My Nokia Blog |
- Nokia Lumia 1020 heading to Australia from September 17; AUD$899 RRP
- Kiitos, Nokia, and Nokia fans. Love, MyNokiaBlog.com
- Editorial: Where Does Nokia (and a Nokia Fan) Go From Here?
- Ballmer Announces “Shorter” Naming Scheme for Nokia Lumias
- Bandit/1520 Screenshot Leaks, Shows 1080p, More Tiles and “Story Teller”
- Was the Nokia 515 More Than it Seemed? A Tribute to the Nokia of Old?
- Video: Emotional Rant on the Nokia Microsoft Deal
- Microsoft’s Acquisition Began Back in February at MWC, With over 50 Meetings Later
- Nokia and Microsoft; What Now?
- Document: Strategic Rationale Behind the Microsoft Acquisition
| Nokia Lumia 1020 heading to Australia from September 17; AUD$899 RRP Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:09 PM PDT A press release from Nokia Australia just landed in my inbox, stating some launch details for the Lumia 1020. The device will hit shelves as of September 17, for customers on Telstra, and from October 1 for Optus customers. For those who prefer to buy in retail channels, the 1020 will be sold in Harvey Norman, and Dick Smith stores. Allphones will also stock the device. RRP is $899. As for what colour variants Australia will be getting, Telstra and Optus will have the Black 1020, Allphones and Dick Smith will have Black and Yellow devices, and Harvey Norman will have all three; White, Yellow and Black. The camera grip and wireless charging shell will be sold at Harvey Norman and available in October. All three colours will be available for those two products. |
| Kiitos, Nokia, and Nokia fans. Love, MyNokiaBlog.com Posted: 03 Sep 2013 12:01 PM PDT This morning, half asleep wishing I could stay in bed for a few more minutes, I checked my emails as usual to see if there were any interesting tips that I could write about before heading off to hospital to see more babies being delivered. Ali’s post caught my eye as I thought he was writing about some peeves he had with MS’s progress with Windows Phone. As I read on, it didn’t make sense to me so I looked back at previous emails. What’s going on here? Have I instead slept so long that it was now April? I didn’t put my initial thoughts to writing. I shared them over twitter as I knew I’d get caught up and miss my bus. As a long time Nokia fan, I’ve got Obsessive Nokia Disorder at the best of times, let alone on news as big as the one that landed today. In the fleeting moments that I’d have a gap not to think about forceps, women in labour and cute babies, today’s news circled in my head. To be honest with you, I haven’t really looked into the details. But I’ve got the gist of it and I’m feeling real sad about it. MS buying Nokia’s handset division? What was all that about?
You could say you expected that the moment Elop became CEO, some perhaps a little later when we went with WP. Nokia struggled, but slowly started making some really great gains again. Last night, I went to bed writing about Nokia’s strong growth in the EU5 and how Nokia’s designs were somehow influencing Apple. This on top of weeks and weeks of profound admiration for the 1020′s camera by the media. It felt like Nokia were getting back into the game. So how could I be waking up to the news that after all that, they’ve decided to throw it all in and let MS take control? Other things that are concerning me.
Elop is most certainly going to be the new CEO of MS. MS is said to elect a CEO from within the company. MS is said to be changing to a devices and services company. Who has just returned to the company as EVP of devices and services? Those are all things that were also predicted by some.
When I started this blog in 2007 as a place to store the excessive rambles that did not fit in the forums, I did not expect that 6 years later it would have garnered YOU, the Nokia community of fans, writers, tippers, commenters, and even Nokia staff that come and join the conversation now and again. Who would have thought that I could get to see places around the world and meet so many amazing Nokia fans and Nokia peeps and see the latest and greatest newly announced Nokia devices (some in secret, months before announcement). I don’t know about you, but it’s been a privilege having such an amazing hobby that I can share with so many awesome people like you. I love reading your comments and conversations – we welcome all perspectives and it’s been great learning from everyone. Time and time again, I get asked why I do this. Because I love Nokia. From a kid admiring my aunt’s Nokia phones to an adult showing my nieces and nephews the cool phones I have of my own, Nokia has always had a special place in my geeky heart. They stood for being bold, for pushing boundaries, for aiming for the best experiences, for having so much potential, for being open with their community, for being pioneers, for being so lovable. For many fans, their first ever phone was a Nokia, and it was a Nokia for a reason because Nokia was the best choice. It hasn’t always been an easy ride. Long time readers would know we’ve had many rants at the past, scolding Nokia for what seemed to us ‘outsiders’ as obvious mistakes, be it from the marketing side or strange product compromises. If we see something we’re not happy with at Nokia, as fans, we’ll openly moan about it and suggest where to improve from there. We do it because we care. We want Nokia to keep striving to be better and do better and because we know they have the potential to do so (having been so great in the past and still showing much signs of having that capacity to be even better in the future) we push, and push and push. Most recently it seemed things were clicking into place, with the 1020 keynote being extremely well executed and well received, the 1020 being unanimously loved by the media and as aformentioned, Lumia sales seemingly catching on. But the rug seems to have been pulled from under us. Where is Nokia going to go now? Well Ali has detailed that already. http://mynokiablog.com/2013/09/03/editorial-where-does-nokia-and-a-nokia-fan-go-from-here/ Nokia’s had a long history of change and this is yet another chapter in that. I’m still sharing my thoughts as I owe it to you guys to voice my side. There’s still more to Nokia than devices and services. Although phones is why we loved Nokia, there’s still HERE Maps and NSN. Some of you might care about that, some not. At least for