USA: Nokia working hard with Verizon. AT&T Lumia 900 4G Cyan sells out faster than pancakes.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesùs.

USA: Nokia working hard with Verizon. AT&T Lumia 900 4G Cyan sells out faster than pancakes.

Nokia working hard with Verizon. 

Nokia will add carriers—especially CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless—that could help Nokia's growth.  Nokia's U.S. president Chris Weber  said he's working on that. 

"We're not making any announcements, but we understand the importance of Verizon and we're working hard to make that a reality," he said. 

AT&T Lumia 900 4G LTE Cyan sells out faster than pancakes.

The Nokia Lumia 900 is winning over AT&T sales people, but he wouldn't commit to trying to claim any new territory soon. After all, they're selling Lumias faster than they can make them. "Demand has been outstripping supply for the first couple of weeks, and we've been working hard to rectify that,"  "The demand for cyan phones is significantly outpacing supply. When you give people something different from a design perspective colors, etc, it really stands out, and consumers want that."   Nokia's U.S. president Chris Weber said Tuesday.

The Lumia phones are getting good reviews in stores for Nokia's collection of exclusive apps like ESPN and PGA Tour, the colorful design, and the phones' value for money, he said.

The Nokia executive has spent the past four weekends at AT&T stores, seeing how salespeople approach his product.

Source: PCMag

BREAKING: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Files Class Action Suit Against Nokia Corporation.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Files Class Action Suit Against Nokia Corporation.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP (“Robbins Geller”) (http://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases/nokiacorp/) today announced that a class action has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of Nokia Corporation (“Nokia”) (NYSE:NOK - News) publicly traded securities during the period between October 26, 2011 and April 10, 2012 (the “Class Period”).

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than 60 days from today. If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact plaintiff’s counsel, Darren Robbins of Robbins Geller at 800-449-4900 or 619-231-1058, or via e-mail at djr@rgrdlaw.com. If you are a member of this class, you can view a copy of the complaint as filed or join this class action online at http://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases/nokiacorp/. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member.

The complaint charges Nokia and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Nokia provides telecommunications infrastructure hardware, software, and services worldwide.

The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, defendants told investors that Nokia’s conversion to a Windows platform would halt its deteriorating position in the smartphone market. It did not. This became apparent on April 11, 2012, when Nokia disclosed that its first quarter performance would be worse than expected. Nokia expected its first quarter 2012 non-IFRS Devices & Services operating margin to fall by 3%, and projected first quarter 2012 Devices & Services net sales of €4.2 billion. It also disclosed a glitch in its newest Windows offering – the Lumia 900. Nokia had to immediately offer customers an automatic $100, making the phone essentially free.

As a result of this disclosure, the price of Nokia’s American Depositary Shares (“ADRs”) dropped over 16% in a single day.

Plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of all purchasers of Nokia publicly traded securities during the Class Period (the “Class”). The plaintiff is represented by Robbins Geller, which has expertise in prosecuting investor class actions and extensive experience in actions involving financial fraud.

Robbins Geller represents U.S. and international investors and consumers in contingency based complex litigation. With nearly 200 attorneys in nine offices, the firm represents more institutional investors and pension funds in securities and corporate litigation than any other law firm in the world. Not only has the firm obtained six of the largest recoveries in history, but the firm has been ranked number one in the number of shareholder class action recoveries in MSCI’s Top SCAS 50 every year since 2003. According to Cornerstone Research, the firm’s recoveries have averaged 35% above the median for all firms over the past seven years (2005-2011). Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.

Contact:

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Darren Robbins, 800-449-4900 or 619-231-1058

djr@rgrdlaw.com

Worldwide Smartphone Market Continues to Soar, Carrying Samsung Into the Top Position in Total Mobile Phone and Smartphone Shipments, According to IDC .

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Worldwide Smartphone Market Continues to Soar, Carrying Samsung Into the Top Position in Total Mobile Phone and Smartphone Shipments, According to IDC.

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, May 1, 2012

Note: Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors.

