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Nokia's stores are turning into Microsoft resellers
It's been a long time coming, but some of the last vestiges of Nokia's phone business are going away. Microsoft has started converting Nokia's stores and service centers into "Microsoft Resellers" (catchy, we know), complete with the colorful branding that you'd expect from a regular Microsoft store. It won't have the sheer variety of hardware, so you shouldn't expect to pick up a laptop while you're getting your phone fixed. However, the transition is still a big deal if you live outside of North America -- this may be the first time you'll visit a Microsoft shop, and your first chance at trying certain devices. As sad as it may be to see Nokia's name disappear from street corners, this is good news if you feel like you've been missing out on Microsoft's latest tech.
NYT: Uber bids $3 billion for Nokia's Here maps
Uber wants to buy another mapping technology: Nokia's Here, and it's bid $3 billion for it according to The New York Times. Who else wants in on the action? Apparently a handful of German car manufacturers including Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, and Chinese search engine Baidu's lending some cash to the move as well. While Google Maps is probably the most popular service here in the States, that isn't exactly the case abroad. NYT says that globally the Finnish electronics company's navigation system commands an 80 percent market share for in-car GPS.
Facebook taps Nokia for its mapping know-how
If Facebook's maps for mobile have suddenly gotten a whole lot more (or less) accurate, there's a reason. The social network is now sourcing its location data from Here, Nokia's soon-to-be-sold mapping division. According to TechCrunch's sources, only the mobile web version is using the new information, but Facebook is currently testing whether to roll Here's Maps out to all of its standalone apps like Messenger and Instagram. It's hoped that, with more accurate geolocation data, the company can offer advertisers even more minute control over who gets what product thrown in their face. Of course, Facebook is also one of the companies that is believed to be considering buying Here outright. Given this news, however, we'd imagine it being a lot less likely -- after all, why buy the cow if you're getting the milk for free?
Nokia says it's not going to start making phones again
We hope you weren't counting on Nokia reviving its phone business. The Finnish firm is now bluntly denying claims that it's planning to return to making phones -- there are "no plans" to make or sell any, Nokia says. That's not surprising given both the company's expansion of its networking efforts and an agreement with Microsoft that it won't make phones until at least 2016. Simply speaking, Nokia wouldn't have the cash or permissions to build these devices in the near future. With that said, the company mentioned this fall that it was considering licensing its storied name to a third party handset maker. If you don't mind buying a Nokia-approved phone, there's still a chance (however small) that you'll get your wish.
Recode: Nokia's planning a return to phones next year (updated)
When Nokia sold its devices and services business to Microsoft, we assumed it was getting out of the hardware game for good. Not so. The company has since launched its N1 tablet in China and now, according to Recode, it's developing a new phone too. Exactly what it'll look like and, perhaps more importantly, the software it'll run is unclear at the moment though. The company has made some strides with its alternative Z Launcher, but its debut Android slate is fairly unremarkable. That's because it was actually designed by Foxconn -- not the old Nokia team that's given us so many bold and beautiful Lumias over the years. If the Finnish company sticks with Android, it's going to need something a little more original to stand out from the competition. (The Nokia brand will only go so far, after all.)
Nokia just bought Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion
Nokia could soon be the largest maker of mobile phone network equipment in the world ahead of Ericsson and Huawei. It just acquired French telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent for 15.6 billion euros ($16.6 billion), or more than double the $7 billion Microsoft paid for its Windows Phone handset arm. The Finnish company also acquired Alcatel-Lucent's famous Bell Laboratories (established by Alexander Graham Bell in 1880) along with its numerous patents. With three major labs altogether, Nokia said "the combined company will be in a position to accelerate development of future technologies including 5G... as well as sensors and imaging." The merged businesses will run under the Nokia banner, but Bell Labs will keep the Alcatel-Lucent name.
How would you change Nokia's Lumia 1320?
