Nokia future: Windows Phones :-(

534 Comments

1. February 12, 2011 at 9:17 pm

   Tomi says:

   Some more news/comments links on the topic:

   Introducing The Microsoft Puppet
   http://parislemon.com/post/3237400800/introducing-the-microsoft-puppet
   “When you consider the Microsoft had been attempting to buy Nokia — a move which would have cost billions upon billions — this is so brilliant. They really did just “buy” the company for free. ”

   The biggest newspaper in Finland “Helsingin Sanomat” told in the article (February 12 2011 page B8) that the license for Windows Phone 7 is estimated to cost 16 dollars per phone for Nokia. So now we will have that “Microsoft tax” also on many cellular phone like we already have on practically all PCs.

   Exclusive: Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 concept revealed!
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/11/exclusive-nokias-windows-phone-7-concept-revealed/
   “Nokia’s new design — the shape of these handsets is somewhere between its recent N8 and C7 Symbian devices and there is, as usual for Nokia, a choice of sprightly colors.”

   RIP: Symbian
   http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/11/rip-symbian/
   “This slide was just presented by Stephen Elop and Nokia CFO, Timo Ihamuotila, at Nokia’s Capital Markets Day. Although there’s no date listed, it’s clear that Symbian — a “franchise” OS that Nokia will “harvest” — will be wholly consumed by Windows Phone on Nokia devices just as soon as Nokia and Microsoft can complete the transition.”

   Intel defends MeeGo after Nokia defection: ‘Disappointment’, not despair
   http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/11/intel_sticks_with_meego/

   Intel kept in the dark over Nokia’s MeeGo plans; operators reject first device
   http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/02/12/intel-kept-in-the-dark-over-nokia%E2%80%99s-meego-plans-operators-reject-first-device/
   “Prior to the public announcement on Friday, Intel was kept in the dark with regards to Nokia’s plans to relegate MeeGo to a glorified R&D project, sources with knowledge of the situation tell TechCrunch Europe. We’ve also learned that Nokia’s first MeeGo device, originally scheduled to be announced late last year, has been sent back to the drawing board by operators.”

   Reply
2. February 13, 2011 at 10:31 am

   Tomi says:

   Nokia and Microsoft: 2 Losers = 1 Winner?
   http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/02/12/nokia-and-microsoft-2-losers-1-winner.aspx

   The combination of assets between Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is a fascinating alliance that has been born out of the desperation of two giants that aim to score a portion of the global smartphone gold mine. As powerful as Microsoft and Nokia have been in the past, and for all the resources and experience they can throw at developing a smartphone, the partnership is merely an opportunity and not a guarantee for success. Nokia will have to learn to swim in hostile waters that are just waiting to eat it alive. And even if it succeeds, it will lose in the end.

   Steve Ballmer’s Titanic is saving Elop and Nokia from Google’s and Apple’s sharks for now, but Microsoft has been unable to fix the leaks in its own Windows Phone 7 hull and hopes that Nokia may deliver a miracle.

   Nokia must have been extremely desperate, much more than what we have seen in public. In this alliance, Microsoft is taking the lion’s share of the cooperation’s benefit. As much as Microsoft said that it was happy with 2 million Windows Phone 7 units sold in Q4 2010, we know that Windows Mobile 6 still outsold the new platform. You can’t sugarcoat the Windows Phone 7 performance so far: It has been a failure

   Windows Phone 7 is marketed wrong. It’s a nice-to-have product without a positive lifestyle factor attached. It is not a must-have product. No one would complain if Windows Phone 7 was discontinued today.

   With Nokia on board, Microsoft has an opportunity to get about 30 million Windows smartphones out into the world,

   Reply
3. February 14, 2011 at 11:49 am

   Tomi says:

   On web applications:

   jQuery Mobile seems to support Windows Phone
   http://jquerymobile.com/

   Does anyone know will HTML5 work on this new platform?

   There are different views on the web article:

   Windows Phone 7 HTML5 – Not yet!
   http://www.html5trends.com/browsers/windows-phone-7-html5-not-yet/
   Microsoft has confirmed that it has not plans of supporting HTML5 in their upcoming mobile phone OS, Windows Phone 7 or just WP7. The browser in WP7 is a hybrid of IE7 and IE8, implying no HTML5 functionality. Microsoft earlier had trouble getting to terms with HTML5, but eventually came on board and implemented HTML5 in IE9 preview.

   Good news– HTML5 coming to Windows Phone IE Mobile after all
   http://wmpoweruser.com/good-news-html5-coming-to-windows-phone-ie-mobile-after-all/
   A few months ago we reported Microsoft Technology Evangelist Frank Prengel telling the world Microsoft had no concrete plans for HTML5 in Windows Phone 7.

