nokia

Nokia tablet details: Keyboard cover with battery, 10.1-inch display

Nokia's rumored tablet looks closer to coming to fruition.

Nokia plans to launch its Windows RT-powered tablet early next year, according to the Verge, which has a few details on the rumored device.

The tablet will be paired up with a special keyboard cover that will have its own battery, allowing it to run as an auxiliary power supply. The keyboard cover will also come with a kickstand for the tablet, and will envelop the device like a book, according to the report. The tablet will have HDMI and USB ports, a cellular connection, and boasts a 10.1-inch … Read more

RIM reaches patent peace with Nokia -- at a cost

Nokia and Research In Motion have settled all of their patent disputes, but the BlackBerry maker appears to have landed on the wrong side of the deal.

Nokia announced today that it has agreed to a deal with RIM that will end all patent infringement litigation between the companies. RIM has agreed to make a one-time payment to Nokia to settle the cases. Going forward, RIM will give Nokia "ongoing payments" for the right to use its patents.

The battle between RIM and Nokia dates back to 2003, when the companies signed a licensing agreement that allowed RIM … Read more

Nokia Lumia 920, 820 update patches iffy performance

Nokia announced today that, along with Microsoft, it will roll out a software update that address user complaints about battery life, Bluetooth connection, and startup.

Starting today, the over-the-air update will cover the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 for all AT&T customers in the U.S. and Rogers subscribers in Canada.

Among the changes, Nokia says, users will see:

More efficient and reliable Bluetooth connectivity More efficient and reliable startup sequence Enhancements in imaging performance and battery management Enhancements in messaging Additional platform updates and enhancements

CNET has asked Nokia when and if Lumia 822 and Lumia 810 … Read more

Nokia may consider a10-inch Windows RT slate -- Digitimes

Nokia may be jumping into the tablet fray with a Surface RT alternative, if the not-always-reliable site Digitimes is to be believed.

The mobile company is in talks with Qualcomm and Microsoft to begin development of a 10-inch Windows RT-based tablet, Digitimes reported yesterday, citing supply chain sources who claim to have knowledge of the discussions. The company plans to show off the tablet at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona early next year.

If the Nokia tablet launches, it would come with a 10-inch display, Digitimes' sources say. In addition, the computer would run Qualcomm's S4 processor and … Read more

Top five Cracking Open teardowns of 2012

From smartphones and tablets to a $7,000 desktop, we've cracked open a lot of tech this year. And as is the tradition at the end of each year, it's time to take a look at a few of our favorites. During this special episode of Cracking Open, I'm counting down my top five teardowns of 2012.

5. Nokia Lumia 900

First on our list is the Nokia Lumia 900. Released in the spring, this Windows Phone device was Nokia's attempt to recapture some of the American smartphone market.

Unfortunately, as we discovered during our teardown, the phone's hardware just wasn't up to par with the competition. I went so far as to call it mediocre. So why did I include our 900 teardown on this list? Because it's probably this year's best example of why knowing what's inside a device is an important factor in deciding whether to buy one.… Read more

Samsung displaces Nokia as overall cell phone king

Samsung Electronics is the new leader in cell phones.

Already ahead of the pack in smartphones, Samsung extended its dominance over the entire worldwide handset industry by displacing longtime cell phone king Nokia, according to a study by IHS.

The role reversal illustrates how fast Samsung has risen, thanks largely to its Galaxy S smartphone franchise, and how far Nokia has fallen. Prior to this year, Nokia enjoyed a 14-year reign atop the cell phone market, though its past few years were propped up by its legacy Symbian platform.

Samsung controlled 29 percent of the overall cell phone market, and … Read more

Angry Birds and Rovio's plans for world domination

ESPOO, Finland -- The executive offices of Angry Birds creator Rovio were exactly how I imagined them.

There were stuffed Angry Birds plush toys everywhere. Flanking the reception desk were Angry Birds versions of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and his Storm Trooper, created for the recent Angry Birds-Star Wars mashup game.

To the left was a short wooden crate blanketed by tiny Angry Birds figurines. To the right was an upright showcase chiller stocked with Angry Birds-themed soda, which recently launched in Finland and now outsells Coke and Pepsi. On the opposite end of the office was a cabinet with … Read more

Nokia CEO: We have to move with more urgency (Q&A)

Nokia has undergone a significant cultural and identity shift under the leadership of CEO Stephen Elop.

Elop didn't wait too long after he joined the company in September 2010 as CEO to make a splash. Five months into his tenure, he decided to drop the company's home-grown next-generation platform for Windows Phone, which just so happens to be created by his former employer.

Read: Nokia on the edge: Inside an icon's fight for survival

But perhaps it's the changes within Nokia that will ultimately have the largest impact in the company's bid to turn itself … Read more

Nokia's defunct MeeGo finds new life as Sailfish

HELSINKI, Finland -- Local startup Jolla believes what few others do: that even with four major smartphone operating systems vying for supremacy -- or just relevancy -- there is still room for one more at the party.

Jolla hopes to resurrect MeeGo, which was once considered Nokia's savior and next-generation platform before it was dumped for Windows Phone. The company, founded by former Nokia product engineers intimate with the development of MeeGo, brought back the community-driven successor as Sailfish late last month.

There isn't a better example of a David and Goliath story. Jolla is made up of … Read more