Live from Nokia's MWC 2009 press conference
We've been ushered into a rather imposing castle for this morning's Espoo-bred press event -- and since we're not really sure what to expect out of this one, the possibilities are endless: court jesters? Knights? Medieval torture? Read on!
10:57AM We're out (we gotta preorder our E75s) -- thanks for tuning in!
10:57AM Here's a good question - where's Nokia with touch technology? "We're going to have a portfolio of touch products." Pretty stock answer, but it seems like that side of the lineup is going to continue to beef up.
10:50AM There's a question about moving Nokia's portfolio downmarket to accommodate the economy. Olli-Pekka fields it -- basically, he's saying Nokia wants to serve every segment (we'd say the E63 is a particularly good example of that).
10:48AM Looks like the presser proper is over -- Q&A time!
10:47AM Facebook, EA, Qik, Shazam, and many others are listed as Ovi partners.
10:46AM "This is a great business model." If you say so!
10:45AM publish.ovi.com announced -- a way for content owners and app developers to monetize. In other words, here's yer app store. 70 percent revenue share to app developers.
10:43AM "The service can recommend the best of where you are." So it's recommending Spanish podcasts, Spanish lessons, and Lonely Planet content based on the phone's presence in Barcelona. Kinda cute, we s'pose.
10:42AM "Over time, the service will start to learn your tastes and anticipate what you might want." Demo time!
10:41AM The N97 will be the first device to be "pre-integrated" with Ovi Store, but "tons" of existing S40 and S60 customers will be able to download the service starting in May. They've already said the N97 is shipping in June, so something doesn't compute here...
10:40AM Download, Mosh, widgets are going to be focuses of the Ovi Store. Everyone loves Nokia Mosh! They'll begin with an installed user base of about 50M subs.
10:39AM "It adds the social dimensions to the purchasing process." In other words, it knows what you're friends are buying and so on -- "a smart store."
10:38AM "Introducing the next-generation digital media service: the Ovi Store."
10:38AM How do you get everyone else using these services? Take them local, or so Niklas says. "The different needs of the operators must be taken into account."
10:37AM The usual spiel about where we are and where we want to go: location-based social networking, real-time media, the wish list goes on.
10:35AM VP Niklas Savender is on-stage to chat up the service goodies.
10:33AM Now we're turning our attention to services -- next-generation products are being announced today.
10:33AM Whoa, he just mentioned N-Gage and E75 in the same sentence! A businessperson playing games?!
10:32AM Ships next month for 375 euros -- preorders are being accepted starting today on Nokia's site.
10:31AM THe E75 is the first device to have Nokia Messaging built-in. Think BlackBerry, but with a Finnish twist.
10:30AM What does this have to do with those old 9000 series communicators, exactly? Feels like the N97 is closer to that heritage.
10:29AM After a few verbal flubs, it's the E75! QWERTY side slider.
10:28AM "The Nokia N97... er, N95... er, E75, sorry."
10:28AM He's going through the 9000 series Communicators and how they've developed.
10:27AM Uh oh, he's already moving on -- that was quick. Time for a new product.
10:27AM 265 euros, available this summer.
10:26AM A month of standby time -- "maybe the most of any smartphone in the world."
10:26AM They're calling it a "compact QWERTY keyboard," but let's be honest, it's SureType.
10:25AM The Nokia E55! The world's thinnest smartphone -- uses half-QWERTY.
10:25AM "We threw away the rule book. We wanted the smallest form factor, the highest-quality materials. We wanted to make the world's thinnest smartphone."
10:25AM "I get a real sense you guys like this product." We think we see where this is going...
10:24AM Thankfully, the video is quickly over. Kai's raving about the success of the E71.
10:22AM Now we're watching a touchy-feely video about staying connected. Nothing yet. Come on guys!
10:21AM We're starting! Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, is on stage. "There are many reasons to be optimistic about the industry's future." From what he's saying, it sounds like software and services aren't just a big part of today's announcement -- they're a big part of Nokia's future.
Now, Kai Oistamo -- "dean of devices" has taken the stage. Sounds like we're getting close to an announcement!
First, he's talking about the N97, saying it'll be in stores in June.
Now, we're turning our attention to the Eseries. "There's no need for BlackBerry tax." Zing!
9:58AM We're in, and we're digging the ambiance -- it's a striking contrast to the high-tech stuff we hope we're about to be shown.