Nokia outs offline maps for Android and iOS

We have talked about the Nokia HTML5 maps that were coming before. At first, the Nokia Maps were only offered on Nokia smartphones, but that has now changed. The HTML5 version of the maps are intended to be used on both the Android and iOS platforms as well. With the roll out of the HTML 5 maps also come some new and cool features.

The maps were in beta previously and could be downloaded. They offer satellite view, public transport view, and Live traffic views. They also support pinch to zoom, routing for walking or driving, and saving of favorite locations. A pair of new features has surfaced today that are very nice and will make using the Nokia Maps more interesting for the user.
The best of the features is the new offline mode. This allows you to download the maps before you head out for a trip so you can turn off your data connection. That is a big deal if you are in an area where you are in data roaming. Other new features include POI information and new public transportation directions.
[via MyNokiaBlod]

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Nokia CEO says Google Motorola deal creates uncertainty for Android ecosystem

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has come out all guns blazing in defence of Nokia's decision to jump aboard the good ship Windows Phone 7, rather than taking the Android path.
Speaking in China, Elop said that the Google / Motorola deal has caused some big waves in the Andoid arena, saying that "it's only with time that we'll fully understand" the deal.
He said that for other manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung, there will no be concerns as to how the deal will affect their Android allegiances.
"It creates a great deal of uncertainty for the Android ecosystem," he said. "I'm sure it is of great concern for many of the Android participants."
Elop also dismissed suggestions that Nokia may end up making a similar move to Motorola, by becoming part of Microsoft.
"We see our future as a standalone company and we don't anticipate any chnages as it relates to Microsoft," he said.
The CEO,  who's proved that he's not afraid of making big calls already during his spell as Nokia boss, also indicated that he fully expects the company to bounce from its recent slump thanks to the Windows Phone move.
"We believe that the quality of the experience with the new Nokia devices will be attractive to existing Symbian customers, as well as to customers of other operating systems environments."
Elop said that testing for Nokia's Windows Phone 7 devices had gone well, resulting in positive feedback. He also statetd that current Symbian customers will be able to make use of certain measures to transfer "certain details" across to the new platform. Whether this means a dedicated app, we'll have to wait and see.
The first devices will land in Q4, he said, and the launch will be on a country by country basis.



Via: video.sina.com.cn

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Nokia 703 Windows Phone image leaks; may reveal specs, launch date

A purported marketing image of an upcoming Nokia Windows Phone has been published by WMPoweruser, and it could confirm several specs surrounding one of Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices. Dubbed the Nokia 703, the specs provided on the image above, if accurate, suggest that we’re looking at a mid-range handset. Some speculate that the device may be Nokia’s “Sea Ray,” though it was believed that the Sea Ray would share the same 3.9-inch AMOLED display as the Nokia N9. Nokia 703 spec highlights apparently include a 3.7-inch 480 x 800-pixel LCD display, a 5-megapixel camera with support for 720p HD video capture, 8GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and dimensions coming in at 112 x 60.8 x 12.3-millimeters. Though the text on the sheet is extremely blurry, it also looks like Nokia intends to launch the device on November 27th, but we’ll likely learn more at Nokia World in October.
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HTC Omega vs Nokia Sea Ray

We take a look at a couple of Windows Phone 7 toting up-and-comers this time around, the Nokia Sea Ray and the HTC Omega

HTC is supposedly readying a next-gen Windows Phone 7 handset and if the leaked specs are to be believed, the Mango powered HTC Omega looks set for good, if not great, things.
But the Omega isn't alone as there are other Windows Phone devices on the horizon that look capable of pushing the platform to the next level, and foremost among them is Nokia's 'Sea Ray'.
So let's see which of these up and comers has the most to shout about. But before we continue lets remind ourselves that we're talking rumour here, people. Don't make your minds up quite yet - specs may well change before either of the two handsets reach the shops.

