Former Nokia Employees Create Newkia With The Aim To Build Android Phones

Nokia has been one of the leaders in smartphone innovation for a long time, before the Finnish giant lost out to iPhone and Android, so much so that the whole hardware division of Nokia was acquired by Microsoft just a few days ago. I have personally always strongly believed that Nokia would’ve done well to keep up with the changing market trend and combined their remarkable hardware with Google’s open source Android to make the perfect smartphone. While that never happened owing to the company’s partnership with Microsoft, it might come true now, as Nokia’s Asia Pacific (former) CEO, Thomas Zilliacus, has spun off a new company from Nokia with the aim to do just that.

The new company, named Newkia (pun might be intended), comprises a slew of other former Nokia employees who have one goal in mind – build better Android phones. Zilliacus claims that he’d been aiming to buy out Nokia for a while now, but had never been able to raise the required funds on his own, and certainly never enough to outbid the Redmond giant. However, now, with the start of his own Newkia, he believes they’ll be easily able to raise enough capital, owing largely to the fact that a lot of potential investors see a lot of future for a combination of Nokia-standard hardware with Android’s open source nature.

Newkia’s plans aim towards making the company functional and productive by 2014, which can potentially imply a Newkia device out and about in the market as early as summer next year. Wishful thinking? Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to speculate.

The interesting aspect to the whole story is the fact that technically, Microsoft’s acquisition remains restricted to Nokia’s hardware manufacture division, exclusive of Nokia’s patent portfolio. The Redmond company holds licensing to use Nokia’s patents, sure, but at the same time, with the current conditions of the deal, cannot prevent other companies from licensing those as well. This could mean that we would one day see an Android phone touting Nokia’s PureView technology, which is unarguably the best camera on a smartphone to date.

Historically, it has always been the case for even manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, who have, at some point, tried their luck with Windows Phone, to gain more success with Android over WP. What remains to be seen is whether Nokia would license such high-end patents to a potential direct competitor of Microsoft past the deal that has already taken place. We’ve seen weirder things happen in the past, so who knows. Time will tell.

(via: Cnet)

Nokia Takes The Fight To Samsung And Google With A Well Placed KitKat Ad

Nokia is in between a big transition and in the process of being fully acquired by Microsoft over the coming days, but that isn’t stopping its German arm from having a bit of run on the way down.

Posting to its official Twitter account, Nokia Germany decided to take a pop at Google’s just-announced new version of their mobile operating system, codenamed KitKat – or Android 4.4 KitKat as it will also be known.

The not-so-subtle dig at Android – and indeed Samsung, as it turns out – came in the form of a photo that featured the famous KitKat slogan of “Have a break, have a…” Instead of finishing the sentence with the usual ‘KitKat,’ Nokia replaced the chocolate with a photo of a Galaxy S4 snapped in two in the same way KitKat shows its chocolates being separated. Cunning! Very,very cunning indeed.

The picture made us giggle more than these things usually do, and top marks to Nokia Germany for their quick thinking. Hopefully the folks at Samsung and Google will take in good humor, too.

With Nokia being acquired by Microsoft, the pair are no strangers to poking the competition when advertising their own wares. Nokia has placed Apple firmly in its sights when advertising its Windows Phone devices in the past, and Microsoft has done similar things when trying to extol the virtues of its Windows 8 tablets over their iOS counterparts.

Google’s newly announced, and still in development iteration of their mobile operating system, Android 4.4 KitKat is the first to receive a name that follows a brand, and not just any brand, but a big name brand. What it does is enable all kinds of cross-advertising, with special KitKats now being sold that offer the chance to win both a Nexus 7 and Google Play Store credit. We’re told no money has changed hands, so this is simply a mutually beneficial situation that the two companies have found themselves in.

Let’s just hope this doesn’t become too much of a habit.

What do you think of the pop at Samsung? A bit on the harsh side, or a well-timed dig? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

(Source: NokiaDeutschland [Twitter])

Microsoft Explains Why It Bought Nokia

Hot on the heels of the news that Microsoft has spent $7.1 billion on Nokia, the company behind Windows Phone has had a go at explaining the acquisition by releasing a typically Microsoft PDF. With Nokia not exactly setting the world on fire with its handsets, and coming fully loaded with its own problems, the once proud phone manufacturer was already working extremely closely with Microsoft and with all its eggs in the Redmond firm’s Windows Phone basket, talk of a buyout has been doing the rounds for a long time. The fact that it actually happened has still come as a surprise to many, however.

