Nokia is Back ... Apparently

At this year's Nokia World, Niklas Savander, Nokia's Executive Vice President, proudly proclaimed that 'Nokia is back'. And the Finnish manufacturer has pulled out all the stops for its come-back, it seems, with a new company president, a new range of smartphones for both business users and consumers, a simplified SDK for developers, a more user-friendly Ovi Store and more besides. The world's leading mobile manufacturer is determined to hang onto the top spot and isn't going to let the competition, namely Apple and Android, encroach on its territory without putting up a fight.

Nokia N8

At the firm's annual conference in London yesterday, there was no sign of Stepen Elop, the recently-named replacement CEO, due to take the reins on 21 September. Instead, it was Niklas Savander who firmly reminded us of Nokia's continued status as the world's number one mobile manufacturer, before handing over to head of smartphones Anssi Vanjoki, who resigned from the company just a few days ago.

Both men maintained that in spite of the firm's reorganisation, the Finnish manufacturer was still well and truly capable of keeping consumers on their toes. Neither Apple nor Android could ever change that.

260,000 Nokia Mobiles Sold a Day

Although Nokia has been somewhat eclipsed by other manufacturers in the high-end smartphone market, Niklas Savander was pleased to announce that the brand sells 260,000 smartphones every day and that the 'Symbian OS is the biggest in the world', in spite of its slowly dwindling market share. He then spoke of the competition, stating that Nokia had 'sold more smartphones than Apple and Google put together'.

In order to hang onto its position as market leader—a position that's being eaten away at each and every quarter—Nokia has presented four new smartphones. It therefore isn't pinning all its hopes on one meg-star model à la Apple, once again singled out as a key rival. With its new range, Nokia has two main aims: to win back users who've switched to the competition and to revamp its image as a brand that's stuck in the 90s.

All these new smartphones will run on Nokia's Symbian^3 OS, which will apparently feature no less than 250 new functions. There was, however, no word on the Meego platform, a new OS developed jointly by Nokia and Intel.

Moving up a Gear

Nokia C6 Nokia C7 Nokia E7

The N8 was the first handset to be presented yesterday. It was actually announced a while ago, and pre-orders on the manufacturer's website are said to be doing well. This high-end handset is geared up for multimedia, and is due for release in October. It has a 4-inch multipoint touchscreen, an FM transmitter, a 16 GB internal memory (which can be expanded to 32 GB), a 12-Megapixel camera that can film 720p HD video and an HDMI output port. It'll be available from most UK operators and retailers for a recommended SIM-free retail price of £429.

Next up were the C6, C7 and E7, due for release at the end of the year. The C6 was presented as a smartphone for social networking. It has a slim design and a stainless steel casing, and has a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen boasting dark shades that are apparently 'blacker then black'. It has a slide-out keyboard, an FM radio, an 8-Megapixel camera with flash, a 340 MB internal memory and a microSD slot (2 GB card supplied). It can also film 720p HD video. It's expected to launch with a SIM-free price tag of around £220.

Like the C6, the C7 boasts both 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It has a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, an 8-Megapixel camera with flash (plus 720p video) and an 8 GB internal memory that can be expanded to 32 GB using microSD cards. It's up for release towards the end of the year and should be priced at around £280 for the SIM-free version.

Finally, the Nokia E7 is the brand's high-end smartphone aimed at business users. It's equipped with Microsoft Exchange Active Sync and has a 4-inch touchscreen, a full keyboard and an 8-Megapixel camera. It's also due for release at the end of the year and should sell for around £495.

All handsets will have access to the new and improved Ovi Store (and the new Ovi Music store), which is now more user-friendly and easier on the eye than the previous version. Nokia is clearly focusing on the quality of its services, particularly Ovi Maps, a leader in the field, and is likely to continue its efforts to offer its users attractive phones that are ever-more service-oriented.

Simpler SDK

In order to win over developers, currently kept very busy by the competition, Nokia yesterday presented a simplified SDK with new features such as a try-before-you-buy function and in-app add-ons. The platform will allow developers to make apps for Symbian^3 and MeeGoo.

Although enthusiasm abounded from the speakers at the conference, and in spite of an internal shake-up that promises change and operators' unfailing confidence (according to Nokia), you still have to wonder whether these new models will be able to win over consumers who are ever-more demanding and who are, quite simply, now spoilt for choice.

We'll have to wait a few months yet to find out whether Nokia really is back with a vengeance, and to see whether the Finnish manufacturer has designed a range of smartphones capable of winning back some of the market share it has lost over the year.


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