Nokia

Nokia has released new versions of its mapping and navigation service along with a new messaging service in an effort to build out its mobile services.

The upgraded Nokia Maps offers new features, such as high-resolution aerial images and 3D landmarks. The new software also allows users to share their location using GPS. Nokia has also tied the latest version of Nokia Maps more closely with its PC-based service Ovi. And the new Nokia Maps allows users to plan their journey ahead of time on their PCs and sync the information with their mobile phones for when they're on … Read more

Twenty-four hours after teasing us with news of a major product announcement, Nokia officially took the wraps off its mystery smartphone on Tuesday at the Nokia World 2008 conference in Barcelona, Spain. And despite some close guesses, no one got it quite right, so without further ado, let us introduce you to the Nokia N97.

Part of the company's high-end N series of multimedia computers, the N97 trumps all previous models with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and a tilting 3.5-inch touch screen (anyone else reminded of the AT&T Tilt or Sony Ericsson Xperia X1?). Yes, there's the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, but the N97 includes phone capabilities and is designed for the "needs of Internet-savvy consumers."

For example, the smartphone provides easy access to a number of social-networking sites, and the Web browser supports streaming Flash videos. The N97 also introduces something Nokia calls "social location," which uses the capabilities of the integrated A-GPS sensors and electronic compass to automatically update users' social networks, or let them share their location via photos or videos with friends.

The Home screen can be personalized with widgets of favorite Web and social-networking sites. Finally, the N97 is fully compatible with Nokia's Ovi Internet services, which include the Nokia Music Store, Nokia Maps, and the N-Gage gaming platform--though these services have yet to fully launch in the United States.

The Symbian-based smartphone also features a music and video player, a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and a whopping 32GB of onboard memory that can be expanded with a 16GB microSD card.

The quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) world phone is HSDPA-capable handset, but it currently supports only the 900/1900/2100MHz bands (AT&T's 3G network runs on 850/1900MHz, while T-Mobile runs on 1700/2100MHz). There is integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, however. … Read more

In the tech world, it's rare that a new product remains a complete secret from the prying eyes of gadget enthusiasts and bloggers, but somehow Nokia has done it. On Tuesday, in conjunction with the Nokia World 2008 Conference in Barcelona, Spain, the Finnish cell phone manufacturer will reveal a new device, and it's a complete mystery.

According to Robert Scoble, Nokia executives have been bragging that "the Internet has no clue" what it's about to announce, and that all guesses, including a new touch-screen cell phone (Engadget Mobile thinks it could possibly be a … Read more

Wouldn't it be nice if you could manage all your home appliances, electronics, entertainment, and security, plus your climate control system, from your mobile phone? That is exactly what Nokia is promising with its Home Control Center solution.

The beauty of this Linux-based platform is its comprehensive compatibility with most existing smart home technologies. This allows a unified user interface for these competing offerings which can be conveniently accessed from a mobile phone and Web browser.

Though detailed implementation of the Nokia Home Control Center is sketchy at the moment, the system seems to be centered on a miniature gateway (PDF) … Read more

Nokia, the world's largest cell phone maker, plans to stop making phones for the Japan market, one of the largest in the world.

The Finnish phone maker announced Thursday that it would stop manufacturing cell phones for NTT DoCoMo and Softbank Mobile, but will continue producing its luxury Vertu brand, according to a report by Reuters.

"In the current global economic climate, we have concluded that the continuation of our investment in Japan-specific localized products is no longer sustainable," Nokia executive vice president Timo Ihamuotila said in a statement.

While Nokia has a 40 percent global share, … Read more

AT&T's new Nokia 6650 looks as if it could be at home in Motorola's lineup. With a thin profile, a boxy shape, and a shiny metal skin, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the Motorola Razr V3.

But before you start criticizing Nokia for chasing after a four-year-old trend, we can assure you that the 6650 is worth a look. Not only is it better looking than the Razr, but it also offers a brilliant display, a sturdy construction, and a respectable mid-range feature set that includes 3G, push to talk, multimedia, and GPS. … Read more

One more detail about the latest Zune update: the Zune Pass, which costs $14.99 a month, is now going to allow users up to 10 permanent downloads per month. That's in addition to the unlimited downloads that expire if you stop paying your subscription. Think of it like an insurance policy for Zune Pass: if your Zune breaks and you decide to switch to another brand of MP3 player, you'll still get to keep some of the songs you downloaded.

I believe that Microsoft is the first company to offer free permanent downloads alongside unlimited temporary downloads. … Read more

NEW YORK--GPS map maker Navteq is teaming with its parent company Nokia to help drivers get more accurate information about traffic conditions.

Before Nokia bought Navteq last year, the two began working on a project in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley called Mobile Millennium that uses GPS-enabled cell phones as traffic monitors or "probes" to collect real-time traffic data.

A pilot program using more than 10,000 handsets has already launched in the San Francisco Bay Area. And on Tuesday the companies were showing off the technology at the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress here … Read more

As large employers, such as Citigroup, prepare for massive layoffs, the bad economic news is starting to hit home for consumers afraid of losing their jobs and already looking for ways to tighten their belts.

The recent spate of poor earnings from all kinds of consumer companies, like coffee giant Starbucks, tell us that consumers are nervous about the economy. And it looks like consumers will continue to be skittish about spending over the next several months. Last week Nokia, the largest maker of mobile phones in the world, announced it's already seen sales slip, and it projected that … Read more