now, that part of Nokia is said to be more stable. What about the Nokia side that’s going off to MS? Well, Nokia brand or not, I feel like the spirit of Nokia is still there. Just like how we followed ex Nokians going forth into other businesses like Jolla, Nokia, for me isn’t truly gone. Goddammit I’m holding onto you and not letting you go, whether you like it or not, Nokia! Where will MyNokiaBlog go? I will keep writing about anything remotely related to Nokia, time, uni and enjoyment permitting and if the other writers wish to do so, they can too. Kudos to those who had mentioned before that we should have changed our names to MyWPBlog/MyMicrosoftBlog and the likes. You were just giving advice with the extreme power of hindsight eh? Haha. In all seriousness, for now, we’re sticking with MyNokiaBlog.com My Nokia Blog is you guys. The community. Connecting people. We will be here as long as you guys are. For the Nokia fans that still love Nokia, perhaps you’d like to volunteer to help keep the community side active with Nokia related news? Email me (jay@mynokiablog.com) to see what we can sort out. There’s so much more to consider, so many more things to think about.
Thankfully, I can embrace my mountain of work to keep these thoughts aside for now. Hopefully it’ll give me even more time to clear my mind. Till next time. Thanks guys!
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| Editorial: Where Does Nokia (and a Nokia Fan) Go From Here? Posted: 03 Sep 2013 09:53 AM PDT
First of all Nokia as a brand will survive, and it’s important to keep in mind that Nokia has changed multiple times over the years, when it failed to succeed it cut off the part that was failing and moved on. Or turned to greener pastures, from the paper company to the rubber manufacturer, to electricity and cable, Nokia has seen many switches over the years and losing it’s devices and services company is a far cry from their biggest direction change. In terms of the company that is the Finnish pride and joy, it will carry on; be that through its services division (HERE and NSN) or through the R&D that they still maintain, Microsoft could very will continue to “hire” Nokia as an external partner to do some R&D or drum up ideas for them; and before long we might see another change in Nokia’s goal, who knows? In terms of the handset manufacturer Nokia is gone, but still there. Microsoft have acquired a huge chunk of Nokia employees and many of the faces remain the same, but the person in charge has shifted; and unfortunately so will the ideals. Microsoft might be a great company, but it was never described as the “warm” type, nor “friendly” in fact many people hate it for its past (although I think it’s doing alright right now). So what is the “Next Chapter” for the non-finnish fans out there, the people who loved Nokia for their humane touch, great devices and outstanding cameras? The “Lumia” line will undoubtedly live on, as will “Asha”; and in the short term nothing will change. It’s common knowledge that Nokia (and other companies) map out their strategies for years to come, that undoubtedly means that there are several Nokia devices still in the pipeline, borne from the independent Nokia. We have the Lumia 1520 (phablet), surely a successor for the 820, several Ashas and a tablet or two (which some will argue are Microsoft’s work). But what happens when Nokia’s pre-planned devices run out, when the last mapped out Lumia is over what happens? And what happens to classic devices that are still in production? Microsoft have acquired the Lumia and Asha brand name, but not the Nokia one; so it’s safe to assume that devices will ship without a Nokia branding in the future (what does this mean for devices such as the 625, 515,1020 etc that have already been produced/announced?) will they continue to be produced just without the Nokia logo? From a personal perspective, I want to (and need to) pretend that everything is pretty much the same, just under new management. The goals of the devices division of Nokia can’t change much, they’re still dedicated to Windows Phone (maybe we’ll finally get rid of the Android Nokia rumors), and devices will continue to be produced with similar designs and goals. I can’t imagine Microsoft throwing out all of Nokia’s hard work in the imaging departments, so camera phones will continue to be a huge part of the devices in the future. The way I see it this is just a step further into the inevitable (that I chose to ignore), the best analogy I’ve seen is that of a couple living together who finally decided to get married. In terms of WP development it can go either way, without the external pressure from Nokia on Microsoft to speed up updates they might fall behind, and they might lose the WP innovations brought by Nokia such as Glance, tap to wake, pro cam and more. Or it might go the other way, and the joining of the two companies could accelerate the production of WP thanks to easier communication channels, frankly it all depends on who ends up where in the executive food chain (and what their priorities are). Let’s not forget that a lot of the same great minds are still present, it’s just a matter of what it says on the employment badge; hopefully the innovations and great ideas will still come, and we won’t lose touch of the human side of the company; after all that’s what we loved about it right? What I personally would like to see (and think would be the smart choice) is for Microsoft to continue to treat the “Lumia” brand a separate entity, similar to how VW, Audi, Lamborghini etc. are managed. While continuing to push out “Lumias” they can use the expertise and personnel gained to launch a sister brand “Surface” or whatever you want to call it, with each of them carrying on their respective design languages. But who am I to say? |
| Ballmer Announces “Shorter” Naming Scheme for Nokia Lumias Posted: 03 Sep 2013 09:41 AM PDT
It seems ballmer has gotten his head messed up, seeing how “Windows Phone” was never part of the Nokia naming scheme, that was HTC with their HTC Windows Phone 8X/S. Either way the Nokia name is almost definitely going to be dropped, and perhaps a new name will come for Microsoft’s devices, while keeping the Lumia brand around; given the amount of penetration it has. So perhaps something around the lines of ”Lumia Surface 1020?” or is that still too much?