Display
Nokia's 'Sea Ray' is rumoured to feature an AMOLED display which will likely be protected by some of Corning's magic Gorilla Glass.
There's no indication yet of what screen size the device will offer, but if we were to place a bet it would be on a display of around 3.9-inches, allowing it to rival bigger screened Android's and the new iPhone 5.
The rumour mill has been kinder to us with the HTC Omega though. We're hearing that the device will feature a qHD display measuring 3.8-inches and we're pretty excited about the prospect. It's practical when you can pocket a device.
Winner - HTC Omega

Power
HTC's Omega looks to be a powerful device and the apparent offering of a 1.5GHz single-core CPU raises the bar nicely.
We aren't as convinced that the reported 512MB RAM is quite enough to push Windows Phone 7 into competition with the slew of Android devices on the market that offer twice that amount though, even though it's a more efficient operating system.
We aren't sure what power-plant Nokia has chosen for the 'Sea Ray', as no details have been leaked, but we can expect a CPU of at least 1GHz. Whether the company will make it a dual-core is anyone's guess.
If we were making a bet it would be that we'll see a 1.4GHz single-core CPU in effect in the device though.
If Microsoft is looking to maintain uniformity as it did with the first generation of WP7 devices we can also expect a paltry 512MB RAM from the 'Sea Ray' too.
Though we hope we're proved wrong in this respect.
Winner - HTC Omega

Form
As we reported a few days back, the HTC Omega looks similar to HTC's Flyer tablet, only in miniature.
The device is fairly minimalist but easy on the eye nonetheless.
Being HTC we're hoping to see some premium materials on show too. Anything but grey would be a bonus.
Nokia has chosen to do away with physical buttons for the 'Sea Ray', instead giving the device a completely clear fascia akin to the upcoming N9. It's also likely colour will be more prominent, which we'll leave to you to decide whether that's good or bad.
In addition to this similarity we're expecting the device to resemble the N9 in terms of measurements too; something along the lines of 116x 61x 12mm and 130-140g.
Winner - Draw

Software
Both the 'Sea Ray' and Omega run on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform, specifically the new Mango update that's due soon.
Expect to see deeper social network integration, a unified inbox, built-in text-to-voice and voice-to-text support and a whole lot more to boot (Microsoft boasts over 500 new features).
Considering Microsoft's level of control freakery into account, don't expect a Sense UI skin from HTC.
Winner - Draw

Optics
If you're a mobile snapper then both of these device's should give you plenty to get excited about.
The Nokia 'Sea Ray' is rumoured to include an 8-megapixel primary camera, with autofocus, LED flash and 720p video capture, as well as a forward facing secondary camera too.
There's no word yet on whether Nokia will be continuing its long and bountiful partnership with Carl Zeiss for the 'Sea Ray'.
Similarly the HTC Omega is expected to offer an 8-megapixel primary camera, with LED flash and autofocus. We aren't sure whether we'll see 720p or 1080p video capture, though, we wouldn't bet against the latter.
The Omega also offers a front-facing camera for video-calling, which could tie-in nicely with Microsoft's acquisition of Skype, making it a unique handset.
How the photographic hardware is implemented will be key in this round, but judging on past victories (and defeats) we'd have to give the early nod to Nokia, as it just seems to know how to put together a smartphone camera package.

Winner - Nokia 'Sea Ray'
So it's a narrow victory for HTC's Omega.
The device looks to be a very interesting addition to the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem, and we're looking forward to seeing what the platform can do with all these great new hardware additions.
The 'Sea Ray' represents a great leap forward for Nokia, and we're eager to see what the Finnish giant do when allied with a company as large and experienced in its field as Microsoft.
Could this be the start of a beautiful friendship? Time will tell.

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Nokia launches three Symbian Belle devices

Nokia announced three new Symbian Belle-powered phones on Wednesday: the Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600. The Nokia 700 is the smallest of the bunch and includes a 1GHz processor, a 3.2-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display, 2GB of storage, a 5-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video and support for near-field communications (NFC). The 701 mimics the C7′s industrial design and has the “brightest ever” mobile display, a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting HD video, a 2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats and 8GB of internal storage. The Nokia 600 has a music focus and sports an FM antenna, a loud speaker, a 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel camera capable of HD video capture, 2GB of internal storage and support for NFC-initiated pairing with Bluetooth accessories. Nokia says the 600 should offer about 60 hours of music playback on a single charge. Nokia vice president Ilari Nurmi confirmed these will “not be the last Symbian” devices the company launches. Read on for the full press release.

Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 smartphones introduce latest Symbian software update while new NFC-enabled stereo Bluetooth headset takes advantage of NFC pairing and sharing functionality
Espoo, Finland and Hong Kong – Nokia today announced the launch of three feature-packed, mass market smartphones, bringing the latest smartphone functionality at attractive price points and including market-leading innovation with Symbian Belle. The Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 extend the range of available designs, features and functionality in the Nokia Symbian smartphone range. Symbian Belle powers all three, with single-tap NFC technology sharing and pairing, the most personal user interface so far and a more powerful mobile Web browsing experience. As well as allowing content to be shared between devices, NFC capabilities allow any of the three new smartphones to pair with NFC-enabled mobile accessories such as speakers or Bluetooth headphones and headsets. To extend the range of available NFC-enabled accessories, Nokia is also announcing the launch of the Nokia Essence Bluetooth Stereo Headset, which can be paired with any NFC-enabled smartphone simply by tapping the two devices together.
Symbian Belle range
While all three smartphones contain recognizable Nokia features, they each represent a very distinct set of priorities to allow users to choose what matters most in a smartphone. The most compact touch screen monoblock smartphone in the world (Nokia 700); a sleek and stylish smartphone with the world’s brightest mobile display for indoor or outdoor use (Nokia 701), and Nokia’s loudest entertainment smartphone (Nokia 600) all bring firsts to the Nokia product portfolio.
“After bringing exciting new features to the Symbian user experience only two months ago with Symbian Anna, we are now driving the platform even further with our most competitive Symbian user experience ever,” said Ilari Nurmi, Vice President at Nokia. “Symbian Belle and the three new handsets we are launching today show our commitment to continue delivering Symbian products that allow people to choose what is most important to them in terms of user experience, design, functionality and price. These will not be last products or updates we will deliver on Symbian.”
“With the announcement today Nokia has made it clear that Symbian will continue to play an important role in its product portfolio along side Windows Phone 7″ said Nick McQuire IDC. “There is a sense of urgency in the way improvements and innovation are being delivered to the platform that demonstrates how committed Nokia is to make Symbian products a competitive smartphone choice.”
Nokia 700: Nokia’s smallest smartphone
At only 50 cubic centimetres, weighing 96gm and at 110 x 50.7 x 9.7 mm, the Nokia 700 not only becomes Nokia’s most compact smartphone in the Symbian range, it is the most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world. What it lacks in size it makes up for in functionality, with single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capabilities, a 1Ghz processor, 3.2 inch AMOLED screen ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (with the option of using a 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), HD video capture and 5MP full focus camera with LED flash. The Nokia 700 is also Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone. With a long battery life, extensive use of eco-friendly materials and features to minimize battery consumption, it is the perfect smartphone for any environmentally-conscious smartphone user.
Nokia 701: Nokia’s brightest smartphone
The Nokia 701 is a sleek, slim smartphone incorporating the world’s brightest ever mobile phone display, based on a 3.5 inch ClearBlack display that makes it perfect for indoor and outdoor use. It also has active noise cancellation for the clearest sound quality and, like the other new smartphones, provides single-tap NFC pairing and sharing capabilities, allowing content to be shared and sound to be streamed wirelessly to headphones and NFC-enabled speakers.
Based on the popular Nokia C7 design, the Nokia 701 smartphone also has a 1GHz processor, 8MP full focus camera with dual LED flash and 2 X digital zoom, 2nd front-facing camera and HD video capture. It comes with 8GB internal memory and the possibility to increase to 40GB by installing a 32GB microSD card.
Nokia 600: Nokia’s loudest smartphone
The Nokia 600 smartphone delivers a big sound and a big personality in a small package and is Nokia’s loudest at 106 Phons. With built-in FM radio antenna for listening to radio without headphones and FM transmitter that makes it possible to broadcast music from your phone to any FM radio, the Nokia 600 is a music-lover’s dream. With 60 hours of music playback time, an incredibly powerful internal loudspeaker and the ability to also stream music wirelessly to NFC-enabled accessories, it is the perfect smartphone to get the party started.
Available at a lower price point than the Nokia 700 and Nokia 701, the Nokia 600 still comes with a 1 GHz processor; 5MP full focus camera with LED flash and HD video capture, and 2GB of internal memory with ability to increase to 34GB using a 32GB microSD card.
Symbian Belle
Symbian Belle is the latest in a series of planned software updates to the Symbian platform, which started with Symbian Anna and will continue into 2012. Symbian Belle increases the number of home screens from three to six providing more room to display applications and services. Live widgets, now come in five different sizes, making the home screens come alive and giving users more flexibility to personalize the user experience. It also includes a pull down menu and taskbar to access notifications from any of the home screens and further enhancements to the Web browsing experience. All in all, Symbian Belle provides Nokia’s most competitive, seamless and intuitive Symbian experience so far.
One of Symbian Belle’s most exciting features is the single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capability. This allows contacts, videos and images to be shared with other NFC-enabled devices and smartphones, as well as pairing with NFC-enabled mobile accessories such as speakers and headsets. Gaming fans also benefit from the NFC capabilities of the new handsets with the ability to unlock additional levels in Angry Birds or find a hidden blade in Fruit Ninja just by touching two NFC-enabled devices together. On the Nokia 701 smartphone, which comes preloaded with Asphalt 5, two friends can even pair to compete on the same racetrack.
Nokia Essence Bluetooth Stereo Headset
The new Nokia Essence Bluetooth Stereo Headset uses special active noise cancellation technology to eliminate an unprecedented 99.8% of background noise – delivering pure, high-fidelity sound no matter how noisy the surroundings for people who don’t want to sacrifice audio quality when going wireless. Using NFC technology, the Bluetooth headset can be paired with any NFC-enabled smartphone simply by tapping the two devices together.