   Reply
4. February 15, 2011 at 12:15 pm

   Tomi says:

   Some interesting reading:

   An open letter to Nokia shareholders and institutional investors
   http://nokiaplanb.com/
   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nokia-Plan-B/200700413277858?sk=info

   Reply
5. February 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm

   Tomi says:

   Translated comment from other blog:
   http://kfalck.net/2011/02/11/qt-creator-roskiin-ja-windows-phone-7-sdk-tilalle#comment

   “KENNU:
   I asked in Barcelona from one of Qt-manager from that which is migration strategy if we develop Qt applications, and later to move to Windows Phone 7. It does not exist. Qt was sold to us as one of the developers you unifying platform, but now it is deadlock.”

   Reply
6. February 17, 2011 at 10:26 am

   Tomi says:

   http://nokiaplanb.com/ was a hoax according to http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/article580426.ece?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-17022011

   Reply
7. February 17, 2011 at 2:57 pm

   Tomi says:

   Alas a short time later Nokia’ chairman of the board Jorma Ollila told Reuters the brutal truth, “These Windows-based products (will be on markets) from 2012 onwards.”

   Read more: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2026962/nokia-windows-phone-doa-2012?WT.rss_f=Home&WT.rss_a=Nokia+Windows+Phone+will+come+out+DOA+in+2012#ixzz1EDUBfKGK
   The Inquirer – Computer hardware news and downloads.

   Reply
8. February 21, 2011 at 10:17 am

   Tomi says:

   Microsoft Bans Open Source From Windows Phone Marketplace
   http://www.muktware.com/n/17/2011/778/microsoft-bans-open-source-windows-phone-marketplace

   It seems Micrsoft has deliberated added clause to its Windows Phone Market place to ban free and open source software. The company has specifically targetted the most powerful licence for free and open source software – GNU GPL v3

   More reading:
   http://www.maximumpc.com/article/%5Bprimary-term%5D/microsoft_bans_open_source_gpl_apps_windows_phone
   http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/02/17/1429229/Microsoft-Bans-Open-Source-From-the-Windows-Market

   Reply
9. February 21, 2011 at 10:19 am

   Tomi says:

   Symbian C++ to WP7 migration questions
   http://discussion.forum.nokia.com/forum/showthread.php?219222-Symbian-C-to-WP7-migration-questions

   I’ve spent the better part of today evaluating what migrating our Symbian software to WP7 would require. I’m guessing others here may be doing the same. Here are some limitations I’ve found for porting our Symbian app to WP7, but I’ve found info on WP7 to be a little inconsistent. Anyone here with WP7 experience that can elaborate or correct me on…

   Are these correct for WP7?:

   * Users may not set custom ringtones (our app exports ringtones )
   * No OpenGL-ES
   * There is no support for third-party C/C++ on WP7 (unlike either iOS or NDK on Android – Our C/C++ code base would have to be re-coded in a .NET-supported language like C# or Visual Basic) (update: possibly no C# XNA on Nokia WP7 phones.)
   * You can’t deliver any sort of native code library – everything is compiled to bytecode and run through a JIT-based VM. There are no intrinsics or vector-based instructions in the bytecode dictionary.
   * WP7 does not support third-party multitasking or background tasks. (UPDATE: Next release* to support third-party multitasking)
   * Third-party apps can not open network socket connections (UPDATE 2: Rumored coming in Q4 2011)
   * No support in browser for any streaming – i.e. no HTML5, no Silverlight, no Flash. (UPDATE: Next release* to include streaming in browser) (UPDATE 2: Browser can/will launch a separate media player to play MP4 files.)
   * Publishers are limited to a maximum of 5 free apps (UPDATE: $99 to publish up to 5 free apps, $20 each afterward)
   * OBEX is not supported
   * Only languages supported are: English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish (Q3/Q4 2011 will add Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and simplified Chinese)
   * Currently Apps can only be sold in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, UK and United States
   * No performance profiler, no memory profiler.

   Reply
10. February 22, 2011 at 11:55 am

    Tomi says:

    Comment on Nokia from
    http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/02/22/0119247/First-Alpha-of-Qt-For-Android-Released
    (and I can pretty much agree on all this)

    This is incredible. It’s hard to believe how stupid are some companies. Nokia had some awesome assets. How could they not see it?

    - You are the world’s largest manufacturer of mobile phones
    - You own one of the best development frameworks in the world, a framework that is 100% cross platform, and totally Unix friendly
    - The world is changing. Windows is decaying on desktops. Unix runs most servers, many desktops (combining Apple + GNU/Linux + other free Unix-like systems), and is the biggest mobile player (33% Android + 16% Apple)
    - You have an awesome linux-based mobile platform (meego).
    - Microsoft has consistently failed on the mobile market, and is irrelevant
    - Every organization that has ever partnered with microsoft has lost, big time

    So, the logical step is to throw away everything you have, ignore the market trend, and move to windows?