Almost sensing that fact, Microsoft has set about explaining its decision to splash the cash, and it’s not just because they wanted Stephen Elop back at Microsoft!

While Microsoft is pleased that Windows Phone is now sitting in the number 3 slot when it comes to mobile operating systems, the company says that it will continue to provide solutions for both iOS and Android. That said, it believes that it cannot afford to rely on either platform too heavily in case either Apple or Google make changes to their solutions that lock Microsoft out in the future. With that in mind, having its own hardware and software could potentially be an important situation for Microsoft to be in.

Microsoft also says that, owing to the strength of the competition, it needs to offer a top class alternative to iOS or Android, and controlling the hardware is one of the ways that it can achieve just that. It’s an approach that Apple has famously taken since Steve Jobs returned to the company way back when, and it’s one that Google also seems to understand – the Nexus line and Motorola’s acquisition is the company’s way of trying to keep control of Android in some small way. Whether it succeeds is open to debate, though.

The way we see it is quite simple. Nokia needed Microsoft long term, and Microsoft wanted not just the hardware chops that Nokia possesses but also its huge war-chest full of patents. Nokia is believed to hold some of the most important patents in the industry, and now they’re Microsoft’s. In a game where patents can make or break a product release, having a stash of your own can come in very useful indeed.

Of course, Microsoft having tighter control over Nokia hardware is all well and good, and it arguably already had as much control as it could want via the existing deal in place between the two companies, but the real issue isn’t the hardware but the software. You could put Windows Phone on an iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4, but it would still have the same problems that it has on any current Windows Phone device – the ecosystem.

If Microsoft can get that sorted out quickly though, things could get really interesting pretty quickly. Whether Nokia can help it do that though, we’re not really sure.

(Source: Microsoft)

1080p Windows Phone 8 User Interface Screenshot Leaks From Nokia ‘Bandit’

The folks over at the Evleaks Twitter account are nothing if not prolific. Often the first to leak screenshots, spy shots and specification lists, Evleaks is one of the go-to places for finding out about unannounced smartphones, and they proved once more that they should be on everyone’s follow list today.

Whilst everyone else is still pondering the acquisition of Nokia by Microsoft, the Evleaks guys have released a new screenshot that will be of interest to fans of both the Redmond company and the latest company to be assimilated into it.

Nokia is believed to be working on a new Windows Phone-powered handset that will be announced this month, codenamed Bandit, or the Lumia 1520 as some people are calling it. Packing a 1080p screen, the new device will be the first to Windows Phone device to feature a 1080p screen, and that means that Windows Phone itself will need an update – something Microsoft is working towards with Windows Phone 8. We hadn’t seen anything to show how the Windows Phone home screen would perform on new, higher resolution devices with larger screens – until now.

The latest leak by Evleaks shows what they claim to be a screenshot from the new Bandit handset that Nokia is currently getting ready to announce, and it gives us our first insight into how Modern will use those extra pixels. In short, it’ll offer more icons, which is no great surprise to anyone.

Looking at the screenshot, Windows Phone 8 will follow the same icon layout options as its predecessor, with small, medium and large icons available for users. By contrast, Windows 8.1 on the desktop will be getting a new wider icon option, but at this point it doesn’t look like that will be making the jump to Microsoft’s smartphone platform.

Also new in the screenshot is an app called Storyteller. There is absolutely no information on this currently, but we have a sneaky suspicion that it will involve photos and location data in order to build a timeline of sorts. Useful, if you like that kind of thing.

Nokia is expected to announce the new phone alongside a Windows RT tablet device at an event on September 26th. We will keep you updated as soon as we get our hands on new details.

(Source: Evleaks [Twitter])

Nokia Lumia 1520 Phablet With 6-inch 1080p Display Spotted In The Wild, And It’s A Beast! [IMAGE]

With the third Samsung Galaxy Note almost upon us and LG having just revealed the gigantic Optimus G Pro, the phablet season is well and truly upon us. Nokia, one of the few companies yet to delve into the world of preposterously large smartphones (or tiny tablets, depending on your point of view), is rumored to be plotting its inaugural effort with the Lumia 1520, and today, an alleged snap of what appears to be a working unit has been spotted in the wild.

