Stories related to: Nokia

Sony and Sony Ericsson are Greenpeace’s model tech citizens, topping a list of eco-friendly electronics companies. The environmental activists look at industry players’ use of hazardous chemicals, responsibility for obsolete products and—new this year—corporate policy toward climate change and other energy issues. Sony Ericsson was the first company to approach perfect on the chemical issue, PC World reports. More »

In a move aimed at bolstering its ability to compete with Apple's iPhone, Nokia is acquiring smartphone software-maker Symbian and moving toward increased cooperation with other mobile-phone industry veterans. Top handset makers and providers will participate in a nonprofit foundation to handle marketing and coordination for developers, and Symbian will combine its software into one open-source platform, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Mega-companies are defending themselves against harsh criticism on Chinese websites that they’ve done too little to help earthquake survivors, AP reports. Companies such as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, and Nokia were labeled “International Super-Misers” on one site. "We've been involved in helping and responding since day one,” said a McDonald’s rep, who added that the company pledged $15 million and is donating 40,000 meals. More »

Big wireless equipment companies have worked out a royalty deal allowing for the adoption of new technology that should speed up the wireless web. The companies have agreed to limit the royalties they charge each other for patents related to a technology called long-term evolution, or LTE, reports the Wall Street Journal . The competing patents could have held off development of new, faster networks. More »

The iPhone may have buzz, Wired writes, but the smartphone market is deviating from the model of Apple’s “Jesus phone,” particularly in the software area. Wary of Apple’s restrictive software development policies, Wired pegs the Nokia N95, with an open source application platform, as more influential in the development of future handsets. That’s not to say that the N95 doesn’t somewhat resemble the iPhone externally. More »

Motorola blinked in its showdown with billionaire investor Carl Icahn, announcing this morning it will spin off the foundering mobile-device division that lost $1.2 billion last year and has seen its share of the mobile phone market shrink from 22% to 12%, reports Bloomberg. Moto’s stock rose 6.6% on the news before the markets opened, after losing 45% in the past year. More »

With the cellphone industry increasingly hit-driven, phone designers are plumbing the consumer psyche through cultural experts and focus groups, reports the New York Times. "Our job is to be behaviorists and psychologists," says an exec. Competition has heated up as consumers buy—and discard—phones at an ever-faster rate, with the most trend-conscious getting a new one every 9 months. More »

Next time you strike out for the territory, you might be better served by Nokia’s new Maps 2.0 service than by a real live tour guide. CNet’s Marguerite Reardon literally road-tested the pedestrian GPS service at a Barcelona conference, taking to the Gothic Quarter’s labyrinthine alleys with the new 6210 Navigator phone, a Spanish guide, and a Nokia PR rep. More »

On the heels of India’s $2,400 car comes its $20 mobile handset, the “people’s phone,” the Times of London reports. It has no smart features—not even a screen. “It is just a phone,” says the chairman of Spice Mobile, the phone’s developer, but the company thinks it can sell 10 million over the next year. More »

Sony Ericsson will join most of the world’s other top cell phone makers in offering a smartphone based on the Windows Mobile operating system, leaving only industry leader Nokia without a Windows Mobile version. The first of the company’s new phones, called the “Xperia X1,” will be on sale by the end of the year, reports Reuters. More »

IBM tops the list of companies donating patents to a group that aims to help businesses produce greener products by sharing eco-friendly technology. Big Blue has promised 27 patents to the Eco-patent Commons; Nokia, Sony and mail equipment maker Pitney-Bowes will also donate, reports PC World . Shared patents will be freely available to all companies. More »

Furthering its plans to transform into a mobile Internet company, Nokia has announced a corporate reorganization into three divisions: devices, software and services, and markets. It’s the focus on software and services, Fortune writes, that’s exceptional for the world’s largest phone manufacturer, and signals the seriousness of the firm’s intentions to remain a major player as mapping, music and games change the cell phone market. More »

Nokia is enjoying increasing success with its Vertu subsidiary, a maker of luxury cellphones, as a super expensive phone becomes a status symbol for the mega-rich . Der Spiegel reports that Vertu phones, which come diamond- or gold-encrusted, make the iPhone look absolutely pedestrian with a price range from $6,500 to $72,500. Sales of the deluxe handsets are up 120% this year. More »

Silicon Valley is being reborn as a telecom hub, as phone companies jockey for computing technology and battle to compete with Apple and Google. Nokia, which opened a major research center in Palo Alto last year, has named its first Golden State-based technology chief. It's one of several firms rushing to “Smartphone Valley” to get their networking ducks in order. More »

Nokia has announced bold plans to move beyond mobile phones and compete head-on with big tech and Internet names like Apple, Google and Microsoft, PC World reports. Its Ovi.com site will act as a gateway to all of its music, photo-sharing and games services: "Ovi" is the Finnish for "door". More »

Garmin, the world’s top GPS producer, dropped its $3.3 billion bid for mapmaker Tele Atlas yesterday, allowing rival TomTom to seal the deal. That may prove a long-term disadvantage for Garmin, but investors love the non-deal, sending shares up 16%, their best gain in five years. “There’s relief,” one analyst said. “The bidding had gone to a level that people didn’t like.” More »

Qualcomm reported record sales and profits for its 2007 fiscal year, but if its executives thought that would please a jittery Wall Street, they were wrong, as shares fell in after hours trading. The Financial Times reports the company is in a long-running and costly multinational legal battle with Nokia, and disappointing revenue forecasts excluded any estimated royalties from the cell phone giant. More »

The latest music copyright battle has pitted Warner Music against Nokia. Warner refuses to sell its tunes through the new Nokia Music Store website, on grounds that another Nokia service, the file-sharing site Mosh, enables swapping of copyrighted material, the Wall Street Journal reports. Music from Universal, Sony BMG, and EMI is available on Nokia Music Store. More »

Don't let iPhone users have all the fun—other manufacturers are coming out with slick little products that have some nice features of their own.  PC World finds the top five worthy of your attention: Sprint Touch: Touch screen features give it an iPhone like feel—only simpler. Samsung u470 Juke: Uncommonly slender its innovative design makes it a winner. More »

This quarter was supposed to see the start of a fightback for the beleaguered telecommunications industry. But the bad news keeps coming: Ericsson has warned investors to prepare for a sharp drop in profits, Nokia is still losing money and firing thousands of workers, and Alcatel-Lucent is already seeking a new business plan after its recent merger. More »