Nokia today announced the Nokia 603, a colourful, affordable, no compromise smartphone preloaded with the latest apps and featuring single-tap pairing, sharing and tag reading with NFC. Alongside the Nokia 603, the daringly-designed Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset completes the NFC-enabled easy pairingexperience in an affordable package.

The Nokia 603 is designed to appeal to first time smartphone users and those upgrading from older products, particularly existing users of Nokia smartphones who will welcome a device that offers all the latest technology and features in a package that is still uniquely Nokia.

This latest smartphone exemplifies Nokia’s belief that affordability should not compromise the quality of the experience. The Nokia 603 offers a seamless, compact design that makes the most of the durable 3.5 inch ClearBlack, scratch-resistant display, optimized for use in sunlight. Exceeding expectations for its EUR 200 price-tag*, the Nokia 603 comes preloaded with Maps, the latest social networking games and apps, and the ability to capture, edit and share photographs, all with great graphics performance thanks to the fast graphics processor in the device. The Nokia 603 also makes NFC innovation accessible to more people with the ability to share content, pair with accessories like the Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset, and unlock new experiences, such as unseen levels on Angry Birds.

“The Nokia 603 continues the renewal of our smartphone range with products that are uniquely matched to the needs of people around the world,” said Tuula Rytila, Senior Vice President, Nokia. “Whatever the price-point, our aim is to ensure all Nokia smartphones are crafted for use, have Nokia’s trusted quality, are better connected, and contain unexpected surprises like the ability to tap to pair and share with NFC.”

Featuring the latest Symbian Belle software, the Nokia 603 also benefits from up to six customizable homescreens and dynamic live widgets for improved personalization and prioritization of your favourite content.
Continuing to extend Nokia’s range of innovative accessories, the Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset is a uniquely designed in-ear device with NFC pairing capabilities. Available in a range of colours, the headset features a pop-out earpiece for up to eight hours of extended talk time and easy charging with any Nokia microUSB phone charger. Nokia’s exclusive Always Ready technology enables you to answer calls simply by popping out the earpiece, and end calls by placing the earpiece back in its cradle. At only EUR 69*, the Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset is perfectly priced to accompany the Nokia 603, bringing NFC pairing opportunities to more people around the world.

The Nokia 603 is available in black and white with a choice of back covers in six different colors: black, white, fuchsia, green, yellow and blue. The Nokia Luna Bluetooth Headset is available in black, white, fuchsia, green and cyan. Both products are expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2011.

* Estimated retail price before taxes and subsidies

For more on the Nokia 603 please visit: www.nokia.com/603
For more on all our new Symbian Belle smartphones: www.nokia.com/symbianbelle

Today at the IAA (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung), Nokia announced Nokia Car Mode, a standalone application optimized for the in-car use of Nokia smartphones. Nokia Car Mode features an optimized user interface simplifying the access and use of Nokia Drive (voice-guided car navigation with Nokia Maps), traffic updates, music and voice calls while driving. Nokia Car Mode, built with Qt, will be available for download from Nokia’s Ovi Store in Q4 2011 for Nokia smartphones based on Symbian Belle – such as the recently launched Nokia 600, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 – as well as the Nokia N9.

Nokia Car Mode is the first commercially available solution supporting MirrorLink, formerly known as Terminal Mode. MirrorLink is a standard smartphone-to-car connectivity platform driven by over 20 major global brands from across different industries within the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC). With MirrorLink, smartphones can be connected to in-car displays, car controls systems, and car audio systems. Thus consumers can control their smartphones via the car dashboard, as if the device and its apps were integrated into the car itself.

MirrorLink is increasingly gaining industry momentum. Among the first commercially available products presented at IAA besides Nokia Car Mode is Alpine’s new ICS-X8, a dashboard-mounted unit that lets drivers of supported cars retrofit MirrorLink capabilities and Bluetooth hands-free phone. After connecting their Nokia smartphone with the Alpine ICS-X8, consumers are able to intuitively and safely use smartphone applications from the ICS-X8′s large 7-inch high-resolution display.

As a founding member of the Car Connectivity Consortium, Nokia is striving to introduce mobile innovation to the automotive industry. The integration of smartphones and their capabilities into cars is playing an important part in Nokia’s Location & Commerce business strategy, extending the existing ecosystem and thus providing benefits and opportunities for consumers, automotive companies, application developers and advertisers alike.

“MirrorLink and Nokia Car Mode are a big leap forward in allowing car drivers to access their favourite smartphone services,” said Floris van de Klashorst, Director Automotive Services of Nokia’s Location & Commerce business. “Via MirrorLink users have comfortable and safe access to maps, music and telephony on their phones when they’re in their cars even while driving. In the future, MirrorLink will enable plenty of other popular features since we’re only at the beginning of what we can do by linking smart devices with vehicles. We expect developers to come up with innovative new applications optimised for use in cars.”

