Nokia

Nokia today unveiled two new Asha handsets in a concerted effort to appeal to customers in emerging markets.

Dubbed the Asha 308 and the Asha 309, the devices come with 3-inch touchscreens and 2-megapixel rear cameras. Unlike the company's Lumia line, the handsets aren't running Windows Phone. Instead, they run Nokia's Series 40 operating system, which it offers to consumers in emerging markets that are looking to invest more heavily in mobile products.

The Asha 308 and Asha 309 are nearly identical. However, the Asha 308 comes with built-in dual SIM, allowing owners to switch between up … Read more

Is the Lumia 920 better than the iPhone 5? Certainly, Nokia wants to convince you it is.

In a new Facebook post, the Finnish phone maker breaks down the key features found in both smartphones, naturally giving the nod to the 920 in each category. And in many areas, the company does manage to make its case.

The Lumia 920's screen is larger and sharper than the one on the new iPhone. The 920's 4.5-inch screen displays 1,280x768 pixels at 332 pixels per inch. The iPhone 5's 4-inch screen offers 1,136x640 pixels at 326 … Read more

Nokia has found a vulnerability in Apple's armor, and it's taking advantage.

The mobile company yesterday posted a blog on its site discussing the value of its mapping applications. Although some gloating might have been warranted, Nokia just couldn't help itself from taking a few swipes at Apple and Google.

"Unlike our competitors, which are financing their location assets with advertising or licensing mapping content from third parties, we completely own, build and distribute mapping content, platform and apps," the company wrote. "In other words, we truly understand that maps and location-based apps must … Read more

Now the playground is full of name-callers.

First there was Samsung's muscle-baring, fact-sharing anti-iPhone 5 ad, which ran yesterday. You know, the one that said the Galaxy S3 is full of features and the iPhone 5, well, isn't.

And now Nokia is stiffening its fins in order to declare that its fine Lumia is happily better than Apple's long-faced newcomer.

Just as news of Samsung's ad came through on the hottest of wires, Nokia took to its Twitter account to declare: "Lumia 920: Wireless charging, amazing camera, screen you can use with gloves on and … Read more

News flash: The iPhone 5 is not the end-all and be-all of the smartphone universe, a fact that should thrill Nokia and Samsung alike.

Here's what it is: a strong improvement to the iPhone 4S that offers up a larger screen, 4G LTE speeds, and a terrific camera. The iPhone 5 carries on the goodness that Apple excels at, like iTunes entertainment and cloud storage.

But however good the iPhone 5 is, it lacks the knockout, gasp-inducing feature that Apple followers have come to expect: perhaps double the battery life of any other phone on the market, or an … Read more

Nokia may offer entry-level Windows Phone 7.5 devices by year's end, according to DigiTimes.

Citing the usual "industry sources," DigiTimes said the new phones would be aimed at consumers in emerging markets, who are considered more price-sensitive.

The hardware requirements for Windows Phone 8 are stricter than those for its predecessor, demanding a dual-core processor and support for near-field communication (NFC). Those features would be difficult to add to more entry-level and mid-level phones, according to the sources, prompting the need for less pricey Windows Phone 7.5 devices.

A Nokia spokesman told CNET that the … Read more

Owners of virtually all Nokia Lumia phones will be able to discover local businesses via the company's new City Lens augmented reality.

Shown off by Nokia last week, City Lens overlays nearby businesses on the screen when you point your phone in their direction. Tapping a specific business reveals full details, including contact information, reviews, walking distance, and directions.

Though demoed for the upcoming Windows Phone 8 Lumia 920, the new app is actually available as of yesterday for the current Lumia 900, 800, and 710 Windows Phone 7 handsets. Owners of any of those phones can download City … Read more

VoIP provider Viber has hit a new milestone.

The company announced today that it now has 100 million worldwide users taking advantage of its free phone calls, texting, and photo-messaging services. It's not clear if those users are actively using the service or have just signed up. Still, the company claims to handle over 2 billion minutes of calls and 6 billion messages every month. An average of 10 million calls are placed each day.

Viber has established itself as a true competitor to Skype, the popular VoIP service now owned by Microsoft. Viber works across iOS, Android, and … Read more

U.K. network operator Everything Everywhere, which runs the Orange and T-Mobile brands in the UK, has announced the first commercial 4G LTE network across the country.

The company, which will now be known as EE, will launch the service in 16 U.K. cities -- including London, Manchester, and Glasgow -- by the end of the year and will push for 98 percent U.K. coverage by 2014.

While Orange and T-Mobile will remain as two separate operating companies, EE will be reserved for 4G brands and connectivity.

Along with the announcement, the mobile phone giant -- with more … Read more