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Luxury phone maker Vertu is calling it quits
Luxury phone maker Vertu is in the process of being wound up after an attempt to rescue the business from administration failed. The Financial Times reports that the firm, which apparently had debts of around £138 million, will close with the loss of around 200 jobs. The news comes as a surprise, given that the outfit recently signed a technology-sharing deal with Chinese giant TCL.
Microsoft officially ends support for Windows Phone
It's official: for all intents and purposes, the Windows Phone era is over. Microsoft has ended support for Windows Phone 8.1 just over 3 years after its April 2014 debut. From now on, your WP8.1-toting device won't get software updates or technical help. This doesn't mark the end of Microsoft's mobile ambitions (Windows 10 Mobile is still hanging around), but it does finish a long, sad story in the company's history that reflects the tech giant's shifting priorities.
HMD hopes Zeiss can restore 'Nokia' phones to their former glory
Nokia's strong reputation in phone photography stemmed in no small part from its use of Carl Zeiss optics. Whether you had an N95 or a Lumia 1020, you knew the glass wouldn't let you down. But what's happening now that HMD Global is the one making Nokia-branded phones? Are they doomed to photographic mediocrity? Apparently, you can relax. HMD has struck a deal that will see Zeiss' imaging tech used in Nokia handsets. It won't just be limited to lens design, either. The two plan to work together on "standard-defining imaging capabilities" ranging from software to screen quality.
Nokia's new smartphones start at £120 in the UK
Now Nokia's name is back in the public consciousness thanks to the all the hype surrounding the 3310 reissue, manufacturer HMD Global is onto more serious matters: Bringing Nokia back as a smartphone brand. HMD first announced the Nokia 3, 5 and 6 back at MWC in February, and finally we have firm UK pricing and availability details for the trio of Android devices. Launching first on July 12th for £120 is the Nokia 3, the lowest-end model with a 5-inch, 720p display, a quad-core MediaTek chip, 2 gigs of RAM, 16GB of storage and a pair of 8-megapixel cameras.
HMD's Nokia 6 will arrive in the US next month for $229
Like so many European acts that tried to make it big in the US, Nokia never really managed to crack the market in its original form. But HMD Global, the company that produces smartphones using the Nokia brand, is hoping that will change with the arrival of the Nokia 6. The company has announced that, a little later than expected, the handset will be available in America at the start of July. Unfortunately, there's no carrier deal or other such tie-up, and instead you'll have to purchase the device, for cash, on Amazon.
Nokia launches new digital health products as Withings name fades
Nokia is ready to be a consumer brand again. Of course, to many, it never stopped. Even as its phone business changed hands to Microsoft and then to HMD Global, the Nokia brand never really died. So much so that HMD Global's latest line of phones still bear the Nokia name, despite having nothing to do with Nokia itself. But it was its purchase of Withings that signified Nokia's return to the consumer market. Now that time is here. As of today, the Withings name will be replaced by Nokia. And, to go along with this transition, Nokia is announcing three new products: a WiFi BMI scale, a soft-cuff blood pressure monitor and a revamped app.
The new Nokia 3310: What’s changed?
Who knew stringing four numbers together and slapping it on a feature phone could evoke such a strong consumer reaction in 2017? Ever since HMD Global won MWC by announcing the new Nokia 3310, millennials have been frothing at the mouth in anticipation. The hype is somewhat understandable. For many people, the original Nokia 3310 would've been a totem representing their first taste of freedom. An unsupervised connection to friends; a plaything for idle hands. Many things have changed in 17 years, of course.
The new Nokia 3310 is too basic for 2017
Nostalgia's a funny thing. It makes us leave the house in the dead of night to imprison a wild Clefairy and scramble over each other to buy an NES Classic Edition decades after we sold our original consoles for a pittance at yard sales. Companies are always finding new ways to push our sentimental buttons, and for HMD Global, that means launching a new Nokia 3310 more than 16 years after the original made its debut in 2000. But does anyone really have fond memories of a cellphone that was only good for calling your dad to come pick you up from school?
Tech Hunters: the unstoppable, unbreakable Nokia 3310
Modern day smartphones may shudder at the mere thought of being dropped but for the Nokia 3310, it was just another day at the office. First released at the turn of the millennium, the impenetrable candy bar handset wowed owners with interchangeable covers and its integrated antenna, a rarity for phones during that time. But it was T9 predictive text, customisable ringtones and, of course, Snake that left a lasting impression on the hundreds of millions of people that bought the "indestructible" device during its five-year run.
Nokia and Apple end their patent fight and become health allies
Over recent months, Apple has been embroiled lawsuits related to patent licensing. While its fight with Qualcomm continues to rumble on, the company confirmed today that it's resolved one of its major disputes by signing a multi-year agreement with Nokia to utilize its intellectual property.
