Report: Nokia will sell its HERE Maps division to Audi, BMW and Daimler
Nokia has been trying to sell its HERE Maps division for some time, and it looks like the Finnish technology company may have finally found a potential buyer. According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, German-based automobile manufacturers Audi, BMW and Daimler have agreed to purchase HERE Maps for slightly more than €2.5 billion ($2.71 billion).
Apparently Nokia has been exclusively negotiating with these three car makers for the sale, but that doesn’t mean other manufacturers won’t be able to take advantage of the advanced mapping software. The tipster says the final agreement could be ready within the next few days, and the three car companies then plan to invite other manufacturers to take stakes in the new company.
As of right now, the industry is dominated by Nokia’s HERE division, as it claims roughly 80% of the automotive industry as its customers. This makes it easy to see exactly why these businesses are banding together to reach a common goal – with multiple car makers holding stakes in HERE Maps, other companies wouldn’t have much incentive to license mapping software from Google or TomTom.
We’ll update this post as we learn more about the potential acquisition.
Audi, BMW and Daimler are poised to buy Nokia’s Here mapping
What little hope Uber had of buying Nokia’s Here mapping service just went out the window. A Wall Street Journal source claims that Audi, BMW and Daimler have tentatively agreed to buy Here for the equivalent of $2.7 billion. A final agreement could be ready within the “next few days,” the tipster says. The German automakers won’t hoard the navigation technology all to themselves, though. Instead, they’ll reportedly give other vehicle brands a chance to claim their own stake and democratize the platform. While Here already has a presence in about 80 percent of the industry, this would make it a true mainstay for in-car mapping — companies wouldn’t have much incentive to license map data from the likes of Google or TomTom.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Internet, Nokia
Source: Wall Street Journal
Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but says “it’s complicated”
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In a statement made by Nokia spokesperson Robert Morlino today, its been confirmed that Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but adds that “it’s complicated”. For anyone not up to date on the status of the once great mobile phone maker, Nokia sold its Devices & Services to Microsoft last year, which took all of Nokia’s formidable “manufacturing, marketing and channel distribution capabilities” away. While Nokia still has services running under its brand name, and intends to “guide the design and technology differentiation” of its future smartphones, it’s not quite enough to be entering the smartphone market again, at least, not alone.
To this, Nokia says that the best way to re-enter the market is through brand-licencing i.e. working with someone who will take care of all the things that were sold to Microsoft, though its specified that this partner must be “world-class”, and gives the Nokia N1 as a prime example of this. Of course, the overarching context to this return to the smartphone market is that Nokia signed an agreement with Microsoft not to re-enter the market before Q4 2016, so we have some time before we see anything Nokia branded again – conversely, that gives Nokia quite some time to secure the partner that it deems suitable to work with, and we have to say we’re quite interested to see who that partner will be – and we’re hoping they’ll be using Android.
What do you think about Nokia getting back into smartphones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Nokia via Phone Arena
The post Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but says “it’s complicated” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but says “it’s complicated”
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In a statement made by Nokia spokesperson Robert Morlino today, its been confirmed that Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but adds that “it’s complicated”. For anyone not up to date on the status of the once great mobile phone maker, Nokia sold its Devices & Services to Microsoft last year, which took all of Nokia’s formidable “manufacturing, marketing and channel distribution capabilities” away. While Nokia still has services running under its brand name, and intends to “guide the design and technology differentiation” of its future smartphones, it’s not quite enough to be entering the smartphone market again, at least, not alone.
To this, Nokia says that the best way to re-enter the market is through brand-licencing i.e. working with someone who will take care of all the things that were sold to Microsoft, though its specified that this partner must be “world-class”, and gives the Nokia N1 as a prime example of this. Of course, the overarching context to this return to the smartphone market is that Nokia signed an agreement with Microsoft not to re-enter the market before Q4 2016, so we have some time before we see anything Nokia branded again – conversely, that gives Nokia quite some time to secure the partner that it deems suitable to work with, and we have to say we’re quite interested to see who that partner will be – and we’re hoping they’ll be using Android.
