Nokia promises 'something amazing' on Sept. 7
A sign spotted on the company's flagship store in Helsinki points to something in the works following Nokia World in early September.
Photos snapped outside Nokia's currently-closed Helsinki store proclaim that "something amazing" will happen on Sept. 7. The message seems to indicate that the store itself will reopen for business on that date. But the implication is that Nokia will unveil something much bigger.
Other images posted by blogging site My Nokia Blog tell customers to "prepare to be amazed at all the new things in your Nokia store." The company is also inviting people to visit the Web site NokiaGraffiti.me next week to discover more. The site is currently unavailable.
The timing of this amazing something is interesting since it directly follows Nokia World, which takes place in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.
What could Nokia have up its sleeve?
The author of My Nokia Blog says that new renovations have been expected for the flagship store, followed by new devices popping up once the store reopened.
He asks whether Nokia might launch new Asha phones, which the company unveiled earlier this year.
But he also mentions the debut of new Windows Phone devices, which strikes me as more in the "something amazing" category. The Next Web also believes new handsets are an obvious topic, with the Lumia lineup potentially being updated to support Windows Phone 8. The store's reopening could give users a chance to check out the new devices in person.
However, a spokesman for Nokia said this may be "much ado about nothing," confirming that the Helsinki flagship store is undergoing some maintenance and will reopen on September 7.
Still, both Windows Phone 8 and Asha are on the company's mind.
During the release of Nokia's financial results today, CEO Stephen Elop said that "we believe the Windows Phone 8 launch will be an important catalyst for Lumia. During the quarter, we demonstrated stability in our feature phone business, and enhanced our competitiveness with the introduction of our first full touch Asha devices."
Of course, the event might just be related to the local store, as the rep said. But Nokia could definitely use "something amazing" at this point. The company continues to suffer from heavy competition and weak financial performance and desperately needs to drum up more interest and enthusiasm for its smartphone line.
Updated 8:30 a.m. PT with response from Nokia.