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Nokia finishes offloading Vertu, rumors claim Vertu plans a matching switch to Android
Nokia has ended one of the more significant chapters in its tumultuous history: the Finnish phone giant has finished divesting Vertu to private equity firm EQT VI, shedding direct control of the definitive luxury phone brand. The formal switch lets Nokia keep a 10 percent stake and move 1,000 staffers to the newly independent company. Where Vertu goes next may be more intriguing, however. There's no official word on any change of direction, but that hasn't stopped tipsters from claiming to TechCrunch that there's a big shakeup ahead. Supposedly, former Nokia VP Anssi Vanjoki will finally get the phone maker CEO position he's been looking for through a Vertu spot, and he won't simply follow in his former employer's footsteps -- upcoming Vertu phones may use Android, not Windows Phone. While it's a very unconfirmed rumor, a switch-up wouldn't be completely surprising when Vertu is still an all-Symbian house that needs more than just a few extra jewels to stay relevant.
ComScore: iPhone grew to 34 percent US share in a pre-iPhone 5 world, Android still on top at 52 percent
Apple is all too used to the rumor cycle affecting its sales: the company just saw a dip in sequential iPhone shipments this spring as customers waited for what would ultimately become the iPhone 5. If you believe ComScore's US smartphone market share estimates, though, Apple wasn't the worse for wear this August. While the iPhone was in the doldrums this spring, it jumped almost a whole point versus an already positive July to hit 34.3 percent; we're wondering if last-minute discounts played a part in keeping iPhone 4S sales healthy. Google didn't have much to fear and saw Android climb to 52.6 percent, even if its ascent wasn't as rapid as that of its Bay Area neighbor. RIM took the brunt of the losses and dipped to just 8.3 percent of the market in what's increasingly a two-horse race, although Microsoft's Windows Phone held its ground at 3.6 percent. The wider US cellphone market tells a familiar story, with Samsung on top. There's signs that the narrative is very close to changing, however: LG and Apple are now close enough, at one point's difference, that Apple could seize second place by the time we see ComScore's figures for September. Before interpreting Apple's performance as some sign of a wider reversal of fortune, just remember that most of its challenges are on the world stage. There's no guarantee that the Android-focused markets beyond American borders have been as receptive to iPhone price drops and updates.
Nokia launches Belle Feature Pack 2 firmware OTA, Pureview 808 gets extra imaging goodies
Like the proverbial groundhog, Nokia's Feature Pack 2 for Symbian Belle peeked out a bit too early last month and had to withdraw back into its burrow. Now the new firmware upgrade for the Nokia 701, 700, 602 and Pureview 808 is out for realsies, with the latter star of the lineup getting the lion's share of new trinkets. Specifically, the big-sensored phone will now have a landscape Gallery Grid view option, which will enable faster and easier zooming, editing and sharing of images; more picture info like ISO value, white balance and location; and a reset button to get back to the default image setting in one touch. All the above Symbian Belle phones will get an updated browser with better HTML5 support, a (much) faster keyboard, the Video Pro editing application and Car Mode -- which gives "easy access to your phone's key features when you're driving," according to Nokia. If that makes you feel better about your legacy Nokia OS investment after all the company's Windows Phone 8 hoopla, check the source to see how to get it. [Thanks, Fakhre]
Engadget visits Nokia House, walks down memory lane (video)
It's not the first time Engadget editors have stepped foot at Nokia House -- the company's HQ in Espoo, Finland -- but it's always a treat, and our visit this week is no exception. Today we took a walk down memory lane, and spent some time with several Nokia handsets -- from one of the very first mobile phones to the Lumia 920. We played with some of the more iconic models and designs, such as the 1011 (first GSM handset), 1610, 7700 / 7710 (S90), 7280 (lipstick phone), 770 / N800 tablets, N-Gage / QD, 3300, 8800, 8110 (from the Matrix movie), N93 / N93i, N91, N92, N76, N95 and finally the 7650 (the first handset running Symbian). In addition, we also got to handle some of the Lumia 820 and 920 accessories, including the Fatboy wireless charging pillow and JBL-branded Power Up speakers. Check out the gallery below then hit the break for our hands-on video. Oh, and don't forget to tune in tomorrow for our live Q&A with Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop.%Gallery-166392% Update: That music-centric handset which uses an IBM Microdrive is the N91 (not N90) and was announced in 2005 (not 1995), and that flip-phone is the N76 (not the N75) -- sorry for the slip in the video. Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 17th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Viber comes to Symbian, S40 and Bada, adds HD voice calling and group messaging to Nokia Lumia handsets
VoIP-over-3G app Viber broke down in tears when it learned that, after Android, iOS and Windows Phone, there were no new worlds to conquer. Then a helpful soul pointed out that there were more than 1.5 Billion S40 devices in the world, and it set about adding that to the existing 100 million users of its service. In addition, it's bringing its free-calls platform to Symbian and Bada handsets while current Nokia Lumia owners running Windows Phone 7 will find they can now access HD voice calls and group calls. iOS users shouldn't feel left out, however, since an update to their app will add support for a variety of languages including Simplified Chinese, Hebrew and Portuguese.
