First hands-on with the Nokia X family
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Nokia eyes emerging markets with Android system phones
(AP) / 25 February 2014
Nokia will ditch many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customize at will.
Nokia is targeting emerging markets with three low-cost smartphones that use Google’s Android operating system rather than the Windows Phone software from Microsoft, which is about to buy Nokia’s phone business.
Nokia will ditch many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customize at will. Instead, the new Nokia X line announced Monday will emphasise Microsoft services such as Bing search, Skype communications and OneDrive file storage. Its home screen sports larger, resizable tiles resembling those on Windows phone.
“More and more people are buying smartphones for less that €100,” said Stephen Elop, Nokia executive vice-president, as he presented the new phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. “That sub-100 range is a massive opportunity for us. According to analysts, it will grow four times as fast as rest of smartphone market.”
The Nokia X is on sale immediately for €89 ($122). The Nokia X+ will cost €99 and the Nokia XL will cost €109, with both going on sale in early March.
The Nokia X and X+ both have 4-inch screens, but the X+ offers an SD card. The XL has a 5-inch screen and a better 5-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
Elop said all three phones will be “available broadly around the world, starting in growth markets.” The aim is to make the Nokia X a bridge to high-end Windows smartphones under the Lumia brand. They won’t be available in the US, Canada, Korea and Japan in part to avoid competing with Lumia phones, which cost hundreds of dollars in the US without subsidies from phone carriers.
Elop said that the use of Android on these phones in no way means Nokia is shifting away from its work with Windows and Microsoft, which is buying Nokia’s phone business and patent rights in a €5.4 billion ($7.3 billion) deal expected to be completed next month.
Once the No 1 maker of cellphones, Nokia has been struggling to keep up with the iPhone and devices running Android. Nokia’s smartphone revenue fell 29 per cent in the recent holiday quarter compared with a year earlier. And even as competition intensifies for high-end smartphones, Nokia has been hit by competition from cheaper made by Chinese and other Asian companies.
Nokia announced two even cheaper phones on Monday, also expected to go on sale in early March:
For instance, location services will have to be designed for Nokia’s Here mapping software rather than Google Maps. In-app payments will have to be tweaked to allow billing through mobile carriers rather than credit cards, which many people in emerging markets lack.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti.../technology_February41.xml§ion=technology
(AP) / 25 February 2014
Nokia will ditch many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customize at will.
Nokia is targeting emerging markets with three low-cost smartphones that use Google’s Android operating system rather than the Windows Phone software from Microsoft, which is about to buy Nokia’s phone business.
Nokia will ditch many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customize at will. Instead, the new Nokia X line announced Monday will emphasise Microsoft services such as Bing search, Skype communications and OneDrive file storage. Its home screen sports larger, resizable tiles resembling those on Windows phone.
“More and more people are buying smartphones for less that €100,” said Stephen Elop, Nokia executive vice-president, as he presented the new phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. “That sub-100 range is a massive opportunity for us. According to analysts, it will grow four times as fast as rest of smartphone market.”
The Nokia X is on sale immediately for €89 ($122). The Nokia X+ will cost €99 and the Nokia XL will cost €109, with both going on sale in early March.
The Nokia X and X+ both have 4-inch screens, but the X+ offers an SD card. The XL has a 5-inch screen and a better 5-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
Elop said all three phones will be “available broadly around the world, starting in growth markets.” The aim is to make the Nokia X a bridge to high-end Windows smartphones under the Lumia brand. They won’t be available in the US, Canada, Korea and Japan in part to avoid competing with Lumia phones, which cost hundreds of dollars in the US without subsidies from phone carriers.
Elop said that the use of Android on these phones in no way means Nokia is shifting away from its work with Windows and Microsoft, which is buying Nokia’s phone business and patent rights in a €5.4 billion ($7.3 billion) deal expected to be completed next month.
Once the No 1 maker of cellphones, Nokia has been struggling to keep up with the iPhone and devices running Android. Nokia’s smartphone revenue fell 29 per cent in the recent holiday quarter compared with a year earlier. And even as competition intensifies for high-end smartphones, Nokia has been hit by competition from cheaper made by Chinese and other Asian companies.
Nokia announced two even cheaper phones on Monday, also expected to go on sale in early March:
- The Nokia 220 is meant as a starter phone for €29 ($40). It will have Facebook, Twitter and some games already installed, but users won’t be able to add apps.
- The Asha 230 will offer more options for apps. The €45 ($62) phone is meant for people who are not yet ready for the Nokia X. It comes with a touch screen, but lacks the power and versatility found in smartphones.
For instance, location services will have to be designed for Nokia’s Here mapping software rather than Google Maps. In-app payments will have to be tweaked to allow billing through mobile carriers rather than credit cards, which many people in emerging markets lack.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti.../technology_February41.xml§ion=technology
