Nokia shifts toward software and services
552732
(InfoWorld) - Nokia isn't just a phone company any more. At least that's what executives at the company's headquarters in Helsinki say. In the "old days" of the 1990s, Nokia focused on developing technologies for communicating via voice and data, said Bob Iannucci, head of Nokia Research Center. But now and into the future, Nokia expects to move away from a telecom-centric approach into an information technology way of thinking, he said. The shift mimics a similar move in other industries, such as the computer market, that began centered on hardware. "Look at the PC," he said. "The market grows, devices become more capable, there's a shift in the value chain to software, services, and solutions." Similarly, now, Nokia isn't just about radios -- the component in mobile phones that communicates over the air, he said. Evidence of the change appears in an array of announcements from Nokia about partnerships with content companies and new software offerings. For example, Nokia has had agreements with Flickr and Yahoo Mail to link directly to those services on some Nokia phones. Also, on Tuesday, Nokia launched a new piece of software and aÂ service for displaying widgetsÂ on mobile phones. Nokia is so focused on software and services that its chief technology officer recently moved to New York City to be closer to companies that are global leaders in the industries. "The biggest software companies in the world are in the U.S.," said Tero Ojanpera, chief technology officer for Nokia, explaining his move. He named Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google as important companies that Nokia wishes to grow closer to. He also wants to be near the leading media companies. "Nokia, more and more, is a lifestyle company and that has to do with media," Ojanpera said. "The best in the world are in New York and Los Angeles." In addition, many of the venture capital companies that fund new technologies are based in Silicon Valley and he hopes to build closer relationships with them too. Ojanpera's list of Nokia's technology priorities indicate the shift in thinking at the company, which hasn't quite fully banished the radio yet. The priorities include: embrace the Internet, excel with software applications and services, win developers with a consistent architecture, and lead the multi-radio market.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
172620
Nokia, the world's largest cellphone  maker, started to roll-out its online gaming service N-Gage on  Tuesday as it expands into mobile Internet services.
298886
Nokia, one of the first handset makers outside Japan to turn a phone into a wallet, now wants to sell services that will make these kinds of devices useful.
593330
Company invites developers to tweak hardware and software for Internet phone service launched earlier in year.
70032
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is targeting enterprise and consumer customers with a lighter, slimmed-down version of its 9300 Communicator  smartphone, which will be launched worldwide at the beginning of 2004.
155287
Nokia Corp. plans to fold all its mobile phone development efforts into a single new business unit, reflecting the growing importance to its business of multimedia and Internet-enabled devices.
377004
Newest smart phone from Nokia features a camera, Yahoo Search and Yahoo Go software and VoIP compatibility.
225789
Investor's Business Daily - With the cell phone market shifting from voice-focused handsets to multi-featured smart phones, Nokia has reorganized its business units to target multimedia and other data services.
558583
The world's largest cell phone maker Nokia  unveiled a new all-in-one multimedia phone and a new slimmer model targeting U.S. consumers, at an event to showcase its multimedia devices on Tuesday.
615002
Nokia Corp. hopes to distinguish its products and regain lost market share by leading the mobile-device market in delivering cutting-edge bells-and-whistles on its new handsets, company executives said Thursday duringhop a daylong meeting in New York with analysts.
93272
Nokia plans to release next month a new smart phone with a built-in megapixel camera, as part of an effort to expand its product portfolio.
