Espoo, Finland and Montreal, Canada – Nokia and OZ Communications today announced that Nokia is to acquire OZ, a privately held company with approximately 220 employees and headquartered in Montreal, Canada. OZ, the leading consumer mobile messaging solution provider, delivers access to popular instant messaging and email services on consumer mobile devices.

“With OZ, Nokia is renewing its mission of Connecting People by enabling consumers to easily connect and communicate using their favorite Internet communities,” said Niklas Savander, Head of Nokia Services & Software. “OZ’s team and technology will help Nokia to address the fast growing consumer messaging market.”

By acquiring OZ, Nokia will enable easy-to-use, fast access to leading instant messaging and email services, including AOL®, Gmail, ICQ®, Windows Live(TM) Hotmail, Windows Live(TM) Messenger and Yahoo!®. With more than 5.5 million monthly paid users, OZ’s solutions have been deployed by leading mobile operators on a wide array of mobile device platforms.

“OZ has been working closely with Nokia since 2003 – joining forces at this point is a natural extension of our partnership,” said Jim Knapik, President and CEO of OZ. “We are excited about taking OZ’s solutions to consumers worldwide by leveraging Nokia’s devices and distribution scale.”

The expertise and technology Nokia acquires through OZ is complementary to Nokia’s existing portfolio of messaging solutions and will provide a complete portfolio of mobile messaging solutions for Series 40 and S60 devices. Nokia will continue to work closely with OZ’s existing original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and mobile operator customers.

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter 2008.  After the closing, OZ will become part of Nokia’s Services & Software operative unit.

Source:www.oz.com

Espoo, Finland – Qt Software today announced that Qtopia, a platform for creating user interfaces and applications for advanced consumer electronics based on Linux, has been renamed and launched as Qt Extended 4.4.

Qt enables developers to build innovative services and applications once and then extend the innovation across all major desktop, mobile and other embedded platforms without rewriting the code. Qt Extended extends the Qt application development framework, bringing increased functionality to embedded Linux. Qt Extended inherits the Qt WebKit Integration, which helps device manufacturers enrich applications with live web content such as online maps, music stores and instant messaging.

“Qt Extended is designed to accelerate software development for a wide range of consumer devices, such as video IP phones, media players and other advanced devices,” said Sebastian Nyström, Vice President of Qt Software, Nokia. “With the new release of Qt Extended, we are making it easier to differentiate the user experience and the feature set.”

Core features of the Qt Extended 4.4 release are:
-          Modular architecture for feature selection
-          Advanced touch based user interface
-          IP communications framework based on Telepathy – Instant Messaging (XMPP) and presence
-          Unified inbox for email, SMS, MMS, IM, etc. plus push IMAP email and other messaging enhancements
-          New Qt UI Test, a tool for automated system tests of the target device

Qt Extended 4.4 includes a new Video IP Desk phone reference design which demonstrates an Internet-connected video desk phone UI for finger touch interaction for 3.5″ screens. The objective of the reference design is to illustrate the versatility of Qt Extended.

Qt, originally developed by Trolltech, is a proven development framework for multiple operating systems. It is used by many leading consumer brands and is found in embedded Linux devices. In June 2008, Nokia completed the acquisition of Trolltech and it is now a fully integrated entity within the Nokia Devices unit, called Qt Software.

Source: trolltech.com

The contract worth Rs 24 Crores (US$ 5 Million) is for Sterlite’s RIBBON-LITE ™ 288F ribbon fiber optic cables, which BSNL would initially install in about 100 city sites across the country in the rapidly growing FTTx (fiber-to-the-”x”) applications  sector.

This is the first time ever that, fiber optic cables higher than 144F would be deployed in India. Ribbon fiber optic cables provide an efficient means to achieve high fiber density, as well as reduce the time per fiber required for installation, thus
facilitating quick roll-out of the network. Sterlite is the pioneer of ribbon fiber optic cables in India and has supplied over 60% of the country’s requirements of these specialized cables since Year 2003.