Symbian Belle FP2 for Nokia 808 PureView spotted early, pulled quickly
Nokia has been tuning up its Symbian Belle phones with new software over the past few days, but there's been one glaring exception: the 808 PureView. The camera-centered behemoth isn't far behind, though, as a handful of users have spotted and grabbed a 113.10.1506 OS update lurking on Nokia's servers before it was abruptly yanked. While Nokia hasn't confirmed details of the upgrade, those few who tried the download can vouch that it really is Belle FP2, or Belle Refresh. As such, it's bringing an overhauled keyboard with text prediction, new versions of the browser and music player apps, fresh widgets and no doubt a few under-the-radar bug fixes. It's hard to know if the update is final code, so we'd advise caution before loading up any unofficial copies you might find -- even so, it's a portentous sign for 808 owners who'd like to have a definitive instance of smartphone-grade Symbian before the platform rides into the sunset.
ComScore: Android tops 52 percent of US smartphone share, iPhone cracks the 33 percent mark
Both Apple and Google have reasons to break out the champagne in the wake of ComScore's latest market share figures. Android is still sitting prettier than ever and just reached a new high of 52.2 percent for US smartphone share as of this past July, no doubt in part through at least a few Galaxy S III sales. Not that Apple is worrying about its US stake just yet, as the iPhone just passed the one-third mark to hit 33.4 percent -- it gained share faster than Android in the space of the preceding three months. We don't have much good news elsewhere, though, as the BlackBerry lost its hold on two-digit market share at the same time as Windows and Symbian continued to cede ground. As for the overall cellphone space? The familiar pecking order of Samsung, LG, Apple, Motorola and HTC remains intact, although only Apple and HTC gained any traction with their respective 16.3 percent and 6.4 percent slices of the pie. LG has dropped quickly enough that it's now within Apple's crosshairs at 18.4 percent. As significant as the shifts can be, we're most interested in what happens two months down the line, when ComScore can report September share: a certain phone's launch is likely to skew the numbers, regardless of what HTC and Motorola bring to the table. Just be advised that US market share isn't everything.
Nokia rolling out Symbian Belle Refresh with new web browser, home screen widgets
Good news for Nokia owners, as the company has begun the phased rollout of Symbian Belle Refresh. First and foremost, the OS update brings a new web browser with support for HTML5 web apps. Users will also discover new home screen widgets, and for those who've yet to snag 'em, Microsoft Office and Nokia Maps Suite 2.0 are also made part of the update. Symbian Belle Refresh is supported by the Nokia N8, E7, C7, C6-01, X7 and Oro, and will also include new imaging apps that are specific to the N8. The vanilla version of the software is now available, and Nokia expects that operator and country specific updates will be up for grabs in the coming weeks.
Swann TrueBlue 4000 series D1 DVRs pack up to 8 cameras, 1TB of storage for home security
Home security may not have reached all-seeing aerial eye proportions, but Swann's TrueBlue 4000 series of D1 DVR systems can place up to eight digital peepers throughout your island fortress or humble abode. With a resolution of 480 x 704 pixels, the cameras offer "DVD-quality" video and feature night vision with up to 65 feet of visibility. Those hankering to remotely keep tabs on their homestead can load up the free SwannView app for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian to watch live video on mobile devices. Footage can also be viewed on monitors using HDMI or VGA connections and can be backed up through USB, eSATA or over a network. The maximum one terabyte of storage space nets continuous recording for up to 30 days -- or longer if the device's motion detection settings are flipped on. A 500GB base model with a quartet of cams rings up at $549.99, while the more expensive $649.99 and $749.99 models each pack 1TB hard drives and eight channel support. However, only the priciest of the trio comes packaged with the octet of cameras. Head past the break for the full PR and a glimpse of the rig in action.
