Nokia returns to smartphones, feature phones, tablets business

[HEXUS]

As Microsoft flogs its feature phone business for $350 million.

Read more.

[azrael-]

Good news. It's what Nokia should've done from the start. Instead of letting "Mr. Trojan Horse" Stephen Elop run Nokia's smartphone business into the ground only to then conveniently sell off the leftovers cheaply to Microsoft.

[Wozza63]

Hope they return to glory, the Lumia phones were awesome, except for one thing, Windows Phone. Which was not a terrible OS, it just lacked the quality apps available on Android and iOS.

[ik9000]

the tragic thing is they're going android. Nokia would have had its own OS if it had stayed independent. How Elop wasn't lynched or similar I don't know!

[crossy]

the tragic thing is they're going android. Nokia would have had its own OS if it had stayed independent. How Elop wasn't lynched or similar I don't know!

Disagree, the tragedy to me is that they didn't do an Android device sooner. And do we really need yet another OS, if someone like Microsoft can't get enough traction then what chance would Nokia stand? Don't get me started on those Symbian phones...

What I'd like to see from Nokia is something akin to a *slightly* modified Nexus experience, but with removable storage and a decent camera, (although the 6P is getting there). I'll be looking for a replacement for my current LG G3, but a G5 has little appeal, so maybe Nokia could get the business.

Agree though that Elop did them no favours, and I wouldn't object to having him lightly flogged publicly.

[maxp779]

Glad they decided to go with Android, thats a smart move IMO.

When I looked at the lumias I always wondered why they didn't just do that... but put Android on it... Seriously the phones looked good and people tend to like things with color options. Its a shame Microsoft ruined it all with their failed attempt to extend their walled garden into the mobile space.

[GazP172]

I predict the scale of this will be so small that other than the odd headline such as this nobody will even notice Nokias return or even be able to source one of the fabled devices.

[Michael H]

I'm surprised, firstly, that the Microsoft deal didn't preclude Nokias return to the mobile space, and in light of that I'm further surprised that we didn't see one of the bigger chinese brands such as Huawei or Xiaomi licence the brand for their phones in the European and American markets - much like Hisense has done to sell TV's in the US under the Sharp brand.

[excalibur1814]

HTC... look where they are with Android.

[ik9000]

I don't mind android per-say but the lack of privacy control is what I object to. Install app and allow every permission or don't install. That's your only option. It's not sufficient IMO. And has anyone read the terms of google play recently? They can choose to update any app if they deem it necessary without your permission. I haven't updated play since that came along, which effectively means I can't download any apps. My mail provider seems to have realised as they keep emailing me asking me to upgrade the app so I can "benefit" from the targetted ads it now contains (whereas my current version has no ads - what a shame). No way am I letting google update that for me because the provider says it's "necessary".

[nitro912gr]

Disagree, the tragedy to me is that they didn't do an Android device sooner. And do we really need yet another OS, if someone like Microsoft can't get enough traction then what chance would Nokia stand? Don't get me started on those Symbian phones...

What I'd like to see from Nokia is something akin to a *slightly* modified Nexus experience, but with removable storage and a decent camera, (although the 6P is getting there). I'll be looking for a replacement for my current LG G3, but a G5 has little appeal, so maybe Nokia could get the business.

Agree though that Elop did them no favours, and I wouldn't object to having him lightly flogged publicly.

taking into account the inability of android to handle the resources in a way that give ultimate priority to the OS, so you can have a lag free experience without stupid apps chocking the phone... yes we need another OS.
Windows are good in this (like iOS but this is ultra expensive) but MS really need to do something with the lack of apps, I don't know, give bonuses to devs? make development cheaper? Something anyway...

[crossy]

I don't mind android per-say but the lack of privacy control is what I object to. Install app and allow every permission or don't install. That's your only option. It's not sufficient IMO.

Erm, one of the features that came in with Marshmallow was the ability to select individual permissions to grant (or not). I remember being pretty unimpressed with Tapatalk on my NVidia Shield so that app isn't running with all the privileges it says it "needs".

taking into account the inability of android to handle the resources in a way that give ultimate priority to the OS, so you can have a lag free experience without stupid apps chocking the phone... yes we need another OS.
Windows are good in this (like iOS but this is ultra expensive) but MS really need to do something with the lack of apps, I don't know, give bonuses to devs? make development cheaper? Something anyway...

Erm, I'll disagree ... if that is the problem (and I'm doubtful) then surely it'd be better for Google to fix their broken OS rather than trying to start up a new OS? Certainly the raft of failures out there seems to bear that out. As for Windows Phone, yes, I'm impressed with the way it runs pretty smoothly on "low powered" hardware (far better than Android would). Then again, it looks like Microsoft have thrown in the towel on that one. Then again, maybe I'm just being negative to them, given my current raft of issues with Windows 10...

[nitro912gr]

Erm, one of the features that came in with Marshmallow was the ability to select individual permissions to grant (or not). I remember being pretty unimpressed with Tapatalk on my NVidia Shield so that app isn't running with all the privileges it says it "needs".

Erm, I'll disagree ... if that is the problem (and I'm doubtful) then surely it'd be better for Google to fix their broken OS rather than trying to start up a new OS? Certainly the raft of failures out there seems to bear that out. As for Windows Phone, yes, I'm impressed with the way it runs pretty smoothly on "low powered" hardware (far better than Android would). Then again, it looks like Microsoft have thrown in the towel on that one. Then again, maybe I'm just being negative to them, given my current raft of issues with Windows 10...

Sorry I wasn't clear about this, I meant we need a new OS from another player to push competition, since at the moment on lower end devices google face competition only from lumia devices.

What issues with windows 10? I have it for the last 2 weeks and I'm impressed, didn't run on any problem so far. Is there something to keep in mind?

[ik9000]

Erm, one of the features that came in with Marshmallow was the ability to select individual permissions to grant (or not). I remember being pretty unimpressed with Tapatalk on my NVidia Shield so that app isn't running with all the privileges it says it "needs".

Erm, I'll disagree ... if that is the problem (and I'm doubtful) then surely it'd be better for Google to fix their broken OS rather than trying to start up a new OS? Certainly the raft of failures out there seems to bear that out. As for Windows Phone, yes, I'm impressed with the way it runs pretty smoothly on "low powered" hardware (far better than Android would). Then again, it looks like Microsoft have thrown in the towel on that one. Then again, maybe I'm just being negative to them, given my current raft of issues with Windows 10...

Given the way google incentivise and reward development of new ideas rather than refinement of existing ones I can see them doing better in making a new OS altogether. Too many innovators and not enough completer finishers courtesy of the bias in their recruiting process and internal pay structures...

[dcwt2010]

the tragic thing is they're going android. Nokia would have had its own OS if it had stayed independent. How Elop wasn't lynched or similar I don't know!

How exactly would adding their own OS to a market dominated (even a few years ago) by Android and Apple help them? Even Samsung struggled with Tizen... Android is the way forward; Nokia should focus on what it does best, superbly designed and crafted hardware.

[ik9000]

How exactly would adding their own OS to a market dominated (even a few years ago) by Android and Apple help them? Even Samsung struggled with Tizen... Android is the way forward; Nokia should focus on what it does best, superbly designed and crafted hardware.

had Elop not killed them off Nokia would have had its own smartphone OS ahead of the rise of android, and with the market share and popularity Nokia had at the time it is arguable that they would have retained considerable market share. There is a brilliant article on his negligent running of Nokia with lovely stats and charts to support this argument which I have bookmarked at home and will add later if I get chance.