    What. The. Fuck.

    Partnering with Google, porting QT to Android, merging all cool meego functionality into Android, and cleaning up your product line didn’t ever cross your mind, Nokia?

    But you can see their main mistake was hiring Stephen Elop. Since he left Macromedia he couldn’t hold a job for more than a year. Nothing screams failure like a CEO that roams through 3 companies in 2 years. And he got to Nokia from Microsoft. Really Nokia, just WTF.

    Regardless, it doesn’t seem to be the only company that doesn’t get it. Most technology companies nowdays just plain don’t get it. This morning I broke my samsung phone (android 1.6), so I bought a new one (Galaxy, 2.1 Eclair). It came with a shitload of crappy samsung apps, an awful theme, gmail replaced for some stupid mail app, and Yahoo as the search engine (can’t be changed). I just rooted it, and installed Froyo. Looks awesome now. Why are technology companies boycotting themselves so badly lately? I just don’t get it. /rant

    Reply
11. February 27, 2011 at 11:06 pm

    Tomi says:

    Sherlock Holmes & Hound of the Nokiaville? Why Did Nokia Market Share Crash-Dive? I May Have An Answer..
    http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2011/01/sherlock-holmes-hounds-of-the-nokiaville-why-did-nokia-market-share-crash-dive-i-may-have-an-answer.html

    Reply
12. March 1, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Tomi says:

    I was in an interesting seminar where Tomi Ahonen talked about what he expects on the future of Nokia and mobile markets in general. I wrote news article on that to Prosessori magazine (also Tietokone published it).

    http://www.prosessori.fi/uutiset/uutinen2.asp?id=57406
    http://www.tietokone.fi/uutiset/mobiiliasiantuntija_huolissaan_nokiasta

    Text is in Finnish, Google translation to English here:
    http://translate.google.fi/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=fi&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prosessori.fi%2Fuutiset%2Fuutinen2.asp%3Fid%3D57406

    Reply
13. March 3, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    Tomi says:

    Jo Harlow rejects the idea that Symbian sales will evaporate overnight in the wake of the decision to go with Windows Phone 7.
    Nokia is planning to sell a large number of Symbian phones depite to fact that is has planned to kill the operating system. They expect the consumers to still buy Nokia Symbian phone relying to the fact that that big majority of the consumer have not heard the news on Nokia killing Symbian quite soon.

    Harlow admits the company missed out in the past few years as the center of the phone universe shifted to the U.S. from Europe and Asia.Nokia has been losing ground as Android and the iPhone become increasingly strong.

    Sources:
    http://mobilized.allthingsd.com/20110301/nokias-jo-harlow-outlines-the-game-plan-for-the-windows-phone-transition/
    http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/article586923.ece?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-03032011

    Reply
14. March 8, 2011 at 10:52 am

    Tomi says:

    More news:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/08/nokia_microsoft_deal/

    Nokia’s jaw-dropping decision to adopt Windows Phone 7 as its handset operating system was juiced by an equally jaw-dropping payout from Microsoft of over $1bn, according to a report citing people with knowledge of the deal.

    Bloomberg reports that Redmond will ship that $1bn to Espoo, Finland, in support of Nokia’s efforts to “promote and develop” smartphones based on Microsoft’s as-yet-unloved mobile operating system in a deal that’s set for “over five years.”

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/07/nokia_qt_bye/

    Nokia is flogging off the Qt commercial licensing and services business it acquired with Trolltech three years ago. Finnish software house Digia will pick up the business – and 19 developers from Nokia – for an undisclosed sum.

    Nokia bought Trolltech, a Norwegian developer, for £153m in early 2008, and made its C++ frameworks the centrepiece of its developer strategy. Qt had already been used to build successful consumer software products such as Google Earth and the Skype client, and was licensed to in-house developers.

    Nokia hoped to use Qt as the basis for a unified Qt API across its different platforms, including Symbian and Linux. But poor management saw the engineering work meander down several dead ends. By the time Nokia finally launched the APIs last September, it had a new CEO, and the new CEO very quickly decided Qt wasn’t enough to win back developers or customers for Nokia

    Reply
15. March 8, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    Tomi says:

    Microsoft Nokia: 5 year deal, royalties, billion dollar payments, not signed yet-Businessweek
    http://www.liveside.net/2011/03/07/microsoft-nokia-5-year-deal-royalties-billion-dollar-payments-not-signed-yet-businessweek/

    Reply
16. March 11, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Tomi says:

    Why Nokia failed: ‘Wasted 2,000 man years’ on UIs that didn’t work
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/10/nokia_ui_saga/

    “When Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced that Nokia was abandoning its development of its own smartphone platforms and APIs, and betting the farm on somebody else’s, many people asked why it was necessary.