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| Bandit/1520 Screenshot Leaks, Shows 1080p, More Tiles and “Story Teller” Posted: 03 Sep 2013 06:15 AM PDT
Also visible is something called “story teller” I assume it’s similar to BB’s story maker which makes a little collage/video of a bunch of photos and videos? Also notice the independent office apps, “Nokia Camera” instead of Pro cam, and a new Skydrive tile (the color is slightly different). Anyone else able to gleam anything else?
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| Was the Nokia 515 More Than it Seemed? A Tribute to the Nokia of Old? Posted: 02 Sep 2013 11:51 PM PDT
Last week Nokia announced a seemingly “normal” feature phone, the Nokia 515; with a price-tag of 115 Euros it was effectively more expensive than the entry level smartphone, the Lumia 520. At the time we chalked it up to a phone dedicated to those not interested in the fancy smartphone features, but want something classy, iconic and beautiful. The 515 embodied everything the Nokia we know (or is it knew already?) stands for, a classic device in terms of design that screams Nokia. But was it more than that?
This tweet got me thinking that the 515 could indeed be a farewell tribute from Nokia to its loyal customers, something to keep to smile back at fondly when we think of the good times we had? The timing certainly is suspicious, and it would be a nice gesture in terms showing off the “personal” side of Nokia, which is what had me get hooked. Even if it isn’t, I’d like to pretend that is.
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| Video: Emotional Rant on the Nokia Microsoft Deal Posted: 02 Sep 2013 11:03 PM PDT Today has been an emotional roller coaster so far, and it’s not even 9AM yet. I thought the very best way to work through the whole emotional dance I decided to share some of my thoughts on the whole process, check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5343jHB0v0k
What do you guys think? am I wrong to believe that the Nokia we love will live on somewhere beneath the Microsoft flag? |
| Microsoft’s Acquisition Began Back in February at MWC, With over 50 Meetings Later Posted: 02 Sep 2013 10:57 PM PDT More details are beginning to appear about how the Nokia buy out went down, according to Allthingsd the talks started last february at MWC when the chairman of the board met up with Elop.
Purchasing Nokia wasn’t the original plan, instead they thought about how to further their partnership and help promote sales:
The interesting questions is why indeed did they decide to buy out all the device line, rather than jut the smartphone business, leaving Nokia with the Asha line.
Read more about how the deal went down here: |
| Nokia and Microsoft; What Now? Posted: 02 Sep 2013 09:39 PM PDT
While I’m trying to get a handle on all that has happened (in the middle of the fricken night! why now?), some pretty important questions needs to be addressed. For me most importantly will “Nokia” phone still exist as a brand? Or will they be Microsoft Lumias etc? First of all the Nokia name is probably one of the biggest assets of Microsoft’s acquisition, people have trusted Nokia’s build quality and phones for years, Microsoft would be insane to let that go. According to Engadget Microsoft has also acquired the rights for Nokia’s branding, meaning we will probably continue to see “NOKIA” on devices, possibly “Nokia powered by Microsoft” or Nokia with a Microsoft logo (think of it like the Xbox (not a lot of people even know Microsoft owns it).
With that big question (for me at least) settled, what else? Well in terms of who’s coming and who’s going, we already posted that Marko Ahtisaari will be stepping down immediately, but in fact the big names will remain the same for the most part.
What about the future of the real Nokia, what will they do? Nokia will continue to work on the HERE mapping spectrum of things, as well as with its recent acquisition of NSN, it will continue to further its LTE technology and others, as well as focusing on “advanced technologies” (whatever that means). What about Finland? Nokia’s hometown? Apparently Microsoft have chosen it to be their new “data center’ for European consumers.
Also I’d like to point out that Microsoft have not purchased Nokia’s patent portfolio, as mentioned in the agreement, they’ve signed a 10 year non-exclusive agreement; meaning Nokia’s largest asset is retained. Microsoft will also pay for HERE map licences usage in their devices
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| Document: Strategic Rationale Behind the Microsoft Acquisition Posted: 02 Sep 2013 09:14 PM PDT
The deal in broad strokes: |
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