Microsoft buy Nokia - 3 reasons wont & 3 reasons it might

here is 3 reasons Microsoft won't buy Nokia:

1- Microsoft gains nothing in the deal
The simplest reason Microsoft won't buy Nokia is this: Microsoft gets nothing out of the deal. Microsoft already has what it wants out of Nokia -- that the world's largest phone manufacturer settle on Windows Phone 7 as its smartphone operating system. Why spend billions for something you've already got?

2- Microsoft would be buying businesses it has no interest in
Nokia makes a lot more than just smartphones, notably inexpensive, low-end phones. That's a business Microsoft has absolutely no interest in, and would gain nothing from owning. Why buy something that would just be a drag on your business and offer no strategic value?

3- Combining corporate cultures could be nightmarish
Whenever one company buys another, there's inevitable conflict as the two firms try to merge corporate cultures and business practices. Microsoft is at a crossroads right now, facing multiple challenges, most notably in mobile, Internet search, and the cloud. The last thing it needs is that type of distraction.

Now here is 3 reasons Microsoft may take the plunge and buy Nokia:

1- Patents, patents, patents

As Microsoft knows better than any company, patents have become powerful assets. Microsoft has sued or threatened to sue makers of Android cell phones based on what it claims are patent infringements, and has gotten hundreds of millions of dollars in returns. Adding Nokia's considerable number of patents on mobile phones would make Microsoft even more formidable.

2- Nokia could be bought relatively cheaply

Paulo Santos of the Seeking Alpha investing Web site claims that because of Nokia's market woes, Microsoft could buy Nokia relatively cheaply. He figures that even paying a 50% premium, Microsoft would pay $21 billion. Given that Nokia is sitting on what Santos says is $6.6 billion in cash, and that Microsoft would likely sell off Nokia's telecom equipment division, that's not an outrageous amount for what Microsoft would get. Consider that Google is buying the smaller Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, Microsoft could almost be considered as getting a good deal.

3- Microsoft needs to follow Apple's and Google's lead

With Google buying Motorola, Microsoft will be the only major maker of smartphone operating systems that doesn't also manufacture hardware. Apple, RIM, and now Google all make phone hardware as well as smartphone operating systems. As Apple has long shown, if you make the hardware and the software, you can design the best possible user experience. So in buying Nokia, Microsoft would be more likely to do the same.

Can Nokia survive with Lumia Series?

Innovation and agility at both ends of the handset market: does this signal that Nokia is getting its act back together? Or do the achievements pale against the goings on in Apple, Samsung and local manufacturers in emerging economies?

For a moment, ignore Lumias' specifications (they don't read half bad). Don't compare them with other Windows Mango devices. Consider what it means for the company. From idea to the store shelf - the Lumia journey is a quick turnaround from handset industry standards. Benchmark it to the old Nokia, it looks like a sprint.

But the real mad dash was the slew of dual SIM phones. More than two years late into India and other emerging economies, the company has announced seven such phones since June. And though late, Nokia came good. It loaded the dual SIM phones with features: Ovi services and specific innovations. The result: it shipped over 18 million such phones since their launch.

Elop is already gushing. In a media interaction in September he claimed that the success of dual SIM phones had a "halo effect on our single-SIM phones. India has shown that brand plus team plus great execution can deliver strong results".

Nokia, which uses Symbian in its high-end smartphones, has struggled to make headway against Apple's iPhone and Android-powered phones in this highly lucrative segment. Earlier this year its CEO, Stephen Elop, described Symbian as burning platform and decided to join hands with Microsoft for the company's software needs.

Lumia 800, a handset that the firm is currently shipping to retailers in India, is Nokia's first smartphone running on Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. Microsoft too is struggling against iPhone and Android but hopes with the reach and channel of companies like Nokia it will be able to improve the situation by the end of 2012.

ccording to IDC, Android saw a growth of 90% over the previous quarter. Apple iOS consolidated further, with a 3.09% share of the smartphone market, compared to 2.6% in Q2 2011. IDC said that overall Indian mobile phone market grew by 12% in units shipped, over the previous quarter, to clock 47.07 million units. Year-on-year, there was a shipment growth of 13.8%.