Digia buys Nokia's remaining Qt assets for 'fraction' of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android
Nokia's Qt project could be reinvigorated now that it's been bought out in its entirety by Finnish firm Digia, following a partial acquisition last year. Digia is eyeing porting the development platform, used to code applications for Symbian and Meego, to Windows 8 (the PR doesn't mention Windows Phone 8), Android and iOS in the near future. While a fee hasn't been mentioned, it's reportedly a "fraction" of the $150 million that Nokia originally paid when purchasing Trolltech in 2008 -- which probably won't improve matters on the handset maker's balance sheet.
IDC: Android and iOS continue to carve up the world, another record quarter for smartphones
According to IDC's latest figures, Android and iOS now account for 85 percent of the 152 million smartphones shipped in Q2 2012. Google's OS powered 68.1 percent of all smartphones sold -- with Samsung making the hardware behind for just under half of those. Apple's smartphones now claim a 16.9 percent marketshare and while plenty of phone shoppers are holding out for the iPhone's next iteration, iOS still saw double-digit growth in Q2. There's more bad news for both BlackBerry and Symbian platforms, which, combined, accounted for less than 10 percent of all smartphones shipped last quarter. Windows Phone 7, meanwhile, hasn't quite made it to that hallowed third place it reckons it deserves. The mobile OS continues to grow, however, albeit at a gentler rate than both iOS and Android. Microsoft's likely pinning its hopes on the adjustable widgets and meatier specifications of Windows Phone 8 to draw in some new customers this fall.
ComScore: Android back above 51 percent of US share, iOS still growing briskly
We're starting to see a distinct shift in US smartphone market share that leaves Android having to share the spotlight. ComScore's results for this past June have Google hitting a new high of 51.6 percent share, which still gives it something to crow about -- that's both a small increase over a month earlier and a return to the 51 percent mark. However, Android is still competing with an iOS platform that's been growing at a healthy rate, reaching 32.4 percent of the American space. The fuel for both sides comes from an all too familiar decline in BlackBerry, Symbian and Windows share. Samsung is still in the top spot as far as manufacturers, although it's shrinking where Apple and HTC are on the way up. We'll be looking to see how much the Galaxy S III affects the numbers during the summer, but less patient observers can get the manufacturer results after the break and the full scoop on current market share at the source.
IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead
IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.
Nokia 808 PureView now available stateside, $700 via Amazon
Finnish phone purveyor Nokia has delivered on its promise to bring its flagship camera phone to US soil, with or without carriers' support. The company is offering up the PureView 808 on Amazon, complete with Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia Belle, for a cool $700 contract free. That's no small tariff for a device running a slightly antiquated mobile operating system, but if you've got a soft spot in your heart for Symbian -- and fancy yourself a photographer -- page through our review then head over to Amazon for the purchasing details.
Google retiring iGoogle, Google Mini, others for 'spring cleaning'
To everything (Turn, Turn, Turn). There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn). Sometimes those seasons can get a bit convoluted, however -- or such is the premise of Google's "Spring cleaning in summer" post, outlining the end of a handful of tech offerings. Because heck, even a company as big as Google has to pick its battles. On the chopping block this time out are the Google Mini enterprise search system, the Google Talk Chatback widget, Google Video, iGoogle and the Symbian search app. Of course, the company won't be leaving people hanging entirely. Google's pushing users toward existing properties like the Meebo bar for Talk Chatback and YouTube for Google Video (which already stopped taking uploads a while back), the latter of which will be fully integrated into the more popular video offering come August. More info on what all this means in the source link below.