    Nokia had spent 15 years trying to develop and maintain its own software, which it regarded as strategic to maintaining its independence. Elop’s decisions have ensured that Nokia didn’t just get another option to run alongside its own, but it would abandon these, writing off the investments it had already made. In his opinion, these weren’t good enough.

    But why?”

    Reply
17. March 28, 2011 at 4:06 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia – No More Symbian Phones After 2012
    http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/28/0256210/Nokia—No-More-Symbian-Phones-After-2012
    http://www.i-programmer.info/news/83-mobliephone/2175-nokia-sends-open-letter-to-developers-about-the-future.html

    Slashdot comments:
    “The biggest issue was not that they abandoned Symbian.”
    “The biggest blunder was that they abandoned Qt as a development platform.”
    “There is now NO SINGLE application environment that a developer can use to tailor current and future Nokia phones. Not Java/J2ME. Not Symbian. Not MeeGo/Maemo. Not Qt.”

    “The worlds largest cell phone maker, and at one point in recent history Europe’s most valuable company, completely destroyed as little more than a pawn in Steve Ballmer’s clumsy quest for making Microsoft relevant again is simply nothing short of astounding.”

    Reply
18. March 30, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia: Keep codin’ for Symbian and Qt!
    Why leave a sinking ship?
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/30/nokia_appeals_to_symbian_qt_devs/

    The cell-phone giant has published a lengthy open letter pleading with coders to keep building apps for phones running Symbian and Qt – at least in the short term.

    Nokia has legal obligations “to support users for a period of time after the last product has been sold.” Yes, nothing says a company is committed to its roadmap than the threat of legal action.

    Why is Nokia trying to hold onto Symbian and Qt devs? Is the company regretting its decision to go all-in on Windows Phone? If it is, we’d understand.

    Which brings us back to Symbian and Qt. Should Kochikar’s call be read as a sign that Nokia is having second thoughts on Windows or – at the very minimum – laying the ground work on a Plan B? Probably not. This is a strategy to help Nokia keep selling handsets while it – and Microsoft – try to figure out how to make Windows Phone work on even more handsets supplied by even more carriers.

    Open Letter from Purnima Kochikar to Developer Community
    jasonblack | 25 March, 2011 19:15
    http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/nokia-developer-news/2011/03/25/open-letter-to-developer-community

    Reply
19. April 14, 2011 at 10:22 am

    Tomi says:

    RUMOR: Nokia will lay off up to 6,000 next week
    http://www.techeye.net/business/nokia-will-lay-off-up-to-6000-next-week

    “TechEye has heard that Nokia is going to fire up to 6,000 people as soon as next week.

    An industry source tells us the lay-offs will mainly be in Nokia’s home country, Finland.”

    Read more: http://www.techeye.net/business/nokia-will-lay-off-up-to-6000-next-week#ixzz1JTohBAj4

    Reply
20. April 27, 2011 at 12:06 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia has started it’s plans to reduce 7000 people from the company. It was inevitable. Nokia this morning announced plans to ‘align its global workforce and consolidate site operations’.

    Nokia is planning to get rid of 4000 people worldwide by the end of 2012. Most cuts are done in UK, Finland and Denmark. The cuts in Finland wi0ll be 1400 people.

    Nokia starts to co-operate with Accenture on Symbian development. This would mean that 3000 Nokia Symbian developers will be moved to Accenture in India, UK, China, Finland and USA.

    Nokia aims to reduce its Devices & Services operating expenses by 1 billion euros for the full year 2013 in comparison to the full year 2010.

    Nokia has long been struggling to come up with a solid answer to Apple’s iPhone and the steamroll that is Android in the global smartphone segment, which is the main reason for its continued decline. Question is if it will ever be able to make a comeback.

    Sources:
    http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2011042713615208_ta.shtml
    http://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/2011042713614789_ta.shtml
    http://www.hs.fi/talous/artikkeli/Nokia+aloittaa+7%C2%A0000+hengen+yt-neuvottelut/1135265679967?ref=rss
    http://www.prosessori.fi/uutiset/uutinen2.asp?id=57730
    http://aani.nokia.fi/
    http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/27/nokia-to-cut-4000-jobs-worldwide-transfers-3000-symbian-jobs-to-accenture/

    Reply
21. April 27, 2011 at 4:12 pm

    Tomi says:

    Memo gives full details of Nokia staff cull and closures
    7,000 axed, many closures in Elopocalypse
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/27/nokia_cuts_memo/

    Seven thousand jobs will go across the board, with 4,000 in R&D. Office closures will follow in Denmark, the UK and Finland, and 3,000 Symbian jobs will transfer to consulting firm Accenture, the first 300 this year.