“As a member of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), we are very excited to introduce the world’s first in-car infotainment solution based on MirrorLink – the all new ICS-X8 App Link Station,” said Ingmar Heck, Manager of Sales and Marketing, Alpine Electronics Europe. “The ICS-X8 featuring MirrorLink allows users to create a digital ecosystem of mobile applications and the vehicle’s infotainment system. Users that own a compatible Nokia smartphone can connect it to the ICS-X8 and navigate using Nokia Drive, as well as enjoy all their music stored on the phone while driving using Nokia Music. Nokia Drive even connects to the car’s GPS receiver, allowing accurate navigation in areas of weak signal strength.”

“Safe and seamless access to web-apps via an integrated smartphone is critical in accelerating the evolution of the connected vehicle,” said Thilo Koslowski, VP and Automotive Practice Leader at Gartner. “A standardized smartphone-to-vehicle integration solution allows automotive companies to simplify their connected vehicle offerings and focus resources on extending consumers’ connected lifestyles to the vehicle.”

The Alpine ICS-X8 will be available in November at Alpine authorized dealers. Please visit www.alpine-europe.com to locate a retailer.

Demonstrations of the world’s first in-car infotainment solution based on MirrorLink from Nokia and Alpine can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdHBFsy930A

Nokia today announced the launch of the Nokia 101 and Nokia 100 phones, its most affordable phones to date, continuing its commitment to connecting the next billion consumers with mobile devices that offer modern, attractive designs, a range of practical and fun features, and services that extend the value of the phone with access to information and entertainment.

The Nokia 101 is Nokia’s fifth dual SIM device in the last three months and is the most affordable to date. The dual SIM functionality enables users to connect to two different networks to receive calls and messages.

In addition to an FM radio, the Nokia 101 features an integrated MP3 player and a 103 phon loudspeaker, and provides support for up to 16 GB microSD memory cards, allowing users to carry their entire music collection with them.

The Nokia 100 is perfect for people looking for durability and simplicity as well as affordability when making calls and sending text messages. The Nokia 100 is Nokia’s most affordable color display phone, and people can enjoy its new attractive grid-based menu system with fun and easy-to-read icons. Furthermore, the Nokia 100 features an FM radio, enabling users to tune into their favorite music stations, whether on-the-go or at home.

Both the Nokia 101 and Nokia 100 offer Nokia Life Tools (selected markets) and Nokia Money (in India), providing instant access to locally-relevant information on healthcare, education, agriculture and entertainment.

“We recognize that for many of the next billion people, a phone purchase is an investment. People are looking for a phone that offers great features but also one that is dependable,” said Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “When paired with powerful and locally relevant services such as Nokia Life Tools, the Nokia 101 and Nokia 100 offer a unique experience that is simply unmatched in their markets at these price points.”

Pricing and Availability
The Nokia 101 will be available in the third quarter of 2011 for about 25 euros (USD 35) and comes in Phantom Black and Coral Red.

The Nokia 100 will be available in the fourth quarter of 2011 for about 20 euros (USD 30) and comes in a range of vibrant colors including Legion Blue, Festival Pink, Ocean Blue, Phantom Black and Coral Red.

ShopSavvy, the leading mobile shopping assistant, announced today that it is available for download by Nokia smartphone users in the Ovi Store. The store enables Nokia users in 180 countries to access apps and boasts more than 6 million downloads daily.

“Last year, Nokia integrated ShopSavvy into its augmented reality browser for S60 devices. Recently, they approached us to add ShopSavvy to the Ovi Store, one of the most popular app stores outside the United States,” said Alexander Muse, CEO and co-founder of ShopSavvy. “This is a great opportunity to expand ShopSavvy usage in Europe and around the world.”

ShopSavvy is compatible with S60 and Symbian^3 devices. The free app can be accessed at the following Ovi Store link: http://store.ovi.com/search?q=shopsavvy.

ShopSavvy currently has more than 11 million unique users on iPhone, Android, Windows 7 and Nokia smartphones.

Nokia today announced that its Ovi Store has grown by nearly eight times over the last year and now reaches up to 5 million downloads per day, propelled by the latest Symbian devices – the Nokia N8, Nokia C6-01, Nokia C7 and Nokia E7 – which account for about 15 percent of the daily downloads.

Increased demand for apps from the approximate 200-million-strong Symbian consumer base has seen the Ovi Store catalogue grow to more than 40 000 apps, with about 1 000 added per week. This momentum has resulted in 158 developers from 41 countries now surpassing the million download milestone each for their apps.

