Nokia Windows phone receives support from carriers (USA)
With the increasing dominance of iPhones and Android powered smartphones in the handset arena, wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless have been looking at phones from Nokia and Microsoft as alternatives, according to a report by BN.
As per the report, both carriers praised Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, which powers the new Nokia Lumia phone, when they reported quarterly results this month. AT&T began offering the Lumia 900 for $99.99 on April 8, and Verizon is preparing to add a new Nokia model to its lineup soon.
The operators are hoping that these handsets act as an alternative for users as devices such as iPhone can be more costly to subsidize. The companies also face the risk that an Apple-Google duopoly will erode carriers’ ability to distinguish themselves and will further squeeze their profit margins.
AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens told BN in an interview that they want the Lumia to succeed — they love to have competition in the handset market. It’s always better to have more choices for the customers.
Nokia introduces new smartphones at MWC 2012 (Spain, Finland)
Handset maker Nokia introduced a range of new products, services and partnerships at Mobile World Congress, setting the pace for 2012 and demonstrating rapid execution of its new strategic direction. As per the company, the new strategy already has resulted in the adoption of Windows Phone as Nokia’s primary smartphone platform, major changes to its feature phones, and additional emphasis on location-based services with the launch of its Location & Commerce business.
Stephen Elop, president and CEO, Nokia has said that one year ago, Nokia was embarking on a new journey to build great mobile devices. Today, with their fourth Lumia device, smarter mobile phones and an array of new services, they are demonstrating that they can change the clock speed of Nokia.
Nokia has extended the range of products with Windows Phone by introducing the Nokia Lumia 610, the most affordable Lumia yet, as well as targeting availability of the widely acclaimed Lumia 900 to additional markets beyond the U.S.
Aimed at young people who want an affordable introduction to Lumia and Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 610 provides easy access to social networks, web browsing, music, games, navigation and tens of thousands of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace. It comes in four vibrant colors and is expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2012.
The Nokia Lumia 900, which launched in January as Nokia’s first LTE-enabled smartphone, will now be available in Dual Carrier HSPA for up 42.2 Mbps. The superior content experience of the phone’s 4.3 inch ClearBlack AMOLED display and large capacity battery will be available to more countries around the world.
Nokia announced Nokia Reading providing a single, integrated reading hub experience. Nokia Reading makes it easier and faster to enjoy news, books, and audio books including an extensive catalogue of local language reading material and the ability to access content offline.
Nokia also ushered in a new era in high end smartphone imaging. The Nokia 808 PureView is the first smartphone to feature exclusive Nokia PureView imaging technologies that will enable a range of high-end imaging experiences into Nokia products over the coming years. The Nokia 808 PureView combines a large, high-resolution 41-megapixel sensor, Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia-developed pixel over-sampling technology. This means incredibly sharp, detailed images, superior low light performance and the capability to save images in compact file sizes for sharing in email, MMS and on social networks.
The Nokia 808 PureView also includes Nokia Rich Recording for CD-like quality audio recording, full HD 1080p video recording and playback, and exclusive Dolby Headphone technology to transform any stereo content into a personal surround sound experience over any headphones.
Nokia is further blurring the line between feature phones and smartphones, launching three new Asha devices for people who want to work, learn and play. Developed for urban consumers and entrepreneurs, the Nokia Asha 302 is a premium QWERTY device. It delivers a mobile office experience with push email and calendar, and contacts synchronization under the Mail for Exchange support – a first for Nokia Series 40 devices.
Designed for easy access to social networks, the Nokia Asha 202 and 203 bring touchscreens to volume-priced products and a pack of 40 free Electronic Arts games. The Asha 202 also features Nokia’s Easy Swap Dual SIM technology, allowing people to simply swap between tariffs and get the best value from carriers.
Nokia is also differentiating itself by updating its popular Life Tools service, now called Nokia Life, that provides life-enhancing information across the range of Nokia Series 30 and Series 40 products, including the new Asha 202 and Asha 203. People in India, China, Indonesia and Nigeria will benefit from life skills, parenting, education, agriculture and entertainment services, delivered via SMS.
The new Asha devices complement the Nokia Asha range that is available now in more than 100 markets globally.