    “The aim is that Symbian software development-related activities would [sic] continue within Accenture for as long as needed, as well as other mobility projects serving other Accenture clients. In addition, Nokia’s portfolio of Symbian devices will gradually be reduced and eventually be discontinued, in line with the ramp up of the availability of Nokia devices based on the Windows Phone platform.

    Nokia now tells staff that the majority of MeeGo activities are planned to be discontinued by the end of June 2012.

    In summary, the memo says:

    * Smart Devices Windows Phone sites: Beijing, Salo, San Diego and Tampere; Helsinki/Espoo for application development
    * Mobile Phones product development sites: Beijing, Oulu and Ulm; ASF sites remain unchanged
    * CTO sites focusing on advanced development: Sunnyvale and the Espoo/Helsinki area
    * Services teams and those teams moving to the business units are currently under review. This is with the exception of Cluj, which is planned to be closed.

    In Finland, no sites will be closed. The planned reduction in Finland is expected to be about 1,400 employees across the Nokia sites at Helsinki/Espoo, Oulu, Salo and Tampere, with the biggest impact expected in Symbian and MeeGo, to be phased through to the end of 2012. The majority of the Symbian software activities in Finland are planned to be transferred to Accenture.

    Reply
22. May 12, 2011 at 11:19 am

    Tomi says:

    Nokia’s N9 meeGo smartphone hits the FCC
    http://www.wirelessgoodness.com/2011/05/11/nokias-n9-meego-smartphone-hits-the-fcc/
    http://www.engadget.com/photos/nokias-qwerty-slidin-n9-shows-up-in-the-wilds-of-china/#3277336

    Reply
23. May 17, 2011 at 11:48 am

    Tomi says:

    RUMOR:

    Eldar Murtazin: Microsoft will enter negotiations to buy Nokia’s mobile division next week
    http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/eldar-murtazin-microsoft-will-enter-negotiations-to-buy-nokias/

    Yes, this is a rumor, and by golly it strains the limits of credulity, but take note of its source. Firstly, the details: according to Eldar Murtazin, Microsoft and Nokia will enter talks next week to discuss the potential for the American software giant to purchase the Finnish company’s mobile arm, meaning the part that makes all those delectable smartphones

    Reply
24. May 19, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia out of ideas when Windows phones do not sell well?

    http://inventwithnokia.nokia.com/Home

    Stephen Elop, Nokia’s President and CEO, describes the exciting stage that we are at in mobile communications, and invites external inventors to contribute to Nokia’s future growth.

    http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1689814

    Windows Phone saw only modest sales that reached 1.6 million units in the first quarter of 2011, as devices launched at the end of 2010 failed to grow in consumer preference and CSPs continued to focus on Android.

    http://www.reghardware.com/2011/05/19/microsoft_windows_phone_7_q1_2011/

    And compare WinPho 7 shipments to 16.9m iPhones, 13m BlackBerrys and 36.3m Android devices.

    WinPho 7′s “modest” sales were actually beaten by shipments of older Microsoft mobile operating systems. According to Gartner, a Microsoft OS was installed in 3.7m smartphones in Q1 2011 – 2.1m more than the researcher’s WinPho 7 total, given separately.

    Reply
25. May 20, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia To Use ST-Ericsson Chips For Windows Phone 8 Handsets
    http://blogs.forbes.com/elizabethwoyke/2011/05/19/nokia-to-use-st-ericsson-chips-for-windows-phone-8-handsets/

    When Nokia debuts its hotly-anticipated new smartphones running on Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, at least some of the devices will be powered by silicon from ST-Ericsson, said Carlo Bozotti, the Chief Executive of European semiconductor maker STMicroelectronics.

    Reply
26. May 23, 2011 at 10:22 am

    Tomi says:

    Nokia chooses Qualcomm to power its first Windows Phone devices
    http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2072749/nokia-chooses-qualcom-power-windows-phone-devices?WT.rss_f=&WT.rss_a=Nokia+chooses+Qualcom+to+power+its+first+Windows+Phone+devices

    Nokia’s decision to load Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system on its next generation smartphones meant that it had to start looking around for new chip vendors. Earlier today, ST-Ericsson said that its U8500 chip will power 12 Nokia Windows Phone devices, but hours later Nokia said that it had picked Qualcomm to supply chips in the first of its Windows Phone devices.

    Read more: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2072749/nokia-chooses-qualcom-power-windows-phone-devices#ixzz1N9qwX0QD
    The Inquirer – Computer hardware news and downloads. Visit the download store today.

    Qualcomm is a natural choice as all current Windows Phone 7 devices use the firm’s Snapdragon chip. Microsoft’s strict design guidelines prescribe the use of Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, although the firm said that it will loosen its grip on specifications allowing other chip vendors a sniff of what might, after all, become a rather small pie.

