territory. The X will have a 4-inch, 840 x 480 IPS screen, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage expandable storage via microSD slot and 3-megapixel camera, while the X+ sports the same specs but more RAM (768 MB) and an included 4GB microSD card. You won't be getting Google's apps or Play store, however as both handsets will be based on the forked AOSP Android OS. Nokia says that'll have the advantages of the Android ecosystem, but with a "differentiated experience." So far, Here Maps, MixRadio, Skype and Outlook are being featured on the Nokia Store. You can access the Nokia and third party stores using the devices, but not Google Play, obviously. We've heard SwiftKey will be available on the Nokia X range (and for free, too), as will BBM, which is also coming to Windows Phone sometime "this summer."
The new devices are featuring a ported version of FastLane for Asha devices as a sort of skin, to give a similar experience as its other budget handsets. When you swipe across it, it'll bring up a sort of notification bar showing recently used apps, missed calls and texts and other activities. During the demo, Elop showed both the Nokia Store also Yandex, where he pulled down Aero Express, a Russian-flavored app. The X will be available immediately in growth markets (ie, not the US) and run 89 euros. The X+, meanwhile, will run 99 euros but won't arrive until sometime in Q2 this year.

Nokia unveils Lumia Icon with 4 mics, 20MP camera

Nokia is selling a new Windows-powered phone that promises enhanced video-recording capabilities.

The new Lumia Icon sports four microphones, compared with the one or two typically found in smartphones. The two on the front are activated when making phone calls, while the two on the rear are used when taking video - to better capture sound coming from the subjects.

The Icon takes video in 1080p high-definition resolution as well as still images of up to 19 megapixels. The resolution for still images isn't as sharp as the 38-megapixel maximum on Nokia's flagship Lumia 1020, but that allows the Icon camera to be flatter, without a protruding lens.

Nokia is one of the main companies making phones based on Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 system. The system is growing in use, but it lags iPhones and Android devices in market share. Many apps come to iPhones and Android devices first.

Microsoft is trying to boost its Windows Phone system as sales of traditional personal computers decline. Microsoft is buying Nokia's phone business and patent rights for $7.3 billion in a deal expected to be completed by the end of March.

The Lumia Icon will be available starting February 20 through Verizon Wireless for $200 with a two-year service contract, or $550 without.

The Icon is similar to Nokia's Lumia 1520, except its screen measures just 5-inch diagonally, compared with 6-inch on the 1520. The 1520 is available only through AT&T.

The Icon supports wireless re-charging and works with a variety of charging mats and other accessories sold separately.

Android OS Phone By Nokia - Nokia X Coming On Feb 24, 2014

Android OS Phone By Nokia - Nokia X Coming On Feb 24, 2014

 

Nokia plans to launch its first Android based smartphone on February 24, according to a report of The Wall Street Journal. This is however not the first time that reports of a Nokia Android phone has surfaced. The Mobile Indian had earlier also reported about the Nokia X with Android operating system.

The Nokia X is expected to feature a 4-inch touchscreen display with 480x800 pixel resolution. Its design would be a simple marriage of the Nokia Asha and Nokia Lumia series models. Reports also suggest that the smartphone would be powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and 512 MB RAM. The Nokia X will be offered in dual-SIM and is expected to be priced under Rs 10,000 for India.

Nokia Normandy and Asha edition phones pics leaked

Nokia just can’t seem to keep its unannounced phones from slipping out and this time around, we’ve got two of them – the Normandy and an Asha edition device. See the black colored handset caught trying to look up Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra on Bing? It’s supposed to be an upcoming Asha.

Its design varies dramatically from the new Asha series phones Nokia launched last month. Putting on Captain Obvious’ hat, the unnamed gadget will have a touch display that’s inexplicably wide and sport a physical home button. Now why does the design look so old school to us? Difficult to put a finger on it.

Nokia Moneypenny will be a Windows Phone Blue handset with dual SIM slots

In the first half of this month, there was news of Nokia’s Moneypenny, Goldfinger, Spinel, Normandy and Phantom code names for its upcoming devices. The first mentioned has popped up again through none other than @evleaks. No surprises there, the Finnish company appears to be getting careless with the details on its future launches.

If it isn’t, at least a couple of folks are having a good laugh at our excitable nature. The latest is that the James Bond-inspired Moneypenny nickname belongs to none other than a Windows Phone Blue smartphone. The mobile OS we’re referring to is essentially Windows Phone 8.1 which is painted out to be a major update to the software.