Says K S Rao, COO (Telecom Business) – Sterlite Technologies Limited, “Higher computer penetration, greater usage of the internet, coupled with emergence of content rich business applications have resulted in an exponential increase in demand for bandwidth. In FY08, the number of broadband subscribers in India grew by nearly 65% over that in FY07 and India is currently positioned as the 4th largest consumer of optical fiber in the world. As industry leaders, we work closely with leading telecom incumbents in the country to develop solutions that would create a future-proof platform capable of supporting the demand for bandwidth intense applications. We are honored to be chosen as partners in India’s telecom revolution.”

Keeping with the unprecedented growth in demand from the Indian and global telecom and power sectors, Sterlite is doubling the manufacturing capacity at its Optical Fiber facility to 12 million-km, tripling the manufacturing capacity at its Fiber Optic Cables facility to 6 million-km and is increasing the manufacturing capacity by 40% at its Power Conductors facility to 160,000MT. All of Sterlite’s capacity expansion programs are well in progress and are scheduled to complete within the current fiscal.

Source: www.sterlitetechnologies.com

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a S60 5th Edition device with a resistive touch screen and tactile feedback. The device has a large 3,2“, bright nHD (640 x 360 pixels and 16:9 aspect ratio) color display. The device has variety of input methods: stylus, plectrum and finger touch support for text input and UI control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini qwerty keyboard, handwriting recognition). Use the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to connect to mobile broadband using WLAN or HSDPA (3.5G). Find directions and locations with the integrated A-GPS and included maps. Additional features include a 3.2 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, and USB 2.0 High-Speed. Supported WCDMA frequencies depend on the region where the device is available.

Nokia Remix, London, United Kingdom and Singapore – Nokia turned up the volume on its music offering today by unveiling the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, a mobile device for music that brings innovative new features to the mass market. Delivering on Nokia’s vision to provide the best total music experience possible, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be among the first devices to support Comes With Music, Nokia’s groundbreaking service which offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue.

When it comes to music phones, people all over the world want a device that is a great music experience – with more memory, loud and powerful speakers, easy synchronization – and must still work well as a mobile phone with direct access to important contacts and content. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers on all counts and allows consumers to access and share content.

“With the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, we set out to connect people through the one thing we all feel a universal connection to – music,” said Jo Harlow, Vice President, Nokia. “The way in which people enjoy music is different around the world. With that in mind, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gives people the freedom to experience music they love in the way they prefer.”

Media Bar, Contacts Bar – putting people first
Taking advantage of touch screen technology, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic introduces the ‘Media Bar’, a handy drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment, including favourite tracks, videos and photos. The Media Bar also offers a direct link to the web and to online sharing. Because the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash content, individuals can surf the entire web, not just pieces of it. In addition, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers all the music essentials, including a graphic equalizer, 8GB memory for up to 6000 tracks and support for all main digital music formats, and a 3.5mm jack. Built-in surround sound stereo speakers offer the industry’s most powerful sound.

Ensuring a seamless music experience, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also provides easy access to browse and purchase tracks from the Nokia Music Store, where applicable, while the newly updated Nokia Music PC software allows for easy drag-and-drop transfer of songs and management of any music collection.

The innovative ‘Contacts Bar’ lets consumers highlight four favorite contacts on their home-screen and, through a single touch, track a digital history of recent text messages, emails, phone logs, photos and blog updates.

