Showing posts with label Nokia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nokia. Show all posts
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Nokia’s Lumia 1020 a game-changer, Lumia 625 a dampener?
Nokia’s Lumia series of phones have done well but not well enough to take on the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy phones, but now, Nokia is ready with a new handset, the Lumia 1020, whose high-end 41 megapixel sensor could be a game-changer for the Finnish mobile phone giant but the new Lumia 625 may somewhat be a dampener.
The high-end camera would allow the Lumia 1020 to take a litany of ultra large photos, which would be crystal clear, and in this, Samsung Galaxy phones would be beaten hands down as most of its mobile phone cameras are typically the 8 MP types.
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| The Nokia Lumia 1020. |
Many argue that the actual megapixels of the 1020 are around 35 instead of the 41 MP claimed by Nokia.
But that would make little difference. Owners can also swiftly adjust camera settings with the help of the Nokia Pro Cam, the default camera app for Nokia Lumia’s 1020.
Exposure levels and shutter speed along with white balance can be changed. There is a Xenon flash to give high quality night images. The Nokia Smart Cam allows you to take a series of photos that you can put together to make a single action shot.
Users can add a motion blur effect to enhance the action, and it is also handy for getting the best shot out of a moving object. The 1020 runs on Microsoft Windows Phone 8 operating system, which doesn’t give many apps as Android or iOS does. A drawback here!
But the Lumia 1020’s high-end smartphone features are mind blowing. The 1020 is bundled with the dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, whose speed is just great, and has adequate storage space for 2,000 high resolution photos, owing to its 32 GB space.
Among other features of the Nokia Lumia 1020 are:
• A 2,000 mAh battery, which is just great!
• LTE GSM 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 1,900 MHz
• Bluetooth 3.0
• USB 2.0
• Sensors are: Ambient light, Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Magnetometer
Nokia Lumia 625
Nokia Lumia 625 is, meanwhile, going to have the biggest ever screen for any Lumia series phone. The device will be offered with a 4.7-inch LCD screen and a five megapixel autofocus camera, which has an LED flash.
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| The Nokia Lumia 625. |
The latest smartphone from Nokia’s stable also has a front VGA camera and is propelled by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor.
Lumia 625 is a Windows 8 phone and will come in a slew of colours. This phone is likely to be available around October.
So, with the new high-end camera phone Lumia 1020 and a modified version 625, Nokia is eyeing to disrupt the Samsung Galaxy run but could the 1020 be a game-changer with its 41 MP sensor?
Monday, August 24, 2015
Will Nokia be in the limelight with Lumia 800?
Samsung Galaxy had put Nokia out of the limelight in the smartphone market but the resilient Nokia seems to be lining up plans to grab a substantial share of this segment with the launch of its Windows-based cellphone, the Lumia 800.
This move by Nokia is in the wake of a litany of Google Android phones on the Samsung Galaxy handsets as well as the Apple iPhone series that have flooded the market.
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| The Nokia Lumia 800 |
The pricing of the Lumia 800 has been done judiciously, and ranges from around Rs 27,000 to Rs 30,000. This strategy has been adopted to take on its rivals.
The smartphone comes with an internal memory of 16 GB, which is adequate for almost all requirements, and also has a 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor combined with Microsoft Windows phone 7.5 Mango operating system.
All these are contained within a unit which has dimensions of 116 mm x 60 mm wide while being 12 m in thickness and weighing 142 g.
The Lumia 800 has a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive display screen which provides touch screen functionality and additional touch sensitive controls for easy navigation.
The screen operates at 480 x 800 pixels and is able to accurately display up to 16 million colour combinations, which is simply amazing.
The screen operates at 480 x 800 pixels and is able to accurately display up to 16 million colour combinations, which is simply amazing.
“It’s a gamechanger for Nokia,” said Nokia India marketing director Viral Oza.
“We have redefined what we mean to Nokia customers. Nokia is desperate in its bid to make the Lumia 800 work,” said an expert tracking the cellphone market in India.
If the Lumia 800 does not become a hit, Nokia will adopt a conservative marketing plan, he added.
This statement is a clear indication that Nokia is desperately making a bid to regain lost ground (to Samsung and Apple) in the high end smartphone and tablet market.
Apple and Samsung have surged ahead with their smartphone products like iPhone and the Galaxy series and it may take quite a while for Nokia to dent the smartphone market because it never had a handset that could take on the likes of Galaxy or iPhone.
However, Nokia still dominates the cellphone market in India with around 30 per cent share but this is fast eroding, owing to the conservative marketing approach of Nokia.
Moreover, Nokia’s first Windows-based Lumia 800 has been encountering a software glitch in just a few days of its launch, which could add to the woes of the company desperately trying to make its presence felt in the high-end smartphone market.
The Lumia 800 could face a lukewarm response in Europe and if this trend trickles into India, it may not come as glad tidings for Nokia.