Nokia's Lumia 1320 was the underpowered sibling of the 1520, which had the same screen and battery but little else. If you wanted a 6-inch device but couldn't afford the premium edition, then you were stuck with this device, but was that a problem? According to our Brad Molen, it stood in no man's land, not cheap enough to really entice you, and not premium enough to justify buying this over the 1520. We imagine that some of you did splash out, however, so why not head over into our forum and tell us what life has been like with this device?
How would you change Nokia's Lumia 625?
The company formerly known as Nokia liked to release a lot of devices, to the point where its round-number naming system got a bit confusing. Instead of being a spec-bump replacement for the 620, the Nokia Lumia 625 was an entirely different device altogether. The handset came with a 4.7-inch display and LTE, but no compelling reason to own one instead of the many other units in the range. If you wanted to sum up the piece in a single word, it'd probably be: ehhhhhhhh -- not because it was bad, but because it had little reason to be there. We imagine plenty of you grabbed one, so what we'd like to know is why, and did you regret the decision? Head on over to our forum and tell us about life with the 625.
Nokia's Here Maps finally returns to iOS
Although Nokia is no longer in the smartphone game, it has remained committed to its other businesses. One of those is its mapping division, which almost six months ago debuted a new Android app capable of giving Google Maps a run for its money. At the same time, Nokia teased the launch of a completely overhauled iOS app, but its development has been shrouded in relative secrecy. Nokia pulled its first iOS Maps app after admitting things "went horribly wrong," and its developers have had a lot of work to do to make sure it doesn't suffer a repeat this time around. The company believes it's ticked all the requisite boxes as it's now available to download on the App Store. Is it good enough to replace Google Maps or condemn Apple Maps to more misery? We took the chance to preview the app and find out.
Nokia's N1 tablet is an iPad mini with Android
The Nokia N1 tablet has quite a few people excited here at Mobile World Congress. If you're unfamiliar with Nokia's return to devices, it's a very familiar-looking Android tablet that you could buy today if you lived in China for just $250. This is the first time we've had the chance to play with one, and it's actually quite impressive.
Microsoft's Surface tablet business is booming
Microsoft appears to be well past the days when it was writing off unsold Surface tablets and struggling to match Sony in game console sales. The Windows developer reports that its Devices and Consumer group's revenue grew 8 percent year over year in the last calendar quarter of 2014, thanks in no small part to healthy Surface and Xbox sales. It's not revealing shipment numbers for the Surface, but it notes that revenue for the slate computers shot up 24 percent versus a year earlier, thanks in no small part to the Surface Pro 3.
Your Lumia is probably getting Windows 10
Microsoft promised Windows Phone users a free upgrade to Windows 10 at its event earlier this week, but it turns out not all phones will be getting the update. Through its Lumia Conversations blog, the company clarifies "not every phone will upgrade or support all possible Windows 10 features," adding that its goal is for "the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1" to be upgraded. That's at odds with what the company's Twitter account has said in the past.
Microsoft's camera-focused Lumia phone update rolls out in earnest
If you're a Lumia phone owner, you no longer have to get lucky (or install a preview release) just to get all of the latest Windows Phone features. Microsoft is about to start the wider rollout of Lumia Denim, a Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 upgrade that packs a lot of improvements to both imaging and Cortana voice commands. It's not saying exactly who's a candidate in this next wave, but many countries and devices will start seeing Denim later this month -- depending on how quickly the carriers finish testing, of course. Verizon already brought Denim to the US through the 822 and 928 back in December, but the broader deployment suggests that other American Lumias are due relatively soon.
Microsoft's latest Lumia phone puts Office in your pocket for $80
Ever since buying Nokia, Microsoft has made its Windows Phone ambitions clear. Instead of rapidly iterating to keep pace with the Galaxy S5s and HTC Ones of the world, it would focus on pushing the price down to compete with the low-end Android devices that make up the bulk of the smartphone market around the world. Today, it's taken another step towards making that ambition a reality with the launch of the Lumia 435, a handset that costs just €69 (roughly $80) before tax.
