This slide was just presented by Stephen Elop at Nokia’s Capital Markets Day. Although there’s no date listed, it’s clear that Symbian — a “franchise” OS that Nokia will “harvest” — will be wholly consumed by Windows Phone on Nokia devices just as soon as Nokia and Microsoft can complete the transition. It won’t be immediate, but it seems like 2012 will be the year that Nokia pulls the cord on life support. RIP: Symbian originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’d prepared ourselves for a drawn-out legal battle between Oracle and Google when we heard the former was suing the latter for Java-related copyright infringement, but fortunately for Android enthusiasts, not everyone was so resigned. A team of developers are working on an Android fork called IcedRobot (yep, that’s the logo) to separate the offending Dalvik Virtual Machine from the OS, hopefully circumventing this epic argument altogether. The project seeks to create a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that is based on OpenJDK (an open-source implementation of Java), avoiding Oracle’s Apache Harmony, and to allow Android to run on just about any PC with the use of Hotspot, another device non-specific JVM using open-source Java. It’s a tall order, and the devilish little Android has already gained a healthy amount of tech industry skepticism, but we’re interested to see if these guys can make it work. Either way, we’re pretty sure we’ve still got years of legal volleying to go before Google and Oracle can play nice again — this ain’t no People’s Court, folks. IcedRobot Android fork to sidestep legal battle between Oracle, Google originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia Q&A reveals more MeeGo details and tablet plans — says Android ‘risk of commodification was very high’
February 11, 2011 No Comment
The Steve show just ended with both Elop and Ballmer hosting a very informative media Q&A following the reveal of Nokia’s plan to use Windows Phone 7 as its “primary smartphone platform.” Here are the highlights: No specific announcement for when we’ll see the first Nokia Windows Phone. Ballmer mentioned that the engineering teams have spend a lot of time together already. Elop also confirmed that Nokia is a Finnish company and always will be — they will not be moving to Silicon Valley or anywhere else. Ballmer said that the partnership is “not exclusive” but some things that Microsoft is doing with Nokia are “unique” allowing Nokia to differentiate itself in the market. Elop added that it’s important for the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem to thrive, which means that multiple vendors must succeed. Elop didn’t believe that Nokia could create a new ecosystem around MeeGo fast enough. Nokia will “substantially reduce” R&D expenditures while increasing R&D productivity moving forward. Nokia did talk with Google about adopting Android but decided that it “would have difficulty differentiating within that ecosystem” and the “commoditization risk was very high — prices, profits, everything being pushed down, value being moved out to Google which was concerning to us.” Microsoft presented the best option for Nokia to resume the fight in the high end smarpthone segment. Elop clarified that MeeGo will ship this year but “not as part of another broad smarpthone platform strategy, but as an opportunity to learn.” Something that sounds very similar to position Nokia took with its so-called “experimental” Maemo-based N900 last year. After the first (and apparently, only ) MeeGo device ships this year, the MeeGo team will then “change their focus into an exploration of future platforms, future devices, future user experiences.” Trying to determine the “next disruption” in smartphones. Responding to “hope for a broad MeeGo-based ecosystem,” Elop said that Nokia simply wasn’t moving fast enough to effectively win and compete against Apple and Google. Windows Phone makes it a “three-horse race,” something that Elop says is pleasing to the carriers he’s been speaking with. Nokia has different options for its tablet strategy including using something from Microsoft or something that Nokia has developed internally. Nokia Q&A reveals more MeeGo details and tablet plans — says Android ‘risk of commodification was very high’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Stephen Elop: There will be ‘substantial reductions in employment’ inside Nokia
February 11, 2011 No Comment
Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer are in the middle of a Q&A now. When Elop was asked by a concerned Finnish reporter, “What happens to Finland,” Stephen responded that a successful Nokia is good for Finland but there will be “substantial reductions in employment” in Finland and around the world. We can’t even imagine what it’s like to be working inside of Nokia at the moment but the stress, frustration, and concern must be extraordinarily high. Stephen Elop: There will be ‘substantial reductions in employment’ inside Nokia originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The time for leaked memos , rampant speculation and obscure references was brought to an abrupt end this morning when Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer delivered the announcement of Nokia and Microsoft’s future strategic alliance. It all revolves around Windows Phone 7 becoming the smartphone strategy around Espoo, but there are still plenty of details to be explicated, highlighted and mulled over. Stephen Elop is about ready to take the stage here in central London to officially kick off Nokia’s annual Capital Markets Day, where we expect him to give us a clearer picture of what to expect from this tie-up of industry giants. Our liveblog, after the break you shall find. Live from Nokia’s Capital Markets Day! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Concept cars always promise the car of tomorrow , but they only get us hot and bothered for fantastical design elements that rarely make it to production due to trivial concerns like “cost” and “the laws of physics.” Undaunted by these limitations, Nissan has rolled out a new futuristic EV called ESFLOW — with a roofline inspired by modern Z cars and an elongated bonnet reminiscent of the original 240Z — to titillate our inner gearhead. Scheduled for a Geneva Motor Show debut in early March, the coupe is powered by children’s dreams and whimsy dual electric motors driving the rear wheels and can take residents of imagination land from 0-100kph (0-62mph for us Yanks) in less than five seconds. If the ESFLOW is where Nissan’s going with its EV designs — the Leaf isn’t exactly a looker — we’re all for it, but don’t expect to see it on the road anytime soon as it’s only a concept after all. Vid’s after the break. Continue reading Nissan unveils sexy ESFLOW concept EV sports car Nissan unveils sexy ESFLOW concept EV sports car originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nokia’s been beating the Qt warpath for years after purchasing the developer framework from Trolltech back in January of 2008. In fact, Nokia just made the switch to Qt exclusively back in October in a sign of its unrelenting support for the unified development environment. That, like all previous Nokia strategies, is in for a big change today. While Qt will continue on as the development framework for Symbian and MeeGo , Microsoft will provide its free Windows Phone Developer Tools (Visual Studio 2010, Expression, Silverlight and the XNA Framework) to developers interested in developing for Nokia Windows Phones (get used to that phrase) while providing “guidance” to anyone wishing to port their apps to WP7. In other words, Qt will not be adapted for Windows Phone 7 APIs. Full letter after the break to what we imagine is a very disgruntled and previously loyal Nokia developer community. Continue reading Nokia to developers: no Qt for Windows Phone development Nokia to developers: no Qt for Windows Phone development originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Wondering how long it will take for Nokia to fully execute on its new strategy? Here’s a clue in a press release targeting investors and financial analysts: “Nokia expects 2011 and 2012 to be transition years, as the company invests to build the planned winning ecosystem with Microsoft. After the transition, Nokia targets longer-term: (1) Devices & Services net sales to grow faster than the market. (2) Devices & Services non-IFRS operating margin to be 10% or more.” There are many ways to interpret this, naturally. But the one we can’t get our minds around is that the Symbian and MeeGo houses were such a mess that they couldn’t be repaired by 2012, even after years of effort and huge investments directed towards that goal. And here we thought that MeeGo ” inspired both confidence and excitement ” while Symbian’s only issue was UI related . Continue reading Nokia tells investors that 2011 and 2012 will be ‘transition years’ Nokia tells investors that 2011 and 2012 will be ‘transition years’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office
February 11, 2011 1 Comment
It’s happened. Former Microsoft exec and current Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has married his future and his past in the holy matrimony of a “strategic alliance.” Windows Phone is becoming Nokia’s “principal smartphone strategy,” but there’s a lot more to this hookup — scope out the official press release just after the break. Microsoft’s Bing and adCenter will provide search and ad services across Nokia devices, while Nokia will look to innovate “on top of the platform” with things like its traditional strength in imaging. Ovi Maps will be a core part of Microsoft’s mapping services and will be integrated with Bing, while Nokia’s content store will be integrated into (read: assimilated by) Microsoft’s Marketplace. Xbox Live and Office will also, as is to be expected, feature on these brave new Microkia handsets. An open letter on Nokia’s Conversations site, penned jointly by Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer, sets out the foregoing details along with the following statement of intent: “There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift. Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed.” Continue reading Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Bloomberg: RIM working to let BlackBerry PlayBook run Android apps, but Dalvik’s not the way
February 11, 2011 No Comment
We’d heard sweet, sweet rumors that RIM would include a Java virtual machine in the BlackBerry PlayBook and even bring Android apps on board — and lo and behold, Bloomber g ‘s corroborating those claims with no fewer than three anonymous sources. Where the new rumor diverges is that the Dalvik virtual machine used in Google’s OS reportedly won’t be part of the formula; RIM considered it, these sources say, but decided it didn’t want to get involved in the Oracle / Google legal fracas . Apparently, the company’s working on this secret project in-house and targeting a possible release in the second half of the year. We have to say, the ready availability of 200,000+ Android programs could be quite the shot in the arm if WebWorks and AIR don’t produce killer apps right away. Bloomberg: RIM working to let BlackBerry PlayBook run Android apps, but Dalvik’s not the way originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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