According to the FCC listing, the device will arrive on shelves at the wireless carrier with support for its 4G LTE network, as well as with WiFi capabilities.
Moreover, the handset features quad-band EDGE, 850/1900 HSPA+ radios, in addition to LTE, which suggests that it could be powered by a Qualcomm Krait S4 CPU, Android Central notes.
The handset should arrive on shelves later this year with Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, while featuring a 720p screen.
Although there have been a long series of rumors regarding the landing of this device at the wireless carrier, no official info on it has emerged so far.
Moody's agency downgrades Nokia bonds to 'junk' status - BBC News
Nokia, the troubled Finnish mobile phone manufacturer, has had its bonds downgraded to "junk" status by ratings agency Moody's.
The news follows Nokia's announcement on Thursday that it is to cut another 10,000 jobs globally, bringing the total planned job cuts to 40,000.
Nokia also warned that second-quarter losses from its mobile phone business would be larger than expected.
Moody's is the third ratings agency to downgrade Nokia.
It is concerned about the impact of Nokia's additional restructuring charges of about 1bn euros (£811m; $1.3bn) and the slow take-up of its smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system.
Last year Nokia decided to abandon its Symbian operating system for smartphones and switch to Windows instead.
Most stockbrokers have cut their share price forecasts for Nokia, whose shares have dropped 55% over the last year.
But despite the downgrade Nokia shares were up 4% in afternoon trading.
ZTE may bag Rs 4,000 crore BSNL deal - Times of India
ZTE would probably bag the Rs 4,000-crore deal since its competitive bidders - Huawei, Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks - have declined to match the lowest price of $50 per line quoted by ZTE, said three people familiar with the development.
This could, yet again, push back BSNL's long-delayed contract for expanding its pan-India second-generation network. BSNL had floated a tender in July 2011 to buy equipment worth about Rs 4,000 crore to add capacity to its existing 2G network and improve services in the north, east and south zones.
However, the tender went through several revisions and the PSU decided to follow the process of reverse auction where the company offering the lowest price would get the equipment purchase contract in two zones. The second-lowest bidder would get the contract for the third zone but at the same price quoted by the lowest bidder.
While ZTE had emerged as the lowest bidder by quoting a price of $50 a line, Huawei had bid the second lowest. According to the terms and conditions of the BSNL tender, Huawei would have to match ZTE's price to win the contract in the eastern zone. But a senior executive at Huawei said the company would walk away from this deal because it would be 'technically unviable' to operate at the price. "It's not just us, everyone else who had bid higher than ZTE would also refuse because it's unviable for all," the executive said, choosing to stay anonymous.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director RK Upadhyay told ET that advance purchase orders for GSM equipment required in the north and south zones had been placed with ZTE and detailed purchase orders would be placed soon by individual circles based on their exact requirements.
He added that if the secondlowest bidder, Huawei, chose not to accept these terms, the third lowest, believed to be Alcatel Lucent, would be asked to deliver equipment. "It's a process we must follow. If none of the lower bidders accept, the contract will go to the lowest bidder (ZTE)."
This effectively means that ZTE would sweep the deal. Huawei and Alcatel Lucent India did not respond to an e-mail query on the matter. Ericsson India's spokesperson declined to comment specifically on the issue, but added, "We have had a long association with BSNL since 2001. As a general policy, we cannot comment on our discussion with our customers in a public platform."
"Nokia Siemens Networks is a techno-commercial eligible bidder of the BSNL tender but we don't comment on such prospective business deals and their outcomes. We remain committed to our long-standing partnership with BSNL wherein we have a large footprint in its north and south zones. We will continue to pursue business opportunities that help us to maintain long-term competitiveness and further improve our profitability," a Nokia Siemens Networks' spokesperson said in response to an ET query.
BSNL has been planning to improve the rollout of its pan-India 2G services for the past five years but couldn't make much headway. It has issued tenders several times but most fell flat either due to lack of participation from vendors or controversies leading to regulatory probes.
BSNL had issued two tenders for 93 million lines in 2008 and 5.5 million lines in 2010, but both were cancelled. Before this, it finalised an expansion tender for 45 million lines in 2006, which was reduced to 14 million lines in 2007 after Nokia Siemens Networks, which was slated to supply 40% of the contract, failed to do so. The state-owned telco issued a subsequent tender for 93 million lines, which ran into a series of controversies leading to a Central Vigilance Commission probe and cancellation of the contract in 2010.