“As Nokia’s first mass-market device with a touch screen, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic turns a ‘user interface’ into a ‘human interface’ by truly putting people first. For example, we’ve introduced the Nokia Contacts Bar, which is like a digital RSS feed on your life,” said Harlow. “By adding the benefits of touch screen technology to S60, the world’s leading smartphone interface, Nokia is taking the familiar and giving it a human touch. We have used touch technology where it really adds value such as the Contacts Bar, Media Bar and clever shortcuts from the homescreen to menu items such as calendar, profiles and clock. “

For the best screen resolution available on a mobile phone, the 3.2″ widescreen display brings photos, video clips and web content to life in vibrant color and true clarity. With a 16 by 9 aspect ratio and 30 frames-per-second playback and recording, the device is ideal for VGA quality video recording and playback.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic also features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and, with a single touch, images or videos can be shared via a favorite online community, such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook. Music playlist song titles can also be shared through Bluetooth, MMS or online sharing.

Music for the masses
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports 60 languages worldwide, which covers nearly 90 percent of the world’s population. As people around the world use their phones in different ways, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers a variety of input methods including a virtual alphanumeric keypad, a virtual computer-style QWERTY keyboard, a pen stylus — and for true music enthusiasts, a plectrum — are all available.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be available worldwide beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008 for an estimated retail price of 279 EUR before taxes and subsidies. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic featuring Comes With Music will be available early next year. Pricing details to follow.

Enhancing the experience, Nokia today unveiled four new music accessories including a new Bluetooth headset and three new stereo headsets.

Source: Nokia

Milpitas, Calif. September 29, 2008 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory products, today announced it is bringing to market its 16GB* microSDHC™ and Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) mobile memory cards – the world’s largest removable storage capacity for mobile phones. Best Buy Mobile (NYSE: BBY) and Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) stores are the first major retail outlets in the United States to carry the 16GB capacity.

The fingernail-sized 16GB memory cards allow consumers to “wake up” the many storage-intensive features offered by today’s portable handsets such as music and video playback, high-definition digital camera functions, gaming and GPS applications. In addition to the mobile phone, consumers can use the 16GB microSDHC card in a multitude of other devices, including video cameras, GPS receivers or MP3 players with a microSD™ slots such as SanDisk’s Sansa® players.

“Handsets have become far more than just phones – they’ve become mobile jukeboxes, mobile offices, even mobile movie theaters,” said Avi Greengart, Research Director for Mobile Devices at Current Analysis. “Flash memory cards have increased in storage capacity, but even an 8GB card may be too small for anyone with GPS map data, a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications. There is an acute need for more mobile storage capacity. 16GB gives consumers the ability to carry their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones.”

Expected Pricing, Availability and Product Information

SanDisk’s 16GB microSDHC card has an MSRP of $99.99 and the 16GB M2 card has an MSRP of $129.99. The new 16GB capacity will be available at Best Buy Mobile stores in October and Verizon Wireless stores in November – the only major retailers in the United States to carry this mobile storage capacity in 2008.

MicroSD cards are designed for slot-equipped legacy mobile phones and can hold a maximum capacity of 2GB. Today’s microSDHC cards are available in 4GB, 8GB and now 16GB, are ideal for newer mobile phone models, most of which are compatible with these higher capacity cards. The Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards are designed for Sony Ericsson’s new generation of mobile phones, all of which are compatible with the 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacity levels. SanDisk’s 16GB mobile memory cards come with a five-year limited warranty.

To learn more about SanDisk’s Wake Up Your Phone™ initiative, which educates consumers about the benefits of using memory cards in their mobile phone slots, visit www.wakeupyourphone.com. For more information about SanDisk’s mobile phone memory products, see www.sandisk.com/mobile.

Samsung M8800 Pixon is the second 8 megapixel handset to be released by Samsung after the Samsung i8510 INNOV8. The Samsung INNOV8 is already available on some markets and the Samsung Pixon will follow soon with a release date set in early October.

To promote the M8800 Pixon, Samsung have started a website to showcase what a professional street photographer can do with a capable cameraphone. The web site will be fully operational as of October 2nd. Check it out at www.thephotographicadventuresofnickturpin.com.