Nokia N8, N97 X6 5800 5530 5230 High Quality Wallpapers - No.5

Nokia N8, N97, X6, 5800, 5530, 5235, 5233, 5230 High Quality Wallpapers

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Mosque (Masjid)

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You can find more Nokia N8, N97 X6 5800 5530 5235 5233 5230 High Quality Wallpapers.

For Dual Screen Wallpapers "Here" and more HQ HD Wallpapers "Here".

Nokia N8, N97 X6 5800 5530 5230 High Quality Wallpapers - No.3

Nokia N8, N97, X6, 5800, 5530, 5235, 5233, 5230 High Quality Wallpapers

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For Dual Screen Wallpapers "Here" and more HQ HD Wallpapers "Here".

Nokia N8, N97 X6 5800 5530 5230 High Quality Wallpapers - No.2

Nokia N8, N97, X6, 5800, 5530, 5235, 5233, 5230 High Quality Wallpapers

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For Dual Screen Wallpapers "Here" and more HQ HD Wallpapers "Here".

Nokia N97 X6 5800 5530 5230 High Quality Wallpapers

Nokia N97, X6, 5800, 5530, 5230 High Quality Wallpapers

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You can find more High Quality Nokia N97 X6 5800 5530 5230 High Quality Wallpapers.

For Dual Screen Wallpapers "Here" and more HQ HD Wallpapers "Here".

Nokia Enters netBook Market with Booklet 3G mini-laptop

Nokia on Monday announced that it plans to move into the PC market with the introduction of its first netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G.

The Windows-based device will be powered by an Intel Atom processor, and Nokia promises up to 12 hours of battery life. It features a 10-inch glass HD ready display, weighs about 2.75 pounds and is about 2 centimeters thick. The Booklet 3G will include 3G/HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity options, an HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth, and an SD card reader.

The new netbook will also include integrated A-GPS, which will pinpoint a user's location using the Nokia Ovi Maps gadget for a "truly personal maps experience," Nokia said.

Nokia will incorporate other Ovi offerings into the Booklet 3G, including music through the Nokia Music Store, and the ability to sync your Nokia smartphone with your netbook via the Ovi Suite. Additional details about pricing and availability with be unveiled at Nokia World on September 2, the company said.

"A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility," Kai Oistamo, Nokia's executive vice president for devices, said in a statment. "We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. We will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal."

Earlier this month, Microsoft and Nokia on Wednesday announced an alliance that will bring Microsoft mobile software to Nokia devices at some point next year. (story Link)

Nokia N97 Mini Leaked on The Net

Rumors regarding the Nokia N97 mini emerged a while ago when a Vodafone forum moderator posted about the existence of such a device. Sadly! he was fired for leaking out such sensitive information, but that only led us to believe that Nokia did have such a device in the works.

And today! a leaked photo of the supposed Nokia N97 mini is what adds more to our speculation about the existence of such a device.

From what we see, it has a smaller touchscreen, a Qwerty keyboard but with a missing D-pad as seen on the original N97. Also the N97 mini is said to have only 8GB of storage memory, whereas the original N97 has 32GB of storage memory.

Though we personally believe that its nothing but an early prototype of the Nokia N97 which could have changed during the design-phase to give out the actual and final device.

Another possibility is that perhaps Nokia wants to repeat its trend by releasing a budget-phone as a supplementary to the original one, like it did with earlier with the Nokia E71. Though we doubt it, as N97 already failed to meet most of the users expectations. (story Link)

Hands On With the Nokia Surge

Nokia's new Surge smartphone for AT&T Wireless is designed specifically for the U.S. market – and a younger demographic.

BOSTON – I spent some time Monday checking out the Nokia Surge, the company's new smartphone for AT&T Wireless. In a twist, Nokia designed the Surge specifically for the U.S. That means there's no unlocked version with a different model number, such as with the E71 and the E71x.

In fact, it's actually Nokia's third smartphone for AT&T in the past 12 months; the first two were the Nokia 6650 and the E71x. That's significant because it signals a change in Nokia's strategy; up until recently, Nokia's diverse lineup of unlocked smartphones have barely made a dent in the U.S. marketplace due to their high upfront cost.

