Harry Potter Site

Nokia looks to revamp marketing strategy - FT

Nokia looks to revamp marketing strategy - FT

APPLE A1022 + APPLE A1036 + APPLE A1039 + APPLE A1045 + APPLE A1057 + APPLE A1060+ APPLE A1061 + APPLE A1078 + APPLE A1079 +

Nokia is considering ripping up its traditional mass marketing strategy ahead of the unveiling of its new Windows 8 smartphone in the autumn, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

The mobile phone maker has entered secret negotiations with European operators about forming an exclusive opportunity to launch a smartphone using the Windows 8 platform from Microsoft.

Operators that have held talks with Nokia include France Telecom, although no deal has yet been struck, according to the FT.

Nokia's usual sales approach, which relies on trying to get as many phones in as many hands as possible across all channels immediately, would be ditched in favor of partnerships that would help create dedicated support for its smartphones, initially through one or two networks in Europe, the FT said.

The newspaper cited one person with knowledge of the talks as saying these relationship will also offer the operator a financial stake in the success of the range.

Nokia Halves Price of Flagship Phone

Finnish Company Says Move on Windows-Based Smartphone Is 'Normal Strategy'

By JOHN D. STOLL

The price of Nokia Corp.'s NOK -7.57% flagship Lumia 900 Windows phone has been cut in half in the critical U.S. market, a little more than three months after the launch of the smartphone at AT&T Inc. T -0.54% stores.

The Lumia 900 hit the market at AT&T stores in April and the device had been priced at $99 with a two-year agreement, but a new price of $49.99 was introduced early Sunday.

The price cut comes as Nokia's smartphone performance is under significant scrutiny given the financial woes the Finnish company has encountered because of market-share losses and pressure on margins.

Nokia reports second-quarter earnings on Thursday following stinging financial losses in recent periods.

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop last month announced further downsizing moves, including 10,000 job reductions and a streamlining of research and development efforts.

"This move is a normal strategy that is put in place during the life cycle of most phones," Nokia spokesman Doug Dawson said in an email. It "allows a broader consumer base to buy this flagship device at a more accessible price."

Price reductions aren't uncommon in the U.S. market, in which carriers like AT&T subsidize the cost of the phone as long as a customer signs a contract. The actual cost of the phone to AT&T isn't public and it is unclear how both companies¡ªNokia and AT&T¡ªwill pay for the new price cut.

Mr. Dawson noted Samsung Electronics Co.'s 005930.SE -0.33% Galaxy IIS at AT&T, which debuted about six months before the Nokia Lumia 900, was on the market for roughly the same period of time as the Lumia 900 before a $50 price drop was implemented.

APPLE A1008 + APPLE A1012 + APPLE A1021 + Lenovo Thinkpad Z60t Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z61 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z61e Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z61m Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z61p Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z61t Battery +

Nokia's Lumia phones took a hit a few weeks ago when it became apparent that current versions of the phone wouldn't be eligible for an upgrade to Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT -1.79% new Windows 8 software later this year. Nokia has said the Lumia phones will, however, get significant upgrades even if Windows 8 upgrades won't be available.

The move comes following a Lumia 900 launch that has been viewed by analysts as being lackluster. That has tarnished the high-profile relationship between Nokia and Microsoft, which teamed up to launch a portfolio of Windows phones to better take on Apple Inc.'s AAPL -1.63% iPhone software and Google Inc.'s GOOG +2.99% Android system.

Nokia has weathered a punishing decline in its share price even with the Lumia 900 on sale: The stock has fallen 64% since the April 8 launch of the smartphone. The drop partially reflects the uncertainty with which investors have viewed the Lumia lineup, which replaced other smartphones that were regarded as outdated.

Nokia's stock touched a 17-year low last week and ended down 2.5% at €1.51 ($1.85) in Helsinki trading Friday. Its market capitalization of about €5.6 billion, or roughly $6.86 billion, represents a more than 95% decline from its peak days during the information-technology boom at the turn of the century.

The struggling handset maker's market capitalization is now lower than the $8.5 billion Microsoft paid for Internet phone company Skype Ltd. last year. Nokia is valued at roughly half of Apple's latest quarterly net profit.

Would you root your Android device to get the newest software?