The worldwide mobile phone market declined 1.5% year over year in the first quarter of 2012 (1Q12), as Samsung ousted longtime leader Nokia to become the world's top mobile phone vendor. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped 398.4 million units in 1Q12 compared to 404.3 million units in the first quarter of 2011.

Nokia has been the global market leader in total mobile phone shipments since the inception of IDC's Mobile Phone Tracker in 2004. Samsung's ascension to the market's top spot is largely a reflection of its gains in the smartphone market over the past two years. "The halcyon days of rapid growth in the smartphone market have been good to Samsung," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker program. "Samsung has used its established relationships with carriers in a mix of economically diverse markets to gain share organically and at the expense of former high fliers such as Nokia."

Meanwhile, the worldwide smartphone market grew 42.5% year over year in 1Q12, as Samsung overtook Apple for the smartphone leadership position. Vendors shipped 144.9 million smartphones in 1Q12 compared to 101.7 million units in 1Q11. The 42.5% year-over-year growth was 1% higher than IDC's forecast of 41.5% for the quarter, and lower than the 57.4% growth in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"The race between Apple and Samsung remained tight during the quarter, even as both companies posted growth in key areas," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program. "Apple launched its popular iPhone 4S in additional key markets, most notably in China, and Samsung experienced continued success from its Galaxy Note smartphone/tablet and other Galaxy smartphones. With other companies in the midst of major strategic transitions, the contest between Apple and Samsung will bear close observation as hotly-anticipated new models are launched."

Smartphone Vendor Highlights

Samsung reclaimed the smartphone leadership position and established a new market record for the number of smartphones shipped in a single quarter. Propelling the company forward was continued expansion of its Galaxy portfolio in nearly all directions - new and old smartphones, product and market segmentation, and multiple price points, screen sizes, and processor speeds.

Apple slipped to second place in the worldwide smartphone market, but nonetheless posted strong year-over-year growth to reach 35.1 million units shipped. Apple's gains in the market benefited from iPhone availability at additional mobile operators worldwide, as well as sustained end-user demand among both consumers and enterprise users.

Nokia's Symbian phone shipments declined precipitously last quarter as demand dropped in key emerging markets, such as China. The company's current smartphone woes make a speedy transition to products powered by the Windows Phone operating system, upon which it has bet its smartphone future, critical.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry unit decline continued last quarter, reaching levels not seen since 2009. Like Nokia, RIM is a company in transition. Smartphones running on its new platform, BB 10, will be released later this year. Until then, results like these may be a sign of things to come.

HTC's struggles in the U.S. market once again negatively affected its overall performance. However, its relatively strong performance in Asia/Pacific still allowed the company to maintain its position among the top 5 smartphone vendors. The company is staking future success in large part on its One X and S products.

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, May 1, 2012

Notes: Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all vendors. Unbranded phones, also referred to as "white phones", previously not counted by IDC, are included under Others in 1Q12 and 1Q11 total mobile phone shipments.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.

About IDC

IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries worldwide. For more than 48 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

Contact

For more information, contact:

Ramon Llamas

rllamas@idc.com

508-935-4736

Kevin Restivo

krestivo@idc.com

416-673-0419

Michael Shirer

press@idc.com

508-935-4200

Video: Samsung overtakes Nokia

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics is posting a record $5.2 billion profit for the first quarter, becoming the largest mobile handset manufacturer by sales and outselling Apple's iPhone in the lucrative high end of the market.

Strategy Analytics: Global Market share Chart Q1 2012: Samsung 30,6% Apple 24,1%,Nokia 8,2%.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 41 percent annually to reach 145 million units in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung and Apple together captured more than half of global smartphone shipments for the first time ever.

Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew 41 percent annually to reach 145.3 million units in Q1 2012. Samsung overtook Apple to become the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume with a record 31 percent market share. Samsung’s global smartphone shipments rose 253 percent annually to 44.5 million units, as demand surged for its popular Galaxy models such as the Note, S2 and Y.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Apple shipped 35.1 million smartphones worldwide and captured 24 percent marketshare, as volumes strengthened in key countries such as China, United States and Japan. Samsung and Apple combined now account for more than half of global smartphone shipments for the first time ever. Samsung and Apple are outcompeting most of their major rivals and the smartphone market is at risk of becoming a two-horse race.”

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Nokia maintained its position as the world’s third largest smartphone player, but its global share fell from 23 percent in Q1 2011 to just 8 percent in Q1 2012. This is Nokia’s lowest marketshare level in the smartphone category since 2002. Nokia’s new Microsoft Lumia portfolio has recently gotten off to an encouraging start in the critical United States market, but shipments there are not yet large enough to offset the firm’s tumbling Symbian volumes in the rest of the world.”     

       The full report, Samsung and Apple Capture 55 Percent of Global Smartphone Shipments in Q1 2012, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/c5mpusx.

About Strategy Analytics:

Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. The company is headquartered in Boston, USA, with offices in the UK, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and China. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information.

Contacts

Strategy Analytics

USA Contact:

Alex Spektor, +1 617 614 0726

ASpektor@strategyanalytics.com

or

Asia Contact:

Thomas Kang, +82 10 2874 8133

TKang@strategyanalytics.com

or

Europe Contact:

Neil Mawston, +44 1908 423 628

NMawston@strategyanalytics.com

Vietnam: Nokia started building facility.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús. 

Vietnam: Nokia started building facility.

Nokia has started the construction of a manufacturing facility in Vietnam, with plans to have it up and running by early 2013. 

The company held an official ceremony attended by Vietnamese dignitaries at the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park in Bac Ninh province to mark the start of the development of the 17-hectare site.


Press Release:

   Published April 23, 2012 | By Nokia - Press Release

Nokia officially starts the development of its manufacturing facility in Vietnam


Reaffirming long-term commitment to the country and the company's strategy to connect the next billion to information and the Internet


Bac Ninh, Vietnam - In an official ceremony today, Nokia kicked-off the development of its manufacturing facility in Vietnam, to serve the growing demand for mobile phones all over the world. The event featured Secretary of the Central Party Committee, Vice President of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Madam Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Quan; Ambassador of Finland to Vietnam, Kimmo Lähdevirta; and high ranking officials from Central authorities and Bac Ninh province amongst more than 200 others.


Located in Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in Bac Ninh province, the Nokia Vietnam manufacturing facility is being developed on an area of 17 hectares. Nokia expects to start the operations of this factory in early 2013.


Today's event is one step further in reaffirming Nokia's long term commitment to the Vietnam market, under Nokia's strategy to connect the next billion people to information and the Internet.


Nokia's position in high growth economies is strong, and mobile phones play a strategic role. The new manufacturing site is being established to meet the growth in demand for these phones, as well as to help Nokia to deliver a contemporary mobile experience to the next billion consumers all over the world.


"We highly appreciate Nokia's efforts in making this commitment a reality, which contributes to the growth of foreign investment in Vietnam in general and in Bac Ninh in particular. We also hope this will bring up not only economic value, but also other social benefits for the country like job creation and community knowledge enhancement on information technology alike," said Mr. Nguyen Nhân Chien, President of People's Committee of Bac Ninh province.


Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia, said: "Thanks to the valued support from the Vietnamese government, our manufacturing program in Vietnam has been progressing well. The new Nokia manufacturing plant will produce and provide new devices for compelling and affordable, localized mobile experiences, particularly in the growth markets.


"Nokia is also committed to extending our positive reputation as an employer and as a corporate citizen. We expect to attract competent and energetic employees from the local skilled labor force. And in turn, employees at our new factory can expect a state-of-the-art facility and a positive, modern working environment with high professional and ethical standards," continued McDowell.


Nokia is making progress in its strategy to connect the next billion. The company has launched an aspirational portfolio of devices that include fresh, contemporary design and form factors that are optimized for great experiences, such as social, entertainment, and messaging, and services that extend the value proposition to consumers.