Following this, a committee led by Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister on public information, infrastructure and innovation, endorsed the CVC report, resulting in the BSNL board cancelling the 93 million lines contract in March 2010. The CVC had also sought a probe into the earlier tender and sought reasons for reducing the quantity from 45 million to 14 million lines.
Motorola outs ICS running RAZR V XT889 for China - Phones Review
Many smartphone manufacturers see China as one of their top targets with regards to increasing sales volumes of their products, and the country is rapidly expanding its smartphone range with the likes of Apple making a big push into the country, and today we have news of the Android ICS running Motorola RAZR V XT889 outed for China
The handset manufacturer has just announced two new Android smartphones for the region and as SlashGear are reporting the RAZR V XT889 is the more capable of the two devices. The RAZR V XT889 comes with a 4.3-inch display and runs the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and it also features an eight megapixel camera that is packed into a Kevlar body, which has also been given some treatment to make it splash and spill resistant.
Unlike the other RAZR’s that Motorola has released so far, the RAZR V XT889 is similar to the Galaxy Nexus that features buttons positioned on the screen instead of physicals keys located underneath it. The handset will also feature the Motorola Android overlay, a front facing camera, and a stylish sleek design.
Meanwhile the company has announced a cheaper handset in the form of the MOTOSMART MIX XT553, which offers both GSM and EVDO network support. This comes with a 4.0-inch screen and a 1,735 mAh battery unit, and the handset features dedicated music control keys along with an exclusive Sina Micro application for users to share listening habits with the Chinese social network.
Both the MOTOSMART MIX XT553 and Motorola RAZR V XT889 will be released on the China Telecom network from today, but there is currently no information whether either of these handsets will launch in other regions around the world. The full press release for the devices can be seen here.
Moody's downgrades Nokia to junk status - AP - msnbc.com
HELSINKI — Moody's ratings agency on Friday downgraded Nokia's debt grade to junk status, citing greater than anticipated pressure on the struggling cellphone maker's earnings after it announced plans for major cuts and global layoffs. It kept the outlook negative, meaning it could downgrade it again.
The agency lowered the Finnish company's long-term senior unsecured ratings to Ba1 from Baa3, saying that Nokia's restructuring plan involved "drastically downsizing its infrastructure," an indication its problems were greater than expected.
Moody's said Nokia Corp.'s plans to focus "its direct marketing on fewer markets, streamlining support functions and reducing investments in certain R&D projects ... delineates a scale of earnings pressure and cash consumption that is larger than we had previously assumed."
The agency's downgrade — the second in two months — came after Nokia stock plunged 18 percent on Thursday following its announcement to close production and research plants, with 10,000 job cuts by the end of 2013. Nokia also sounded pessimistic about its outlook, saying that heavy competition would continue to hit its smartphone sector in the second and third quarters more than previously expected.
The measures were aimed at additional cost savings of €1.6 billion ($2 billion) by the end of next year, in addition to last year's announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs to save €1 billion by 2013.
Despite the latest downgrade, Nokia shares were up 4 percent at €1.91 ($2.41) in afternoon trading after falling to their lowest level ever in Helsinki on Thursday.
Moody's, which previously lowered the cellphone maker's debt rate on April 16, said that despite its decision on Friday, it considers " Nokia's commitment to decisive restructuring as positive and necessary to return the group to profitability."
"A return to profitability also depends on Nokia successfully transitioning its range of smartphones to the new Windows operating system and stabilizing its feature phone business," Moody's said.
Nokia has been fighting fierce competition from Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other makers using Google Inc.'s popular Android software, including Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC of Taiwan, and is also being squeezed in the low-end by Asian manufacturers making cheaper phones, such as China's ZTE.
The former bellwether of the mobile industry had one of its worst results in the first quarter with a €929 million net loss as sales plunged, especially in the smartphone market. In 2011, it was still the world's top cellphone maker with annual unit sales of some 419 million devices, but in the last quarter of the year posted a net loss of €1.07 billion, a marked reverse from the 745 million profit a year earlier.