    Read more: http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2072749/nokia-chooses-qualcom-power-windows-phone-devices#ixzz1N9qsSMD0
    The Inquirer – Computer hardware news and downloads. Visit the download store today.

    Reply
27. May 30, 2011 at 11:59 am

    Tomi says:

    In partnership with iFixit, EDN takes a look at a first-generation Windows Phone 7 handset, the HTC Surround, to assess both current platform status and future potential enhancements.

    http://www.edn.com/article/518253-The_HTC_Surround_achieving_differentiation_through_enhanced_sound.php

    Like the HTC-designed Google Nexus One, the HTC Surround includes Qualcomm’s RTR6285 multiband UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System)/EGPRS (enhanced general-packet-radio-service) transceiver with integrated GPS capability, along with the company’s 1-GHz, ARM Cortex-A9-based QSD8250 Snapdragon SOC (system on chip)

    The HTC Surround contains a ribbon-cable-interconnected two-PCB stack.

    Reply
28. June 1, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Tomi says:

    Nokia’s Elop: Android is killing us in China, Europe
    http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/nokias-elop-android-is-killing-us-in-china-europe/49665

    Nokia’s biggest profit margin killing headaches appear to be Android, China and Europe and the company is getting hit by smartphone and feature phone pricing and volume.

    Reply
29. June 3, 2011 at 10:14 am

    Tomi says:

    Premature announcement have accelerated Symbian business demise resulting in billions of lost profits for the company and irreversibly lost market share.

    Stephen Elop’s Nokia Adventure
    Market share dwindling, stock cratering, persistent takeover talk. How the CEO is trying to lead Nokia past its epic fail

    http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_24/b4232056703101.htm

    Reply
30. June 6, 2011 at 10:36 am

    Tomi says:

    Transitions: The Nokia Way vs. The Microsoft Way
    http://www.mondaynote.com/2011/06/05/transitions-the-nokia-way-vs-the-microsoft-way/

    One false step and you’re dead. Or worse: You’re the walking dead. This is what awaits CEOs who mismanage a product transition and allow the existing revenue stream to run dry before the promising new product shows up.

    This is known as the Osborne Effect, named after Adam Osborne, the prolific inventor, entrepreneur and writer, and founder of the eponymous Osborne Computer Corporation.

    Hence the verb: To osborne one’s product is to kill the current model, and its revenue, by prematurely announcing a more attractive replacement.

    With this in mind, let’s turn to Nokia’s latest wave of troubles: the transition from its old Symbian smartphone OS to Windows Phone 7.

    Last Monday, Nokia issued yet another profit warning.

    How did Ballmer convince Elop to expose Nokia to the Osborne Effect?

    Reply
31. June 6, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    Tomi says:

    Does the phone market forgive failure?
    http://www.asymco.com/2011/06/02/does-the-phone-market-forgive-failure/

    One of the details of Nokia’s warning which did not get a lot of attention was the mention that profitability for the current quarter could not be guaranteed. That is to say that Nokia may make a loss, perhaps for the first time in more than a decade.

    Here is a list companies that have “hit the rocks” in terms of mobile phone profitability and their fates (in no particular order).

    This cursory survey shows that it’s difficult to be optimistic once a company reaches a point of crisis. It’s a curious outcome given that the market is so vast and growth is so robust.

    Reply
32. June 9, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia’s Chief Technology Officer Departs
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/technology/10nokia.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

    News of the departure of Richard Green, an American who joined Nokia only last year from Sun Microsystems

    Stephen Elop: Android’s Success Is Apple’s Fault, And Beware The Boxes
    http://moconews.net/article/419-stephen-elop-androids-success-is-apples-fault-and-beware-the-boxes/

    The problems with Symbian and Meego: Symbian is the world’s most widely distributed operating platform, he says. “It has served us well for many years but we recognised that was challenged.” Meanwhile, “The challenge we face with Meego is that…we have to cover a lot of price points from developed to emergeing markets and we did not think Meego could get there fast enough.”

    Reply
33. June 14, 2011 at 11:24 am

    Tomi says:

    Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will become the world’s largest smartphone maker this quarter, overtaking struggling Nokia Oyj which has lead the market since 1996, Nomura said on Monday.

    Source:
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/13/us-nokia-smartphones-idUSTRE75C18O20110613

    Reply
34. June 21, 2011 at 11:54 am

    Tomi says:

    Nokia just released it’s first (and maybe last) Meego phone N9.