By Evan Selleck

As companies start rolling out announcements regarding smartphones getting upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, it's pretty easy to get lost in the irony that they're getting updated to a version of Google's mobile OS that's already "old." But, there's nothing really wrong with being one version behind, right? I can understand why it would be hard, though, when the next version up is so good.

In all honesty, when these staggered updates start happening, I've never been super eager to get that latest version of Android. Having the phone do what I need in the version I had at the time seemed good enough.

It's different with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, though. All of the changes that Google has introduced into the new mobile operating system, specifically Project Butter and Google Now, I think it makes perfect sense for people to want to have the current version of Android, and not one version behind.

We've seen Google roll out the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to Nexus devices already. The Nexus S is even flaunting the new software. The Galaxy Nexus GSM model landed the update right when Google said it would, too, so that's a good thing. It would seem that the devices that should be running Android 4.1 are running it. Except the CDMA-based versions of Nexus handsets out there in the wild.

While the GSM-based models are getting their updates, those who managed to pick up the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon or Sprint, or still have the Nexus S 4G for Sprint's network are still waiting to hear when their update will be coming. These are the only Nexus devices that are tied directly to a carrier here in the States, so it isn't surprising that we haven't heard exactly when they will get updated. If we look at past behavior, especially when it comes to Verizon, we can imagine that the Android 4.1 update will take several months before it finally starts rolling out to owners.

Lenovo Thinkpad Z60 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad Z60m Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X201 Tablet Battery+ Lenovo Thinkpad X201s Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X220 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X220i Battery +Lenovo Thinkpad X220s Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X300 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X301 Battery +

We won't get into whether or not we're talking about a "real" Nexus device here, because I think that conversation has been run into the ground. The simple fact is that the Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus S 4G, is tied to a carrier if that's how you bought it. Because of this, it has to go through the process of seeing a software update. Just the way it is, unfortunately, and instead of wishing that the Galaxy Nexus or Nexus S 4G wasn't tied to a carrier, the hope should just be that the testing process goes quickly.

So here's my question to you, if you do have a Nexus S 4G or Galaxy Nexus tied to a carrier: are you going to wait for the update?

For me, after I started playing with the Nexus 7, I couldn't wait to start using Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on my daily driver. On my phone. So I got a Galaxy Nexus for Verizon, and then I started doing some digging and common sense reflection. Verizon's update is coming, yes, but there's no telling when. It may take months. It could pop up here in the next few days, but I wouldn't bet on it. But I got the Galaxy Nexus specifically to use Android 4.1, so it would seem that I really only had one choice.

I did something that I used to do a lot, especially with the original Motorola DROID, and even more with the DROID Incredible by HTC. I rooted the Galaxy Nexus, and then I found the best custom ROM built around the AOSP for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. After that, I loaded it up on the phone, and I haven't looked back since. It's everything I thought it would be, thanks to the Nexus 7, but better because I have a cellular connection everywhere I go and can actually take advantage of Google Now when I want to.

As I've stated in the past, I am an impatient person when it comes to my technology. I'll readily admit that when something new is announced, I want it. If there's a way to get it, I'll get it. I am not personally a huge fan of having to root a device and add custom software to something I think should be running it "stock," but I can't fight the reality anymore. I can't just keep hoping and wishing that the update will come soon, when the past is a clear indicator that "soon" isn't anywhere in the equation.

Are you going to root your Nexus device, if you're tied to a carrier? Are you that interested in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to make that jump? Have you already rooted it? Or are you someone who can sit by and wait for the official update? Let me know in the comments!

SONY XPERIA NEO L ¨C TECH NEWS TODAY

The Android smartphone market is growing by leaps and bounds and not wanting to let Samsung and HTC corner all the expanding growth, Sony is betting big on it. After a patchy ICS update to other smartphones of the Xperia series which drew a lot of ire from its users, Sony is launching three new Android phones ¨C neo L, Go and Ion ¨C this quarter. All three are being launched in the Xperia series. Neo L expands the Xperia series in the mid-range and succeeds neo V, which was launched about a year ago.
Unlike its haloed siblings like Xperia S, Xperia U and Xperia Arc S, the neo L runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system straight out-of-the-box, which gives it a slight edge over others as most phones being sold in market are still based on Gingerbread. However, in an already flooded Android market, the question remains whether Sony Xperia neo L will stand out at a price of Rs 18,499, especially when HTC One V is available at Rs 18,599 and the similarly-priced dual core-powered Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is scheduled to hit India in a few months.