Having held the top spot for 14 years, with a 40 percent market share in 2008, Nokia seemed to have run out of steam.
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It had hoped to remedy the situation with the new Windows Phone 7, launched in October, eight months after CEO Stephen Elop announced a partnership with Microsoft Corp. and has launched several versions of the Windows-based Lumia phones, including cheaper models for Asian markets.
"For Nokia to return to growth in this segment, it will primarily require the Lumia smartphones, which are selling in several versions and many markets, to gain traction in the smartphone market," Moody's said. "Indeed, in Moody's view, the attractiveness of the Lumia range should be boosted by the introduction of the Windows 8 operating system for mobile devices, to be launched in the second half of 2012."
Bucking the trend, two Wall Street analysts on Friday upgraded Nokia.
Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron upgraded the company to "Perform" from "Underperform," saying that the cuts will buy Nokia some time, but its long-term success will depend on new products like the Windows 8 phones — and he can't predict how that phone will fare. He said 2012 will be tough, but 2013 is an "unknown path."
Citi analyst Zahid Hussein also upgraded the company to "Neutral" from "Sell," calling the company's moves "painful but necessary." He said that if Nokia can successfully cut costs, it could return to break-even as early as the third quarter of 2012, quicker than expected.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Clear the decks: Nokia cuts 10,000 jobs in radical shake-up - zdnet.co.uk
A series of moves, which also includes the selling-off of luxury handset division Vertu and the acquisition of imaging technology from Scalado, was announced early on Thursday. The heads of Nokia's mobile phone, markets and marketing departments have also been ousted as part of the reorganisation.
Nokia is to cut 10,000 people from its workforce as it looks to 'broaden' the price range of its Lumia phones. Image credit: Ben Woods/ZDNet
"We are increasing our focus on the products and services that our consumers value most while continuing to invest in the innovation that has always defined Nokia," Nokia chief Stephen Elop said in a statement. "We intend to pursue an even more focused effort on Lumia, continued innovation around our feature phones, while placing increased emphasis on our location-based services."
Although Nokia's UK representatives refused to say whether this forms part of the 10,000 figure or not, 1,000 job cuts will take place by selling off Vertu, a move that was expected. The luxury handset division, which coats normal Nokia phones in precious stones and sells them alongside a 'concierge' service, is headquartered in the UK, although its 1,000 workers are spread around the world.
Vertu is to be sold to the private equity firm EQT VI, although Nokia will retain a 10 percent minority stake in the business.
Nokia has not broken down its lay-off numbers by country — indeed, the company's representatives refused to say how many people Nokia employs in the UK, let alone how many cuts will take place here. However, Nokia did say it would be closing research and development facilities in Ulm, Germany, and in Burnaby, Canada.
The company's manufacturing plant in Salo, Finland, is also going to be shut down, although R&D will continue at the site. Jobs will also go among Nokia's marketing, sales, IT, corporate and support staff, the company added.
"These planned reductions are a difficult consequence of the intended actions we believe we must take to ensure Nokia's long-term competitive strength," Elop said. "We do not make plans that may impact our employees lightly, and as a company we will work tirelessly to ensure that those at risk are offered the support, options and advice necessary to find new opportunities."
Cheaper Lumia, better photos
The renewed focus on Lumia, Nokia's range of smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Phone OS, will make the devices "available to more consumers", the company said.
Nokia explained that it would be "broadening the price range" of Lumia, which almost certainly means the introduction cheaper phones. The manufacturer will also move to further differentiate its Windows Phone implementations from others, by using "new materials, new technologies and location-based services".– Stephen Elop, Nokia
We intend to pursue an even more focused effort on Lumia, continued innovation around our feature phones.
Buying imaging technology from Sweden's Scalado is apparently part of that strategy. Nokia pointed out that Scalado's tech, for taking, editing and viewing photos, is used on more than a billion devices.
"Nokia has been working with Scalado for more than ten years and they've contributed to many of our leading imaging applications," Nokia smart devices executive vice president Jo Harlow said in a statement. "This transaction would enable us to combine our leadership in camera devices with their expertise in imaging, helping people move beyond taking pictures to capturing moments and emotions and then reliving them in many different ways."