Nokia’s new monetization opportunities for developers are tailored for local markets and include integrated operator billing with 112 operators in 36 markets, more than 25 times more operator billing integrations than Nokia’s nearest competitor. Ovi Store has seen integrated operator billing increase consumer transactions by up to four times and this, coupled with Nokia’s beta programs for in-app billing and in-app advertising, means more revenue opportunities for developers on Symbian.

These opportunities are also being extended to Nokia Series 40 devices, which will enable apps for the next billion mobile phone consumers. The refreshed Ovi Store experience, previously available only for the new Symbian devices, has resulted in more than 35 percent growth in downloads for Series 40 devices in the last two months, making up about a quarter of the total downloads.

Developers and publishers, large and small, are using Ovi Store’s global reach and rapid growth to cultivate new communities. These communities are driven by deeper user connections within their apps, further driving downloads and potential monetization opportunities for developers.

Developer examples:

Singapore developer Breakdesign, created its Barking Seed site as an independent mobile gaming community built for players using Nokia Symbian and Series 40 devices. The site tracks top scores, lets gamers compete with other top players around the world and host contests to win Nokia devices and accessories. In just over a year, Breakdesign has reached more than 6.5 million downloads and more than 70,000 members in more than 170 countries. Its top Flash games found on Barking Seed are That Roach Game South Africa, Ninjani – Emperors Revenge, and Dawn of the Fly Chapter 1 and 2.

Denmark’s Gedda-Headz has built a mobile social gaming community for Java supporting Nokia devices. It blends multiplayer head-to-head gaming and in-game chat and challenges to offer players a unique mobile experience. High scores and player rankings are determined by game play and their gaming experience can be enhanced with the purchase of virtual goods. Through Ovi Store’s scale, Gedda-Headz has reached more than 1.3 million downloads in more than 190 countries.

Moodagent, created by the Danish based Syntonetic, is an intelligent music mobile app that uses cloud-based technology to automatically select music and create playlists based on a user’s mood. It also allows them to share their mood and music with their network on Facebook and Twitter. To date, the number of Nokia Moodagent users has reached more than 4 million from Ovi Store and the total number of Nokia user tracks in the Moodagent cloud is more than 4 billion. Both of these numbers are expected to grow even more with its recent availability for Series 40 devices and the soon to be released Moodagent 3.0, with all the same great features of the original app plus music recommendation.

Quotes

“As consumers continue to download Ovi Store content with increasing frequency, developers have an immediate opportunity to reach consumers worldwide and capitalize on the approximately 150 million Symbian devices we plan to ship in the coming years,” said Tero Ojanpera, Nokia’s Executive Vice President of Services and Developer Experience. “This momentum continues to demonstrate consumers’ appetite for Nokia’s global and locally relevant apps, and will help us plan the future apps store experience for improved and new Symbian devices, as well as Nokia smartphones based on the planned collaborative opportunities with Microsoft.

“Nokia’s Ovi Store has given our Angry Birds a fighting chance to defeat those havoc-wrecking green pigs and share the joys of clearing levels from every corner of the globe,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. “We look forward to continuing development for Nokia’s latest Symbian devices and working with Nokia and the future of the Windows Phone platform.”

“In about a year, Nokia’s Ovi Store has gone from approximately 1 million downloads per day to up to 5 million downloads per day today, and the velocity appears to be increasing, fueled largely by Series 40 and new Symbian devices,” said Josh Martin, senior analyst, Strategy Analytics. “At this new rate, that’s nearly 2 billion annualized downloads and with the company’s new direction, app developers can surely capitalize on this growth today and in the future with the estimated approximately 150 million Symbian devices that Nokia expects to deliver.”

Nokia today announced the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7, two new smartphones aimed at business people and entertainment enthusiasts respectively. The two devices are the first Nokia smartphones to contain the updated Symbian software, with new icons and usability enhancements such as improved text input, a faster browser and refreshed Ovi Maps.

“We are further strengthening Nokia’s smartphone portfolio with these two new devices, both of which offer a more beautiful and intuitive user experience that will soon also be available for the Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01,” said Jo Harlow, head of Nokia’s Smart Devices business. “With these new products and more Symbian devices and user enhancements coming in the near future, we are confident we can keep existing Nokia smartphone customers engaged, as well as attract new first-time and competitor smartphone users.”

Following on from Nokia’s highly successful Nokia E71 and Nokia E72 devices, the Nokia E6 is a sleek business smartphone with a full QWERTY keypad and a high resolution touch display. Designed using premium materials such as glass and stainless steel, the device comes in a compact size that makes it easy to use with either one hand or two. The Nokia E6 offers exceptional battery life and the best out-of-the-box Microsoft messaging experience on a business smartphone, including access to Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Communicator Mobile and Microsoft SharePoint.