The new Nokia 3310 launches in the UK on May 24th
The reborn Nokia 3310 is almost upon us. The pint-sized handset, developed by Finnish startup HMD Global, will be available in the UK from May 24th for £49.99 unlocked. For many, that's impulse purchase territory -- which is fitting, given it's always been pitched as a cheap, 'ready for the beach or a rowdy music festival' backup phone. If you need a reminder, the device runs on the Nokia Series 30+ operating system, putting it somewhere between a feature phone and a smartphone. It runs Snake (of course) and a few other basic apps, but otherwise functionality is intentionally limited. Really, you're buying it for the nostalgia.
Nokia's new Android phones will make their way Stateside
Nokia's 3310 stole the show at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but it wasn't the only device the brand announced at the event. It also debuted a trio of Android phones called the Nokia 6, 5 and 3. Now the company has revealed on Twitter that those three will all be available in the US. We've known for a while that there's a global release on the docket, but this confirms that you'll be able to get your hands on them when the time comes. Nokia also told another Twitter follower that the phone's projected release date is still sometime between April and June.
Facebook and Nokia speed up undersea fiber through math
Undersea fiber optic lines are crucial to making the internet hum, but upgrading their capacity is no mean feat when you may have to replace thousands of miles of cables. Facebook and Nokia don't think that's necessary, though. They've successfully tested a technique that can boost the capacity of a fiber line by up to 2.5 times its stated capacity. Their approach revolves around Nokia's probabilistic constellation shaping, which relies on 'shaped' modulation formats (i.e. a lot of clever math) to push the capacity to near the physical peak of a given connection. In tests on a 3,400-mile line between New York and Ireland, the two companies managed to wring out 200Gbps on commercial-grade wavelengths, and an even speedier 250Gbps on an experimental link.
MWC 2017 showed us the power of nostalgia
Millennials may recognize the Nokia 3310 from the "Indestructible Nokia" meme, but us older folks will more likely remember it as the first cell phone we ever used. Here at MWC 2017, Nokia revived the iconic handset, giving it a 2-inch color display, a "smart" operating system and a 2-megapixel camera. Yes, those specs are atrocious in this generation, but thanks to the power of nostalgia, no one cared.
The hunt for Windows Phone
MWC -- the world's biggest phone show -- is happening all around me. Nearly every new phone that's been announced here in Barcelona is Android-powered, while the ever-influential iPhone keeps other halls filled with cases, add-ons and every color of Lightning cable imaginable. But where is Windows Phone? We know it still exists, somewhere between dead and living. If you browse through Microsoft's Windows Phone store online, you'll see HP's Elite X3 take pride of place (with a tiny Lumia footnote) ... but that's about it. A Microsoft spokesperson told me that the company "remain[s] committed to our universal Windows platform. We will continue to support and invest in these types of mobile experiences for Windows 10." But c'mon, this is MWC. There must be something here, right? Here's what I could find.
Nokia got better at Android phones, fast
In case you forgot, Nokia's new 6, 5 and 3 aren't actually the company's first Android devices. Many years ago, it made a mistake the Nokia X. It wasn't really aimed at western markets and (if you ever got to play with one), it wasn't really all that good. Fortunately, this second attempt demonstrates that the company's far more serious with Android, with a classy Scandinavian design notes and an unobtrusive (and importantly up to date) mobile operating system. All the devices clock in at under $250, too, which means Nokia's taking aim at the mid-range smartphone heartland. The company has learned fast.
The Nokia 3310 stole Samsung's show at MWC 2017
In MWCs past, the event's news has typically been dominated by Samsung showing off its latest Galaxy flagship smartphone for the year. But the company's delayed announcement this time around meant that the scores of tech aficionados at the show needed something else to get hyped about. Surprisingly, it wasn't LG or HTC or even Samsung's own newly unveiled tablets that stepped up to fill the void. The phone that has everyone most excited here is the new Nokia 3310.
Here's what you missed from the MWC 2017 press events
All the big press conferences here at MWC 2017 are finally over, and that means it's time to bring you reports of the quirkiest devices and developments on the show floor. But in case you haven't been closely following the announcements out of Barcelona (we understand, there was a huge mixup at the Oscars), here's a quick recap of all the most important press events at the show.
MWC's best phones head-to-head: It's (mostly) about the display (updated)
While flagships may have been scarce at MWC this year, there were still more than a few notable smartphone announcements early in the week. We've put the biggest ones so far in a handy table so you can compare specs, features and more to decide which one might be your next daily driver. Who knows, we may be in for a few surprises now that the show officially started, but for now, here are the five handsets from Barcelona that you need to know.
The Morning After: Monday, February 27 2017
Welcome to your Monday. The world's premier mobile show, MWC, kicked off over the weekend, and the biggest launch might have been a 17-year-old dumbphone. Yes, as rumors suggested, Nokia (well, the company that now owns its phone branding) has resurrected the 3310. That was just the start, however.
