Nokia exec throws down gauntlet against Samsung

Nokia may be going through a rough patch, but that doesn't mean it's lost its ability to trash-talk.

Chris Weber, executive vice president of sales and marketing, took to Twitter this morning to specifically challenge Samsung Electronics.

"Samsung take note, next generation Lumia coming soon," he tweeted.

Companies rarely call out specific competitors, often keeping the corporate rhetoric to ambiguous and general references. It's a bold move by Weber, considering Samsung is the global leader in smartphones, and Nokia's share continues to slip.

It's also unclear if Weber was making a clever reference to the Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1, which was unveiled in the U.S. yesterday at an event in New York. Nokia hasn't talked much about plans for a tablet.

CNET contacted Samsung for a response, and we'll update the story once the company gets back to us.

Nokia yesterday sent out invitations to a New York event, held jointly with Microsoft, in which the companies will unveil the first Windows Phone 8 Lumia devices.

Nokia is back on the track to recovery, but it continues to be a slow journey. The company's financial results still look terrible, with no signs of improvement in the near term. While it had a brief moment in the spotlight in the U.S. with the Lumia 900, sales were only modestly successful, although the company believes it exceeded lower expectations.

Nokia and Microsoft have higher hopes for Windows Phone 8, which will launch around the same time that Microsoft pushes its Windows 8 desktop and tablet operating system.

Samsung take note, next generation Lumia coming soon. #nokia

— Chris Weber (@CWeberatNokia) August 16, 2012