That said, Nokia is aiming the Surge at a younger demographic than the E71x. The big news is the Surge's thin, squat form factor, as if it endured a few passes of a rolling pin. It's made almost entirely of black gloss plastic and accumulates fingerprints like crazy. The handset measures 3.8 by 2.3 by 0.6 inches and weighs 4.4 ounces. But it felt lighter in the hand than I had expected.

A slide-out, horizontal QWERTY keyboard spans the width of the unit. In fact, the entire handset is oriented horizontally, down to the AT&T and Nokia logos and the asymmetrical front panel. As a result, it looks a little weird when holding it vertically. The keyboard's squarish keys felt a bit cheap, but they offered a pleasant, clicky resistance despite their flat look. The slide mechanism itself was smooth but also felt a little chintzy.

The power button doubles as the End key, which is a departure from other Nokia handsets. The Surge's five-way control pad was a little smaller and harder to press than I normally like, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Plenty of buttons adorn the unit's sides, including a messaging shortcut key on the front for texting fiends. Given that most horizontal sliders only rotate the screen when you slide out the keyboard, the Surge's responsive accelerometer was a nice touch. The QVGA screen was sharp and bright, but its 320-by-240-pixel resolution and simple menu graphics felt aged compared with an iPhone 3G or BlackBerry Bold.

As a proper AT&T device, the Surge features support for the TeleNav-powered AT&T Navigator. That's a step up from Nokia's confusing, proprietary GPS software, such as what came with the unlocked Nokia N78 last year. The Surge also features CV for streamed videos, and Nokia's standard-issue Mini Map browser.

There are some minor nods to the younger target market, such as JuiceCaster support, some built-in games, and support for AT&T Video Share. But even as such, the Surge is a genuine Symbian Series 60 Third Edition smartphone. It can multitask, it includes Quickoffice for editing Word and Excel documents, it works with Mail for Exchange 2.9, and it can be used as a 3G modem for a laptop. I tested a pre-production unit, though I didn't run into any bugs for the short amount of time I had the handset.

The 2-megapixel camera lacks auto-focus or an LED flash, but it's capable of recording smooth QVGA videos. The non-standard, 2.5mm headphone jack is a bummer. But other Nokia smartphones I've tested have sounded quite good when paired with stereo Bluetooth headphones; this one shouldn't be any different. There's also a built-in FM radio for the three or four people who need that. The battery is the same 1500 mAh pack that comes with the Nokia N97 and E71x, which should put talk time in the four-and-a-half hour range.

The Surge will be compatible with the Ovi Store when it launches later this year, complete with integrated carrier billing when buying mobile apps. The Surge will cost $79.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates when it drops on July 19; stay tuned for a full review. (Gearlog)

Nokia: 3720 classic introduced

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today introduced the new Nokia 3720 classic, an IP-54 certified mobile phone designed to resist water, dust and shock. Following the footsteps of Nokia's highly popular 'rugged' devices of the past, the Nokia 3720 classic is encased in durable materials and is entirely sealed to protect the inner electronics. The Nokia 3720 is expected to retail for approximately EUR 125 before subsidies or taxes and is expected to begin shipping this summer.

"Whether using it at the beach or in a dusty construction site, the Nokia 3720 classic has been specifically engineered to withstand the splashes, bumps and drops that come with the terrain," said Markku Suomi, vice president, Connect devices. "While the Nokia 3720 classic is tough on the outside, it is equally functional on the inside - a perfect choice for people who want a long-lasting and reliable mobile phone for any environment."

The Nokia 3720 classic features a sealed, leak-proof design and durable materials in a range of colours. The battery cover, which protects both the battery and the internal circuitry of the device, is locked with a screw, making for worry-free usage in wet, dusty or muddy environments.

As to be expected, the Nokia 3720 classic also offers exceptional battery performance as well as an LED flashlight, to complement its rugged design. Additional add-ons include Nokia Maps, which comes pre-loaded on the 1 GB microSD memory card, and the large and bright 2.2" display is perfect for following the route even in unfamiliar terrain.

About Nokia

Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world's leading maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and different ways - fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

Handle without care: Nokia introduces the Nokia 3720 classic,

its most rugged mobile handset to date.

