Whoa! What do we have here? A new, leaked video claiming to be official from Nokia and showing off new devices, that's what! My Nokia Blog receives this video from a tipster who was allegedly a Microsoft employee and used a .ovi email address. The video itself looks legit to us despite recycling old images and footage. This could very well have been an internal video that was meant for employees or carriers, but we don't know anything for certain at this point. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the tease after the break.
We've been eagerly waiting to hear more about Skype's bright future as a product of Microsoft after being acquired for $8.5 billion earlier this year, but news has been few and far between. However with the Skype buyout to be completed by October, we were bound to start hearing more and that we have. Skype's vice president and general manager of products and marketing, Neil Stevens, had a discussion with Forbes and revealed quite a bit about their plans for Windows Phone.
Stevens confirmed that the forthcoming Skype app for Windows Phone will be a bit more special than other platforms, teasing that they plan "to create an app that doesn’t feel like app but, rather, part of the phone". He also went on to reveal that the app will have "greater access to deeper levels of the OS". It sounds like the Skype app will remain just that and may not even ship as part of the final build of Mango. Some may be disappointed to hear that, but the Skype buyout hasn't been completed yet and Stevens does go on to say "People don’t want to start an app when they’re making a call," so we think he understands the frustration.
How do you feel about Skype most likely remaining separate in Mango? Does it even matter since Skype will have "greater access" to the OS, or do you think a native experience would still be better?
Nokia's USA President Chris Weber seems to be making the rounds lately. Earlier Weber sat down with AllThingsD and revealed Symbian will be wiped out entirely in the United States. Now Weber returns in the above video interview with VentureBeat. In it he talks about how Microsoft is differentiating its OS from the reliance on apps, how Nokia is going to become the most "carrier-friendly" manufacturer, and how the company is readying itself to "act like a startup" when push comes to shove this Fall. It's a great interview and we recommend you watch it. There's also an accompanying article that goes more in-depth by mixing in parts of the interview with broad ideas Nokia is talking about, as well as off-screen talks with Weber about other snazzy new features in Mango. Read that here.
Putting all of that aside, let's geek out a bit. What feature do you want to see appear in Tango? We've added a few options in the poll below, like better multitasking (one of the things we hate in Mango), the inevitable Internet Explorer 10, full support for a Skype video chat client, a proper notifications screen for management, and finally better landscape support. But we've done one better: you can vote for two features in the poll! We figured some of you like more than one feature, so feel free to pick another. If you don't see one, click on 'Other' and leave a comment for us below so we can talk about it! So what are you waiting for? Vote now!
Last week's poll results for "Are you expecting a Nokia Windows Phone on August 17th?" were pretty darn interesting! Jump past the break to see them!
Last Week's Poll Last week we asked you if you thought Nokia would really unveil a device at GamesCom 2011 on August 17th. Invitations heavily suggested it, but a day later sources denied that Nokia would. That didn't stop you from voting, and it turns out 42.86% of you think it really will happen after all. What was more interesting was the even split between Maybe and No, as both pulled in 28.57% of the votes. Well we'll see: we're only a week away from finding out!
The Nokia Blog (which is unofficial by the way) has an interesting piece of gossip about Nokia's upcoming Windows Phone strategy in the United States. For one, their "very reliable source" claims the Sea Ray will not make its way stateside which is a surprising move. However it could be that carriers have had some influence over Nokia's devices and so the Sea Ray design may not have made the transition. The second piece of the rumor organizes how Nokia devices will be represented on each of the major carriers. AT&T and T-Mobile are said to receive "affordable" devices, which probably equates to a mid-range handset for between $100 and $150 on contract. Meanwhile Verizon, who was the very last to enter the Windows Phone race, is going to carry a high-end model. Nothing else was mentioned so we don't know what to make of this.
If this is true, how do you feel about AT&T and T-Mobile, the original Windows Phone launch partners, getting the shaft on a new Nokia while Verizon swoops in to yank the high-end? What about the seemingly left-out Sprint users out there?
There's been a certain amount of mystery surrounding what comes after the update we haven't even officially received yet. Yes, Tango has been the talk of rumortown lately with the update making a cameo in an app and flaunting some of its new features. The always-reliable Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet has come up with her own set of rumors from anonymous sources that could come true.
Apparently Tango is "all about Nokia", or more specifically the manufacturer's play to drive Windows Phones into the mid and low-end markets as quickly as possible. It wouldn't be the first time a seemingly minor Windows Phone update brought some hardware benefits, as you may recall NoDo brought support for CDMA handsets. However the rumor gets a little more bizarre from there; Tango may just come in two releases and "may be focused largely or even exclusively on the Asian market."
Speculation time! We're more than just a little confused as to how Tango will come as two releases, unless the tipster meant that one would be for high-end devices (for feature updates/bug fixes) while the other would be for the new mid/low-end (for hardware support). When it comes to the Asian market exclusivity of the update, we're left scratching our heads as one of Mango's most touted features is its expansion in Asian language support. However, we do recall ZTE saying their first Windows Phones would release early next year so maybe Tango is somehow related to that? Plus mid/low-end devices go hand-in-hand with Asian markets, so maybe Mango isn't enough in that aspect.
Well don't worry your little noggin' for now because before all of that comes Mango, and it's right around the corner!
This shouldn't come as a major surprise (we hope) but Nokia's already fatally ill Symbian platform won't be gasping for air much longer in the United States. Now Nokia's U.S. President Chris Weber confirms that diagnosis in an interview with AllThingsD.
“When we launch Windows Phones we will essentially be out of the Symbian business, the S40 business, etc., ” Nokia Inc. President Chris Weber said in an interview. “It will be Windows Phone and the accessories around that. The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesn’t matter what we do (elsewhere).”
North America is a priority for Nokia, Weber said, in part because it is a key market for Microsoft and also because Nokia sees it as a key to winning in the smartphone battle globally.
“We’ll develop for North America and make the phones globally available and applicable,” Weber said. “In fact, evidence of that is that the first Windows Phones that will ship are being done by our group in San Diego.”
We also think it's interesting to note that Weber says their first Windows Phones are being produced in San Diego. It also just so happens that Qualcomm's main headquarters is based in San Diego as well, which we can't help but feel is more than just a coincidence. Moving away from our own conspiracy theories, we think Nokia may be making the right move here. It is difficult to redefine a brand when there's still old devices and ideas stinking up the place, so if Nokia really wants a fresh start they're going to have to clean house a bit. Exciting times ahead, people!