Nokia first opened its doors in Vietnam in 1996 and, like many successful multinationals, saw Vietnam as a growing market with opportunity and potential. In light of the respect Nokia has wherever it operates, the company has worked hard to quickly become part of the Vietnamese community.


Nokia currently operates two representative offices in Vietnam: one in Ho Chi Minh City and the other in Hanoi. These offices carry out marketing and promotion activities for Nokia's handset business. In 2011, Nokia established a branch office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, increasing its footprint within the IndoChina region.


In November, 2011, Nokia established a new company, Nokia (Vietnam) LLC, to build and operate the new Vietnam manufacturing facility.

China: Nokia and China Telecom launch first CDMA Windows Phone Lumia 800C

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Press Release:

China: Nokia and  China Telecom  launch first CDMA Windows Phone Lumia 800C.

Stunning new Lumia smartphone, Nokia 800C, makes everyday moments extraordinary for China Telecom subscribers

Beijing, China - Today China Telecom and Nokia announced the Nokia 800C, the first CDMA Windows Phone in China and Nokia's first Lumia phone for the world's largest smartphone market. The Nokia 800C combines head-turning design and the fastest way to connect to the people, places and things that matter most, in an experience uniquely tailored for people in China on the country's leading 3G network.

"We're excited to introduce our first Lumia smartphone, the Nokia 800C, to this important market with our exclusive launch partner, China Telecom. Working closely together, we've created a compelling, locally relevant experience on the Nokia 800C especially tailored for people in China," said Stephen Elop, CEO of Nokia.

Wang Xiaochu, Chairman of China Telecom, expressed his enthusiasm for Nokia Lumia: "This grand launch for China's first CDMA Windows Phone represents our optimism and excitement for the future of Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia in China."

The partnership between China Telecom and Nokia extends beyond the Nokia 800C with the addition of Nokia's most affordable Lumia smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 610 also arriving in a CDMA variant to China Telecom's portfolio in Q2 2012. The Nokia 610C is targeted at a more youthful audience and provides a perfect introduction to Windows Phone with access to the same core signature experiences as the rest of the Lumia range in a package optimized for quality.

Nokia 800C 

The Nokia 800C makes it easy to stay in touch with the people that 

matter most, get instant access to the Web and all the top applications in the Windows Phone Marketplace.  Offered by China Telecom in black and cyan, the Nokia 800C features a reduced body design flowing seamlessly into the 3.7" AMOLED ClearBlack curved touchscreen display.   

With a 1.4 GHz processor, hardware acceleration and a separate graphics processor, it also features an instant-share 8 Mpx camera with exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, HD video playback, 16GB of internal user memory and SkyDrive storage for accessing pictures and files from anywhere.

The Nokia 800C brings signature Nokia experiences optimized for Windows Phone and available only on Lumia:

- Nokia Maps, providing quick-access, superior, three-dimensional maps in China and over 190 countries worldwide, as well as the ability to discover the top places nearby with local content support from Fantong, Jiepang, Ctrip, Qunar and Soufun. People can easily click on the places to see photos, recommendations and information and quickly dial restaurants to make a reservation.

- Nokia Drive, which delivers a full-fledged personal navigation device with free, voice-guided, turn-by-turn navigation for over 100 countries including China, a dedicated in-car user-interface, free offline navigation and speed notifications. 

- Nokia Music which offers a single hub experience for discovering the latest music, including unlimited free music for 12 months for consumers in mainland China.  It also includes MixRadio, a free, global, mobile music-streaming application that delivers hundreds of channels of locally-relevant music, including the ability to listen to music offline and build personalized mixes for listening to favourite music from any location.

Exclusive applications and services for a uniquely local experience

China Telecom and Nokia have worked closely together to bring integrated China Telecom services that target young people including music, games, videos, and integrated reading apps right onto the Nokia 800C home screen.  To reach this target market, the Nokia 800C will be featured prominently in Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution arm and new, youth-centered sub-brand of China Telecom.

