ovi Archive

  • Nokia updates N900 to version 1.2 in UK, closes door on MeeGo

    Nokia updates N900 to version 1.2 in UK, closes door on MeeGo

    Posted on May 25, 2010 | No Comments
    You've overclocked it and hacked it to run OS X and Android, now you can return your N900 to its native Maemo 5 OS with the launch of a version 1.2 software update. The V10.2010.19-1 bump now available in the UK (global on Wednesday) packs several enhancements including face-to-face video calling, improved Ovi Maps, and a better email experience with bundled Facebook IM Chat and the ability to accept or decline event invitations from the inbox. You'll also see a number of new games when the Ovi Store switches over on Thursday.

    And after much speculation, Nokia's also admitting that MeeGo will not be officially supported on the N900 once the Intel / Nokia OS is device ready. Nokia will continue to support the core Maemo OS, however, as demonstrated by today's update. Regardless, we're sure that the N900's active fan-base will deliver a MeeGo update outside of official channels, especially since the N900 is already being used as a platform for ARM-based MeeGo development.

    [Thanks, Pasu]

    Nokia updates N900 to version 1.2 in UK, closes door on MeeGo originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 03:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia and Yahoo announce ‘worldwide strategic alliance’ on email, IM, maps, and more

    Nokia and Yahoo announce ‘worldwide strategic alliance’ on email, IM, maps, and more

    Posted on May 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Carol Bartz and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEOs of Yahoo! and Nokia, respectively, are on stage right now announcing a "strategic relationship" between the two companies on some of their core services. Nokia will be using Yahoo to power its Ovi email and IM services, while Yahoo will be using Nokia / NAVTEQ's competencies for its mapping and navigation services. Both companies see it as a way to grow their respective userbases, with Yahoo hoping to grab onto the 9 million Ovi users out there, while Nokia hopes that Yahoo could provide it a bit of a USA mojo. Interestingly, Olli-Pekka confronted the US problem head on: "We are an unusual global company in the sense that we are clearly a global leader in our industry, and yet we do not lead in the US." Carol was similarly forthcoming, saying that Yahoo had "lost its focus on maps a couple years ago," then correcting herself, saying that they "chose to focus on other areas." The first merged services should launch in the second half of this year.

    During Q&A the big answer to everything seemed to be "scale," but we also heard Carol toss in "downstream" at an opportune moment. When asked how this relates to Android, iPhone and so forth, Carol clarified that this doesn't change anything they're doing on those fronts. "It's not exclusive from that point." Each service will be branded as "powered by Yahoo" or "powered by Ovi." Yahoo will be announcing some "social-like" services for its mail and IM soon, but it's unclear if that's specifically related to this announcement. Neither company is talking financial specifics, but Olli-Pekka did make it very clear that a Yahoo-branded device wasn't forthcoming.

    Nokia and Yahoo announce 'worldwide strategic alliance' on email, IM, maps, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia partners with Harman to ’standardize’ cellular infotainment

    Nokia partners with Harman to ’standardize’ cellular infotainment

    Posted on May 17, 2010 | No Comments
    Though Microsoft, RIM and possibly Google are already vying to be the center of the automotive infotainment push, a certain Finnish phone manufacturer says it wants to take charge -- in what seems to be the latest phase of its Terminal Mode initiative, Nokia's tapped infotainment provider Harman to "standardize" the interface between phone and car. Like Harman's last in-dash venture, a touchscreen and physical controls will be the focus, while your handset (rather than an Intel Atom) does the heavy lifting. Connected via Bluetooth or USB, your Nokia will play music, deliver Ovi Maps, respond to voice control and more, with the entire phone display duplicated onto the car's larger touchscreen for easy access and a set of auto-specific apps planned for Nokia's Ovi Store. It all sounds pretty swell, but it's still not clear how the companies intend to standardize anything beyond their balance sheets; we're not sure how much Nokia will appreciate you connecting a Droid to their Ovi-powered car. PR after the break.

    Update: It appears that this is part of Nokia's Terminal Mode initative, which -- as some have noted in comments -- we've actually told you about before. Whoops!