What do you think about Nokia getting back into smartphones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Nokia via Phone Arena
The post Nokia is back in the smartphone game, but says “it’s complicated” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Nokia looking to partner with a manufacturer, license its brand for future smartphones
Nokia gave up its rights to make, sell and market smartphones when the company sold its mobile division to Microsoft. This was sad news to the industry, which saw Nokia ruling the world for 14 years. That moniker continues to have an impact in people’s minds, which makes it a valuable asset. On the bright side, it seems the Nokia brand won’t exactly go to waste.
The Finnish company has clearly expressed it’s not dismissing the possibility of licensing its brand name to other mobile device manufacturers. Today they make their stance much more solid by officially stating “the right path back to mobile phones for Nokia is through a brand-licensing model”, in which a phone maker could take care of the responsibilities the company is now limited to.
“If and when we find a world-class partner who can take on those responsibilities, we would work closely with them to guide the design and technology differentiation.”
Nokia is clearly stating they will continue to look for the right partner, “who can take on the heavy lifting” for them. The only caveat is this can’t happen earlier than Q4 2016, so it will be a while before any of this comes to fruition. This also means Nokia has enough time to plan its strategy and possibly even work on new designs for upcoming smartphones.
Any possible partners?
There’s a plethora of “world-class” manufacturers Nokia could pick from, and chances are many are interested. If I had to place my bets on a specific company, though, it would certainly be Foxconn.
Foxconn has already worked with Nokia to release the N1 tablet, which just so happens to run Google’s Android operating system (and not in that overly-modified way we saw other Nokia devices do so in the past). Furthermore, there’s some speculation rolling around that suggests Foxconn’s large investment into Cyanogen could be largely related to their plans to work with Nokia to make smartphones.
Android could finally help Nokia race back to the top
Nokia was unsuccessful at becoming relevant in the modern smartphone wars. iOS and Android gained too much traction for Symbian to compete. Sadly, Nokia also went all in with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, which proved to be a flop for them. Now that the company is free to mend their ways, they could try adopting the biggest mobile platform in existence – Android. By the way, we can’t exactly count the Nokia X and company as true Android phones. The interface was completely revamped and those things didn’t even have Google Play Store access.
Surely, going with Android wouldn’t guarantee Nokia the #1 spot it once held, but we can assume they will do much better. I have heard many of you say: “I would so buy a Nokia phone… if it only ran Android”. Of course, it’s also unknown whether future Nokia phones will run Android or not (that is, if Nokia phones even make a come-back), but there are high chances of such being the case. And honestly, it would be the best decision; the Nokia N1 tablet did pretty well in our full review.
Would you buy a Nokia phone running Android now?
The real question is whether the general public feels the same way now. Would you guys buy a Nokia phone if it resembled previous Nokia design, build quality and specs, but ran Android (in its full glory) instead of Windows Phone? I believe I would.
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NYT: Uber loses bid for Nokia Here’s maps to German automakers
It looks like Uber has been shut out of the purchase of Nokia’s mapping service Here by BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. According to the New York Times, Uber is out of the running to purchase the mapping division which it had been rumored to have bid $3 billion. Uber isn’t the only company that’s been sidelined by the three german automakers. According to the NYT’s sources, Chinese companies Baidu and Tencent were also initially interested in the mapping technology, but have since lost interest. The automakers have long used Nokia’s mapping technology in their vehicles’ onboard navigation systems. Uber on the other hand, would be able to own the technology to help it better serve its passengers. While Uber may be out for now, if negotiations with the three automakers break down, the car-sharing company could be back in the running.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Source: New York Times
Nokia’s HERE Maps public beta launches with an updated UI
Nokia has been gradually updating its impressive off-line navigation application, HERE Maps, with new features, and the latest beta version includes a newly redesigned user interface and a contextual menu. There’s also a public beta program, if you fancy signing up to test out the latest features.