But it’s not the first time we’re hearing this detail. The Goldfinger is allegedly going to run the OS too, but more on that later. The reason the Moneypenny has come up again is because the rumor insists on the likelihood of dual SIM slots under the hood. So it’s slightly possible that the handset won’t be a very high end one.

The Verge thinks the Goldfinger will be a flagship device with 3D Touch. Meaning users may be able to tackle certain functions on it without touching the screen. It may shape out to be sort of like the gimmicky floating touch by Sony or the Galaxy S4’s Air Gesture feature. Both of them have very little reason to exist.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying hands-free interfaces aren’t future-proof. But there must be a better way of integrating such technologies so that users intuitively access their gadgets without stopping to evaluate the interaction options.

Nokia Lumia 525 with a sleek design launched

A new Nokia Lumia handset, identified as Lumia 525, has been spotted. Press images of the handsets were published on Facebook, a social networking site.

Nokia Asha 502 & Asha 503 leaked specs and review

A recent spew of leaks had earlier revealed that Nokia was planning to dish out seven new devices. While there has been a lot said about the Bandit and Sirius, a new leak hints at two other handsets  on the list – Pegasus and Lanai.

Evleaks has now revealed that the Pegasus may be called the Asha 502 while the Lanai could be christened Asha 503. The tweet with this information actually reads, “Nokia Pegasus / Nokia Lanai = Asha 502 / Asha 503 (doubleshot).”

According to earlier leaked images, the Nokia Asha 503 is believed to replace the hardware Back key with a capacitive one. The front panel of the smartphone could be covered by a curved glass. There is also speculation of the smartphone coming with a 5-megapixel rear camera with a LED flash.

The Asha 503 is also expected to come with a dual-SIM version. It is believed to resemble the Asha 501 that was launched earlier in May. On the other hand, not much is known yet about the Asha 502 or Pegasus on the specifications front. However, both Asha 502 and 503 are likely to be built from polycarbonate and come dipped in a range of vivid shades. There is speculation that Nokia may be planning to announce the two phones sooner, rather than later.

Nokia Lumia 925 available at online store Flipkart pre-orders for Rs. 33,999.00

Nokia Lumia 925 available at online store Flipkart pre-orders for Rs. 33,999.00

Nokia Lumia 925 single GSM microSIM support, the phone comes  with Windows Phone 8 operating system which is both extremely functional and intuitive with features like a kids’ corner, data sense to cut down on your usage wisely, easy back ups and a whole new start screen apart from NFC support as well.

The operating system rests proudly on the 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual core processor backed by 1 GB RAM that ensures that the phone runs as smooth as silk making multitasking as easy as living itself. Open multiple pages, run as many apps as you want – the Lumia 925 performs without a hitch.

Display
The 4.5 inch capacitive AMOLED touchscreen comes with WXVGA resolution and 16 M color depth. Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for extra protection, the Lumia 925 comes with a wider viewing angle to allow reading from all angles, sculpted glass and super sensitive touch that you can use even with gloves.

Nokia Asha 501 detailed review

Nokia’s Asha 501 launch was a grand affair, so much so that Nokia’s very own CEO Stephen Elop flew down to our nation’s capital for the big unveiling. The Asha series hasn’t exactly been a runaway success mostly because, even at its selling price, the user experience left a lot to be desired. Local smartphone makers have changed the perception of a cheap mobile phone. After being exposed to Android ICS at prices as low as Rs 5,000, the Asha series paled in comparison.

The Asha 501 is the first in the new series of Asha phones with which Nokia hopes to gain better traction against the never ending horde of budget droids. We’ve had a chance to spend some time with the phone so here’s our first impression of the device. 



 Display
The 3-inch display feels a little too small for a phone without a keyboard. Not only that, the resolution (240 x 320) is very low which makes everything pixelated. Don’t be fooled by the crisp and vivid display seen on Nokia’s website or the press shots; it looks nothing like that in reality. The screen sensitivity is pretty good however and even slight gestures are registered. There’s no ambient light sensor onboard, just a proximity sensor and accelerometer.

