Jan 16
We’ve been hearing for months
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Jan 16
Much has been said about the Nokia Normandy ever since it started to hit the rumor mills for quite some time already, and here we are with yet another rumor which will add another layer of sinew and flesh to the upcoming smartphone. Apparently, the latest rumor that is making its rounds concerning the Nokia Normandy would be its release date that has been pegged at March 25th.
Rumor: Nokia Normandy Gets March 25 Release Date original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 15
I guess you can call it the law of the tech world – as a particular device nears its release date, more and more leaks are headed our way, and that seems to be the case with not one, but two devices from the folks over at Nokia – that is, the Nokia Lumia 1820 as well as the Nokia Lumia 1525. An unproven leakster did share via Twitter that both handsets will come loaded to the brim with features and functionality, where the Nokia Lumia 1820 will boast of a 5.2″ 2K display, a Snapdragon 805 chipset, 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory, carry a generous 3,400 mAh battery, in addition to a camera that sports Nokia’s post-shot focusing technology and Xenon flash. As for its design, it is touted to be in the same vein as that of the Nokia Lumia 928, which happens to be slimmer compared to the existing flagship that is Lumia 1020.
Nokia Lumia 1820 And Lumia 1525 Flagship Information Leaks original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 14
Samsung, one of the worldwide leaders when it comes to the smartphone market, has been flying pretty high with their slew of Android-powered devices. Well, it seems that they might have another go at the rival Windows Phone platform, thanks to a brand new model that will be known as the SM-W750V. This device has just received approval from the folks over at the Bluetooth SIG, which means it is targeting a North America release. Apart from that, chances are the SM-W750V will be the first 5” 1080p Windows Phone 8 device from Samsung, where it will also feature LTE connectivity as well as Internet Explorer pre-loaded.
Samsung SM-W750V Could Be Another Windows Phone Flagship Device original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 14
We know that Nokia is working on an Android device which has been given the codename Normandy. We’ve seen leaked photos of its user interface and the phone itself, and now thanks to a post by Vizileaks, another real-life photo of the alleged handset has made its way onto the internet again. Now based on the photo above there’s no telling if this is the real deal or if it is just a photo of another Nokia phone, so we pretty much only have Vizileaks’ word to go on, although given that they have posted some pretty credible photos in the past, we don’t have reason to doubt them at the moment, but do take it with a grain of salt for now. (more…)
More Real Life Nokia Normandy Photos Surface original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
We have seen our fair share of news concerning the Nokia Normandy – all right, they are not exactly news, but rather, speculations and rumors. @evleaks has just released a brand new render of the yet unannounced Nokia Normandy, where it is set to run a forked version of Android, which would mean there is no possibility of making use of Google Play Store as well as Google branded apps. What you see above is pretty interesting – it shows off a Metro UI styled start screen which certainly makes it look a whole lot more like Windows Phone than anything else.
Nokia Normandy With Metro UI Spotted original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
It has not been too long after both the Nokia Lumia 1020 and Nokia Lumia 925 managed to get hold of the Nokia Lumia Black update, and all the patience of you Lumia 920 fans have finally paid off – this particular smartphone, too, will be on the receiving end of the Nokia Lumia Black update, where the firmware upgrade is about to make its way to a slew of unlocked devices around the world.
Nokia Lumia black Update Sets Its Sights On The Lumia 920 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
Back in 2011, Apple and Nokia managed to arrive at an agreement in which Apple would pay Nokia a huge sum, followed by ongoing royalties for use of their patents. Naturally the licensing deal is not indefinite but the exact details remained a secret between both companies, at least until recently where Samsung executives were reported to have illegally accessed the deal brokered between both companies, ultimately exposing some of its contents to the public. To that extent it has been discovered that Apple and Nokia’s licensing deal is only good for 5 years, meaning that it is expected to expire on the 31st of December 2016, with Apple calling the deal a “provincial license”.