    Nokia N9: Everything is just a a swipe away
    http://swipe.nokia.com/

    Video: Nokia Conversations readers -all it takes is a swipe!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwJUzQA448&feature=player_embedded

    Nokia N9 officially announced: unibody design, buttonless ‘swipe’ UI, and the lost promise of Meego
    http://thisismynext.com/2011/06/20/nokia-n9-officially-announced-unibody-design-buttonless-swipe-ui-lost-promise-meego/

    Introducing the Nokia N9: all it takes is a swipe!
    http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/06/21/introducing-the-nokia-n9-all-it-takes-is-a-swipe/

    Nokia Introduces N9, Reiterates First Windows Phones Will Ship This Year
    http://allthingsd.com/20110620/nokia-ceo-reiterates-first-windows-phones-will-ship-this-year-but-quantities-may-be-limited/

    Reply
35. June 27, 2011 at 10:18 am

    Tomi says:

    New video leaked on Nokia Windows phone:
    Nokia Sea Ray : Το πρώτο Windows Phone της Nokia
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M1wC0pS_No&feature=player_embedded

    Source:
    Vuotovideo: Elop kertoo Nokian ensimmäisestä Windows-puhelimesta (Sea Ray)
    http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/vuotovideo+elop+kertoo+nokian+ensimmaisesta+windowspuhelimesta+sea+ray/a647812?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-27062011

    Reply
36. August 10, 2011 at 11:05 am

    Tomi says:

    Nokia Killing Symbian and S40 In North America
    http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/11/08/09/2013227/Nokia-Killing-Symbian-and-S40-In-North-America

    In an interview with AllthingsD, the head of Nokia’s US operations declared that Nokia will be focusing exclusively on Windows Phone devices in North America. Reasons cited include the low profit margins of the ubiquitous low-end Series 40 devices and lackluster sales of Symbian based devices. This also means that the N9 won’t be making it to North America either.

    http://allthingsd.com/20110809/exclusive-nokia-to-exit-symbian-low-end-phone-businesses-in-north-america/

    Reply
37. August 15, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    Tomi says:

    http://www.kauppalehti.fi/5/i/talous/uutiset/etusivu/uutinen.jsp?oid=20110887151&ref=il article says that Nokia just ordered two million Windows Phone smartphones from Compal. Nokia is expected to get them next month…

    Reply
38. August 15, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Tomi says:

    Coining Term: “Elop Effect” when you combine Osborne Effect and Ratner Effect
    http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2011/08/coining-term-elop-effect-when-you-combine-osborne-effect-and-ratner-effect.html

    This article talks about Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop and the market share massacre he has engineered at Nokia this year (Nokia towered over its rivals only six months ago with 29% market share in smartphones, today it has fallen to 15% and third place and is headed to single digits by year-end).

    Article is about to coin a new term, called the Elop Effect, the most damaging CEO statement conceivable and proof of ultimate management incompetence in the CEO. The Elop Effect is when a CEO announces both that his current platform is not competitive AND he announces a new system to be replacing the current one, without any new products to sell.

    Stephen Elop did not just announce that his company Nokia switches from the existing Symbian and MeeGo platform strategy to one bought in from Microsoft (thus causing instantly an Osborne Effect) – he further added to this damage, by calling the Nokia platform crap, with his Burning Platforms memo (Ratner Effect).

    Reply
39. September 1, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia’s first Windows Phone spied in leaked photo with blurry specs
    http://www.slashgear.com/nokias-first-windows-phone-spied-in-leaked-photo-with-blurry-specs-31175632/

    Nokia’s very first Windows Phone 7 Mango handset has made an appearance in what’s purported to be a leaked carrier presentation sheet. Codenamed “Sea Ray,” the handset first surfaced in an internal company video of Nokia CEO Stephen Elop introducing the phone to employees. But since then, little has been revealed about the device, and now it has possibly turned up again as the Nokia 703 with specs listed, though conveniently too blurry to be read.

    The handset in the picture looks very much like the Nokia N9 MeeGo handset, which the Sea Ray is modeled on.

    Towards the bottom of the page, under “General” a date is listed as “November 27,” which could be the launch date.

    http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/onko+tassa+ensimmainen+nokialainen+windows+phone/a678774?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-01092011&

    Reply
40. September 9, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    Tomi says:

    http://www.prosessori.fi/uutiset/uutinen2.asp?id=58282

    Nokia has dropped from leader position to fifth place on the smartphone sales in Europe. The market share was 39% one year ago, now it is only 11%.

    The competitors with bigger market share are now:
    Samsung (22%), Apple (21%), HTC (14%) and RIM (14%).

    Nokia has gone down very quickly….

    Reply
41. September 19, 2011 at 9:38 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://mynokiablog.com/2011/09/14/nokia-windows-phone-will-ship-in-q4/

    Nokia Windows Phone WILL SHIP IN Q4!!

    “Nokia Tweeted today, they confirm Nokia WP WILL be out this year.”