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Nokia CEO wary of Motorola/Google deal, warns Google’s Android partners

Speaking during a seminar in Helsinki, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop gave a gloomy response to Google’s planned $12.5 billion takeover of Motorola Mobility. “If I happened to be someone who was an Android manufacturer or an operator, or anyone with a stake in that environment, I would be picking up my phone and calling certain executives at Google and say ‘I see signs of danger ahead,’” Elop said. “The very first reaction I had was very clearly the importance of the third ecosystem and the importance of the partnership that we announced on February 11, it is more clear than ever,” Elop added, noting Nokia’s recent agreement to launch smartphones running Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system. HTC, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson all voiced support for the merger, which Google’s CEO Larry Page said will help it in its patent battles against Microsoft and Apple.
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Nokia Sea Ray vs. Apple iPhone 4

We're indulging in a little constructive speculation this week, as we compare the world-conquering iPhone 4 with some leaked specs of Nokia's upcoming Windows Phone 7 device, the Sea Ray

It's fair to say that the last 12-months haven't been terribly kind to Nokia. The company has seen its stocks take a swan-dive, devices miss deadlines and the smartphone buying public turn their interest en masse to devices powered by Google's Android and Apple's iOS, but in the last few weeks things have started to see a turnaround.
Thanks to the company's deal with Microsoft users can look forward to seeing Nokia's excellent hardware running Windows Phone 7 Mango, and it's the premier device to come out of this union that we concern ourselves with today as we pit the upcoming 'Sea Ray' against the hugely popular iPhone 4.

*Disclaimer*
We must stress that this comparison is based on leaked specifications, speculation and as much enthusiasm as we can muster. So before you come to a decision bear in mind that we're comparing a work in progress with a device that's as close as you can get to a finished article.

Screen
Apple's iPhone 4 is an industry leader in terms of screen tech. It's 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT 'Retina Display' boasts unparalleled clarity, pixel density and responsiveness.
Images and videos look gorgeous on the iPhone 4. We really can't fault it.
That said we're looking forward to seeing what Nokia has in store for the 'Sea Ray'. No specs have been leaked regarding the screen but we're expecting to see a high quality AMOLED (or even Super AMOLED) display measuring at least 3.9-inches.
Nokia has a long standing record of using Corning's Gorilla Glass in its top-tier products too, so the 'Sea Ray' should be a pretty durable device
Even if the device weighs-in with Super AMOLED Plus display (which is looking unlikely) it won't be able to knock the Apple off its perch in this round though.
Winner - Apple iPhone 4

Optics
Rumour has it that the 'Sea Ray' will be packing an 8-megapixel primary camera with LED flash and 720P video recording. Whether or not the company will continue its affiliation with Carl Zeiss remains unknown but we're expecting good things from this device, especially if the upcoming N9 is anything to go by.
The iPhone 4 features a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, geo-tagging and 720P video capture. It performs well and you can expect a decent standard of image whether you're using your device in low-light or on a summers day.
If we were to judge we'd put our tick beside the Nokia 'Sea Ray' in this round though, as Nokia has an impressive track record for producing quality smartphone cameras (think N8) and we aren't likely to see anything remotely comparable to the 'Sea Ray' until the iPhone 5 makes its bow.
Winner - Nokia 'Sea Ray'

Software
Apple's iPhone 4 runs on the company's iOS, a platform which has won many admirers since its release back in 2007.

