lumia

Nokia can't compete with Apple, Android, say European carriers

Nokia's Lumia phones are already facing an uphill battle trying to gain attention and sales in a market dominated by Apple and Android.

Four of the major telecom carriers in Europe told Reuters that the Lumia smartphones were not good enough to compete with the iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy phones. As a result, carriers seem to feel little incentive to push the phones over the competition.

At one French telecom store cited by Reuters, Lumia models were not displayed prominently, and one salesperson steered a potential customer toward an iPhone and a variety of Android phones over Nokia'… Read more

Nokia Lumia 900 ad mocks other smartphones for looking alike

Do you feel you're expressing yourself as an individual because you have the same smartphone as everyone else?

That's the message being promoted in the latest not-so tongue-in-cheek ad created by Nokia and AT&T. Trying to drum up interest in the new Lumia 900 Windows Phone, the two companies are hard at work unleashing a series of ads aimed at deriding the competition.

The latest ad (also seen below) starts off by calling other smartphone users beta testers and proclaiming that all other smartphones look alike. To prove the point, the gentleman portrayed in the ad … Read more

Nokia offers software update for Lumia 900 glitch

In response to recent data connection problems that Nokia Lumia 900 users reported since the device's launch last week, Nokia has issued a software update sooner than expected.

The software for the AT&T version can be accessed through Zune and Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac. The software was expected to be available on April 16, but instead has come out three days prior.

In addition to the upgrade, consumers can swap a faulty Lumia 900 for a newer one at AT&T stores. The manufacturer will continue to offer $100 in credit (an initiative it … Read more

Instagram's instant billion-dollar payday

week in review Just weeks away from what's expected to be a historic Internet IPO, Facebook announced it had agreed to acquire the hugely popular photo-sharing smartphone app Instagram in a cash and stock deal valued at about $1 billion.

Facebook has made a slew of acquisitions to date, but nothing of this scale. Instagram is a 2-year-old startup that comes with some 33 million users and a growth rate that's the envy of Silicon Valley.

The key win for Facebook here is mobile engagement. The social network has had a mobile app for years, but it doesn'… Read more

The battle over e-book prices

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Justice Dept. sues Apple, publishers Nokia Lumia 900 glitch triggers $100 credit Spotify Play Button Pinterest buttons on Amazon, eBay Jim Gaffigan follows DIY model for launch of "Mr. Universe" stand-up special Subscribe: iTunes (MP3) | iTunes (320x180) | iTunes (HD) | RSS (MP3) | RSS (320x180) | RSS HD

Nokia weakness highlights other key market: China

If Nokia has any shot at a comeback, its Lumia smartphones will need to make a real dent in the Chinese market.

Nokia is currently working with one Chinese carrier, China Telecom, but plans to expand to others, CEO Stephen Elop said during a conference call today to discuss its first-quarter warning and second-quarter outlook.

"We plan to broaden it to other operators" in China, Elop said. "There are a number of different elements at play."

With the buzz surrounding Nokia's potential comeback in the U.S., it's easy to forget that China represents … Read more

Nokia revving up NFC-enabled Lumia 610

Nokia and Microsoft are jointly jumping onto the NFC bandwagon with the next version of the Lumia 610.

Slated to debut in Europe sometime this summer, the new version of the 610 will be the first Windows Phone handset to let users pay for goods on the go via NFC. The phone has already been certified for use with both MasterCard's PayPass and Visa PayWave, according to Nokia.

European carrier Orange will be the first provider to offer the NFC-enabled 610, which will be able to read NFC tags at the point of sale and pair with other NFC … Read more

Nokia Lumia 900 glitch triggers $100 credit

Nokia is taking extreme measures to rectify a glitch found in some Lumia 900 smartphones, offering new and existing customers a $100 credit for their troubles.

Some early Lumia 900 customers found that their phones failed to get a data connection, an issue Nokia confirmed and said it is fixing. As a peace offering, the company is offering this promotion both to appease existing customers and entice potential new ones, with the $100 fully covering the $99.99 handset.

There's a lot riding on the launch of the Lumia 900, which Nokia is banking on heavily as its comeback … Read more

Six things Nokia did to make the modern cell phone

It's been a while since we've been able to say this, but Nokia is wrapping up a very good week.

On Sunday, the company's flagship Windows Phone 7 device, the Lumia 900, finally arrived in stores. Praise from early critics, including CNET's Jessica Dolcourt, is high. So at this early stage, it appears that AT&T and Nokia managed to deliver on the early hype they generated last January at CES.

Of course, we'll have to wait to see how many handsets the company actually sells. It's entering a crowded and fiercely competitive … Read more

Can Nokia crank up the volume of the Lumia 900?

Nokia's Lumia 900 on AT&T is currently an Amazon best seller. An Easter Sunday quiet launch rebounded on Monday. And perhaps Nokia, AT&T, and Microsoft can make Windows Phone devices a player in the U.S. The big question for Nokia watchers revolves around one word: volume.

Can Nokia make enough Lumias around the world to turn around the company?

When Apple launches a new iPhone it's a short waiting game to see the release noting that the company sold a million units. The unfortunate reality for the rest of the smartphone players is … Read more