People purchasing Nokia Lumia  smartphones in China will have access to exclusive applications such as magazines from Trends and special offers for free downloads of popular gaming titles such as Fruit Ninja and PVZ. 

- Trends, a provider of highly interactive fashion magazine applications, will launch Cosmopolitan first forNokia Lumia smartphones and provide people using a Nokia Lumia phone with free access to For Him Magazine (FHM), Harper's Bazaar and Esquire magazines in Marketplace, opening today.

- As an added incentive for  people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China, Nokia will soon offer 100,000 free downloads of the hit gaming titles Fruit Ninja and PVZ through the Nokia Collection in Marketplace.

Nokia and Microsoft also announced the Be Top program, which is designed to encourage and support developers in creating great new applications on Windows Phone specifically for people in China.

These exciting offers and the BeTop development program illustrate Nokia's commitment to the local ecosystem of application developers and service providers. Through joint innovation with leading local providers, Nokia is able to offer Lumia users access to all major Internet services in China including Sina, SOHU, Tencent and Renren. When paired with the choice of nearly 20,000 apps available for download through Marketplace, people using a Nokia Lumia smartphone in China can create a truly personalized and locally relevant experience on their device.

Availability and Pricing

The Nokia 800C will be available for purchase in April through Tianyi FlyYoung shops, a distribution channel of China Telecom; Nokia brand stores; China's top chain electronics stores including Suning, Gome, Funtalk, D.Phone, and CentreYou, as well as regional channels and online shops such as 189.cn and hicdma.com. The Nokia 800C is offered without contract for 3599 RMB. (US$571.-)

About Nokia

Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia's technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world. For more information, visit http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia.

Media Enquiries:

Nokia

Communications

Tel. +358 7180 34900

Email: press.services@nokia.com

www.nokia.com

Nokia to drop out of the mobile money business.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Nokia to drop out of the mobile money business

Nokia is "exploring options for a structured exit from the mobile financial services business" including its own brand Nokia Money service, the company says in a statement. As part of the withdrawal, the company is to close its flagship mobile money service in India as the handset manufacturer focuses on its core business. The company has announced plans to shelve Nokia Money only three months after launching it across India.

 Previously the service was launched regionally in various parts of the country.  Nokia Money is a basic service that enables users to make payments for items such as utility bills, pre-paid top-ups, insurance premiums and tickets. The company was even planning to expand Nokia Money to other emerging markets. Instead it has chosen to exit the mobile money business to concentrate on the revamp of its core handset business.

In addition to Nokia Money, the company also offers two more sophisticated mobile money services in India in partnership with local banks Yes Bank and Union Bank.  According to The Hindu Business Line, the two services may continue as the banking partners might take over their running. The newspaper says Nokia is looking for a replacement who would adopt its role in the two joint ventures. 

 Nokia's statement, who does not refer specifically to India, but says services will continue to operate "as it works with its banking, market and technology partners....to plan future options in accordance with all customer and regulatory requirements".

The three services in India (Nokia Money/Yes Bank/Union Bank) have a total of 1.2 million customers, says The Hindu. Of those about 200,000 are Nokia Money customers, says the newspaper.  They will be sent advice starting March 15 to use up the funds in their accounts, it says. The service will then continue for 3-4 months giving sufficient time for subscribers to spend the funds in their accounts.

The two services with Yes Bank and Union Bank offer a greater range of services than Nokia Money including P2P cash transfer and withdrawals. In contrast Nokia Money is essentially a pre-paid wallet which is topped up and then used to make payments.

USA: Nokia codenamed Prodigy and AC/DC with WP8 LTE smartphones coming to AT&T.

WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.

Nokia might have two other similar devices (to the Lumia 900) set to arrive on shelves at AT&T soon, both running under the upcoming Windows Phone 8 platform. 

One of the said devices is reportedly codenamed “Prodigy” and should be a high-end smartphone, while the other is called “AC/DC” and should arrive as a mid-level device. Both will be LTE capable. 

No specific info on them has emerged so far, nor on their possible launch dates.