Nokia Siemens to buy Nortel's wireless unit

LOS ANGELES, USA: Telecom equipment maker Nortel Networks said that it will sell its advanced wireless technology business to Nokia Siemens Networks  for $650 million and that it was making progress in talks to sell its other businesses.
Nortel, once the largest North American maker of telecommunications gear, collapsed into bankruptcy in January, blaming the economic crisis for derailing a turnaround effort that began in 2005.
Nokia Siemens, a joint venture of Nokia and Siemens, had made an unsolicited offer for parts of Nortel's carrier network group, but the price and scope of a deal had been unclear.
The telecom equipment industry is consolidating and leaving only a few global players -- market leader Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent.
The deal will allow Nokia Siemens to expand its presence in North America and make it a leading supplier of wireless infrastructure products in the region, it said in a separate statement announcing the deal.
The transaction includes Nortel's CDMA business and LTE assets. CDMA is the technology that lost the battle for global dominance but still has a strong position in some markets, including North America. Nortel has a roughly 30 percent share of the global CDMA market.
LTE is a new high-speed wireless technology that is intended to replace current mobile networks. LTE networks are slated to be deployed in the coming years by large wireless carriers including Vodafone Group Plc and Verizon Communications Inc.
"This agreement provides an important strategic opportunity for Nokia Siemens Networks to strengthen its position in two key areas, North America and LTE, at a price that makes good economic sense," NSN Chief Executive Simon Beresford-Wylie said in the statement.
Nokia Siemens is now the "stalking horse" bidder, which means its offer sets a floor under other possible offers in the bankruptcy process.
Under the terms of the deal, at least 2,500 Nortel employees in Canada, the United States, Mexico and China have the opportunity to keep their jobs under NSN ownership. A Nortel spokesman said this represented "a majority" of the employees associated with the assets, but would not give a specific percentage.
Nortel once employed more than 90,000 people, but now has about 30,000 staff. Nortel also said it was advancing discussions to sell its other businesses. (story Link)

Nokia N81 Cell Phone Is First US Phone With N-GAGE Platform

So I got this box in the mail that said N-GAGE on it. But the cell phone inside didn’t look like a taco. I was confused. I tried talking into the side of the slider — it worked just like a cell phone should. What''s this N-GAGE moniker for? Turns out, N-Gage is no longer the name of a specific phone—it’s a platform, meaning that in order to wear the storied (er, buried?) badge a handset must meet certain performance criteria when it comes to mobile gaming. And the phone in question, Nokia’s N81 8GB, is the first so-branded model to be released in the US. This handset has a 3D graphics accelerator, super-bright 16-million-color screen, and physical controls geared toward gaming. There are buttons on opposite ends of the device, mimicking the feel you get when you pick up say, an Xbox 360 controller. In the software department, the N81 runs the graying S60 operating system, and comes with a suite of demo games that cost about $10 to activate. Really? Come on guys, the new N-GAGE is supposed to keep us engaged not enraged.  —Joe Brown

WIRED 3G and Wi-Fi, which should be standard on every phone, thank you very much. Gaming controls work as advertised, with nary a mis-pressed button in several straphanger gaming sessions. 8 gigs is, like, plenty of memory. Sleek design and excellent build quality. Unlocked. Autofocus-free 2-megapizzle camera is paparazzi-fast.

TIRED Paparazzi-fast camera seems like it’s trying especially hard not to focus. Fancy piano-black screen is the opposite of antireflective. Topside button is built around the speaker, and squeaks if you move the phone around during a conversation (= always). Flat, nearly featureless keypad is impossible to use without looking down. Yo Nokia, why can’t you include at least one free game with my $630 phone? And where the @#$! is Snakes?! $629, nokia.com (story Link)

Concept Mobiles That Should/n’t Become a Reality

We know the various kinds of mobile handset form factors from the Candy-bars to the Slide out QWERTY. We also know that the latest and possible future trend is of course, touch technology and the race is on to see which handset will take that technology to the next level. One of my favorite sites, Yanko Design, has a group of individuals who design concept technology and other things and they’ve come with ideas that could seriously rock the market… if they ever made it to production of course.