It’s one of those leaks where, if it is indeed real, we certainly wouldn’t have baulked at a video demonstration. With that said, it’s one of the first plausible sightings of the device, and with Lumia devices struggling against a tidal wave of iOS and Android-based handsets, Nokia is trying to cover every corner of the market in its continuous catch-up efforts.

According to a report over at WP Central, the source of this particular leak, the Lumia 1520 will boast a 6-inch display, eclipsing the amount of real estate offered by both Galaxy Notes released hitherto. Naturally, the screen goes the whole nine yards with a full-HD 1080p resolution, although beyond that, precious little else is known of the Finnish company’s next big thing.

Apparently, it will pack in a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC, and considering most phablets on the market, save the Galaxy Mega, are all running powerful chipsets, we’d suspect this rumor to be true.

Nokia has prided itself on ensuring most of its handsets feature a better-than-the-rest camera, and while Windows Phone will remain a stumbling block for the Lumia 1520, some may be cajoled by a device with a high-end camera and a large display.

The device is still not confirmed, although numerous reports have pointed to a launch at some point next month, just before Microsoft announces Windows 8.1. Also, we covered a report a few weeks back which also suggested that a Nokia phablet is to be released this year, and therefore, keeping today’s leak in mind, we’re certain this could be it.

It’s easy to write off such a large device, particularly one on a platform that is currently, despite its inherent strengths over rivaling ecosystems, tanking. But hey, when the first Galaxy Note arrived, people laughed it off, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Still, it will be interesting to see what the reaction will be to a 6-inch device from Nokia, and we’ll keep you posted on any more interesting tidbits regarding the Lumia 1520.

(Source: WPCentral)

WhatsApp Cross-Platform Messaging App Updated With Voice Messages [VIDEO]

WhatsApp is one of the most popular cross-platform messaging apps and today, the company has delivered a solid update for the main platforms. The changes, which span iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS and Symbian, include a new feature which allows you to record and send a message with just one tap, making the whole service just that little bit more pleasurable. You can catch all of the details after the break!

WhatsApp is fast approaching one third of a billion users, and if you’ve used the app on any platform, you’ll understand as to why this is. Not only is it fully customizable with wallpapers, profile images, status updates and all that jazz, but it’s also a very reliable, swift service that operates without fuss regardless of whether you’re on a cellular or hotspot connection.

In covering a wide range of platforms, you’re unlikely to find a smartphone-owning friend that cannot connect with you via WhatsApp, and that’s why its used by many hundreds of millions of people.

The latest update, allows you to send voice memos with one simple press of the mic icon, meaning you don’t have to go through a tiresome rigmarole in order to send a voice message to a buddy. Voice memos are ideal for those occasions where you cannot be bothered to type don’t have the time to make a call, but want to relay a message as quickly as possible, and with this update, the process is now even quicker.

Voice memos will now also play in-app rather than requiring you to open up a separate media player, and while this isn’t much of a big deal, it does make the app more well-rounded and in-house.

So, go ahead and grab the new app for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BB10 and Nokia’s now rejected Symbian platforms, and be sure not to spam your friends with too much chit-chat thanks to the new feature. We’re quite certain you still will.

Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad, and also our Android Apps gallery and Windows Phone 7 apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android or Windows Phone devices.

Nokia Lumia Phablet With 1080p Display Stated For Release This Year [Report]

Although Nokia has long since been fighting an uphill battle in the mobile industry by choosing to jump on the back of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8, one cannot fault the companies endeavors with regards to devices. As well as the fleet of devices previously available on Windows Phone 7, the Finnish outfit has released a fleet of great handsets over the past twelve months such as the Lumia 920, aluminum-laden Lumia 925, and the 41-megapixel marvel that is the Lumia 1020. With the middle of the market also covered and the company still dropping its fair share of dumbphones, there’s one key area of the smartphone spectrum still untried from Nokia’s point of view, but according to reports out of My Nokia Blog, the company is preparing an entry to the emerging collection of so-called ‘phablet’ devices.

The word phablet derives from phone + tablet, and although they share largely similar properties to your general smartphone, the key difference is that they pack exceptionally large, 5+ inch displays. Popularized by the Samsung Galaxy Note, we’ve seen a number of vendors jump on this form factor, and with LG only yesterday having announced the monstrosity that is the G2, it looks as though Nokia could be soon to showcase something similar.