 Interface
The Asha 501 debuts Nokia’s brand new Asha software platform v1.0. The UI is quite a bit faster as compared to the older Asha series but not what we’d called smooth. With just 64MB of RAM onboard, the interface gets sluggish quite fast. The other issue that’s parcelled with a new platform is apps. The ones available for the previous Asha series will have to be ported over so apps like Whatsapp is still not available for the 501.

The new UI gets rid of Nokia’s typical S40 homescreen. Switching the 501 on will take you straight to the list of apps on your phone. Nokia has added a new feature called ‘FastLane’ which essentially keeps a track of any and all activity performed on the 501. This means, you can just swipe right from the homescreen to see your recent activity and jump to that app directly.

 The audio quality is quite good given the size of the speaker. Music and alerts can be heard clearly, even in relatively noisy environments. Video playback is not great due to the low resolution screen. The camera has a fixed-focus and quite frankly, it wouldn’t have made a difference if it weren’t there. 

The Nokia Asha 501 is definitely a fresher and more interesting offering compared to its predecessors. A couple of features you’ll find lacking in the 501 is 3G and a front-facing camera but we won’t hold this against it since it's supposed to be an entry-level phone. Looking at the market however, we do feel the pricing is a bit high especially since you can find Android handsets with better specifications around the same price (the Karbonn Smart A4+ is one such example). The low resolution screen and lack of popular apps could be the two big factors to hold back sales of the device. 

Online price in India 
Rs. 5,199-5,400

Nokia Maps Added With Traffic Feature, starting with Delhi and Mumbai

Starting with Delhi and Mumbai Nokia has added the Traffic Update feature to the Location Services portfolio on Nokia Maps. At the moment, this is available for users in Delhi and Mumbai. The service is powered by NAVTEQ Traffic Pro, and will depend on data collected from users.

Before setting off, users can feed in the destination into Nokia Drive or Nokia Maps, and get an idea of the traffic situation along the way. The service refreshes every two minutes, and will re-route on the fly in case the situation changes.

“The launch of this traffic feature on Nokia smartphones reflects the ever-growing consumer appetite for more interactive location based services beyond the traditional turn by turn navigation. Going forward, we will continue to introduce more location-aware services that represent the future of mobility for consumers in India”, said Rajat Tandon Director Sales, Nokia, Location & Commerce.

Nokia reveals Net loss of $1.2 bn Double than expected

The world leader in the manufacture of mobile phones, Nokia of Finland, reported a quarterly net loss of 929 million euros ($1.2 billion) in the first quarter of the year was far beyond the loss of 554 million euros broadly expected by analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

Sales fell by 30 percent on a 12-month comparison to 7.354 billion euros, and this figure was in line with analysts' expectations.
Shortly after the results were announced, the price of shares in Nokia was showing a gain of 1.0 percent in an overall Helsinki market which had advanced by 1.2 percent.
"We are navigating through a significant company transition in an industry environment that continues to evolve and shift quickly, Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop said.
"Over the last year we have made progress on our new strategy, but we have faced greater than expected competitive challenges," he said.

The Finnish company is undergoing a major restructuring, phasing out its Symbian line of smartphones in favour of a partnership with Microsoft that has produced a first line of Lumia smartphones.
Nokia is depending heavily on the new phones to help maintain its ranking as the world's biggest maker of mobile phones as it operates in a rapidly changing landscape with RiM's Blackberry, Apple's iPhone and handsets running Google's Android platform take growing bites out of its market share.

Nokia 808 PureView First Look

Nokia's first Android phone: Tukeva 500

MobileCowboys was able to meet with a Nokia employee who shared this news
In Barcelona surprised Nokia friend and enemy with the revealing of new Symbian multi mediums apparatus, 808 the Pureview and some days suffered dove all of a sudden the rumour on that the Finns also still would work for two, cheaper, MeeGo smartphones. From that you are able conclude that the Windows Phone marriage with Microsoft (provisionally) are no monogamous matter, or become.
Yesterday (Friday) I had an appointment with highplaced Nokia employee, in the buurt of Düsseldorf, far gone of Nokia's offices and burelen here in West Europe. What I to see there got my mouth did fall open and if I would carry shoes then that had now break. Nokia has the past 8 months, thus a spokesman did not let slip, for the Tukeva 500, an apparatus with, fright, Android worked Jellybean. The name, Finnish for tough is not yet final but a work name which is chosen by the project employees, possible clear to make that Nokia still the balls has to surprise the world.