As per reports pouring in from a British daily, a sample sales of 5,000 handsets found that Lumia captured even less than 0.2 per cent of the market.
So, despite these drawbacks in the Lumia 800 (poor response in Europe and an initial software glitch), Nokia is trying to be in the limelight in the smartphone market, which actually could prove to be quite difficult.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Microsoft buy, Lumia 1320 and 525 launch could spur Nokia’s market share
The proposed acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft is set to give the former more teeth and has already prompted the Finnish major to announce two Lumia smartphone launches – the 1320 as well as the 525 – in a bid to close the gap with arch rival and leader Samsung along with other major handset makers like Sony, LG and Micromax.
The 1320 would be Nokia’s second phablet with six-inch screen and 720p display. It has been designed on the lines of the Lumia 1520 and the new device would come for around $350 (US market price but it could be different for India).
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| The Nokia Lumia 1320. |
It also comes with a 1.7 Ghz dual-core processor, 1 GB RAM, 5 MP camera and 3,400 mAh battery.
The Lumia 525, which comes for $199, has a four-inch touchscreen, Snapdragon 1 Ghz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM.
Nokia India on Friday announced that its two new Lumia devices, the large screen (6-inch) Nokia Lumia 1320 and the Nokia Lumia 525 - a variant of Lumia 520 - will start selling in the country in the first half of January.
The company recently entered the six-inch screen devices or phablet market with the roll out of the Nokia Lumia 1520, priced at Rs 46,000. While the company has not announced prices of the new devices, it said the Lumia 1320 would be priced around half of Lumia 1520.
“The year has been a good one for the Lumia series phones in India. We have launched nine Lumia handsets this year, and after these two new devices are rolled out, I am sure many others would flock for our Lumia smartphones,” Vipul Mehrotra, Middle East and Africa director (smart devices), Nokia India, had said.
With a slew of upgrades as well as by introducing new phones in the budget Asha and high-end Lumia series, Nokia has started offering variety but the Lumia handsets are a shade behind Samsung’s Galaxy phones in performance, which are also judiciously priced.
The handsets would be available in India before Microsoft acquires Nokia, which could be around six months.
The US giant acquired Nokia’s handset unit for about $7 billion. For two years, Nokia and Microsoft were on a tie-up for using Microsoft’s operating system for Nokia’s range of Lumia phones.
So, the roll out of the Lumia 1320 and 525 smartphones may not be enough for Nokia to eat into Samsung’s market substantially for now but Microsoft’s acquisition could bring the Finnish major into the limelight again.
Nokia hopes to rev up sales with X2-01 and C2-01
Nokia could be eyeing a big push in emerging markets with its newly launched low-cost handset, the X2-01, that has a full QWERTY keypad and another economically-priced new 3G handset, the Nokia C2-01, with which it is targeting to shore up sales revenue in the wake of India’s 3G revolution.
But will this move to launch a cheap QWERTY phone (Nokia X2-01) eat into the market share of low-cost Indian handset makers like Micromax, Karbonn and Lava in a big way? That possibility cannot be ruled out.
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| The Nokia X2-01 |
The Nokia X2-01 will be rolled out in the European market by December 2010 and will carry a price tag of around €80 (Rs 5,000). Nokia has not yet announced the availability and price of Nokia X2-01 in India. But the launch could take place during the January-March period.
The new Nokia X2-01 comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA screen and a VGA camera at the rear. The phone, which has multi-media features, is based on the Symbian 40 operating system. The new phone also offers social networking features like Facebook along with FM radio and music player.
The Nokia X2-01 offers access to media player, FM radio and the Ovi Music service, where users can opt for unlimited downloads of applications and games.
Among other features that the Nokia X2-01 has include GPRS/EDGE and a Micro SD support up to 8 GB. It measures 119.4 x 59.8 x 14.3 mm and weighs 107.5 gms.
This phone could come to use for messaging but is not ideally suitable for high speed data activity and could shy away customers who are looking for this feature. The camera has basic VGA features and this may come as a big hindrance factor also.
Also, with the onset of a 3G revolution in India, there may be few takers for a non-3G device handset like the Nokia X2-01. But the music features, like any other Nokia OVI music phone, are something to reckon with. Added to this is the stereo wired headset.
According to Nokia, the X2-01 will be available in red, deep grey, silver, lilac and azure colours. The light coloured phones will be suitable for men while the deep coloured ones could ideally be a woman’s choice.
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| The Nokia C2-01 |
Meanwhile, the new Nokia C2-01 has a 2-inch screen, offers a 3.2 megapixel camera and comes with the Series 40 operating system. Some key features include a music player, FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity. This phone supports micro SD memory card up to 16 GB, offers Nokia messaging for email and has access to Ovi store for unlimited music downloads.
The Nokia C2-01 can be billed the cheapest 3G hadset and comes for €70 (around Rs 4,500). At this price, it is surely going to take emerging markets like India and China by storm even as the Nokia X2-01 could face a few bumps.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
N9 is Nokia’s best phone this year
Nokia has finally rolled out its “coveted” first MeeGo handset, the N9, which could be billed as one of the best smartphones Nokia has ever developed.