ComScore: iOS and Android market share continues to climb, RIM and Motorola continue to fall
Ready for some hardcore smartphone market share numbers? ComScore's got 'em for the three-month period ending in May 2012, and you probably won't be terribly surprised by the outcome. First, let's tackle smartphone platforms: Apple and Google posted minor increase month-over-month at 0.5 and 0.1 percent, respectively (1.7 and 0.8 over a three-month span). Microsoft (consisting of Windows Phone and Windows Mobile) didn't budge between April and May, though it nudged up a tenth of a percentage point since February. RIM dropped 0.2 percent over one month, but it already experienced a much more painful sting -- 2.0 percent -- during the three-month period. Symbian also went through similar concerns, going down 0.2 percent month-over-month and 0.4 percent since February. As for specific manufacturers, Apple once again comes out on top, adding 1.5 percent to its customer base over the last three months for a total of 15 percent share. Samsung, still leading the pack in total market share at 25.7 percent, only grew by 0.1. Given the OEM's success in deploying the Galaxy S III to every major US carrier, we suspect that number will spurt up even higher over the next quarter. Among the companies losing share: LG, Motorola and HTC, losing 0.3, 0.8 and 0.2 percent, respectively.
Nokia Store has 120,000 apps, over 120 million users, foggy future
As Nokia starts to roll out its latest slice of Symbian-powered hardware across Europe, the manufacturer has bundled up some upbeat usage statistics for its developers. It's a mixture of global clout, big user numbers and several mobile platforms, with Nokia declaring support from 145 operators, across 52 different markets. Its app hub, Nokia Store, is now available in over 190 countries, while there's now over 100,000 "content items" for its simpler Series 40 handsets, with those devices accounting for 42 percent of the last billion items downloaded. The Nokia Store itself has now served over five billion downloads across all of its mobile OS'. There's also some good news for its most recent addition, Windows Phone, which has already caught up with Nokia's own selection with over 100,000 apps to choose from. Over 20,000 Lumia phones have been offered to developers in tandem with Microsoft's Windows Phone seeding program and, according to the beleaguered phone maker, the ecosystem is now "starting to thrive" -- which is good news, considering Symbian's lingering death sentence. Nokia also took the opportunity to highlight its exclusive third-party app offerings from the likes of CNN, ESPN and Sesame Street -- although the jewels of the Lumia series' app provision arguably remain the in-house likes of Nokia Maps and Mix Radio.
Nokia 808 PureView review: the future of mobile imaging, wrapped in the smartphone past
More Info Nokia announces 808 PureView: Symbian Belle, 4-inch display, 41-megapixel camera! Nokia 808 PureView impressions, camera showdown with the iPhone 4S and HTC One S Nokia 808 PureView announced for US, available soon through Amazon at $699 The Nokia 808 PureView has a 41-megapixel camera sensor. But you knew that. The crystallization of five years of imaging R&D has landed, and the timing couldn't have been better for Nokia. Alongside uncomfortable financial reading, its move to Windows Phone hasn't exactly set the smartphone world alight just yet. It's seemingly established itself as the go-to WinPho choice for American customers thanks to some aggressive pricing, but with news that the next iteration of Windows Phone won't come to the Lumia 900, many will hold out for Nokia's next handset. Whatever that device will be, it's likely to bring the same PureView technology we've got here on the Nokia 808 PureView -- a Symbian-based handset whose software has seen better days. However, OS be damned, it still blew away attendees at this year's Mobile World Congress. Impressive stuff, given that it's the same show where HTC's admirable One series debuted. That huge sensor is paired with a new five-element Carl Zeiss lens and a refreshed flash with double the strength of the one on the Nokia N8 -- the existing cameraphone champ. But behind the technical bullet points, it's how Nokia maximizes the 41-megapixel sensor, oversampling with those pixels to create improved 5-, 8- , 3- and 2-megapixel images, reducing noise and improving low-light performance. However, when it comes to software, Symbian Belle (with Feature Pack 1 in tow) lags behind the likes of Android, iOS and Windows Phone in user experience and app provision. Similarly, the chunky handset flies in the opposite direction of the trend for slim smartphones. Is that camera module really all Nokia thinks (and hopes) it is? What's more, is Symbian relevant enough for such future-facing goodness? Let's find out.
Nokia Air promo surfaces, teases what could have been
In some alternate timeline, droves of Nokia fans are enjoying seamless cloud syncing on Symbian handsets. Here on Earth-One, however, we'll have to settle for watching a leaked preview of the syncing service that never was. The Nokia Air promo (after the break) promises a service that lets you "experience everywhere" by serving your devices from the ever-present cloud. "Apps don't require downloading, installing or updating," the narrator boasts, explaining that updates, notification, apps and other content are delivered directly from the cloud to all of your devices. Sound familiar? Don't get too excited though, between Nokia's commitment to Redmond and the ancient Engadget post we spied in the demo's feed, this project was probably scrapped.