473785
(InfoWorld) - NokiaÂ is aiming to boost the use of mobile e-mail in the enterprise with a new release of its Intellisync software and several new handsets aimed at business users. The new products, announced during the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, may help Nokia better compete with Microsoft, which introduced the latest version of its mobile phone software,Â Windows Mobile 6.0, at the conference. Windows Mobile 6.0 and Intellisync both enable mobile access to corporate e-mail. Nokia sees huge potential in the business user. "Soon, half the population of the world will use a mobile phone, yet the mobile phone is still considered a privilege if you're working in a company," said Antti Vasara, senior vice president of mobile devices in Nokia's enterprise solutions group. Fewer than 10 percent of employees in the enterprise use mobile e-mail, he said, leaving large potential for growth. Intellisync Mobile Suite 8.0, announced on Monday, could help drive that growth, Nokia said. The new release is designed to make it easier and more affordable to extend mobile e-mail beyond the executive suite and traveling sales staff, said Vasala. Nokia's Intellisync platform allows phone users to send and receive corporate e-mail on their phones and sync information like calendar and contacts with their enterprise data. It also helps administrators manage and secure mobile access. Users now have flexible options for deployment, including fully hosted or partially hosted service. In addition, an enterprise can choose to enable an entry-level service that lets users read, compose and delete e-mails and manage local folders. The professional service includes other features such as attachment handling and personal information synchronization. Intellisync is compatible with Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm and some lower-end Java-based phones. Nokia plans to make Intellisync compatible with Windows Vista, the newest version of Microsoft's PC operating system, but did not say when. In addition to the new release of Intellisync, Nokia introduced a few new phones aimed at business users. The E90 is the latest version of the Communicator, the phone that flips open to reveal a full keyboard and four-inch screen. The E90 will use Nokia's S60 software platform, unlike previous Communicator versions which used the S80 platform. It includes new capabilities such as an MP3 player, FM radio and a video player. It also includes a still camera, video camera, Wi-Fi and GPS (Global Positioning System). Nokia also announced the E61i, a new version of that phone that is thinner than before and features advanced e-mail attachment handling. The E65 is another new phone in Nokia's range of business handsets, with a slider to reveal the keyboard. Nokia also introduced a few phones for consumers, including the N77, a phone designed for watching mobile TV over DVB-H networks. The cost of DVB-H chips is expected to decline to around â¬7 (US$9) next year, making TV phones more affordable, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, president and CEO of Nokia said. He expects 5 million to 10 million such devices will be sold in 2008, increasing to 20 million by 2009. Nokia also announcedÂ an alliance with YouTube, where YouTube videos will become available through a new feature on some Nokia Nseries phones called the Nokia Video Center. The Video Center will offer a single place on the phone where users can find, view and store their video content. YouTube announced last week that Vodafone GroupÂ would begin offering mobile access to the site.
453583
InfoWorld - Nokia plans to fold all its mobile phone development efforts into a single new business unit, reflecting the growing importance&#160;of its business of multimedia and Internet-enabled devices.
419679
Nokia started to roll-out its N-Gage gaming service and Share on Ovi media sharing site as the cellphone maker expands into mobile Internet services.
35973
Nokia on Tuesday invited some phone users to start playing with its delayed new N-Gage gaming service and rebranded its video- and photo-sharing service.The world&#39;s largest handset maker has begun branching out to offer services as a way to bolster profits. The services could help produce a new revenue stream in a mobile-phone market that is quickly shifting volume sales to developing markets, where people tend to spend less on mobile phones.Nokia invited users of its N81 phones to download a prerelease version of the N-Gage application and start buying and using games on their phones. A handful of games and applications are now available to them, said Camilla Pagliaroli, a Nokia spokeswoman.Nokia hopes that the users will offer feedback so that the company can refine the software and begin offering it for more devices. The company expects to add more games in the coming weeks and will add support for more devices as the software evolves, Pagliaroli said.N-Gage originally included a stand-alone handheld gaming device developed by Nokia. But the company discontinued the device, promising to launch a new N-Gage platform late last year that would work on regular Nokia phones. That launch had been delayed until now.This week, Nokia also rebranded Twango, the photo- and video-sharing site aimed at mobile users, to be called Share on Ovi. The service is based on one developed by Twango, a company&#160;Nokia acquired&#160;in July last year.Share on Ovi becomes the first Ovi-branded service, said Pagliaroli. The service is still in beta but anyone can use it, she said.Ovi is a Nokia site designed to be a central spot where phone users can visit to access a variety of mobile services. The site already includes Nokia&#39;s music download service, available in the United Kiingdom; Nokia&#39;s mapping offerings; and N-Gage. Nokia also plans to launch a service there that lets users sync their mobile calendar and contacts information online.The mobile market is closely watching Nokia&#39;s Ovi offerings because the services may compete with those offered by the phone maker&#39;s operator customers. They&#39;ll also compete with those offered by big names in the computer-based Internet world, such as Google and Yahoo. Those companies are increasingly expanding their services for access by mobile customers.
97200
Nokia Corp. unveiled services and cellphones yesterday that customers can use to download music and play games, a bid by the world's largest mobile phone maker to challenge Apple Inc.'s higher-end iPhone, as well as iTunes and the iPod.
326644
This will simplify the process of discovery, trial and purchase of mobile applications, content and services for the consumer. HELSINKI: The world&#39;s largest mobile phone maker Nokia, has launched an initiative