How would you change Nokia's Lumia 1020?
It's a flagship Windows phone! It's a groundbreaking photography device that could revolutionize imaging! Nokia's Lumia 1020, with its 41-megapixel "Pureview" lens, promised images that could send Canon and Nikon's executives into fits of panic. When we placed it in the hands of Brad Molen, he said that the results were "stunning" and being able to tweak the focus, ISO, shutter speed etc was a revelation. That's why we said the Lumia 1020 was the best Windows Phone device to date, and we've seen plenty of them being used out and about. The question we want to ask, however, is this: was jumping ship to Windows Phone for the 1020's imaging prowess worth it? If you upgraded from an earlier WP device, was it all you hoped of? Hop over to our forum (it's right here) and spill your brains.
Microsoft's Nokia 215 is its cheapest connected phone yet
Since Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's smartphone division, it's shied away from debuting flagship handsets in favor of more affordable devices. That trend continues today with the launch of the Nokia 215, a $29 Series 30+ phone that Microsoft says is its most affordable smartphone to date. Unlike other handsets in the company's low-end range, the Nokia 215 can run apps like Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, Bing Search, MSN Weather and Opera Mini, giving first-time smartphone owners the chance to browse and share while on the move.
Microsoft's new Lumia update adds 4K recording and more to a few Windows Phones
Some Lumia owners will be able to take photos more quickly these holidays -- and they might be better, too -- now that Microsoft has begun rolling out its latest software update called Denim. We say "some," because only Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520 owners will be able to enjoy the new features for now, and only if they live in one of the select countries getting the update. Denim, which was announced back in September, speeds up the Lumia camera app and brings image quality-boosting features with it. The new Rich Capture mode, for instance, automatically uses HDR, Dynamic Flash and Dynamic Exposure to take pictures, while a new imaging algorithm allows it to snap crisper daylight and lowlight images.
Microsoft sells MixRadio to messaging service Line
When Microsoft completed its multi-billion dollar purchase of Nokia, it also acquired a number of apps and services that were surplus to requirements. One of those was music-streaming app MixRadio, which spun off as a standalone service earlier this year. That independence didn't last long, however, because it's just found itself a new home. Microsoft announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell MixRadio to Japanese messaging firm LINE, a company that has helped connect smart appliances and pioneer the concept of stickers, to extend the music app's reach to new markets. If you're concerned that today's announcement will affect future streaming on your Windows Phone, worry not: MixRadio head Jyrki Rosenberg says the company will continue to "bring a personalised music experience to Lumia smartphones." It might just mean owners of other devices will get the chance to enjoy it too.
Nokia's Here Maps arrives on Android
If you've been looking for a big-name alternative to Google Maps on your Android phone, your moment has come. After weeks of testing, Nokia has officially released Here Maps on Google Play. The experience will be familiar if you sideloaded earlier versions. While it's not as multi-talented as Google Maps, its simple interface specializes in navigation (especially driving) and offline mapping -- this may be ideal for trips abroad where cellular data isn't guaranteed. The biggest additions with the Google Play edition are support for 18 new countries and some bug fixes.
Lumia phone leaks with a 1020-like camera hump
For a while, rumors were circulating that Microsoft was working on McLaren -- a successor to the Lumia 1020 with a giant camera and "3D touch" gestures. It was supposedly cancelled, but a listing for a prototype on Chinese auction site Taobao suggests that the device (or something like it) was close to completion. Known only by its internal RM-1052 name, the Windows Phone has a 1020-like camera hump and similar styling cues, but it's made mostly of aluminum. There's only a hint of plastic at the bottom that's presumably meant to improve wireless reception. The mystery phone appears to have superior performance, too, since a software shot points to a 1080p screen instead of the older phone's 720p panel.
