Nokia will only sell Windows Phones in North America, nothing else

Finnish mobile phone leader Nokia will be dealing exclusively in Windows Phones in the United States, according to several reports on Tuesday. The company's devices that run other mobile operating systems: S40, Symbian, and Meego, will not be sold in the North American market at all.

In an exclusive interview with AllThingsD's Ina Fried, Nokia Inc. President Chris Weber said the company will be putting all its strength into Windows Phone in North America, and that the continent is essentially "out of the Symbian…S40 business."

Similarly, Nokia's Swedish language website posted the launch dates of the N9, Nokia's first smartphone running the Linux-based mobile operating system MeeGo late last week, and there was no mention of the United States in the global launch plans.

Bloggers from Knowyourcell contacted Nokia to ask about the announcement, and the company said "The product is now being rolled out in countries around the world. At this time, we will not be making it available in the US."

Presently, this doesn't appear to be the result of an exclusivity deal with Microsoft, but rather a focusing of efforts, since Nokia has all but completely failed to make headway in the North American smartphone market with any of its other operating systems.

The mobile phone, 30 years ago: photos

It's been 30 years since the first mobile phone call was made on Telstra's network, then called Telecom Australia, without the assistance of an operator. The phones were tied down to a car and cost a fortune to own, but they set the foundation for today's cellular network.

Apple 'crowned' global smart phone leader

Apple now tops smart phone rankings while BlackBerry has slipped to the fourth spot, confirmed the latest data from the US analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

Apple had claimed the global top spot by shipping 20.3 million iPhones in its quarterly results released in the
third week of July.

In its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker released Thursday, the Massachusetts-based IDC said, "The smartphone market crowned a new leader in 2011, and its name is Apple.''

Out of the 106.5 million units sold globally in the second quarter, the IDC said Apple shipped 20.3 million iPhones, raising its global market share to 19.1 percent - 141.7 percent up since the same quarter last year.

The worldwide smart phone market jumped 65.4 percent year over year during the quarter.

Though Research In Motion (RIM) registered gains by shipping 12.4 million BlackBerries, its market share slipped to the fourth spot behind Nokia, the report said.

At number two, Samsung shipped 17.3 million smart phones during the period, posting a growth of 16.2 percent, followed closely by Nokia with 16.7 million shipments.

"Ever since the first iPhone launched in 2007, Apple has made market-setting strides in hardware, software, and channel development to grab mindshare and market share.
Demand has been so strong that even models that have been out for one or two years are still being sought out. With an expected refresh later this year, volumes are set to reach higher levels,'' said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends team.

But Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, added, "There is no runaway leader in the market, which means there could easily be further Top 5 vendor changes to come.

"The smartphone market leadership change signifies the parity that comes with a fast-growing market such as smart phones.''

According to IDC projections for the whole year, the worldwide smartphone market will grow 55 percent over 2010.

"The first half of the year has demonstrated strong growth for the smartphone market. The second half of the year will bring new flagship models and refreshed user experiences to market. These will keep smart phones well out in front of the market, and keep growth on an upward trajectory,'' said Llamas.

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Skype mobile phones and cell phones allow you to use your Skype account to make calls without being tied down to your computer. Many Skype mobile phones also enable you to make skype mobile video calls.

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Relax with Samsung i8510 INNOV8

In this fast paced world, mobile phones have become a basic necessity along with the other requirements. The technology is getting more advanced with every passing moment and one has to be updated to stay in touch with it. Similarly, highly advanced handsets have become the need of the hour and big brands like Samsung makes every possible effort to please the users with the high quality devices. The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 comes with a powerful 8 megapixel camera and truly deserves to be applauded.

The present generation has become fashion conscious and wants everything updated and advanced. Samsung understands the expectations of the users and always comes up with amazing electronic gadgets, and same is the case with the mobile phones. Each and every handset from the brand surprises the consumers with better quality services. The Samsung i8510 INNOV8 is no different and comes in a rich black coloured casing. The 3G slide opening device comes with a 2.8 inches colour TFT screen which supports 16 million colours and provides a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.

The stylish gadget is rich in every department but the 8 megapixel camera is definitely the USP of the product. The high quality camera is provided with an Auto Focus and Auto Flash feature which ensure precise and well illuminated shots. The image stabiliser neglects all the small movements made by the user while capturing and gives a steady output. Moreover, the video recorder captures moving clips and the video player plays those footages in MP4, WMV, DivX, H263 & H264 video formats. The stunning handset comes equipped with a secondary camera and enables users to take part in a 3G face to face video calling with the other compatible devices.

Special Features:

Price in India: Rs. 39000
Camera: 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Network: 2G & 3G Network Supported
Weight: 136 g
Memory:
Internal - 8 GB/16 GB storage, 128 MB RAM
External - microSD, up to 16GB
GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
3G: HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
USB: Yes, v2.0, microUSB

3 Key Trends in Mobile Phone Market

The worldwide phone market grew again in the second quarter, but the dividing line between what's universally considered practical (low-end feature phones) and what's hot (higher-end smartphones) is becoming more obvious.

IDC recently reported the worldwide mobile phone market grew 11.3 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2011. Sure, that's down from IDC's anticipated 13.3 percent quarterly target and the 16.8 percent growth recorded in the first quarter, but 11.3 percent doesn't seem too shabby during a time when the US and euro-area economies are floundering through a politically charged debt crisis, high unemployment, and other malaise.

Mobile makers still managed to ship 365.4 million units in the second quarter, 37 million more than the comparable year-ago period. The trend that really caught my eye, though, was this one: The second quarter booked a weaker feature phone market, which declined for the first time since the third quarter of 2009, noted IDC. The firm doesn't expect things to get much better in the low-end, low-cost feature phone segment either; feature phone shipment growth likely won't exceed 1.1 percent in any year forecasted by IDC, according to the report.

Then, there was this report in The Wall Street Journal, which reinforced what we all generally suspected: Citing data from market research firm Strategy Analytics, The Journal noted Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. overtook Nokia Corp., the longtime leader, in the global smartphone market during the second quarter. According to the article, Apple's share of the smartphone market rose to 18.5 percent in the second quarter from 13.5 percent a year earlier. Samsung's smartphone market share jumped to 17.5 percent from 5 percent. And, Nokia... well, the once-mighty leader saw its global market share tumble to 15.2 percent from 38.1 percent a year earlier.

While it's still anyone's guess how this will all shake out and whether the phone makers lower in the rankings could do anything to break into what's shaping up to be a fierce two-horse race, there are a few trends to keep a watchful eye on.

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