We played around a bit with the phone and here's what we think of it:

Looks and dimensions

Sony seems to have deviated from the laws of genetics in case of neo L. Hence, its design doesn't bear much resemblance with the sleekness of its recent breed of Xperia S, Xperia U, Xperia P phones. Its shape, however, has glimpses of some older Xperia phones such as the Arc and neo V, but unlike the thin beauty of the Arc, neo L is fatter.

Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Tablet Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X61s Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X100e Battery+ Lenovo Thinkpad X120e Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X200s Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X200t Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X201 Battery +

The phone measures 4.8x2.4x0.5 inches, which may seem to be sleek but once you hold the phone, it isn't really light. It weighs 131.5 grams against the Xperia neo V which weighs 126 grams, and Xperia Arc S which weighs 117 grams. Other contemporaries also weigh less, such as HTC One V, which weighs 115 grams and Samsung Galaxy S Advance, which weighs 120 grams.

Hardware

Though the phone is good to look at, it is like a fingerprint-magnate and any user would be hard-pressed to keep it devoid of smudges for even a few minutes. It has a glossy and rather brittle seeming plastic casing for a back cover that has to be kept clean regularly, sometimes many times a day! The frame is lined with chrome, which certainly gives it a sleek look and makes it appear similar to the neo V, Arc and Arc S. A 3.5-mm audio jack is placed in the top-centre of the phone which gives it an avoidable ugly bulge. On the left is a mini USB port for charging and data transfer, and on the right panel are the buttons for power and volume and a small speaker.

Sony Xperia neo L sports a 4-inch HD TFT touchscreen with 854x480 pixel resolution, slightly larger than HTC One V's, but smaller than that of Motorola Atrix 2 and Samsung Galaxy S Advance. Below the screen are four physical buttons (in the same curved shape as the three buttons in the Arc) namely Back, Home, Menu and Search. These buttons are stiff, small and you may sometimes accidentally tread upon the on-screen controls while pressing the hard hardware buttons. Likewise, the buttons for power and volume are not well placed if the phone is held in one hand. Since, the glossy body of Xperia neo L is rather slippery, even not-so-clumsy users might end up dropping it a few times.

Ice Cream Sandwich integration

The phone runs on Android 4.0 out-of-the-box and that is an important selling point since users would not have to wait for an update, a la Motorola Atrix 2. However, the HTC One V, priced similar to the Xperia neo L, also offers a premium Android 4.0 straight from the box.

Users can choose between seven pre-installed neon-based Ice Cream Sandwich themes in the Sony Xperia neo L, which are seen in the background when the home screen and menu are open. The overall user experience is quite smooth and fluid. Sony's Timescape has made its way to this phone as well, so that users can see the recent updates, tweets, messages etc by all contacts on a single scrollable window from the home screen.

Sony has done well by adding a number of useful widgets in the Xperia neo L that add to its functionality, such as the Gallery View, which allows users to access pics, videos and music from the same widget. The dock/menu bar located at the bottom of the five home screens is also customisable and can hold a total of four applications. Users can create folders if they want to add more applications to this dock.

Connectivity

The phone comes loaded with all modern connectivity options available in a mid-range smartphone, such as Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, 3G, GPRS, EDGE and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR. It has GTalk, Gmail and a combined inbox for all emails. The social networking integration, including Facebook and Twitter, will make it a suitable choice for the youth.

Call clarity is decent, but only in a quite room. When we stepped out on a noisy street, the sound became muffled, which will be a dampener for those who travel a lot.

Music and videos

The stock music player in Sony Xperia neo L will be welcomed by any audiophile, as it features a host of features in addition to the standard music playing options.

Lenovo Thinkpad X30 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X31 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X40 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X41 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X41 Tablet Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X60 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X60 Tablet Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X60s Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Battery +

In the music player, tapping on the on-screen button placed in the middle of the bottom row shows a pop-up with options like Find Music Video on YouTube, Get more@PlayNow, Search Artist Info on Wikipedia, Search for Lyrics on Google, Search Karaoke Videos on YouTube, along with the option to find more extensions. This will contribute towards a rich music experience for any user. The standard features of the music player include customisable playlists, folder view for music, including tabs named Artists, Albums, Tracks and Playlists.