While researching for an article on my favorite concept phones, I did come across a few that should have stayed in their minds and never made it out. With all due respect to the designers (and there’s plenty of that) here are my choices for handsets that I’d love to see make it to production someday. While these futuristic buggers look like something we should and could see in the future there are those I hope, never make it past this concept stage. For your amusement I’ve listed some of those as well.
Top concept mobiles I’d like to see make it past this stage –
LG Synthesis –

Designed by Andrew Suenghyun Kim, LG’s Synthesis mobile was created for the LG design competition. The designer’s inspiration was nature itself, to be more precise, photosynthesis, hence the name. It’s a gorgeous handset complete with eco friendly solar panels to charge the BT headset and a charging cum speaker dock that looks like a tree branch. It also features a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a 5mp camera and a 1.3MP secondary for video calling (very neatly hidden in front) and was also designed to house a whopping 32GB of space. Nature never looked hotter.
SE Ai –

Although this was something that was designed about 2 years ago and much of a fingerprint magnet it may seem like, I love the design concept of the Sony Ericsson Ai. The chocolate glossy finish and classy lighting for the keypad looks great with the front they’ve gone with. It featured a 3.2MP camera, 2GB of space and came in a slider form factor as well as a standard candy bar. Personally, I’d have gone with the slider.

Nokia Morph

Nokia’s Morph may be exactly what the future of mobile technology could be like. The idea is a joint nanotechnology concept, developed by Nokia Research Center (NRC) and the University of Cambridge (UK). Morph is a concept that demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to comfortably even wear the device stylishly on their person. Of course this is not something we can hope to see for a few more years, but wouldn’t you like to?
Motorola KRE-8 –

This may very well be one of the weirdest designs I’ve ever come across and I’ve come across some doozies while researching. But I still think the concept idea of this “handset” is brilliant and given the chance I’d love to test it for real. The designer Jose Tomas DeLuna’s whole inspiration when designing this handset was to thrill the audiophile who loves mixing and playing around with their music. The handset also manages to combine what can only be construed as Nintendo Wii style functionality with a mobile phone. It uses sensors and accelerometers to figure out the gestures like - Instrument Mode (guitar, drums, violin), Mix Mode and Record Mode which is a full circle for creating music. It even has a touchscreen display (of course) which makes it simpler to adjust and edit files. It supports GPS and music created on the KRE-8 can be tagged with co-ordinates as well. There are not too many words to describe this handset but Stupendous does come to mind first.
iPhone Concept -

I came across a bucket load of iPhone concept designs that were out there and I have to say most were absolutely fantastic and in my opinion, Apple would have done so much better had they gone with one of these. Of course it’s not like the iPhone isn’t good looking as is, but it is kind of ‘blah’ and generic even with the 3G’s sleeker design. But amongst all the cool designs I saw, the one I’ve include appealed to me the most. It was simple, sleek and seemed like it could offer the most amount of functionality. With an iPod Click Wheel for navigation and a QWERTY keypad for input, this concept is certainly an eye catcher. The genius behind this design is a CG artist named Olivier Demangel.

And then there were those that should remain - although technologically advanced as they may seem - on the drawing board. Here are my choices for the Top Concept Mobiles that shouldn’t make it past the drawing board -
Clamshell Glass Phone -

Image Source - Designer Mac Funamizu

This is purely my opinion of course, but a flip phone made of glass is nothing more than a fingerprint magnet and trust me those prints can get really annoying especially when they’re obstructing something on the display. Plus you’ll have to worry about scratches.

Lenovo Poison -

Image Source - Designer: Ryan Ma

The concept is rather too simplistic in it’s candybar form with a transparent display module. The keypad looks quite average and I guess it could be appealing in a ‘haute couture’ sort of way, but it did nothing for me.
Chinese Disney Phone

There’s really nothing I can say about this handset. Concept or reality is irrelevant. It should not have been thought of. But to each his own.
There’s a lot to be said about the future of mobile phone technology in terms of design and of course the kind of technology itself. I’m looking forward to what the manufacturers will come out with and itching to see what the next step will look and feel like. Perhaps you guys could share with us and the other readers what your favorite concept mobiles are, at least the ones you think should definitley make it to mass production and the ones that shouldn’t as well. So leave your comments or email me and I’ll write them up in the next feature. (link)

Nokia E90 Communicator Acts Like a Laptop, Makes Calls Like a Phone

Many moons ago, a laptop, a cell phone, and a cinder block got together for a hot three-way love fest. The product of this freaky, sweaty, and possibly illegal union? The Nokia E90 communicator — a device with some serious identity issues, but also one with some serious talent too.