The Nokia X7 is an entertainment-focused smartphone with a large 4″ display ideal for gaming, and an 8 Megapixel camera for capturing pictures and HD-quality video. A distinctively designed device, the Nokia X7 is made from a combination of seamless stainless steel and glass – delivering a solid and durable feel in the hand. The Nokia X7 comes preloaded with the popular Galaxy on Fire HD and Asphalt 5 HD games.

The Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 are also the first smartphones to contain the complete update of the Symbian software user experience. This update offers a host of usability enhancements, including fresh, new icons, improved text input, a faster internet browsing experience and a refreshed Ovi Maps application with improved search and new public transport routes. The renewed software also offers a strong set of new features aimed at business users in particular, including true enterprise grade security with hardware accelerated encryption, and new e-mail features such as full meeting request support.

In coming months the software update, which is nick-named Symbian Anna, will also be available as standard on newly shipping Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01 devices, as well as available to download on previously purchased models of those same smartphones.

For developers, Symbian Anna greatly enhances the user experience on Nokia smartphones and makes the Qt business opportunity with Nokia even greater. Read more at: http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/nokia-developer-news/

For more details on the Nokia X7 and Nokia E6, please visit: http://events.nokia.com/discover-symbian

Telcel, the largest mobile operator in Mexico, today announces the availability of the Telcel Mobile Application Store, Ideas APPSTORE, powered by Appia. The store provides Telcel subscribers with a wide variety of mobile content and applications across major mobile operating systems including Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Java. The store includes both paid and free applications such as social media, news, weather and sports apps in both Spanish and English.

“Telcel’s Ideas APPSTORE gives Telcel’s 64 million subscribers access to thousands of mobile applications,” said Marco Quatorze, VAS Director of Telcel. “Appia’s solution allowed us to get to market quickly with a branded app marketplace, and enables our customers to add rich personalization to their Android, Blackberry, Symbian and Java phones.”

Appia’s open app marketplace solution provides all of the content for Telcel’s mobile application storefront, as well as the platform for storefront merchandising and commerce. The end-to-end app store was launched in less than 60 days, and is integrated with Telcel´s billing and customer care systems to provide a seamless experience for Telcel subscribers. The storefront is optimized to match applications to each subscriber’s device, offering thousands of applications across all major mobile operating systems.

“Appia is excited to partner with Telcel to bring an Application Store with a great collection of mobile applications to the entire Telcel subscriber base,” said Jud Bowman, CEO of Appia. “Telcel is the leader in mobile data services in Mexico, and the rich selection of content and applications that Telcel is offering their customers through the Appia-powered store will continue to set them apart in the marketplace.”

App developers interested in distributing their applications through the Telcel Ideas APPSTORE, and Appia’s other distribution channels should visit the Appia Developer Program at dev.appia.com.

Nokia is bucking the trend to adopt Android and instead doubling down on its investments in MeeGo and Symbian.

Despite strong signs that it is going the wrong way, Nokia will continue to go it alone. Stephen Elop, the company’s new CEO, will not create phones running Google’s Android operating system, reports the Wall Street Journal. Instead, it will rely on its new Symbian v3 and MeeGo operating systems for its devices. Elop’s reason: Android doesn’t allow innovation.

“Frankly, some of these alternatives in the market are not necessarily providing a lot of opportunity for innovation, and that is what we hear from people who are using those platforms at the moment,” he said in an interview. (Nokia’s new N8 phone is a mirror of Android phones.)

In recent years, Nokia has spent billions trying to keep up with other platforms. In 2007, it spent $8.1 billion to purchase Navteq, a company that competes with Google Maps. It’s also spent a good deal of time and money into its own app store and set of services called “Ovi,” which has seen much less support from the app community than Android and iPhone.

If it were to give up its platform, the phone maker would be forced to rely on superficial enhancements (like Motorola Blur or HTC Sense) to differentiate its software from the rest of the smartphone pack and retain its #1 sales position worldwide. However, by using Symbian or its new MeeGo OS, Nokia risks further alienating its smartphones from consumers and developers, who are piling onto iOS/Android-like operating systems by the bundle.

Nokia has lost 8 percent of its smartphone market share in the last year, falling from 44.6 percent to 36.6 percent of the market while Android and iOS rose significantly and the trend continues to worsen. Nokia has virtually no presence in the United States, one of the world’s largest smartphone markets. It cut 1,800 jobs in October.

Is Nokia making the right move? Have you used Symbian and prefer it?