TrackID is yet another add-on that will be favoured by audiophiles, as it shows all the details of the song being played based upon the title and artist info. It will track the data over an internet connection and show a host of details, such as artist info, lyrics etc. However, this feature proves to be rather redundant considering that Sony has already included such features in the stock music player.

Sony Xperia neo L¡¯s default video player can play videos at 720p easily, though we expect it to hang after other processes eat up more RAM. The stock video player has only three options, forward, back and start/pause.

Camera

In today¡¯s world, the camera plays an important role in any smartphone. The best part of Xperia neo L¡¯s camera is that this 5MP unit with autofocus is accompanied by an LED flash that clicks far better pictures than many. There¡¯s also a front-facing VGA camera for making video calls.

But then one notices the unexpected negative point on the camera front. The camera does not have any zoom. Considering that even the cheapest Android phones with least megapixel also feature zoom function, it¡¯s a strange miss for the Xperia neo L. Moreover, there is no way to lower or mute the shutter noise when the camera clicks a picture, which can be an irritant for many.

A feature we found to be redundant in the camera was the panel located on the right side of the on-screen interface. On the bottom, Sony has placed icons so that users can choose between video, audio and panorama mode, but tapping on either one expands the window and users need to select the camera mode once again, thus making it a lengthy process.

Its chief competitor, HTC One V, also features simultaneous HD and video recording in the camera, which helps it snake past Xperia neo L.

Games

In an effort to lure gaming enthusiasts, Sony has included EA Games, Get Games and Games & Apps in the Xperia neo L. Both the apps offer a host of games that would prove to be addictive and enjoyable. The screen resolution makes the image clarity at par with the best in the phone, but we expect that the phone¡¯s 512MB RAM would prove to be insufficient for heavy gamers. Moreover, none of the games come pre-installed; users would have to download them over the internet.

The last word

If an Android phone carries a mid-range price tag of Rs 18,499 today, a fair bit is expected from it, such as bundle of applications, a fast processor, a good camera, light-weight, sleek design and more. As of the design, weight and camera, Sony Xperia neo L doesn¡¯t meet the expectations. But where Sony has really lost the bet is when it comes to the processor. The phone is powered by a single-core 1GHz processor coupled with 512MB RAM which is just not enough for those who use apps or are into gaming heavily, and not just make calls and send messages. On connectivity, the phone has standard features like Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), GPS (with A-GPS support), standard Android internet browser and the other connectivity options that come bundled with Android 4.0. The good part is that the phone is powered by a 1500mAh battery that can run up to 8-hours while on an active call.

HTC One V is the main competitor of Xperia neo L in terms of cost as well as features and will in all likelihood replace it. It is slightly better than this phone because of slightly lower price tag, better camera features, more internal memory, better user interface and lower weight. However, it loses out due the lack of a video-calling camera and a slightly smaller screen.

The other phones in the same price range like Intel Xolo X900 (around Rs 20,00 to 21,000), Sony Xperia sola, HTC EVO 3D and Motorola Atrix 2, are powered by dual-core processors. Moreover, the EVO 3D offers the unmatched 3D viewing experience and has 1GB of RAM, whereas the Xolo X900 has a 1.6GHz processor, 1080p video recording; Atrix 2 also has 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch screen and 8MP camera with 1080p recording, which put it ahead of the neo L. Only the Xperia sola has similar specifications, which made us wonder why Sony launched these two devices in the market as they would cannibalise each other¡¯s market share.

Overall, Xperia neo L is not a great phone and even though its native OS is ICS, it still doesn¡¯t make the cut. For a price tag of Rs 18,499, it¡¯s advisable that you look for a device that offers better value proposition before making the final pick. For camera minus zoom, single core processor and a not-so-sleek looking body, paying anywhere close to Rs 20,000 for an Android device cannot be justified.

Lenovo Thinkpad X Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X20 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X21 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X22 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X23 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad X24 Battery +

Lenovo Thinkpad W520 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad W700 Battery + Lenovo Thinkpad W701 Battery +