The N9 is a high-end device and the MeeGo operating system it uses has been developed jointly by Intel and Nokia.
It has a polycarbonate unibody coloured shell and a 1 GHz processor along with a 1 GB RAM. The N9 comes in either a 16 or 64 GB storage capacity.
Though prices have not been revealed yet, the Nokia N9 could be priced at $650 and $750 for the 16 GB and 64 GB versions.
The slim-looking Nokia N9 comes with a large 3.9 inch fully-curved glass anti-glare touchscreen with an almost buttonless front (besides the camera and volume buttons).
The N9 has an 8 megapixel auto-focus camera in a Carl Zeiss lens. The camera has a big aperture, facilitating high quality images even in low light.
The Nokia N9’s camera has a flash and is capable of high definition (HD) video recording. Nokia claims that it is the world’s first smartphone that features a Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology, paving the way for surround sound with headphone.
This amazing handset comes with a string of other features such as front-facing camera for video calls, GPS, microSIM card and NFC support. The phone is pre-loaded with Angry Birds Magic, Galaxy on Fire 2 and Real Golf 2011 games.
The N9 phone’s NFC support allows transfer of photos and videos or connection to NFC Bluetooth speakers and headsets with just a tap of the phone.
The most distinctive feature of the Nokia N9 is the “all-screen” display, where users can swipe the screen to switch between applications.
Nokia, in order to wrest a part of its market share globally, is rolling out a slew of devices later this year.
Despite the hype and hoopla generated over the Nokia N9, there are certain things we need to wait and watch before giving a thumbs up to Nokia’s future launches with one of them being how well the new handsets integrate with the Windows Phone 7, the operating system of the new phones.
For Indians waiting with baited breath to grab the Nokia N9, there is, however, grim news. India doesn’t feature in the list of 23 countries where Nokia will inform customers about availability of the N9 prior to its launch.
This could be a bad move as the Indian market offers huge potential for high-end smartphones, the growth of which is set to be a whopping 100 per cent annually in the years to come.
With the mega launch of the no-buttons-only-swipe Nokia N9 phone, which is dubbed as Nokia’s best ever phone, the Finnish major is likely to see a turnaround in its fortunes globally, with the N9 all set to take on the likes of Apple’s iPhone4 along with other handsets such as Samsung’s Galaxy, among others.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Nokia’s E6 and X7 sales will hinge on features, price
In order to cater to the discerning tastes of mobile phone users worldwide, handset makers are constantly coming up with new offerings to spur sales and the latest one is from Nokia, which has unveiled two handsets — the E6 and X7 — based on the Symbian operating system.
The E6 and X7 will be the first smartphones with the Symbian Anna, which is the latest mobile operating system used by Nokia.
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| Nokia new E6 handset |
Some advantages of the Symbian OS are wider range of applications, high quality games, better in-built WAP browser along with PDF reader on phone.
Nokia is slated to shift to the Windows Phone 7, the principal operating system for its smartphones, from sometime next year.
The new Nokia E6 will be a business handset and will cater to company executives and small and medium businessmen. It comes with a 2.46-inch touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard.
According to Nokia, the smartphone can maintain its battery life for 681 hours on standby and allows over 14 hours of talk time over GSM. There is more to it as owners will be able to listen to music offline for up to 75 hours!
To spur its business use, the Nokia E6 will allow access to Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Communicator Mobile along with Microsoft SharePoint.
On the other hand, the Nokia X7 has a large 4-inch AMOLED touch screen and virtual keyboard.
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| The Nokia X7 |
It comes with an 8-megapixel camera and social networking functions, allowing users to check on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
This handset comes built-in with Fire HD and Asphalt 5 HD video games.
As of now, the Finnish handset giant has remained tightlipped on the price of the two phones and when they would roll out.
For the E6 and X7 phones to come into emerging markets like India, it seems those keen on lapping them up will have to wait for about a year.
Nokia is planning to install the Symbian operating system into some more phones, including the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01 soon.
Meanwhile in India, Nokia is planning to add a third touch-and-type phone to the current X3-02 and C3-01. The handset is likely to be a slide phone that could have a keypad and may support dual SIM. It could not be ascertained whether it will be a CDMA or GSM handset.
There is buzz that it may not be a 3G handset. So, for this phone to sell, Nokia will have to price it on par with basic handsets.
Phone makers target customers only in the short to medium term before the handset is replaced with a more high-tech gadget.
Nokia has been doing a commendable job with its smartphones as well as business phones. The key to ruling the smartphones market is constant innovation and Nokia has been among the top players in this.
So, if the E6 and X7 have their set of new features and are competitively priced, they could fetch substantial earnings for Nokia.