There’s little doubting that the Lumia 925, the company’s flagship smartphone, is of high-end caliber, but one of the main reasons why we haven’t seen the Espoo-based telecoms giant drop a quad-core extravaganza is, simply put, Windows Phone 8 cannot handle it. But with Microsoft likely to be preparing a GDR3 update allowing for more powerful handsets on its fledgling platform, this could serve as Nokia’s cue to bring its first phablet to the scene.

According to My Nokia Blog, the device will pack a quad-core processor and 1080p display, both of which seem to be the standard for most high-end phablets. Considering Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, said not so long ago that anything more than a single core was essentially a waste of battery life in a smartphone, this phablet would present a giant leap in the company’s strategy, and since the company places much importance on optimizing software for each handset it releases, goodness knows how slick a quad-core Lumia on Windows Phone 8.x would be.

We’ll keep you posted should we hear any more on the matter, so stay tuned!

(Source: MyNokiaBlog)

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• Nokia Lumia 1020 With 41-Megapixel Camera Announced, Here Are The Details [VIDEO]

Fully Featured Instagram Client For Windows Phone Released

Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform continues to struggle against the might of both iOS and Android in the battle of the mobile ecosystems, and while the UI and functionality of the Redmond company’s mobile software has been praised and lauded by many – including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak – the lack of apps over at the Windows Phone Store has been more than a slight problem. While one app certainly won’t be enough to completely change the fortunes of the still fledgling platform, an official Instagram app for Windows Phone has been conspicuous by its absence, and while there’s still no sign of the Facebook-owned product making its way to the tiled interface, a third-party offering by the name of 6tag finally offers an almost fully-functional Instagram experience.

There have been many apps attempting to offer Windows Phone users a way into the popular photo-sharing service, and while some have proven more than worthwhile, none have quite lived up to the official experience. 6tag, formerly known as 6tagram, is different in that it appears include most of the features one would find within the official apps for iOS and Android.

Along with the standard set of Instagram filters, 6tag also takes advantage of the new video uploading feature introduced by Facebook some weeks ago. With sharing on all of the major networks to boot, 6tag is easily the richest Instagram service to date, and quite surprisingly, the filters included in the app are the exact same ones which we’ve come accustomed to on the official offerings on both iOS and Android.

Of course, a change in the Instagram API could quickly spell the end of 6tag, and since it’s a free download, we highly recommend you give it a shot by promptly hitting the download link provided below. Instagram has been coy in disclosing any details pertaining a possible app for Windows Phone, so until such time as an official offering manifest, 6tag is as good as it’s going to get for the moment.

Apart from 6tag, you should also give Hipstamatic Oggl a shot, it’s a nice app and Instagram upload support is official.

(Download: 6tag for Windows Phone on the Windows Phone Store)

Be sure to check out our Windows Phone 7 apps gallery to explore more apps for your Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

New Nokia Lumia 1020 TV Ad Pokes Apple’s iPhone Right In The Image Sensor [VIDEO]

Oh Nokia, you’re so funny. You might not be able to sell smartphones to many people, but you sure know how to make an ad that has us giggling behind our non-Nokia branded devices.

Keen to tout the virtues of its Lumia 1020, Nokia is on something of an advertising kick, launching what can only be described as attack after attack aimed at Apple’s iPhone. Seemingly forgetting all about the plethora of Android devices that are eating its lunch, Nokia’s distain for Apple is almost palpable, no more so than in its latest ad.

Based around a show being put on by some kids, the ad has proud parents climbing over each other in order to get closer to the action. See, their smartphones just can’t capture what’s going on form too far away, leaving an unseemly scrum as the only available avenue of photo taking left. That is, unless you happen to own a Lumia 1020.

Thanks to its enormous 41-megapixel camera, the Lumia can afford to have people take photos from further away. A little punching of the image here and there and everything gets zoomed in nicely once the image has been captured, and thanks to all those pixels, it looks terrific.

So that’s the ad spot, and the whole thing revolves around that camera and the Lumia’s huge megapixel count. You’d have to sit right to the end of the spot in order to find that out though, as Nokia seems more preoccupied with poking fun at owners of the iPhone and iPad than it is about pushing its own device. In fact, the ad even has a very pointed dig at Apple’s own advertising campaign when one lady is heard telling a fellow non-Nokia user that more photos are taken with an iPhone every day than any other smartphone – a direct reference to Apple’s own iPhone ads. Of course, the remark does the lady no good and she is soon left prone on the floor by a disgruntled parent.

Nokia’s ads to make us laugh, but we can’t help but wonder whether there may be a better way than to take Apple on in a straight fight.