Mobilityfeeds

Nokia was right to shift to Windows Phone

This week’s news from Nokia, including corporate restructuring, lowered income projections, and losses for Q2 2012 expected to be in the hundreds of millions, would not have made comfortable reading for the Finnish company.

Switching to a new mobile Operating System (OS) was always going to cause a lot of necessary financial pain, the question for CEO Stephen Elop and the Nokia Board is simple.
Will they be able to follow their chosen strategy, and will Microsoft's Windows Phone deliver for them?

It’s important to remember just how bad the market perceptions of Nokia were on 10^th February 2011, the day before Stephen Elop announced the new direction for the Finnish company. 

RIM BlackBerry 10 is too little too late to save Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM) new BlackBerry Operating System (OS) looks cool, but we don't have high hopes for it.

BlackBerry 10, which is slated to start showing up on RIM smartphones later this year, has some innovative new features that will set it apart from Apple's iOS, Microsoft's Windows Phone and Google's Android.

But the update is years late, and the new platform is not far-and-away superior to iOS or Android.
Perhaps worst of all, RIM is ignoring the needs of current BlackBerry customers by failing to provide them with an easy transition.

We've seen this play before, and we know how it ends:
In disaster.

LG launches the Optimus L5 Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, heading first to Europe

LG has announced the launch of its new smartphone - the LG Optimus L5, which is touted to be one of LG's stylish, high fashion L-Series smartphones.

The smartphone will make its global debut in key European markets this month.
The device will be available in the UK, Germany and France, followed by markets in CIS, Middle East and Asia before crossing the ocean over to Central America and South America.

Dressed in a slim body measuring only 9.5mm, the smartphone has dual SIM capabilities (in Asia, CIS, Middle East, Central and South America only) and NFC "Tag and Play" (in Europe and North America) for mobile commerce and peer-to-peer sharing.

Nokia Lumia 610 Windows Phone budget smartphone review

Microsoft's Windows Phone may not have yet unseated Google's Android or bloodied the nose of Apple's iOS since it burst onto the mobile scene in 2010, but Nokia's latest release could mark a significant change in its current fortunes.

The Nokia Lumia 610 is the first Windows Phone for the cheaper end of the market - a sector which has been ably exploited by legions of low-cost Android devices.

With weaker technical credentials but also a more reasonable price tag, the Lumia 610 aims to expand Windows Phone's reach to younger mobile buyers. 
SIM-free handsets can be picked up for roughly €225 (US$285).

Should you buy the Nokia Lumia 610?

If you've watched the development of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform with interest but haven't been brave - or perhaps rich - enough to take the plunge, then the Nokia Lumia 610 is going to be right up your street.

Sony Xperia U Android budget smartphone review

The Sony Xperia U is the baby of Sony's Xperia family, but takes a lot of design cues from the more-expensive Xperia S.

In essence, the 3.5" device is a successor to the Xperia Ray, which was released last year to great acclaim.
Sony is one of the few companies that continues to build Android devices under 4", and the Xperia U is a great example of a device that hits all the right notes without breaking the bank.

Is this the right entry-level phone for you?
Let’s dive right in.

Specs:

- Google's Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread with custom Sony overlay
- 3.5" 480×854 pixel LCD display
- 1Ghz dual-core NovaThor SoC with Mali-4ooMP GPU
- 512MB RAM / 4GB internal storage / 1.9GB app storage
- 5MP camera w/ flash, VGA front-facing camera
- 720p video capture
- WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS
- HSDPA 14.4Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps
- 3G: 850/1900/2100Mhz, 2G:  850/900/1800/1900Mhz
- 112 x 54 x 12 mm
- 110g

After Windows Phone and iOS, Xbox Live comes to Android

Xbox fans with Google's Android phones can now keep up – or at least begin to keep up – with their fellow gamers using Apple's iPhones and Microsoft's Windows Phone devices, now that Microsoft has released an Xbox Live app for the Google Operating System (OS).

The XBox Live app for Android went live on Google Play Wednesday, and requires an Xbox Live account as well as Android 2.2 Froyo or higher – and a WGVA screen resolution or higher.

"Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app. Track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change up your 3D Avatar," read the description on the app's page on Google Play.
Review all the recent great games you and your friends love to play and compare achievements with them. Access Xbox Spotlight feeds, get breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, gamer spotlight and much more."

iPad should confirm its lead over Android tablets in 2012

The overall demand for tablet computers is on the rise, and amongst most customers, the Apple iPad’s lead over rival Google Android systems will increase over the next several years, according to a new International Data Corporation (IDC) study released on Thursday.

The IDC has increased its forecast for global tablet sales in 2012 from 106.1 million to 107.4 million, anticipating strong second-half sales of the devices, according to AFP reports.
The firm also increased projected 2013 tablet sales from 137.4 million to 142.8 million, and predicted that worldwide shipments could top 222 million in four year’s time.

The outlook isn’t promising for everyone though.
According to Chloe Albanesius of PCMag, IDC forecasts that Apple iOS tablets (the iPad family of products) will increase their global market share from 58.2% in 2011 to 62.5% in 2012.
Meanwhile, the Android tablet market share is expected to dip from 38.7% to 36.5%, while Research in Motion (RIM, BlackBerry maker) tablets are anticipated to drop from 1.7% market share to just 1%, Albanesius added.

Get Microsoft's Kinectimals now also from Google Play

As Google's Android continues its attempt to chip away at the Apple's iOS audience bit by bit, it received quite the boost in confidence this week, as Microsoft published its first game for the Google Play store.

OK, so Kinectimals has already been on Windows Phone and iOS for ages, and no doubt iPhone and iPad users will be using lines like "I was playing that game before it was cool" or whatever the kids say these days.

But it's a notable move by the big Microsoft, as the company essentially shows that it has faith that Android games will sell.
It also no doubt signals the start of a relationship between Microsoft and Android devices, as other Microsoft games are bound to follow.

Nokia sells its Vertu luxury phone division to private equity firm EQT VI

Nokia has agreed to sell its luxury phone division Vertu to EQT VI, a private equity firm from Northern Europe.

“With its strong brand, undisputed category leadership and attractive growth outlook, Vertu fits well with EQT VI’s investment strategy,” said Jan Ståhlberg, Partner at EQT Partners. “EQT VI is excited about the opportunity to develop Vertu as a standalone company and plans to drive the development of the luxury mobile phone category through significant investments in retail expansion, marketing and product development,” the investment advisor to EQT VI added.

Vertu President Perry Oosting said:

“This is a logical next step in the evolution of Vertu as the world leader in luxury mobile products.”

“Since Vertu began in 1998, our business has grown every year, due to the efforts of our talented workforce and the unique products and services we offer to our customers. We believe that EQT VI will position Vertu to continue to grow and lead in our marketplace,” he added.

Nokia aims at bringing Windows Phone devices to the lower-end of the budget market

While HTC and Samsung might be focusing on pushing out mid-high end smartphones in order to maintain a certain reputation and quality, Nokia appears to be headed in the other direction and has reiterated their stance on producing even cheaper and more affordable Windows Phone handsets.

This was confirmed by Nokia’s CEO, Stephen Elop, during an investor’s conference call recently.

According to Elop, cheaper devices would allow Microsoft's Windows Phone handsets to compete with Google's Android phones more aggressively and when asked if they had plans to release an even cheaper handset than the Lumia 610 (which is cheapest of the Lumia series - picture), he responded by saying that they are “absolutely” planning on doing this.