Nokia bets on new C2 series touchscreen phones
Nokia, which had once captured almost 50 per cent of India’s mobile phones market but has seen its share dwindle substantially to the likes of Samsung, LG and a slew of home-grown budget handset makers, has unwrapped a litany of handsets — the Nokia C2-03 and Nokia C2-06, which are dual-SIM phones, and the Nokia C2-02, a single-SIM handset.
All three models are built on the Symbian operating system S 40.
Nokia’s C2-02 and C2-03 will most likely come for $105 (nearly Rs 4,800) while the C2-06 is expected to be priced around $80 (Rs 5,000).
The C2 series phones are touch-and-type interface devices combining touchscreen as well as keyboard.
With these launches, Nokia wants to tap new phone users in developing markets like India, China and countries in South East Asia.
Nokia’s executive vice-president in charge of low-end mobile phones, Mary McDowell, said the dual-SIM phones will be “affordably priced” and come with maps and location-based services.
Speaking at a function in Singapore, McDowell said the phones will not need a data plan and its location will be transmitted through wireless towers.
The new C2 series handsets will have Nokia Maps for Series 40, which also has an offline version and hence lets users use it without data connection. The phones also come with radio and music player.
All the three devices look almost alike but the C2-06 apparently has a smoother finish and is available in more colours.
The three phones have a 2 megapixel camera on the back and a 10 MB built-in memory, which can be expanded to 32 GB through a microSD card.
The standby time of the C2 series phones is a whopping 400 hours, while talk time is five hours. The screens have 240 x 320 resolution and are compliant with up to 65K colours.
The C2 series phones also have a slot on the side which permits users to change SIMs without rebooting the system. The phones can memorise settings of five different SIM cards. That’s phenomenal!
The C2 series phones could be available in the next few months. The company has also revealed that, “From July, we will start shipping Nokia N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 with the new Symbian Anna software update.”
By the end of August, existing owners of these devices can also download the Symbian Anna.
Nokia said that over the next one year, it plans to launch up to 10 new Symbian-based smartphones in the market.
Nokia also unveiled its latest smartphone, the Nokia N9, which is an all-screen device that will allow users to navigate by swiping on the screen.
So, with the new C2 series touchscreen phones and a string of planned launches, Nokia could attempt to recapture a minuscule portion of the market provided it keeps its prices low, especially in price-sensitive markets like India.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Nokia set to rev up with Lumia 930, Lumia 635 and Lumia 630
In the wake of Samsung bringing in a litany of upgraded handsets, Nokia, which lost the number one slot to the Korean major and plans to rev up further, in San Francisco unveiled three Lumia smartphones – Lumia 930, Lumia 635 and the dual-SIM Lumia 630 – all of which operate on Windows Phone 8.1.
The Nokia Lumia 930 is the flagship handset and offers a 5-inch full HD display while the Nokia Lumia 635 and Nokia Lumia 630 come with the fascinating Windows 8.1 experience, bringing the seamless Microsoft and Lumia innovations at affordable rates.
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| The Nokia Lumia 930. |
The Nokia Lumia 630 is offered in two versions and is mainly for developing markets such as China and India.
Nokia added that the new Windows Phone 8.1 would now be available across the entire Lumia Windows Phone 8 range and this could give a fillip to Nokia’s Lumia brand, which has been losing out to Samsung’s Galaxy handsets.
The top-end Nokia Lumia 930 with Windows Phone 8.1 would be available with a 20-megapixel PureView camera with Zeiss lens and advanced Rich Recording, which is surely one of the USPs of this flagship smartphone.
The Lumia 930 also comes with a 1.2-megapixel front camera. There is a 5-inch Clear Black screen, which is offered with unmatched viewing of Vyclone, Netflix and Xbox Video, even in bright sunlight.
Nokia Lumia 930 is likely to be available in most markets, including India, in about a couple of months and could cost a tad above $600.
The Lumia 930 is propelled by a 2.2 GHz Snapdragon quad-core processor and has 2 GB of RAM. The device comes with 32 GB storage and a powerful 2,420 mAh battery, which allows 3G talk time of nearly 16 hours.
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| The Nokia Lumia 630. |
Meanwhile, the Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 have a colourful design, which come with changeable shells along with 4.5-inch Clear Black screen.
Having a Snapdragon quadcore processor, the Lumia 630 and 635 promise a fast social media with apps like WhatsApp, WeChat and Word Flow.
These two phones come in three versions, like the Lumia 630 in 3G single SIM, the first Lumia in 3G dual SIM and a high-speed Lumia 635 in 4G/LTE.
The Nokia Lumia 635 offers the same experience as high-end Lumia smartphones.
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| The Nokia Lumia 635. |
They include SensorCore with Bing Health and Fitness, Microsoft Office, free Nokia MixRadio streaming, Nokia Camera and free Global maps along with navigation from HERE.
The Lumia 630 and 635 are set to come to markets in about a month and would be priced between $160 and $200.