With iOS you get a smart, simple mobile platform which even the most ardent technophone will learn to love.
Key features include Apple's iPod software for playing all your media, Safari for browsing the Web and access to Apple's App Store and iTunes, for topping up on apps, movies, music and books. iOS arguably offers more than any other smartphone OS currently in use.
The Nokia 'Sea Ray' will be the first device from the company to run on Microsoft's Windows Phone platform, which is shaping up to be a true contender to iOS and Google's Android.
With Windows Phone 7 you're treated to a simple tile based OS which aims to give you as much information at a glance as it can, sparing you the tedium of trawling through menu after menu looking for a byte of information.
Key features of Windows Phone 7 are Microsoft's Marketplace, which boasts some impressive apps (and is growing exponentially quicker than analysts predicted), Zune software for playing back your media and Microsoft's industry leading Office, for handling all your documents and work.
As it stands now Apple's iOS takes the tape in this round, but things will change when the 'Mango' update launches (the 'Sea Ray' may even launch with the update), so we'll reassess then!
Winner - Apple iPhone 4

Nokia's up and comer hasn't fared terribly in this bout against a device that's been dubbed 'the best smartphone ever made'. From what we can see the Finns are on the right track, empowering the 'Sea Ray' with everything that they do right, and leaving Microsoft to handle the things that they don't.
The quality of Nokia's hardware has never been in question and when you take that nous and marry it with a rapidly maturing smartphone platform like Windows Phone 7 you're in for a rare treat.
Here's hoping Nokia and Microsoft carry the competitive spirit into their pricing policy.
With fairness in mind we must doff our cap to Apple's iPhone 4 though, which is still a heck of a device a year after its general release and has taken victory today.
Though we aren't sure it will stand up to the finished 'Sea Ray' quite so well.

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Nokia to undercut Android prices to gain U.S. market share

Nokia’s head of North American sales Chris Weber sat down in an interview Business Insider recently and explained how the Finnish company will regain its market share in the United States by writing “one of the greatest turnaround stories in history.” Weber said that Nokia will release a number of new smartphone models running Microsoft’s Windows Phone Mango operating system and will compete with Android by pricing several of them lower than the cheapest Android models. Weber reconfirmed that Nokia is still on track to release its first Windows Phone handset this year, likely the SeaRay device we’ve seen leaked, but said the majority of its phones will begin to land next year. Business Insider also said that Nokia is deeply integrated with Microsoft’s plans for a complete tablet, PC and mobile phone ecosystem, which loosely suggests Nokia may have a tablet in the works, too.
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BlackBerry Bold 9900 vs Nokia E6

We see how Nokia’s E6 compares to the BlackBerry Bold 9900 in the ‘messenger phone’ stakes.

Can Nokia take on RIM at its own game? We find out as the BlackBerry Bold 9900 squares up to the Nokia E6.
Form:
BlackBerry Bold 9900 - 115 x 66 x 10.5mm, 130g
Nokia E6 - 115.5 x 59 x 10.5 mm, 133g
Visually both phones follow the same design ethos, inspired by RIM’s original BlackBerry devices.
In each case a relatively small screen sits atop a fixed Qwerty keyboard in the middle of a squat, broad handset design.
The difference comes where the BlackBerry sports more softened and curved edges, while the Nokia has a much harder and more chiselled feel.
Although they are more or less the same in overall size, the Nokia has slightly narrower proportions and a smaller screen. The keyboard also appears more condensed and all these elements combine to give a slightly more slender appearance.
Both phones are equally light and thin.
We prefer the Nokia’s angled and tapered lines to the BlackBerry’s curves.
Winner – Nokia E6
Storage:
Both handsets offer a good amount of on-board space, with 8GB of internal capacity in each.
They also both support Micro SD cards up to 32GB.
For processor support the BlackBerry comes with 768MB of RAM against the Nokia’s less impressive 256 MB. The Nokia also has 1GB of ROM.
A pretty equal setup overall but the RAM arrangement on the BlackBerry makes a difference and is our preferred choice.
Winner – BlackBerry Bold 9900
Display:
These phones use similar touchscreens. Each is a TFT capacitive screen with a resolution of 640x480 pixels.
The BlackBerry has a 2.8-inch display with a pixel density of 285 pixels-per-inch (ppi) and featuring multi-touch input, an accelerometer sensor and an optical track-pad.
Against this the Nokia’s smaller 2.4-inch screen comes in at 325ppi for a much sharper picture. It’s also made from toughened Gorilla Glass and has the usual accelerometer and multi-touch features.
We’d normally prefer the Bold’s larger screen but the picture quality on the Nokia is very high indeed.
Winner – Nokia E6