Let’s be up front about it: this monstrous device at 7.4 ounces and 5.2 x 2.24 x 0.79 inches is not attractive in the slightest. In fact, the unappealing shell and sheer physical size make it a colossal pain in the ass to lug around in public. Clearly, the E90 is made to fit in briefcases—not skinny hipster jeans. Business folks and texting junkies, though, will love the full QWERTY keyboard, a feature that makes composing legalese missives, or elaborate IMs a relatively painless process. (Ever try tapping out a Google doc on the iPhone’s touch screen? Yeesh.) But even more appealing is the impressive palette of functions Nokia manages to cram into the beast: a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, 640 x 480 video resolution at 30fps, 3G compatibility, Wi-Fi, infrared, and Bluetooth connectivity, a voice recorder, GPS Navigation, push-to-talk, both Flash and (scoff) Real Player.

No, it’s not going to tuck you into bed at night, and we’re guessing it won’t get you chicks either (really though, what gadget does?) but the E90 is definitely a good choice for those who want laptop functionality dressed up in the guise of a cell phone. —Nate Ralph

WIRED Great for creating and editing text docs. Can be easily set up as a wireless modem. Integrated GPS means you’ll probably never ask for directions again. Functions perfectly as a cell — the voice quality is on par with the iPhone. Reads PDFs.  Robust keyboard means you can work on that novella while waiting for the bus. No more procrastinating!

TIRED Finding applications in the endlessly layered menu system is consistently confusing. Flat keypad makes typing often feel ambiguous. Screen is hard to see in direct sunlight. Pricey, ungainly, and, worst of all, fugly. $1100, nokia.com (story Link)

3 New Series of Headphones from Sennheiser

Sennheiser has introduced three new series of headphones, the CX II, IE and MM series.

The CX II range includes noise-isolating, in–ear canal headphones, with bass-driven stereo sound. The series in the Street, Sport, Gaming, Travel and Style lines guarantee a unique sound experience and exclusive design and colors.
The IE series caters to specific consumer needs. The flagship model, IE 8, marks a milestone in the development of ear-canal phones and enables the user to precisely fine-tune the bass response according to individual preference. The dynamic drivers and powerful neodymium magnets of the IE 6 ear-canal phones deliver high-fidelity sound with an enhanced bass response. The IE 7 range delivers an audio reproduction that is balanced, precise and true-to-life.
The headsets in the MM series are foldable and specially designed for the iPhone and Nokia phones. (story Link)

Best 5 Megapixel Camera Phones

Although nearly every cell phone available today lets you take photos, it's no secret that the cameras on most phones are, well, lame. Shots snapped by your run-of-the-mill phone shooter are plagued by blown-out highlights, soft focus, low contrast, and poor detail. That's not to say that phone cameras don't come in handy in a pinch; in fact, cameras on some of today's most popular handsets, including the iPhone 3G and the BlackBerry Curve, can take decent pictures (especially outdoors) despite their middling 2-megapixel sensors and subpar lenses.

Still, their shots are nothing compared with those from any one of the 5MP camera phones that have hit the market in the past couple of months. Each one of these handsets takes quality photos that, while still not standalone digital camera quality, are easily good enough for archiving—even printing.

Astute digital-camera shoppers know that the number of megapixels means virtually nothing these days when it comes to choosing a camera. But when it comes to cell phones, a 5MP sensor is still rare enough to show that some thought went into the camera. These phones aren't one-trick ponies, either; all of them are solid communication devices, too.

Behold the latest 5MP camera phones. With one of these, you might actually want to ditch your digital camera.

See how the features on all these cell-phone shooters compare side by side, or click through to the full reviews below.