The Scalado deal comes with a site in Lund, Sweden, which is to become "a key site for Nokia's imaging software for smartphones", alongside existing facilities in Espoo and Tampere, both of which are in Finland.
The upper management shake-up will see a few Finns promoted to C-level seats. Although markets EVP Niklas Savander is one casualty — with no explicit replacement being announced — Timo Toikkanen will replace Mary McDowell as mobile phones chief and Tuula Rytila is to be the new chief marketing officer, taking over from Jerri DeVard.
Interestingly, given Nokia's new push for location-based services, both Savander and McDowell were at some point in their lengthy Nokia careers on the board of navigation subsidiary Navteq.
Other new appointments include Juha Putkiranta as operations head, Susan Sheehan as communications chief, and Chris Weber as executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Nokia: Some See Takeover Likely; But Who Would Buy It? - Forbes
Nokia shares are rebounding modestly from yesterday’s 15.8% slide as some bottom-fishers begin to float the idea that the company’s final chapter could come in the form of a takeover.
Bloomberg asserted in a speculative story this morning that the stock’s continued swoon has turned it into a potential target “for buyers willing to bet that it still has a future in smartphones.” That’s no certain bet, I would note, given the rapid deterioration of the company’s competitive position relative to both Apple and Google Android.
Yesterday’s slide followed the company’s disclosure early Thursday that it will cut 10,000 more jobs, as losses continue to exceed expectations amid intensifying competitive pressures.
Bloomberg notes that the company’s net cash position is equal to about 68% of its market cap; there’s also value in the company’s patent portfolio; and it could generate some cash from the sale of its Nokia Siemens Networks equipment venture.
According to the Bloomberg story, Needham analyst Charlie Wolf asserts that Microsoft is the most likely buyer for Nokia, which is using Windows Phone software in its smartphones. But that theory only makes sense if Microsoft sees a realistic chance for Nokia to fight back against the steadily tightening grip Apple and Google Android phones have in the smartphone market.
While I suppose it is possible that some adventuresome, quixotic buyer could make a heroic bid for the entire company, it seems more likely to me that Nokia will continue to crumble in a slow spiral that results in the eventual break up of the company. Nokia, the sad truth is, might be worth more dead than alive.
NOK is up 8 cents, or 3.2%, to $2.42.
Motorola Razr XT910 now at Asda with price undercut - Phones Review
If you’re in the market for a new Android smartphone then you might want to consider the Motorola RAZR XT910, an ultra-slim handset that has a lot going for it. This smartphone is currently available online from Asda with a big undercut on the price compared to both Argos and Currys.
The Motorola RAZR XT910 is a beautifully stylish smartphone at only 7.1mm thick and weighing only 127g and it has a super-strong Kevlar casing with splash-proof coating. Specs and features include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display with resolution of 960 x 540, 256ppi and Corning Gorilla Glass for extra protection, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD). There’s also an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and 1080p video capture plus a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
Other inclusions are Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11b/g/n WiFi and one of the only drawbacks is that it runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread rather than 4.0 ICS. The Motorola RAZR is currently being offered in white at a bargain price of £319 at direct.Asda.com here, which beats the price from both Currys and Argos by £100, that’s quite some difference. This unlocked price also means you can use it on any network.
It’s a great coup for Asda to be offering the RAZR for that price and David Fletcher, Asda’s mobile technology expert said, “We’re delighted to be able to offer this phone at such a great price. The Motorola Razr is a unique mobile which is amazingly compact yet practically bullet proof. It’s a strong addition to our range of cutting edge Smartphones.” Full dimensions of this white Motorola RAZR smartphone are 13cm x 6.8cm x 0.7cm and talktime is around 10 hours while standby time is up to 324 hours.
We’d like to know what you think of the Motorola RAZR and especially that bargain price of £319 unlocked at Asda Direct. Will you be treating yourself to this smartphone?
Nokia to Cut 3,700 Jobs in Finland - CRIENGLISH.com
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The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia announced Thursday that it plans to cut 3,700 jobs in Finland and up to 10,000 positions worldwide by the end of 2013 to save costs. Nokia aims to chop expenditures by some 1.6 billion euros (2.0 billion U.S ...
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