So, Nokia will get a big fillip to take on the Samsung Galaxy handsets with the roll out of the Lumia 930, 635 and 630 smartphones.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Nokia’s E7 smartphone priced at Rs 29,999
With the onset of 3G technology, all handset makers have revved up their offerings, with some of them rolling out Qwerty smartphones for as less as Rs 5,000, but Nokia’s E7, equipped with a four-inch touchscreen display and a slide-out four-row Qwerty keyboard, is priced at a steep Rs 29,999.
Despite the high price, the E7 is likely to be a much-sought-after business handset, with the phone becoming a subject of discussion even before it was launched.
Nokia is offering a special package to rope in buyers. The handset maker has tied up with telecom service provider Vodafone to allow usage of 2GB of data per month free for six months.
The handset has an eight megapixel camera and applications such as adobe PDF reader, world traveller app, Nokia Ovi maps with GPS navigation and anti-theft software for mobile.
The Nokia E7 handset will be able to open and read Microsoft Office documents. It can also create and edit new documents and have them sent by email while on the move.
“Consumers are looking for a device that allows them to do a lot more, both in their personal as well as their professional lives. Nokia E7 is an all-in-one business smartphone that offers a high quality mobile office experience coupled with compelling entertainment options,” D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director, Nokia India, said.
He added, “We are confident that with the E7, Nokia will redefine consumer expectations from smartphones.”
The E7 can also take high-definition quality, 720 p videos and store it on the in-built 16 GB memory.
The Nokia E7 also facilitates business communication, allowing users to configure up to 10 email IDs so that they can use the device to communicate while on the move.
The 3G-enabled phone supports data download speeds of up to 10.2 Mbps. The Nokia E7 phone also supports live television.
The Finnish handsets giant also revealed that the recently-announced Windows Phone 7 devices from the company will come only after a year.
Nokia has inked deals with Citibank, Standard Chartered, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank to provide easy EMI schemes to buyers and this offer will be available to consumers with credit cards of these banks only.
The high-end mobile phone market has been growing at a breath-taking pace. This is a segment that is always looking for upgradation and new technology on handsets and is prepared to keep these coveted phones only for the short term.
Nokia is a formidable force so far as making smartphones with touchscreen and Qwerty keyboards are concerned, that include the Nokia N900 and Nokia N97 Mini. The Nokia E7 looks like being among the best business phones and buyers know that only too well even though it is priced at Rs 30,000.
Nokia X2 priced at Rs 6,579
To cash in on the festival season boom, Nokia has rolled out its latest music phone, the Nokia X2 in the market with a price tag of Rs 6,579, which it hopes will find many takers as music phones at affordable prices have been a hit in the country’s markets.
The Nokia X2 is loaded with music features such as dedicated music keys and 3.5mm AV connector, FM radio with built-in antenna, a digital music player and loud stereo speakers. It comes with a 5 megapixel camera with flash and a video recorder, according to the company. This is a bewildering as the X3, which is positioned above the X2, has a 3.2 megapixel camera.
The Nokia X2 is a 2.5G mobile phone, supports GSM / GPRS / EDGE network connectivity. However, the phone has only 15MB memory.
The handset maker is eyeing the country’s youth who are looking for great music and social networking features in the new phone. The Nokia X2 offers access to Facebook from the home screen, latest games and apps downloadable from Ovi Store and Nokia Messaging for email and IM.
The handset provides 26.8 hours of continuous music playback time and the Windows Media Player 11 + Ovi music synchronisation, storage and transfer songs in more simple and quick manner.
Some advantages of the Nokia X2 handset include stylish body design and high playback time. But the disadvantages are that X2 is not an intelligent handset, scalability is limited and the camera is not an auto focus one.
“Nokia X2 is a fantastic mix of great music experience, excellent camera and Nokia services at extremely affordable price points targeted towards the Indian youth,” Nokia India Activation, Media and Online Marketing head Viral Oza said.
Earlier, the Nokia X2 came for Rs 5,999 and now the Finnish giant has revised its price to Rs 6,579. So, this move, taking into account that the phone has a limited memory, may prompt new buyers to shy away from the handset.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Nokia N8 smartphone priced at Rs 26,259
Besides, Ovi services, which will allow Nokia customers to download unlimited number of songs, the Nokia N8 is propelled by the Symbian 3 software, has an astounding 12 mp camera and 3.5 inches AMOLED display in an aluminium body.
It has USB support, making file transferring tasks easier, FM transmitter (normally, phones come with FM receivers) and can record high quality video and edit them.
Nokia N8 facilitates creation of myriad content, can connect to social networking sites and provides on-demand Web TV programmes and content. There are thousands of applications in the latest version of the Ovi Store that are optimised for the Nokia N8.
Speaking about the new handset, Viral Oza, head (activation, media and online sales and marketing), Nokia India, said, “Nokia N8 is a personal entertainment device designed for both a style leader and technology leader. People who buy the Nokia N8, besides getting a portable entertainment centre, will have more than 250 new experiences and features from a faster and more responsive user interactive to visual multi-tasking.”