Along with a redesign of the app’s interface, the new contextual menu displays information on a particular location, accompanied by options to share the location, receive directions to or begin navigation to the spot. The menu can be brought up with a long press anywhere on the map. You can see the feature in action in the video below:
If you fancy joining the public beta, you will need an Android smartphone running 4.1 Jelly Bean or higher, with 1GB of RAM and a display anywhere between 4 and 6.9 inches in size. To sign up, head on over and join the Here Beta Google Group, click this link to become a beta tester and then you will be able to download the navigation app from the Play Store.
If you happen to try out Nokia’s HERE Maps beta, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Nokia’s HERE Maps public beta launches with an updated UI
Nokia has been gradually updating its impressive off-line navigation application, HERE Maps, with new features, and the latest beta version includes a newly redesigned user interface and a contextual menu. There’s also a public beta program, if you fancy signing up to test out the latest features.
Along with a redesign of the app’s interface, the new contextual menu displays information on a particular location, accompanied by options to share the location, receive directions to or begin navigation to the spot. The menu can be brought up with a long press anywhere on the map. You can see the feature in action in the video below:
If you fancy joining the public beta, you will need an Android smartphone running 4.1 Jelly Bean or higher, with 1GB of RAM and a display anywhere between 4 and 6.9 inches in size. To sign up, head on over and join the Here Beta Google Group, click this link to become a beta tester and then you will be able to download the navigation app from the Play Store.
If you happen to try out Nokia’s HERE Maps beta, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Microsoft plans 7,800 layoffs, $7.8 billion Nokia write-down
After cutting its workforce by around 18,000 over the past year, Microsoft is readying another round of heavy layoffs. The company will cut 7,800 jobs over “the next several months.” Many of the dismissals will come from Microsoft’s phone business, which joined the company’s newly formed “Windows and Devices Group” in June. As part of the merger announcement, Microsoft also revealed it would say goodbye to the last two major Nokia executives still at the company, Stephen Elop and Jo Harlow, in the near future.
It’s clear that CEO Satya Nadella wants Microsoft to be more focused than it has been in recent years. Nadella inherited a company in transition; its nascent Surface business had only just begun to find its feet, and the Nokia deal (arranged by the previous leadership team) had yet to complete. About that acquisition: Microsoft is writing-down a large portion of its value in the coming months — $7.8 billion — which is essentially a tacit admission that paying so much money for the flailing company was not the most financially sound decision.
At the end of March, Microsoft had 118,584 employees (down from 127,000 in July 2014). Losing another 7,800 represents yet another dramatic change within the company. In the past month, Microsoft has sold some of its Bing maps tech (and employees) to Uber, and also struck a partnership with (Engadget’s parent company) AOL to essentially hand off its display ad business.
In an email to Microsoft employees, Nadella says the company remains “committed to our first-party devices including phones,” but wants to “focus our phone efforts in the near term while driving innovation.” What does that mean? Apparently, it means running “a more effective phone portfolio,” with a narrowed focus of “three customer segments.” It says business customers will get “the best management, security and productivity experiences,” value phone buyers “the communications services they want, and Windows fans “the flagship devices they’ll love.” That suggests we’ll see more low-end Lumias, business-focused services and high-end Surface Pro-style devices in the future.
[Image Credit: Stephen Brashear / Getty Images]
Source: Microsoft
The ‘father of SMS,’ Matti Makkonen, dies at 63
It’s a sad day in the cellphone world. Matti Makkonen, widely considered the “father of SMS,” has died from illness at the age of 63. The Finnish creator pitched the concept of text messaging over cellular networks in 1984 and helped get the ball rolling on the technology in its earliest days. He was quick to downplay his involvement and saw SMS as a “joint effort” between many people (Friedham Hillebrand developed the 160-character format in 1985, for example), but much of the initial credit belongs to him.
Suffice it to say that Makkonen’s work has spread far and wide. SMS is starting to decline as instant messaging apps take over, but it’s still ubiquitous — how many people do you know who would much rather get a text message than a phone call? Twitter’s roots are in SMS (hence that 140-character limit), and the tech is still considered vital for communication in areas where mobile internet access is too expensive, heavily censored or both. We’ll miss you, Matti.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia
Via: Wired.co.uk
Source: BBC
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