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Nokia wants to sell off its headquarters in Espoo, Finland, move in as tenant
Just how deep do Nokia's financial woes go? According to Finnish journal Helsingin Sanomat and Reuters, deep enough that it's mulling the sale of Nokia House, its principal HQ located in Espoo, Finland. The company told the journals that it's looking to divest "non-core parts" of its business, "and that includes the headquarters," according to a spokesman. Since Nokia has lost billions just in the last two quarters alone, it is likely looking for cash wherever it can and its Espoo property is worth $250-400 million, according to Helsingin. However, the cellphone maker is adamant it would stay in its home country, and could remain a primary tenant in the sprawling complex after such a sale. If they do unload the property, we're just glad we recently got some souvenirs.
Visualized: Inside Rovio's HQ (video)
When in Helsinki, or rather Espoo, there's only one thing left to do after stopping by Nokia's glass House -- visit Rovio's HQ. That's right, the company made famous (and filthy rich) by flinging fowl is just a short walk away from Elop and co.'s waterside domain. And, in a bit of perfect timing, we were graciously welcomed into the gaming outfit's office on the eve of its Bad Piggies launch. As you might expect and hope, the walls, doors, floors, couches, desks, soft drinks and even bottles of hand lotion are adorned in all things Angry Birds. There's even a mock-up experience store -- populated with a variety of branded paraphernalia -- sitting pretty in pale green just outside a bank of cubicles. It's everything we ever imagined it to be. But don't just take our words for it. You can check it out for yourself in a video after the break. And now, we're really Finnish(ed).
iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)
Nokia's Lumia 920 packs the industry's best image stabilization -- there's no questioning that -- thanks to a camera module that pairs both sensor and lens-based optical IS. The iPhone 5 also offers a notable improvement over its Apple-made predecessor on the video front, but considering that its stabilization is of the digital variety, we wouldn't expect it to top Nokia's new flagship. We had an opportunity to test both smartphones in a head-to-head demo at Nokia's research and development facility in Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of the company's Espoo headquarters. In fact, we're told that this is the very first such comparison shoot in the world, considering that the iPhone made it to market just last week and the only opportunity to shoot with a Lumia 920 is currently in the European country where the device was born. As expected, the Nokia phone was able to capture far smoother video than what we snapped with the iPhone, with both devices secured side-by-side in a homemade foam holster. Unlike our handheld interview shoot earlier today, we pushed the limits a bit further this time, running through Nokia's parking lot and turning every which way as well. It's important to note that the Lumia 920 we used was a prototype, but its performance was still quite solid. You'll find the side-by-side video just past the break -- the Lumia 920 is on the left, with the iPhone clip on the right.