Sporting quad-band GSM support and tri-band 3G with HSDPA the Samsung Pixon is fully capable of global roaming. It stands at 107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8mm and weighs mere 109 grams. Featuring a 3.2-inch display with a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels the Samsung M8800 Pixon comes as a direct rival of LG KC910 Renoir.

Some of the other highlights of the Samsung M8800 Pixon include a GPS receiver, built-in accelerometer, FM radio with RDS and microSD memory card slot. In addition to taking exiting 8 megapixel photos its camera is capable of recording WVGA(740 x 480 pixels) videos at 30fps, which is the best that we know of among mobile phones. The Pixon will even have DivX playback and SRS (surround sound system) Virtual 5.1 Ch.

The thing that’s obviously missing on the Samsung M8800 Pixon specs sheet is the Wi-Fi connectivity.

Expected to start shipping in mid-October, Samsung M8800 Pixon will retail at 550 euro (800 US dollars) a piece.

The LG KC780 made its first appearance last week in a blurry, under-the-shelf photo, but this time we have a nice pic for you to enjoy. We still don’t know more details about the handset than we already had last time, but you know, a picture is worth a thousand words.

And by the way, we also received a hint that LG will be announcing a new slim full touch handset tomorrow that promises to break the barrier of affordability. But more on that when the time comes.

The 8 megapixel slider LG KC780 should be able to offer quad-band GSM support and even limited touchscreen functionality – only in multimedia applications much like the LG KF750 Secret. We can also expect 30fps video recording – but that of course is a no-brainer for LG cameraphones.

Source: www.gsmarena.com

Espoo, Finland – With its sights firmly fixed on consumer internet services and with a clear vision of changing industry trends, Nokia is today announcing the renewal of its business mobility strategy. Nokia will focus on bringing best-in-class devices and solutions to market by further strengthening strategic relationships with leading enterprise technology vendors.

Nokia announced that it plans to cease developing or marketing its own behind-the-firewall business mobility solutions. The appropriate technologies and expertise will be reallocated to Nokia’s new consumer push e-mail service. Going forward, Nokia plans to form its enterprise solutions offering by combining Nokia devices and applications with software solutions from industry leading enterprise vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and others.

“We have very strong relationships with industry leading enterprise technology partners such as Cisco and Microsoft, as well as a broad range of operator and retail channel partners. Together with them, we will use our expertise in devices, as well as the combined channel footprint and customer base, to deliver a range of unbeatable end-to-end offerings for business. The initial success of the Nokia E71 with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync is a great example of the attractiveness of our new approach, ” said Niklas Savander, EVP, Services & Software, Nokia. “We will also continue with our investment strategy to develop key consumer internet services in areas such as music, games, media, messaging and context based services. “

As a further step towards ensuring a clear focus on its core mobility business, Nokia is also announcing that it is in the advanced stages of discussions for the potential sale of its security appliances business to a financial investor. “If this transaction is concluded, it would be an extremely positive development for the security appliance business, which will be able to realize its full potential under new ownership. The investor is committed to continuing the development and growth of the business, to serving its current network of customers, and to retaining and motivating its employees,” Niklas Savander continued. Further news about this transaction will be announced when a definitive agreement is reached with the investor.

“As recently demonstrated by the launch of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync on over 40 Nokia S60 phones, Microsoft and Nokia are committed to working together to deliver great experiences for our customers”, said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President, Exchange Group at Microsoft. “At Microsoft, we look forward to ongoing collaboration with Nokia to address the tremendous opportunities for both our companies in unified communications.”

“We have been working closely with Nokia to deliver voice and data mobile business solutions that combine Nokia’s best-in-class mobile devices with Cisco’s complete range of unified communications and wireless networking offerings,” said Brett Galloway, Senior Vice President of the Wireless and Security Technology Group at Cisco. “We look forward to expanding our collaboration with Nokia to provide solutions to business customers across the globe.”

