Live from Nokia's MWC 2013 Press Conference
by Brian Klug on February 26, 2013 12:02 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Nokia
- Mobile
- MWC 2013
03:17AM EST - That's a wrap from the Nokia press conference, it's going to be a busy MWC 2013!
03:16AM EST - "It hasn't always been easy" executing on the new strategy for Nokia, but Elop says they're still committed to bringing those experiences to every market and category
03:15AM EST - Nokia is talking about a number of business to business wins with Lumia
03:13AM EST - Talking about more partners using the same set of APIs they've opened up for other developers
03:12AM EST - Nokia is opening up core imaging, location based services APIs to developers
03:11AM EST - Better experiences for developers, 130,000 Windows Phone applications
03:10AM EST - Here maps will become available on the new Firefox OS from Mozilla
03:10AM EST - The big game is getting more data and feedback from devices running the Here software to get a better experience
03:09AM EST - Elop is talking about how much bolder Nokia is going to be, with Here experience available on non Windows Phones
03:09AM EST - Nokia Lumia 920T was a TD-SCDMA variant for China Mobile, also 520 and 720 will have TD-SCDMA variants on China Mobile
03:08AM EST - Lumia 720 starts rolling out in Asia in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore in Q1 before expanding to more markets in Q2, prices start between 249 euros
03:07AM EST - Lumia 520 this quarter starting in Hong Kong and Vietnam, then rolling out elsewhere including USA T-Mobile in Q2, prices start around 139 euros
03:07AM EST - Nokia 301 in 120 countries, Q2 rollout, available for 65 euros
03:07AM EST - Nokia 105 in china, indonesia, markets in middle east, asia, and pacific, for 15 euros
03:06AM EST - Nokia 105 for 15 euros is pretty interesting, and I'm interested in the 720 with its F/1.9 rear facing camera
03:06AM EST - We're looking at a great graphic of the portfolio of Nokia devices
03:05AM EST - Nokia wireless charging car holder
03:04AM EST - Nokia hearing great feedback on wireless charging
03:03AM EST - 720 has the same battery as the 920, and also capable of wireless charging with a snap-on cover
03:03AM EST - Wow, overlays of the viewfinder on maps and navigation, the interface looks pretty slick, with like waypoints and a compass rose at the bottom
03:02AM EST - Augmented reality, the user interface of "sight"
03:01AM EST - Lumia 720 demoing some of the newest features with Here maps
03:01AM EST - Place tag on the Lumia 720 in beta, which allows you to include location data and notes with the photos
03:00AM EST - Better front facing camera as well with a wider angle field of view
02:59AM EST - Looking at pictures taken from the rear camera on the 720
02:58AM EST - Real surprise in this mid range Nokia smartphone is the camera, with Carl Zeiss optics, with F/1.9 aperture (wow, just beating F/2.0 on some other cameras)
02:57AM EST - HTML5 support in beta for bigger screens and browsers - to play back and access Nokia Music
02:57AM EST - Talking about Nokia Music Plus right now which is a paid upgrade over Nokia Music with enhanced music quality, unlimited playlists for offline use, and lyrics
02:56AM EST - First unibody with microSD support as well
02:55AM EST - Also a unibody design
02:55AM EST - ClearBlack benefits being outlined, and the 720 also has the higher sensitivity touch panel
02:54AM EST - 4.3-inch clear black display with curved glass
02:54AM EST - Lumia 720 is engineered for non-LTE markets, aimed at broader reach
02:54AM EST - Fourth product coming up, the Nokia Lumia 720
02:52AM EST - Here comes preloaded on the 520, this is the new brand for Nokia's mapping services, drive, and transit
02:50AM EST - This works over a modern browser apparently, not Miracast or something similar
02:50AM EST - Photobeamer allows you to take over another screen, on a smartphone or another display
02:49AM EST - We're seeing cinemagraph on the 520, which is again animated GIF creation on the WP8 platform
02:48AM EST - 5 MP AF camera, same camera lenses as the 920 (the WP8 lenses, not the actual optical system)
02:48AM EST - 4-inch super sensitive touch display, 1 GHz dual core SoC, 8 GB of internal memory
02:47AM EST - Exchangeable shells on the 520
02:47AM EST - Most affordable WP8 smartphone from Nokia
02:46AM EST - Here we go, Nokia Lumia 520 out on stage right now
02:46AM EST - We're talking about a lot of entry level phones from Nokia right now, waiting for the 720 and 520 Lumias
02:45AM EST - Can charge the 105 once a month and still rely on it. I think we heard 15 euros for the 105.
02:45AM EST - Introducing the Nokia 105 which is Nokia's new entry level phone
02:41AM EST - Voice assisted MySpace angle shooting looks pretty neat - the phone tells you to move the angle left, right, up or down to center your face in the frame
02:40AM EST - We're looking at the camera experience on the 301 which includes features from other higher end cameras in Nokia's lineup
02:38AM EST - New apps for the platform including Twitter, whatsapp, and better imaging
02:38AM EST - Same browser as the other Asha phones with compression, smooth thanks to 3.5G
02:37AM EST - HD voice included, mail for exchange, better web experience
02:37AM EST - Nokia comes in recognizable cyan, magenta, yellow, white, and black. For people who want a high performing classic 3G phone
02:36AM EST - Range of colors for the 310, single SIM and dual SIM variants
02:36AM EST - Talking about the Nokia 301 right now
02:35AM EST - "We want to be better by focusing on the things people do with their phones every day"
02:35AM EST - "One unified design approach across our portfolio, with a distinctly Nokia identity which is pure with only the essentials, human, warm, and advanced"
02:35AM EST - Nokia's lead designer is talking about design of the new phones
02:33AM EST - Four new aspirational products
02:33AM EST - Elements of high end Lumia flagship devices are going to be brought to more people with affordable devices that are also aspirational.