He added that the smartphone is one of the seven models among Nokia’s N and E series, which form 22 per cent of Nokia’s total range of 33 models.
“Developers can seamlessly create custom applications and services using Symbian 3, with the Qt framework, and offer them to the 175 million Symbian devices, the world’s largest mobile user base,” Oza added. For now, Nokia will import the N8.
The smartphones market in India is pegged at 22 lakh and 30 crore globally. The figure for India is expected to double next year.
But with domestic players like Micromax, Spice, Karbon and Lava seeing near exponential growth to 33% in market share during the last six months from only 0.9 per cent last year, Nokia may have to hardsell the N8 to retain its leadership position in the Indian market.
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Nokia Asha 501: With 48 days battery life and economic pricing, it will storm emerging markets
Nokia Asha 501, which was rolled out recently, has a phenomenal feature: It is capable of offering 48 days of battery life on 2G networks while it is on a standby and this along with judicious pricing would surely see the 501 storming India’s as well as other emerging markets.
Nokia has been rolling out unique phones with one of the features being top class. For instance, earlier it had launched a phone, the Pureview, with a 41 megapixel sensor. So, on certain phones, it is concentrating on one particular feature but the move hasn't yet reaped much benefit.
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| The Nokia Asha 501. |
But the price of just over Rs 5,300 would make the Nokia 501 a very popular handset in not only India but other emerging markets as well.
The high-end 1,200 mAh battery on the palm-sized device would also pave the way for 17 hours of talk time and 56 hours of music playback, which is simply mind boggling.
This feature would surely help Nokia narrow its difference (sales) with the highest selling brand Samsung and help it gain popularity.
After all, a long battery life is something everyone is looking for, mainly those who use a mobile phone as a music system rather than a phone (which many do today). So, this is Nokia’s target audience for the Asha 501.
The Asha 501 seems to be a smaller variant of the Lumia Windows Phone series and is offered in a litany of bright colours such as red, blue, black, yellow, white and green. The phone also offers a multi-touch screen, Wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, a 3.2 megapixel camera and a MicroSD memory option, which can be expanded up to 32 GB.
According to Nokia, although the Asha 501 does not support 3G or 4G data speeds, it comes packaged with the new Nokia Xpress Browser, which compresses Internet data by nearly 90 per cent, making mobile browsing possible in developing markets and offering lower cost data options to users.
Almost 80 per cent of the world is believed to operate 2G handsets, so the 501 is based on 2G. But there are plans to upgrade the Asha series to 3G handsets.
The Asha 501’s evolutionary operating system is quick, responsive, easy to use and flexible. It comes with 40 built-in games.
The 501 will come in a single SIM variant and a dual SIM one with Nokia’s unique Easy-Swap SIM technology, which paves the way for switching SIM cards without powering off the device.
Nokia has teamed up with Airtel and Facebook to provide Asha 501 users on Airtel networks in Africa and India free data access via the Asha Facebook app and all mobile Facebook web pages.
The Asha 501 will hit the markets in Asia-Pacific, India, West Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe around June 2013.
So, with judicious pricing and a breath taking battery life, Nokia Asha 501 is set to storm India and other emerging markets.
Nokia Lumia 925 falls short of Samsung Galaxy S IV, Sony Xperia Z in features and price
Nokia, in a bid to dent Samsung’s market share, has rolled out an upgraded model of the Lumia 920 termed the Lumia 925 but the latter falls short in features and price so far as Samsung Galaxy S IV and Sony Xperia Z go.
Compared to the earlier Lumia 920, the 925 is better on a few counts and has some advantages over its predecessor like an enhanced camera, display and an improved and lighter body.
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| The Nokia Lumia 925. |
Actually, there is little change in the Lumia 925 compared to the 920 though. The Nokia Lumia 925 comes with the following features:
The Nokia Lumia 925 operates on a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB RAM and this is something that existed in the 920 as well. The Lumia 925 runs on Windows Phone 8. There is little change in the software compared to the 920.
The Nokia Lumia 925 is offered with an AMOLED screen with PureMotion HD+ and ClearBlack tech. The Nokia Lumia 920 had an IPS display unlike the AMOLED one in the 925. The Lumia 925 comes with smarter colours and more battery power.
Nokia Lumia 925, with its enhanced colours, also allows clearer low-light photographs when compared to the 920 where there were problems with the colour display.
The Lumia 925 comes with a metal casing where the rim surrounding the handset is made up of aluminium. But the back is made of polycarbonate.
This 925 is much lighter and weighs 139 grams against 185 grams weight of the Nokia Lumia 920. The wireless charging feature is currently available only in the Lumia 925.
Also, the Lumia 925 can fit in your palm more comfortably. Generally, the Nokia Lumia 925 is a commendable device with a high-end camera.
However, Nokia’s smartphones fall short of Android handsets (like the Samsung Galaxy series of phones) both on the hardware as well as the software fronts.