    Continue reading Nokia partners with Harman to 'standardize' cellular infotainment

    Nokia partners with Harman to 'standardize' cellular infotainment originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 22:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Nokia reshuffles management looking for gold

    Nokia reshuffles management looking for gold

    Posted on May 11, 2010 | No Comments
    We're not alone in grumbling about Nokia. Investors are miffed -- to put it gently -- over Nokia's inability to ignite the industry (and profits) with innovative, high-margin handset sales since the launch of Apple's iPhone some three years ago. And let's not forget about that feisty upstart Google, Microsoft's revamped Windows Phone OS, or HP's new-found love for mobile devices. Investor unrest was made clear last week as Nokia's shareholders gave CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo an earful. But as slow moving as Nokia can be, it's not immune to the situation by any stretch. Following up on its announcement to combine services and devices, we now have details about Nokia's planned re-org, the second in seven months. The goal, as described by OPK, is as follows:
    "Nokia's new organizational structure is designed to speed up execution and accelerate innovation, both short-term and longer-term."
    The heat will be on Anssi Vanjoki (pictured) to deliver as he'll be assuming responsibility for the Mobile Solutions group on July 1st. That gives him direct control of Nokia's MeeGo Computers (led by Alberto Torres), Symbian Smartphones (headed by Jo Harlow), and Ovi Services (led by Tero Ojanpera) -- the holy trifecta that interests us the most. Mary McDowell will head the Mobile Phones unit while Niklas Savander will head up the Markets unit. The loser in all of this appears to be Richard Simonson, the former CFO currently leading the Mobile Phones unit, but soon to be retired. Full press release after the break.

    Continue reading Nokia reshuffles management looking for gold

    Nokia reshuffles management looking for gold originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Et tu, Nokia?

    Et tu, Nokia?

    Posted on February 17, 2010 | No Comments
    In the US we have a somewhat myopic view of cell phones. We have iPhones and Blackberrys and now Androids and Nexuses for smartphones, and a whole bunch of feature phones from manufacturers like LG and Motorola and Samsung. Notably absent from most wireless stores in the U.S. are Nokia, which is odd since Nokia owns more of the global cell phone market than its next three competitors combined. Part of this discrepancy is no doubt due to the market differences between U.S. carriers and wireless carriers in the rest of the world. But a large part of this can be explained by Nokia's sheer arrogance.

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  • Nokia taking Ovi Store criticism to heart, planning revamped version to rival App Store

    Nokia taking Ovi Store criticism to heart, planning revamped version to rival App Store

    Posted on December 11, 2009 | No Comments
    Not quite sure if you've noticed, but some pretty significant shifting is going on in the heart of Espoo. Just days after Nokia announced that it would be closing up its flagship shops in London, New York and Chicago, in flies this: a new Ovi Store is already in the works, and if all goes well, it'll be available for public use as early as next Spring. For those keeping tabs, that's right around a year after the (admittedly tumultuous) launch of the existing platform, which has yet to live up to the firm's own expectations according to George Linardos. In case you're wondering (and c'mon, you're wondering), Mr. Linardos is the head of products at Nokia's media group, and in speaking with the Financial Times, he confessed that the Ovi Store "had been outpaced by Apple." He also admitted that the chorus of complaints from end-users were driving the next version, noting that his company has "screens up in [their] offices running Twitter feeds [of gripes] all day long." In fact, he likened the act to "sitting there and getting punched in the face."

    As for the next go 'round, he's looking to take a "tortoise and hare" approach when it comes to competing with Apple, who he himself claims "radically changed" the world around us when the App Store was introduced. As it stands, George sees the Ovi Store as a "jambalaya" of services, with Ben Wood -- an analyst at CCS Insight -- proclaiming that "none of those [work] properly." In the future, Ben has confessed that Ovi needs "to get all their ducks lined up, including hardware, software and services." So, what exactly will said ducks look like early next year? We're told that new features will include "in-application payments, a redesigned user interface that makes apps easier to discover and faster operation," and beyond that, the outfit is also looking to toss in recommendations based on the app purchases of their friends. This is definitely stirring stuff to hear from someone deep within Nokia's lairs, and it certainly makes us all the more excited to see what the next generation will bring. Nothing like a little competition in the market place to really light a fire up under someone's posterior, right?

    Nokia taking Ovi Store criticism to heart, planning revamped version to rival App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Fresh from Nokia Beta Labs: Ovi Lifecasting, Social Messaging (aka Facebook lovefest)

    Fresh from Nokia Beta Labs: Ovi Lifecasting, Social Messaging (aka Facebook lovefest)

    Posted on September 2, 2009 | No Comments
    At the Nokia World 2009 event in Stuttgart, Nokia Beta Labs has announced a number of new services ready for testing right now. The most interesting one is Ovi Lifecasting, an application we caught wind of yesterday but is now ready for limited early bird beta-testing. Also new is an extension of Nokia Messaging called Social Messaging, which interestingly Nokia calls the groundwork for an impending proprietary multi-community social networking client.

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