Camera Phones Featured in This Roundup:

Motorola MotoZINE ZN5 (T-Mobile)

$199.99 - $349.99 direct
Motorola has been struggling lately, but you wouldn't know it from the MotoZINE ZN5, a stellar Motorola/Kodak camera phone that can go toe-to-toe with lower-end point-and-shoot digital cameras. On our tests, we found the ZN5 to have good resolution, little barrel distortion or chromatic aberration, and a fast shutter. It even sports a Xenon flash that's worlds better than the wimpy LED lights you'll find on many other handsets (if they have a flash at all).

Nokia N82 (Unlocked)

$549.00 – $749.95 list
The Nokia N82 isn't only a quality Symbian smartphone, it also took stellar pictures on our tests thanks to its Carl Zeiss lens, 5MP sensor, autofocus, and xenon flash. The N82 is available only unlocked in the U.S.; which means it will work with either AT&T or T-Mobile SIM cards and doesn't require a contract—but in either case, prepare to pay a hefty up-front fee.

Nokia N95 8GB (Unlocked)

$750 list
Nokia's N95 8GB improves on its successful predecessor by adding 8GB of internal storage and plenty of additional memory. It also features a nifty dual-slider design that's perfect for N-Gage gaming and multimedia playback. Unfortunately, as with the N82, you can get the N95 8GB only unlocked in the U.S.

Samsung Behold SGH-T919 (T-Mobile)

$199 – $399 direct
The Samsung Behold SGH-T919 gives T-Mobile subscribers a powerful 5MP camera phone with autofocus. On our tests, we found that the handset takes pleasing pictures that are almost on a par with those of the Motorola ZN5, although the Behold's regular LED flash is just about useless. Except for that, it's a dependable touch-screen phone. Mobile Web fiends should also take note: It's a particularly good handset for hooking into T-Mobile's brand-new 3G data network.

Samsung Omnia SCH-i910 (Verizon Wireless)

$249.99 – $496.99 list
The Windows Mobile 6.1–based Omnia includes a fast CPU, a 5MP camera with autofocus, and 8GB of internal storage. Its shutter lag is a respectable 0.3 second with prefocusing and 1.2 seconds without, and the Omnia can even record 640-by-480-pixel videos at 15 frames per second. It also features the same robust Microsoft Outlook synchronization and document editing common to all Microsoft-based smartphones. (story Link)

Nokia N86 : 8 Megapixel Camera Mobile Phone

It’s now as official as it can possibly get. Nokia’s very first 8 Megapixel camera phone, the N86, is a reality. Although it already seemed like that earlier today, we were just hoping that a release and some higher resolution images would hit the Nokia site soon so we could be 110 percent sure. Thankfully that was a short wait.

"People demand mobile cameras that take excellent pictures in all light conditions," says Juha-Pekka Sipponen, Director, Nokia Nseries. "That’s why the aperture of the Nokia N86 8MP is comparable to that of a high-quality, stand-alone digital camera. Whether it’s running with the bulls in Pamplona or capturing the panoramic beauty of a sunrise over Sydney, the Nokia N86 8MP will take brilliantly clear, wide-angle images that are instantly geotagged to be uploaded onto sites like Ovi Share or Flickr."
The Nokia N86 8MP camera includes a wide-angle Carl Zeiss Tessar lens for panoramic pictures, shorter latencies and variable aperture for super sharp photos in challenging bright and low light conditions. A fast mechanical shutter will help ensure pictures with less motion blur. What could be construed as a disappointment would be the presence of  a dual LED camera flash instead of a Xenon.

"When it comes to taking the best digital photos, it’s the quality of the lens and the sensor that count, not just the quantity of pixels. The Nokia N86 8MP is the first mobile device with variable aperture, adding to the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens for excellent results. It has never been easier to capture special moments in such a great quality," says Helmut Heier of Carl Zeiss.

The handset features -

• 2.6 inch OLED, scratch resistant hardened glass display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution
• Dual Slider
• 8GB of internal memory (microSD card support)
• HSDPA, Wi-Fi, EDGE
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0 (micro)
• GPS with A-GPS support (Nokia Maps)
• FM radio with RDS and FM transmitter feature
• 3.5mm AV socket
• Rear kickstand

With full Ovi integration, users can share their location with personal content like geotagged photos. The Nokia N86 8MP comes with a built-in compass, along with an integrated 3-month license for full voice and pedestrian navigation.