The Lumia 925 does not have the processing power, apps or multitasking features and resolution to vie with other big phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S IV, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z.
Pricing is also too high at Rs 32,000. In comparison, the Xperia Z comes for Rs 33,499 while the Samsung Galaxy S IV is priced at Rs 38,000.
Nokia’s Lumia series falls short of other brands like Samsung Galaxy phones and Sony’s Xperia and only judicious pricing along with enhanced features could have made the Lumia 920, the 925 and other high-end Lumia phones more competitive.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Nokia X, with Google’s Android platform, may be a dampener
Now, Nokia has jumped on to Google’s Android platform, rolling out the Nokia X for Rs 8,599 and it is slated to be available in just a couple of days but may become a dampener so far as features go.
Besides rolling out the Nokia X, which is based on the Android Open Source Project or AOSP, the Finnish major also unveiled that it would launch advanced versions based on the X platform, namely the Nokia X+ and Nokia XL, in about a few months.
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| The Nokia X. |
The dual-SIM Nokia X is propelled by a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512 MB RAM. It comes with a 4 GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 32 GB through a microSD card.
Nokia X is offered with a 3 MP fixed-focus camera but does not come with a crystal rectifier flash.
It has a 1,500 mAh removable battery, with the company saying that the chat time would be a whopping 10.5 hours on 3G and standby time is slated to be 28 days. The phone also comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and A-GPS.
The Nokia X operates on a tailor-made version of the Android, which is based on the Android 4.1.2. This also applies to the apps as well as the Play Store. Nokia X is offered with a HERE Drive, Nokia’s own apps store, maps for location service and Nokia MixRadio music service.
Unlike the three capacitive buttons on a Windows smartphone, the Nokia X comes with a single capacitive button for navigation.
With the Nokia X, the company also offers Microsoft cloud storage service, One Drive with the phone and is providing 10 GB of One Drive storage free. There is also one month of free unlimited Skype calls to land lines and mobile phones, which is being offered initially.
Instead of opting for the Nokia X, buyers can wait for the upgraded handsets as Nokia X’s users cannot access Google Play Store for apps as well as Microsoft services such as Bing search, Skype communications and OneDrive file storage.
The Nokia X+ would come with more memory and storage space. After the X+, there is a high-end phone, the Nokia XL, which would offer a 5-inch screen, 5 MP rear-facing and 2 MP front-facing camera.
The devices in the offing (the Nokia X+ and the XL) would also be propelled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor and be dual-SIM phones. A range of third-party apps is offered in a pre-installed format. They include BBM, Plants vs Zombies 2, Viber, Vine and Twitter.
Even though Nokia X’s price is cheap (although not great), the handset is a dampener on features.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Nokia Lumia 900: A big disappointment?
So, as Apple gears up to launch its new iPhone, Nokia has attempted to get first-mover advantage in a bid to maximise sales of the new Lumia 900 but this may end up to be a disappointment, actually.
The new Lumia 900 features Windows 8 operating system. Nokia Lumia operates on Qualcomm S4 dual-core Snapdragon processor and comes with NFC and LTE capabilities. This new Lumia 900 is clearly the flagship handset of the company.
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| The Nokia Lumia 900. |
Nokia is offering a string of hi-tech features and among them is a high-end camera. There had been requests by customers to make Nokia Maps work offline for the new Lumia.
This feature is now available (courtesy Microsoft Windows) and will allow users of the new Lumia phone to get maps at lightning speed and also help save costs while they are on the move.
Coming with a 4.3-inch screen, a 1.4-gigahertz processor and an 8-megapixel camera, the Lumia 900 comes with Microsoft software, which is almost untested. So, whether users will have glitches in the near or medium term remains a question.
The new Lumia has an unconventional look, which indicates that the target customer is the youth.
The new Lumia 900 is likely to be priced around Rs 30,000, and owing to roll out of this new phone, Nokia slashed prices of its old Lumia handsets by about 15 per cent.
Nokia felt another jolt after Microsoft said that the current set of Nokia phones were not sychronised to run on its new Windows 8 software, rendering them obsolete.
A big, big setback for Nokia, which has already been grappling with losses for the past year and was dislodged by Samsung as the number one handset maker in the world just a few months ago.
On the other hand, Apple’s technology for its iPhones has almost been seamless. And, with every new iPhone, Apple is on a drive to perfect its technology.
Meanwhile, Nokia has announced updates for Lumia 900 users in Canada and the US. Those who have a computer can download the update by connecting their smartphone to a computer and get it through the Zune software.
Mac owners can even take advantage of the Windows Phone 7 connector software. According to Nokia, three downloads will need to be completed and this could take about half an hour.
There are a slew of handsets set for launch in the coming months. They include Microsoft’s own Surface tablet as well as the second generation Galaxy Note smartphone besides of course Apple’s new iPhone.
At a time when Nokia is facing hardship (with its glitches and owing to Microsoft’s software not being compatible with other Lumia models), the new Lumia 900 could turn out to be a disappointment for the Finnish handset maker.