    Reply
42. September 20, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.winrumors.com/nokia-world-includes-lots-of-microsoft-speakers-nokia-windows-phone-imminent/

    Nokia World includes lots of Microsoft speakers, Nokia Windows Phone imminent

    Nokia’s annual Nokia World kicks off in London next month and the agenda hints at a big Windows Phone announcement.

    A number of Microsoft executives will be in town to discuss Windows Phone on different levels.

    Microsoft’s huge presence at the event indicates a significant announcement. Nokia is expected to unveil its first Windows Phone device at Nokia World and Microsoft appears to be waiting in the wings with its best personnel to ensure Nokia’s audience is well informed of the Windows Phone benefits. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will provide the opening keynote at 9AM on October 26 where he is expected to unveil the first Nokia Windows Phone device. Nokia’s first Windows Phone, codenamed “Sea Ray” was leaked to the internet recently after Elop demonstrated the device at a company meeting.

    http://www.winrumors.com/stephen-elop-unveils-nokias-first-windows-phone-device-video/

    Reply
43. September 24, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    Tomi says:

    Nokia SeaRay Phone Delay (rumor)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCnu-xX0CWA&feature=player_embedded

    The way Scott Moritz is delivering this “rumor” suggests his producer has put a gun to his head. More like this BS rumor is forcing him to squeeze out a watermelon. “Perhaps”, “I’m told”, “wouldn’t surprise me”, “might not”…unconfirmed…this is a really confident “reporter”.

    Reply
44. September 27, 2011 at 11:28 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/42235/nokia-windows-phone-7-stunning

    Nokia Windows Phone is ‘absolutely stunning’

    “Absolutely stunning.” That’s how everyone that’s been shown Nokia’s new Windows Phone 7 smartphone describes the device. This is according to Nokia’s Conor Pierce, general manager for UK and Ireland, in a one to one interview with Pocket-lint.

    Reply
45. September 28, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Most Trusted Brands 2011: Nokia slips from top spot

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/brand-equity/most-trusted-brands-2011-nokia-slips-from-top-spot-will-it-outsmart-blackberry-samsung-and-iphone/articleshow/10127618.cms

    Reply
46. October 3, 2011 at 11:22 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Nokia SeaRay pictured again from T-Mobile Germany
    http://mynokiablog.com/2011/10/01/nokia-searay-pictured-again-from-t-mobile-germany/

    This may be one of three Windows Phones from Nokia to be announced at Nokia World if another anonymous tipster is to be believed.

    Reply
47. October 4, 2011 at 10:40 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Rumours: Nokia Windows Phone, Nokia Ace to have 4.3″ AMOLED, 1800mAh and LTE 4G – AT&t Q1 2012. SeaRay+Sabre specifications inside.

    http://mynokiablog.com/2011/10/01/rumours-nokia-windows-phone-nokia-ace-to-have-4-3-amoled-1800mah-and-lte-4g-att-q1-2012-searaysabre-specifications-inside/

    SeaRay specifications: (seen in various places now). Copy and pasted from the email:

    Clear Black Display CBD
    CarlZeiss
    8MP AF
    3.7″ amoled screen
    16gb internal storage
    1.4gHz processor
    Mango WP7.5
    battery 1540mAh

    Sabre Specifications: (Recently leaked by Microsoft themselves)

    interchangeable back cover
    CBD
    25gb skydrive
    3.7″ LCD
    8gb internal storage
    5mp AF
    1.4gHz processor
    Mango

    Nokia Ace

    4.3″ amoled
    1800mAh
    carl zeiss
    8mp AF
    mango+
    HSPA+ (YES THIS IS GOING TO BE NOKIA’S FIRST LTE 4G PHONE… COMING TO AT&T in usa IN Q1 2012)
    CBD
    1.4 gHz processor
    16GB internal storage

    Reply
48. October 11, 2011 at 9:30 am

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    With Nokia World only a few weeks away, the anticipation is palpable for the debut of the company’s first Windows Phone (or perhaps phones, plural).

    These first print ads seem to solidify the fact that the device formerly known as Sea Ray will be marketed as the Nokia 800.

    Nokia 800: First Ads (Images)
    http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/nokia-800-first-ads-images
    http://www.tietoviikko.fi/kaikki_uutiset/nokian+windows+phonen+mainosjuliste+vuoti+julkisuuteen/a701422?s=r&wtm=tietoviikko/-11102011&

    Reply
49. October 13, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ex Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki said he would not have picked up Microsoft OS for Nokia

    http://www.taloussanomat.fi/informaatioteknologia/2011/10/13/nokian-entinen-johtaja-mtv3lle-en-olisi-valinnut-windowsia/201114696/12?rss=4

    Reply
50. October 17, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    tomi says:

    This is my original content with lots of quotations form different articles (fair use short parts with my own comments following).
    Information sources are listed as links to original articles.

    Reply