Will Apple renew their licensing deal with Nokia, or will Apple have eventually figured a way around Nokia’s patents with inventions of their own? Well according to FOSS Patents, he believes that Apple and Nokia will most likely renegotiate and renew the deal and that any negotiation will most likely take place well ahead of the 2016 end date. Given that it is expected that Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia will be closed and completed by then, we can only assume that a portion, if not all of the royalties, will essentially be paid out to Microsoft, Apple’s rival in not just the mobile space, but the computer space as well.
Apple’s Licensing Deal With Nokia Is Only Good Until End Of 2016 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
It goes without saying that Nokia dominates the global Windows Phone market share, the company closed out 2013 with over 92 percent of the entire WP market. Its Lumia brand has become very popular around the world. There aren’t a lot of OEMs that make smartphones powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform, but the company is said to be courting quite a few. Its reportedly in talks with Sony, while India’s XOLO has already announced its intentions of making a Windows Phone device. A number of Chinese manufacturers are also expected to jump on the bandwagon, and Nokia doesn’t seem too concerned.
Nokia’s Viral Oza says in an interview with The Economic Times that the addition of more players will help grow the ecosystem, coaxing more and more developers to come onboard, which would really encourage consumers to go out and actually buy Windows Phone devices. Oza is of the view that there will be no pricing war if new OEMs join the platform, so Microsoft won’t have to worry about margin pressure on its acquisition of Nokia’s hardware business. Later in this quarter, the $7.17 billion acquisition of Nokia’s hardware business by Microsoft is going to be closed, after which Redmond itself will become the biggest Windows Phone OEM in the market.
Nokia Not Worried About Increasing Competition From New Windows Phone OEMs original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 13
An interview with Nokia’s Viral Oza in The Economic Times published today details the company’s mobile strategy in India and the world at large.
Oza isn’t concerned about the potential for increased competition, telling the Times that “The entry of more players in the Windows Phone market will help the ecosystem to grow further.” Nokia’s Lumia line of Windows Phone smartphones has become the de facto brand of handsets, but there has been rumor of Sony jumping into the ring this year.
He then appears to tie the entrance of new hardware players to a more healthy application market: “Also, more developers will come on board, strengthening the ecosystem even more. In that sense, it only encourages the consumers to buy Windows Phone and broadening the ecosystem.”
This is a long-term argument. Presumably the entrance of a large player, say Sony for example, could depress Nokia’s short-term device sales. But in Oza’s eyes, if that leads to a healthier platform, Nokia could sell more Windows Phone handsets in the long term, provided there’s a more healthy Windows Phone.
Nokia’s Lumia group therefore could be willing to cede short-term market share if it means they get help in growing Windows Phone down the road.
This all becomes complicated in that Nokia’s Lumia business is about to become Microsoft’s Lumia business, but Microsoft has echoed the sentiment that more players building Windows Phone hardware is something to be sought out, not discouraged; as a firm, Microsoft doesn’t want to make every Windows Phone handset that is sold, post its purchase of Nokia’s hardware group.
Downloads
Oza goes on in the interview to discuss download figures, something always worth examining when discussing the health of a platform:
We already have over 5000 developers in India, who develop apps for Windows Phone platform. 65 percent of all downloads for India developed apps are from outside India, while 35 percent is from India. There is a huge traction towards these India developed apps for Windows Phone. Downloads in India are around 4 million downloads a week from the marketplace.
This tells us that Indian developers are building English-language applications that are seeing global traction, and that a market the size of India does around 16 million downloads per month, or just under 200 million a year at current pace.
That figure scales, given Windows Phone current market share tear in the Indian market.
Tempering the above as unmitigated good news, keep in mind that Microsoft-Nokia continue to struggle for similar growth rates in the United States market, even as numbers for their platform improve in Europe and Latin America. Developer sentiment and innovation are often set in the U.S. market, making it more important than its subscriber rates would normally indicate.
Finally, Oza doesn’t anticipate a pricing war if new OEMs enter its market, implying that Microsoft can anticipate little new margin pressure on its 7.3 billion dollar purchase of Nokia’s hardware assets. That also gives OEMs future price stability to invest against. Perhaps not the most critical element in their planning, but something that could help lure the new players that Windows Phone certainly needs.
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