02:33AM EST - Elop is talking about the Asha product line and other launches
02:32AM EST - Phew we got started a bit late since WiFi was flakey, but Elop is out on stage talking about the Lumia 920 and Lumia 822 launches right now
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Paulman - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
Nokia 105 for 15 euros and you can potentially get by with charging it once a month?! WHAAAAT? I would like to see the specs / features on that thing :) That's almost exactly $20 USDilihijan - Sunday, March 3, 2013 - link
I just got paid $6784 working on my laptop using these simple steps leaked on this web page. Make up to $85 per hour doing simple tasks that are so easy to do that you won't forgive yourself if you don't check it out! Weekly payments! Here is what I've been doing Epic2.c(om)Fx1 - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
Seriously Nokia when will you WAKE UP and see Windows Phone is going nowhere. Make an Android phone for gods sake. Nokia hardware + Android = winCaedenV - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
Why would they diversify more? We are talking about a company who has taken a serious beating the last few years and is essentially starting over from scratch. Here in the US they simply cannot make enough phones fast enough to keep the popular colors in stock on the L920, and the phone has been out a while now. If they were to diversify their manufacturing even further (because Nokia makes all of their own mid to high end phones, and only contracts out their lower end devices) then you would simply never be able to find their phones anywhere.Besides, they are doing just fine with WP8 now that consumers are not afraid of being left behind (like they were with the WP7 offerings). And almost everyone makes the full range of Android phones, why fight in an over saturated market when the WP market is essentially wide open?
Exodite - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
The problem here isn't the US market, it's the rest of the world.Elop's Nokia effectively traded their worldwide presence for entry into the one market where where they traditionally weren't important - the US.
As for manufacturing it's no longer in-house.
Like their R&D and pretty much the majority of the company it's been shut down and tasked to Asian companies.
I agree about one thing though, Android can't offer Nokia what they need at this point. It's too late for that.
sviola - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
According to Kantar WorldPanel, in the UK, WP8 has jumped from 2.4% marketshare to 6%. Also, seems that 1 in every new WP8 buyer has jumped ship from Android.From other sources:
In Germany, windows phone went from %2.4 in December 2012 to %5.1 in January 2013
In Italy %14
France %5.7
In Russia %6
In U.S, from last month , Windows Phone is now %3.2 from around %2.6
Contrary to what you stated, it seems to me that WP8 is getting momentum outside the US.
Penti - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
Yes it's not wining the US market and that's a vital flaw to the business change of Nokia. It's self evident and pretty straight forward why it doesn't win there. It's too much competition from iOS, Android, and Blackberry, and previously even webos. (BB10 won't take the same market share in EU as in US and Canada). Other markets can handle a platitude of platforms much better, US can't really support 4-5 platforms and the MS strategy of aggressively push out others and become the third largest fails and by that it also fails to gain even the same market share the largely unnoticed Symbian devices had, even in the US.sviola - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
Well, even in the US it has had gains in the order of 25% (from 2.6 to 3.2%) in its market share, if they keep this pace every quarter, they will reach 10% of the market share in the US in a year. I think the US market is big enough to accomodate 4-5 plataforms.Penti - Tuesday, February 26, 2013 - link
What hardware? They have pretty much closed down their own manufacturing and development facilities that's why they can't even if the customers wants it deliver anything on Symbian and MeeGo now as the facilities finishing those products doesn't exist anymore, not because they decided to scrap those products. Their plants in Europe is closed. It's all ODM-products which they can't really develop and test themselves any more. It's simply moving to contract manufacturing and at the same time fired all the software and hardware developers.Despite having most of their previously 60k employees in manufacturing related jobs. They have exited the market almost altogether as anything else then Microsoft's brand of ODM Windows Phone devices. They will need fewer employees then Blackberry/RIM to survive on Windows Phone, and going S40 and trying to pass it off as a smartphone was the wrong way to go that was only forced because of Elops direction of not allowing new Symbian/MeeGo devices. The new Nokia should gain no favors from the old and they shouldn't even be allowed to use their brand name for the money Microsoft put in it. Nokia should just be a holding company for Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) telco/network equipment business as they have handled and dismantled all the rest without trying to get any money of their old plants/business. Just spin it out and be done with it and then you can downsize and turn it into nothing however you like. Doing a Motorola type downsizing isn't inspiring.
It's a management culture that was foreign to a Scandinavian company with profits and growing sales up to the quarter after Elop. Blackberry 10 is now using Qt (previously owned and developed by Nokia) and a POSIXs compliant platform so it's the successor in spirit and technology to MeeGo and webOS any way. Let's see if the Finish neighbors can do anything with Jolla too though. Going Android would have been the wrong way, they can't survive as a has been with contract manufactured Android phones either and have competition from other has beens and semi large firms, but delivering on running a Android compatibility layer on top of their own OS/APIs/platform would have been a smart thing to do, but as said BB10 delivered on that. Plus is set to be the third largest platform. The Qt Mobility framework could have been and was a much larger platform then WP will ever be even if your extremely positive of it's outlook. BB10 delivers on apps before the platform is even out so it's not like you have to do it the Microsoft way.
Notmyusualid - Monday, February 25, 2013 - link
Actually I think you are wrong.I bought my gf a Nokia 820 (920 too big for her), and despite being an Android user myself, I can honestly say the beauty of the device is how intuitive the user interface was to a new user of Windows Phone 8.
I did not feel this from Android, and defiantly not from an Apple device.
It works smoothly, and fast.
And I shall buy one for myself.
Now, how to hack out that dam Facebook and Twitter that are hard-coded in? Why, oh why would they do that to us....