Espoo, Finland – Today Nokia has announced the launch in Spain of its new digital music site, Nokia Music Store, which already has a catalogue of more than 4 million songs amongst which can be found the highest-selling records, independent record labels, and new national talent. With the launch of the store, Spanish consumers can enjoy music of all types on their mobile device or PC whenever they want and however they want, using a combination of downloads and streaming services.

The catalogue of the Nokia Music Store is focused on the local market, strongly associated with the consumer, as more than 70% of the music that is sold in Spain is local. To achieve this, there is a team in each country to determine more closely the tastes of each region, something completely innovative and distinctive from other digital music stores. Its search engine enables the differentiation between genres such as Flamenco, Latin music, Alternative or Electronic, to name a few.

La Oreja de Van Gogh, Pereza, Melendi, Amaral, Deluxe, Krakovia, Coti, Ismael Serrano, Extromoduro and Miguel Bosé are some of the artists that can already be downloaded from the Nokia Music Store. Nokia has reached agreements with companies such as Universal Music, Warner Music (amongst others), with aggregators such as The Orchard, and with local record labels such as Blanco y Negro, Subterfuge and Pias, with the objective of offering a broad range of genres and artists.

“With the launch of the Nokia Music Store, Nokia aims to make available to all Spanish users of all ages the music that they want at any moment they want, with all the facilities that mobility permits nowadays,” states Manuel Reverte, Head of Services and Software at Nokia Spain.

How to buy the music
From the palm of their hand, music lovers will be able to access a whole new world of possibilities and recommendations, or look for favourite singers. Browsing, downloading, playing and synchronising with the compatible PC or directly from the compatible mobile device will now be possible with a simple click. The Nokia Music Store also offers the first on-demand music streaming service focused on local Spanish artists. For a monthly fee consumers can listen to as much music as they want on their PCs. It also has a pre-listening application of 30 seconds which allows the user to sample and identify each theme. Furthermore, the consumer will be able to select any songs they are interested in directly from their mobile device, to make their purchase at that very moment or later on.

Tracks cost EUR 1.50 each (incl. VAT), whilst whole albums are EUR 10 (incl. VAT). The streaming service, based on monthly subscription and which enables the user to listen to any music desired without limit, costs EUR 10. All songs and albums are paid for by credit card.

How to manage the music
The Nokia Music for PC application allows consumers to seamlessly move music from their PCs to their Nokia device. People can quickly create their music library, make playlists, buy songs through the Nokia Music Store, and then easily transfer the content to their Nokia device.

“We are aiming to satisfy the needs of users with a simple service that is easily accessible, offering the most comprehensive catalogue of artists, thought of by and for Spanish enthusiasts,” claims Manuel Reverte.

Anyone registering at the store will receive all the latest happenings in the sector with updates and weekly newsletters.

To access the Nokia Music Store: www.music.nokia.es

“We are very pleased to have entered into this agreement with Huawei” said Ilkka Rahnasto, Vice President, Intellectual Property Rights, Nokia. “Huawei is the thirty-fifth company to license Nokia patents related to cellular standards and this agreement demonstrates how companies can license intellectual property in a way that encourages industry innovation and fosters a healthy IPR environment.”

“As a newer player in the telecoms IPR environment, Nokia Siemens Networks see this as our most significant licensing agreement to date”, said Gottfried Weidel, Head of Intellectual Property Rights, Nokia Siemens Networks. “It will help to create a more predictable business environment and further supports our goal of industry innovation.”

“This agreement is of great significance and benefit to Huawei, Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks” said Song Liuping, Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Huawei. “It underscores our commitment to create a harmonious environment for the benefit and development of the telecom industry.”

Nokia is the industry leader in wireless innovation and the development of GSM and WCDMA technologies. Nokia has built one of the strongest and broadest IPR portfolios in the wireless industry and since the early 1990′s has invested close to EUR 35 billion in research and development. Nokia’s patent portfolio includes approximately 300 GSM, 370 WCDMA and 170 CDMA2000 declared essential patent families.