Processor:
The BlackBerry Bold is a reasonably powerful machine with a single core 1.2GHz Qualcomm 8655 running under the Snapdragon chipset.
Additional graphical punch is provided by an Adreno 205 graphics processing unit (GPU).
The Nokia E6’s processor seems to be modelled after older BlackBerry’s, running as it does a single core ARM 11 processor at 680MHz.
The graphics setup is quite a mouthful - it runs a 2D/3D Graphics HW Accelerator featuring OpenVG1.1 and OpenGL ES 2.0 architectures.
Of course this setup doesn’t have anywhere near the same capability as the BlackBerry Bold, meaning RIM’s device emerges the victor this round.
Winner – BlackBerry Bold 9900
Operating System:
On the Nokia E6 we have Symbian Anna, the latest update of Nokia’s own Symbian^3 operating system. The BlackBerry Bold 9900, meanwhile, runs RIM’s BlackBerry OS 7.
BlackBerry OS 7’s interface has changed very little in appearance from the previous build, but behind the scenes plenty of work has been done.
System performance on the whole has been ramped up so that both navigating the system and performing tasks is slicker than it ever has been.
This extends to browsing too. BlackBerry’s Webkit based browser has been enhanced and can bring your pages up rapidly with a custom Javascript compiler and Flash support powering things.
Not only this but pinch zoom and a voice activated search function have been added to make things a little more convenient.
RIM has included some forward-thinking tech support in this build with Near Field Communication (NFC).
This means that when stores start enabling remote payment through your phone you’ll be able to take full advantage.
Funcionality doesn’t end there. The technology also has potential to allow “bump” transfer of data between devices and to be used as a reader for promotion stickers and the like.
HD video capture support is also a new addition and it’s just as well as the Bold 9900’s camera has this capability in its hardware.
Lastly there’s the BlackBerry Balance suite, which RIM has included to enable users to separate personal and business information on their phones.
Symbian^3 has been updated several times since its release and the functionality has gradually improved as a result.
Multi-touch support as well as improved graphics capability, multi-tasking and location-based services have all been added over time to make a much more rounded system.
The Symbian Anna update improves things further.
In Symbian^3 there was no support for touch scrolling - users had to use a rather fiddly scroll bar on the side of the screen. This has been rectified in Anna and a simple swipe up or down will allow you to navigate freely.
The native browser has also been enhanced to offer much faster performance than previous builds.
In addition, Nokia has included a new portrait-oriented Qwerty touch keyboard, designed for one-handed typing.
Finally, there's the new inclusion of a split screen mode for message threads that allows users to view a conversation and type a response at the same time.
While Symbian has been improved it is still behind many other systems on the market, the functionality is not as extensive as its competitors.
BlackBerry OS 7, on the other hand, has come on leaps and bounds to give users a much more complete system.
Winner – BlackBerry Bold 9900
Camera:
RIM’s new model Bold comes equipped with a 5-megapixel primary camera at a resolution of 2592x1944 pixels.
Video capture is 720p HD and there’s no secondary camera.
Features include autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection, image stabilisation, digital zoom and editing effects.
Nokia has opted for something a bit brawnier, the E6 houses an 8-megapixel primary at 3264x2448 pixels.
It’s fixed focus but has a dual LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection, digital zoom, exposure control and a self-timer.
Video capture is 720p HD and the phone supports video calling. There’s also a secondary VGA camera.
The Nokia E6 has a higher quality and more feature-packed camera, winning it this round.
Winner – Nokia E6
Final Thoughts:
The Nokia E6 has some areas where it excels: the camera is top-of-the range, the display is great and the visual design shows typical Nokia flair.
However, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 has more substance in our view, with a much better processor and storage setup and a much more functional and intuitive operating system.