The Nokia N86 8MP is expected to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2009 at an estimated retail price of Rs. 23, 331 (EUR 375), before taxes and subsidies. (story Link)

Nortel Cancels WiMAX Plans

A few weeks after Nokia canceled its high-profile, WiMAX-capable N810 tablet, Nortel has announced that it is canning its mobile WiMAX business, ending a joint venture with the Israel-based Alvarion, according to Silicon Alley Insider.

The report said that WiMAX, a next-generation mobile Internet technology we profiled several months ago during its rollout in Baltimore, hasn't taken off the way some of its backers had hoped. Sprint is behind the technology, but the three major competing carriers in the U.S.—AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless—are all betting on LTE instead.

At the same time, Nortel isn't doing all that well lately as a whole, so this may or may not mean anything about the future of WiMAX. (story Link)

Review: The Nokia E71 is a Tough Device to Beat

It has been over 2 months since I wrote up my first impressions of the Nokia E71. At that time I was getting flooded with review and purchased devices such as the Palm Treo Pro, Samsung OMNIA, Touch Diamond, Treo 800w, MWg Zinc II, iPhone 3G and loads of applications with iPhone 2.0, Touch Diamond updates, and the iPAQ 910. Most of those devices are gone now, but the one that keeps earning the honor of carrying my AT&T SIM card is the Nokia E71. The fantastic hardware, valuable notifications on the standby screen, outstanding 3rd party application support, and form factor keep it in my pocket most of the time.

The device I took you on a tour around before was a European version and since that time I picked up the North American version that supports 3G on AT&T’s network. The hardware is the exact same as I detailed before, with the exception of the internal radio now supporting the U.S. bands so I won’t go over the hardware again. I will say what I keep on saying to everyone that I talk to about the device, the hardware ROCKS!

Looks and feel: The E71 is targeted to the enterprise user and as soon as you pull the device out of the box you realize this is one classy and professional device with the sleek stainless steel and dense body. The front facing QWERTY keyboard challenges the BlackBerry and the business user who have Exchange should be pleased with the device. The E71 is one of the first Eseries devices that no longer supports the BlackBerry Connect functionality, which some people may understandably miss. I use an Exchange service and have been using RoadSync because it provides an advanced Exchange experience compared to the free Nokia Mail For Exchange utility (for example, better folder support).

I did notice there is more light present between the display and keyboard than there was on the European version and haven’t seen folks mention this on the forums so I think this is just a slight device flaw that is not present across the line.

Keyboard: The keyboard is surprisingly very good and I actually like it better than my BlackBerry Curve for the most part because the keys feel more solid and smooth (the Curve buttons are hard and a bit loose) and I rarely enter text I didn’t intend to enter. I love that there is a button for the @ character, comma, period, and question mark that do not require any press of a FN button like they do on my Curve. Unfortunately, Nokia hasn’t fully embraced the keyboard into the device since there are very few shortcuts that you can perform on your device and most shortcuts are application specific. For example, did you see the TON of fantastic shortcuts I listed in my Nokia Email service post I would like to see Nokia integrate these types of shortcuts throughout the system and applications. (full Story)

Global Mobile Awards 2009 Nominees Announced for MWC 09

In just over three weeks Mobile World Congress 2009 kicks off in Spain and the press releases are already starting to appear as companies get ready for big announcements and product showcases. One of the first releases concerns the nominees for the Global Mobile Awards. MWC is a mobile show focused on world markets so you will see many services that are provided outside the US in the list of nominees. I was pleased to see two of my personal favorite devices, the Nokia E71 and T-Mobile G1 appear in the Best Mobile Handset or Device category along with the INQ1, LG KS360, and BlackBerry Storm 9500.

I have to admit I am unfamiliar with a majority of the services nominated for these awards since I am heavily US focused in my coverage and experience. Some familiar faces in the crowd are Shazam for the iPhone (love it on my G1 too), Palringo IM client, and the BB Storm SurePress display. (story Link)