Friday, August 7, 2015
Will budget smartphones give Asha to Nokia?
So, after Samsung bosses started giving sleepless nights to Nokia’s management, it seems to be payback time for the Finnish company, which has launched budget smartphones, the Asha series of handsets, to take on rivals and re-emerge as the top player in the market.
The name Asha is self-explanatory and these phones are aimed primarily at the Indian and other emerging markets.
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| The Nokia Asha 306. |
The Asha 306 and Asha 311 phones will be sold from the next quarter and the price tag would be around $90 and $110 respectively.
Nokia Asha 305 is a cheap and dual-SIM phone while Nokia Asha 306 is believed to be the cheapest Wi-Fi handset up to date.
Both phones provide GPRS/Edge Internet capabilities, 2 megapixel camera, Nokia Maps as well as Nokia Life. Asha 306 offers support to video streaming through both GPRS and Wi-Fi.
The Nokia Asha 311 comes with a 3-inch, scratch-resistant capacitive glass screen with polarisation filters to improve visibility in the sunlight. Capacitive touchscreen will allow users to navigate with a stylus.
The 311 also has a 1 GHz processor which is very fast, considering it is a basic phone. The phone has 3.5 Internet capabilities along with a 3.2 megapixel camera. Nokia Asha 311 also provides 15 levels of Angry Birds that come pre-loaded onto the handset.
Nokia has been lagging far behind in comparison to Apple and Google in the smartphone category, with the Finnish giant losing the coveted number one position (in the overall cellphone market) in the recent past to Korea’s Samsung.
While bouncing back with a new series of budget smartphones that uses Microsoft software, Nokia is aiming to capture a huge chunk of the basic handset market with its full touchscreen phones.
This basic smartphone handset market saw sales (global) of over 100 million last year and the figure is set to go up manifold in the near to medium term, especially in emerging markets. So, Nokia may have to play the price game to reclaim its top position.
“Nokia needed these budget phones badly, especially in the emerging markets where rival Samsung has full-touch, low-cost devices like the Star since the last couple of years. Nokia will have to speedily make up lost ground with these new smartphones,” an expert tracking the global mobile phone market said.
Previously, Nokia did not have a budget smartphone and the Asha series will vie with cheaper Android phones from Samsung, Huawei, ZTE and home-grown players like Micromax.
The looks and features of Nokia’s Asha series of phones are impressive, and it is clear that with these new series of handsets, Nokia wishes to become a game changer in the mobile phone market in India and other emerging markets again.
Will Nokia 808 PureView hit digital camera market?
Nokia seems to have taken a big stride with its Nokia 808 PureView mobile phone that could hit the digital cameras market.
Its new 808 PureView is offering a breath-taking feature – a 41 megapixel sensor with the gadget. Not only that, the Finnish company has said that it will introduce the technology in all its gadgets.
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| The Nokia 800 PureView. |
The 808 PureView is slated for global launch in May this year and could reach Indian shores around June-August. The Nokia 808 PureView was unwrapped on the opening day of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Samsung had gained ground in the mobile phone space in view of its mind blowing touchscreen handsets. And now, Nokia is trying to regain territory on a different platform – high-end cameras, which the company hopes will rev up its sagging sales.
The high-density sensor is accompanied by a Carl Zeiss lens and new pixel oversampling technology.
The heavyweight sensor will pave the way for the phone to shoot minutely-detailed images at standard 5 and 8 megapixel resolutions while providing extremely high clarity of a mammoth 38 megapixel images, which users can crop as they want to.
The high-resolution sensor will also allow the phone to record 1080p HD video with 4x digital zoom, where every detail will be present. Nokia 808 PureView runs on the Symbian Belle operating system.
Other than the 41-MP sensor, the 808 PureView has several multimedia enhancements, which include a Rich Recording that allows audio recording. This is as good as a CD, so far as quality goes.
In a statement, the Finnish major said, “This is the first smartphone to come along with Nokia PureView imaging technology. It packs a punch with high-resolution sensors, exclusive Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia developed algorithms. These will pave the way for new high-end imaging experiences for future Nokia products.”
The Nokia 808 PureView also offers Dolby Headphone technology along with Dolby Digital Plus for 5.1 channel surround sound playback. It has 512 MB of RAM and 16 GB storage, using a microSD.
The Nokia 808 PureView’s navigation features are simply amazing with Internal GPS receiver (A-GPS), Nokia Maps with free navigation, Compass, Wi-Fi, network positioning and 3D Accelerometer.
So, will Nokia’s strategy of high-end cameras as USP on its handsets pay off, especially with rivals introducing a litany of features on new handsets?
Nokia needs to do much more – compete on the smartphones and multi-media front – to gain an edge over competitors as only introducing a high-end camera may not be sufficient to spur sales of the 808 PureView, which may, to an extent, be a cause of worry for digital camera makers.
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