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Nokia still ahead of Apple in smartphone sales, according to Gartner

 

Whoa there, Apple, we know you're starting to feel pretty darn good about besting Nokia and Samsung for the title of world's largest smartphone manufacturer, but hold on for just one minute. Gartner has a different idea of how the numbers game really works, and its interpretation makes all the difference in determining who earns the title. Rather than measuring the number of units each manufacturer ships out to the distributors (as IDC, ABI Research and Strategy Analytics do), Gartner gauges its numbers by how many devices were actually sold to end users instead. Thus, Nokia still keeps its title -- for one more quarter, anyways. The firm is confident Espoo won't be the top smartphone contender for much longer, thanks to the company's grim Q3 outlook as it continues to await the transition to Windows Phone. But hey, there's always Q4, right? Right? Check out the full press release after the break.

 

Gartner Says Sales of Mobile Devices in Second Quarter of 2011 Grew 16.5 Percent Year-on-Year; Smartphone Sales Grew 74 Percent

ZTE Became Fifth-Largest Mobile Phone Manufacturer and RIM Dropped to No. 6
Egham, UK, August 11, 2011-  

Worldwide sales of mobile devices to end users totaled 428.7 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 16.5 percent increase from the second quarter of 2010, according to Gartner, Inc.

The channel built up stock at the end of the first quarter of 2011 in preparation of possible component shortages following the Japanese earthquake. As a result, sell-in demand slowed in the second quarter of 2011 to 421.1 million units, a 4.4 percent decrease from the previous quarter.

Sales of smartphones were up 74 percent year-on-year and accounted for 25 percent of overall sales in the second quarter of 2011, up from 17 percent in the second quarter of 2010.

"Smartphone sales continued to rise at the expense of feature phones," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. "Consumers in mature markets are choosing entry-level and midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, partly due to carriers' and manufacturers' promotions." However, replacement sales in Western Europe showed signs of fatigue as smartphone sales declined quarter-on-quarter.

In smartphones, Nokia's sales into the channel in the second quarter of 2011 were low. This was partly due to a very competitive market that deflated demand for Symbian, but also to inventory management issues in Europe and China in particular. The channel bought less and worked hard to reduce stock levels, partly by cutting prices on older products. These factors reduced Nokia's average selling price for smartphones, compared to the first quarter of 2011. "The sales efforts of the channel, combined with Nokia's greater concentration in retail and distributors' sales, saw Nokia destock more than 9 million units overall and 5 million smartphones, helping it hold on to its position as the leading smartphone manufacturer by volume," said Ms. Cozza. "However, we will not see a repeat of this performance in the third quarter of 2011, as Nokia's channel is pretty lean."

Samsung achieved strong growth in sales of mobile devices. For example, the Galaxy S II sold well, and this model went on to chalk up 5 million sales by the end of July. A strong performance in the smartphone market helped Samsung increase its market share, to become the third-largest smartphone vendor. However, its overall share dropped year-on-year, and grew only marginally quarter-on-quarter, mainly due to Samsung's weaker presence in more price-sensitive market segments.

Apple continued to exceed expectations, even though the iPhone 4 will soon be replaced by a new model. Part of its growth came from the 42 new carriers and 15 new countries that it entered in the second quarter of 2011, which brought its total coverage to 100 countries. This expansion caused its inventory to grow a little by the end of the second quarter of 2011, when sales to end users stood at 19.6 million units. In mainland China, Apple is the seventh-largest mobile phone vendor and the third-largest smartphone vendor.

Research In Motion's (RIM's) share of the smartphone market declined to 12 percent in the second quarter of 2011, from 19 percent a year ago. Also, the company lost its No. 5 position in the worldwide ranking of mobile device vendors to ZTE. Demand for RIM's devices in the second quarter was impaired by an aging portfolio and delays in shipping products. In the coming quarters RIM will have to deal with increased competition to its messaging offering and manage a platform migration from BlackBerry 7 to QNX.

Google and Apple are the obvious winners in the smartphone ecosystem. The combined share of iOS and Android in the smartphone operating system (OS) market doubled to nearly 62 percent in the second quarter of 2011, up from just over 31 percent in the corresponding period of 2010. Gartner analysts observed that these two OSs have the usability that consumers enjoy, the apps that consumers feel they need, and increasingly a portfolio of services delivered by the platform owner as well.

"We expect manufacturers and distributors to remain cautious about raising their stock levels in the second half of 2011, following the recent uncertainty on the world financial markets," said Annette Zimmermann, principal research analyst at Gartner. Gartner expects sales of mobile devices to grow around 12 percent in 2011.

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