Rumor Mill: Nokia replacing Symbian with Maemo in N-Series devices

Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
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Author: pradhana
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Filed under: Nokia, Smartphone

By Phil Goldstein

Nokia plans to stop using the Symbian platform by 2012 in its entire N-Series line of devices in favor of Maemo, according to a report on The Really Mobile Project blog.

The blog, citing comments from Nokia's Maemo marketing team at an event in London, said that the transition will be gradual. Nokia's first Maemo-based smartphone, the N900, has been intended as a "bridge" device aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts, the blog said, but the company will gradually release more mass-market Maemo devices in the coming years.

Nokia declined to comment on the specific claims in the report, but said it remains committed to Symbian. "While it is our policy not to disclose details of our product roadmap, we'd like to explicitly communicate that we remain firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice," the company said in a statement. "Any speculation on what our 2012 roadmap, including operating systems and product branding, are completely premature."

In the statement, Nokia said that it has multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets. "Symbian is more successful than ever in bringing smartphones to the masses," Nokia said. "Maemo is our software of choice for devices based on technology that you'd typically find inside a desktop computer. It delivers a different user experience and enables us to widen the market we can address."

Nokia's N-Series typically denotes high-end smartphones that run the Symbian operating system, though Symbian has been trickling down into Nokia's mid-range line of phones.

The N900 went on sale in the United States today for $649, and will be sold online and in Nokia's flagship stores. Notably, the device did not attract support from any of the major U.S. carriers. Amazon.com is selling the device unlocked for $510. [FierceWireless]

Nokia Seeing Corporate Demand for First Netbook

Posted: Friday, November 20, 2009
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Author: pradhana
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Filed under: Netbook, Nokia

By Phil Goldstein

Nokia said it has so far seen strong interest from corporations and enterprise users for its first netbook, the Booklet 3G, according to a company executive. The device was first unveiled in August and is set to go on sale in the United States through Best Buy.

"When we launched the Booklet 3G ... we thought it to be primarily a consumer device, but after the launch a big, growing interest is coming from companies," said Heikki Norta, head of Nokia corporate strategy, according to Reuters. "No one knows yet if a booklet kind of device is the next device that will be used by millions, or hundreds of millions, of people, but right now it looks like, if not for mass market, there is clear demand."

In October, AT&T Mobility said it would sell the Booklet 3G for $299.99 to customers who sign up for a two-year AT&T mobile data contract. The device will cost $599 for customers who do not opt to go with the AT&T plan, and will be sold exclusively at Best Buy locations as well as Best Buy Mobile stores. Nokia said the device was supposed to go on sale by mid-November, but a check of Best Buy's website shows the device is on back order.

The netbook sports HSPA and WiFi connectivity and features a 10-inch glass HD-ready screen, up to 12 hours of battery life and support for Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system with a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor. [FierceWireless]

Orange Introduces Twitter Photo Sharing via MMS

Posted: Thursday, November 19, 2009
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Author: pradhana
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Filed under: Mobile Applications, Mobile Content

By Jason Ankeny

European operator Orange announced an agreement with microblogging giant Twitter to enable subscribers to send and receive Twitter updates directly from their phones via text messaging--according to Orange, it is also the first mobile carrier to enable Twitter photo uploads and sharing via MMS.

Orange notes that customers will be able to update their own tweets, send direct messages to other Twitter users and receive alerts on Twitter activity through SMS--all alerts will be available free, with uploads included either in subscribers' bundles or charged at the usual data rate. In addition, users can post their photos to Orange UK's Snapshot photo-sharing site, which automatically posts the link directly to Twitter in a tweet and enables followers to add comments.

Twitter also will join Facebook, MySpace and Bebo as part of Orange's Social Life social media aggregator, accessible via the Orange World portal. Social Life enables subscribers to view and post updates and get in touch with contacts across all four social networks at the same time via single log-in. [FierceMobileContent]

Report: Apple Passes Nokia in Handset Profitability

Posted: Thursday, November 12, 2009
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Author: pradhana
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Filed under: Market Survey

By Phil Goldstein

Not only can Apple make a compelling smartphone, it also can make a profitable one. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, Apple surpassed Nokia for the first time in the third quarter to become the most profitable handset maker.Apple had $1.6 billion in operating profit in the quarter from its iPhone handset division, while Nokia had $1.1 billion in operating profit from its handset division, according to the firm.

The results are not entirely surprising given the disparate performances of the two companies in the quarter. Apple sold 7.4 million iPhones in the quarter and had its most profitable quarter ever, while Nokia shipped fewer handsets on a year-over-year basis, and saw its global smartphone marketshare decline from 41 percent to 35 percent.

The changing dynamics of the handset market underscore the way smartphones have come to dominate growth in the industry. It was a little more than two years ago that Apple first broke into the handset market with the original iPhone, and yet the company has quickly become a major player.

Alex Spektor, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, said that strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls have helped Apple break into the market. Meanwhile, Nokia is still the world's leader in smartphone marketshare, but, according to the research firm, the company must make further inroads in the U.S. market.

"Strategy Analytics believes that the United States, where Nokia now trails Apple in marketshare, is the key to Nokia's recovery in 2010," Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston said in a release. "A successful fight on Apple's high-profit home turf can simultaneously help to revitalize Nokia's margins and to put a check on Apple's surging growth." [FierceWireless]

Mobile Handset Accessories Market to Turn Over Nearly $55 Billion This Year

Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009
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Author: pradhana
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Filed under: Market Survey

By the end of 2009 the world’s mobile handset accessories market will have chalked up a value of nearly $55 billion. That represents a small decrease from the 2008 figure, surprising only in that the decline hasn’t been larger. “While improving slightly,” says industry analyst Michael Morgan, “handset accessory market growth will remain somewhat sluggish in 2010, and not until 2011 will the 2008 figure be surpassed. After that, we expect, strong growth will resume.”

Within that overall picture, certain segments – notably the very important memory card market – face particular challenges. The memory card market, says Morgan, has been so oversupplied that selling prices are barely above production costs. Those conditions may be starting to change, however. “While it’s always dangerous trying to call the bottom of a market, very recently it has begun to look as if memory card prices are stabilizing and even starting to rise slightly.”

One positive result of the low prices – positive for the consumer – is the increase in capacity of cards that are offered “in the box” with mobile handsets. Whereas 512 MB or 1 GB cards were formerly the norm, the low prices mean that buyers are pleasantly surprised to find cards up to 8 GB accompanying their phones. That’s seen as a positive selling point by handset vendors, since the multimedia capabilities of many models today chew through storage and processing power as never before.

Faced with the commoditization of their products, some memory vendors are starting to experiment with new ways of increasing the cards’ value to consumers, such as pre-loading them with music, or having a card include both a video game and supporting software, so when it is added to a phone, it will not only provide the game but improve the device’s gaming capabilities. [ABIResearch]