SingTel launches global cloud-based service (Singapore)
Mobile operator SingTel has launched a global cloud-based service that enables companies to secure, control and manage corporate data and mobile devices of their employees, regardless of their location. The SingTel Mobility Device Manager (MDM) service, enables companies to manage devices of different mobile OS and ensure information security for mobile devices used by their workforce. This includes company-issued devices, as well as those belonging to employees.
According to company reports, Bill Chang, Executive Vice President (Business Group), SingTel has said that they are seeing a surge in the number of companies that allow their employees to bring their own mobile devices for work. In fact, the use of smartphones for business activities worldwide is projected to grow by 116 per cent by 2014. This opens up new security issues, particularly for companies with regional operations. With SingTel MDM, companies can secure data through security policy settings and governance, control on devices, manage apps deployment and control cost through usage policy management. These can all be done via the simple-to-use web-based portal.
Further, in the event of the loss or theft of an employee’s mobile device, an administrator can remotely lock the device or selectively erase corporate data to prevent market sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. Administrators can determine the location of the missing devices and remotely deploy and track apps downloads within the enterprise. They are also able to configure and provision the devices over-the-air.
The report alsoreveals that SingTel MDM is compatible with all mobile OS platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, Symbian and Windows Mobile. In addition, it is independent of the location and mobile network, thus facilitating the seamless control of mobile devices globally.
Chang added that as SingTel MDM is offered on a monthly subscription basis, companies do not need to make upfront investments in equipment and can avoid the ongoing costs of managing and maintaining complex systems and hardware. This allows them to improve their productivity, increase business agility and reduce their operating costs significantly.
Twitter strengthens iPhone app with push notification
Twitter has introduced @mentions, a push notifications tool designed to alert on-the-go users to important tweets.
According to Twitter mobile products manager Leland Rechis, whenever an account that you follow mentions you, you’ll immediately receive a notification. You’ll know who is talking to or about you on Twitter, and you’ll be able to continue the conversation in real-time. The @mentions feature is optimized for SMS as well as the popular Twitter for iPhone application moreover, Twitter said it will add Messages push notifications to the iPhone app, with the feature in the works for its Android and Windows Phone clients as well.
Twitter now has 175 million registered users worldwide, up from 503,000 three years ago and 58 million only last year; roughly 370,000 new users sign on each day. The firm credits smartphone applications like Twitter for iPhone for increasing its total number of mobile users 62% since mid-April 2010, adding that 16% of all new users now begin tweeting on mobile devices, compared with 5% before it unveiled its first branded smartphone client. Moreover, 46% of all active users now make mobile a staple of their Twitter experience.
New HTC Touch2TM Smartphone delivers full touch experience
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: HTC Corporation introduced the HTC Touch2TM, a compact and stylish smartphone that is one of the first Windows® phones. Utilizing Windows Mobile 6.5® and new services like Microsoft My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile, HTC Touch2 delivers a full touch experience that enables you to do all the things you want on your phone easily. The Touch2 expands HTC’s portfolio of touch-based phones and is focused on delivering an advanced touch experience to a broader group of people.
HTC Corporation introduced the HTC Touch2TM, a compact and stylish smartphone that is one of the first Windows® phones. Utilizing Windows Mobile 6.5® and new services like Microsoft My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile, HTC Touch2 delivers a full touch experience that enables you to do all the things you want on your phone easily. The Touch2 expands HTC’s portfolio of touch-based phones and is focused on delivering an advanced touch experience to a broader group of people.
“The HTC Touch2 delivers a familiar touch experience that millions of people have come to expect and rely on from HTC in their daily lives,” said Peter Chou, Chief Executive Officer, HTC Corporation. ”Whether it’s making a call, checking in with a friend or simply responding to an important email, the HTC Touch2 puts you in touch and in control.”
The HTC Touch2 ensures that everything is at your fingertips in a compact design that fits comfortably in your hand. An advanced smartphone with everything you expect and more, the HTC Touch2 includes a variety of HTC enhancements including TouchFLO, an enhanced user interface that includes integrated weather updates and quick touch access to a variety of the most popular applications. In addition, the Touch2 includes Google Maps for Mobile, YouTube and more.
As a new Windows phone, the HTC Touch2 showcases the powerful messaging, browsing and productivity capabilities delivered by Windows Mobile 6.5. Offering a best in class e-mail experience complete with the ability to synchronize with Microsoft Exchange, you have the ability to check and manage multiple email accounts.
