Vertu’s first foray into the heady modern world of touchscreen phones has arrived, and it still looks KIRF-ably premium. But what’s surprising is that the Constellation’s feature ensemble is actually half-decent — at least relative to its predecessors. Wearing an exclusive 3.5-inch AMOLED screen coated entirely in sapphire crystal, the Constellation completes the look with a “ceramic pillow” (we’d call it an ‘earpiece’) and a black alligator skin back cover. Last seen skulking around Bluetooth product listings, it’s now back in the public spotlight with a confirmed eight megapixel camera, flanked by a twin LED flash and HSPA+ connections. There’s no word on what OS this starlet is working with, though it’s likely to be Symbian — appropriate for all those oil barons, F1 drivers and other anachronistic rich types who can (send staff to) pick up their new Vertu from stores now.

Vertu Constellation packs gaudy brilliance, and we don’t mean the AMOLED originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After placing all bets on Windows Phone, Stephen Elop announced that Nokia would slowly phase out its OG operating system, Symbian. Today, it’s officially passed the torch, handing over all Symbian-related duties to Accenture, a consulting and outsourcing firm. 2,300 former Nokia employees will also be repurposed, getting a new name on their paycheck as they tend to the ill-fated OS. The Finnish mainstay says the arrangement will last until at least 2016, and plans to continually roll out updates during this time. Not everyone is hanging on another five years though, as it seems that at least 500 employees have jumped ship or found new gigs within the company since the original announcement predicting 2,800 reassignments. Head past the break to find the full (and very terse) press release.

Continue reading Nokia passes off Symbian and 2,300 employees to Accenture

Nokia passes off Symbian and 2,300 employees to Accenture originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When last we checked in with Nielsen (which was earlier this month) Google’s mobile OS had a sizable lead, powering just under 42-percent of smartphones sold, while Apple had cornered a more than respectable 28-percent of the market. In the few short weeks since, Android has seen its share grow to 43-percent. More interestingly, of the over 25,500 surveyed who had purchased a smartphone in the last three months, a whopping 56-percent chose to go with the Goog. Apple held a steady 28-percent across the board. Big G’s gains came at the expense of RIM (only 9-percent of phones sold in the last three months were BlackBerries) and the ambiguous “other” (Symbian, Windows Phone 7, Bada, MeeGo, etc… accounted for 6-percent of sales). More important than choice of platform though, is that smartphone sales in general are climbing — accounting for 58-percent of all handsets sold in August and driving smartphone penetration to 43-percent.

Android powered 56 percent of smartphones sold in the last three months originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung invited the world to adventure with its own smartphone OS, Bada, almost two years ago and so far most of us have turned down the offer. Of course, that trip could look more appealing if a Wall Street Journal rumor is true and the company is planning to open source it for use by developers and other manufacturers alike next year. Citing the usual “person familiar with the situation”, Samsung apparently isn’t interested in snagging any outside companies like, say, webOS, but wants to strengthen its independence from Android after Google announced it will purchase Motorola. Right now, it feels like we’ve already seen this story play out for the still-kicking Symbian. On the other hand, maybe Samsung, with its massive manufacturing capabilities and current hit-making prowess, can strike the right balance of hardware, software and apps to make it worthwhile. If it tries and fails, well, maybe the folks in Redmond will be looking for another close friend.

Samsung taking Bada open source in 2012? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia now shipping 700 and 701 to retailers, all our Symbian Belle are belong to us originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Nokia 701 hands-on (video)

Nokia 701 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What’s this, then? It’s the Nokia 500, hanging out in the Vodafone booth. The 3.2-inch handset is awaiting an official release on the European carrier, which should be hitting around the October time frame here in Germany, according the rep we spoke with. Still no word on pricing from the carrier, but it was suggested to us that the handset would likely run €99 or less, on contract. We managed to get some hands-on time with the Symbian Anna handset, and can’t say we were all that impressed by the hardware on what feels like a relatively low end phone for Nokia, a company that has offered up some of the best hardware designs in the business.

The screen feels quite narrow, and the device itself a bit chunky. The phone has 256MB of RAM and a 1GHz processor, which do the job reasonably well, though the Anna interface will likely leave something to be desired for many smartphone users. There’s also a five megapixel rear-facing camera and an microSD slot — oh, and the rep we spoke with seemed particularly excited about the different color back plates, which will be available for the phone.

It’s not the most exciting phone out there from the Finnish handset maker, but for those looking for a relatively low-cost smartphone from the company, the 500 certainly gets the job done.

Nokia 500 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia may be over Symbian in the United States, but the Finnish company is certainly pursuing the Chinese market with ferocity. Engadget China recently sat down with the three new devices from Espoo — the 600, 700 and 701 — along with its new operating system, Symbian Belle, and has a number of hands-on photos and videos for your perusal. We’ve got plenty more after the break. Join us, will ya?

Continue reading Nokia 701, 700 and 600 get hands-on treatment with Symbian Belle, Nokia proposes NFC love in China (video)

Nokia 701, 700 and 600 get hands-on treatment with Symbian Belle, Nokia proposes NFC love in China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 02:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s US prexy Chris Weber’s been making the media rounds lately, talking up the company’s Windows Phone near-future and offering a peek at the marketing blitz to come. In an interview with VentureBeat, Weber confirmed the death of Symbian and the N9′s North American release, but was much less straightforward when asked about the WP7 launch, saying only that a US focus is paramount to the OEM’s global success. The MS-blessed smartphones are set to debut “in volume” next year, at which point Nokia hopes to have ironed out its complex negotiations with carriers, bringing aggressively subsidized handsets to market. Nokia’s chief also engaged in a bit of mobile OS grandstanding, touting Microsoft’s live tile integrated approach as superior to the “outdated” app focus popularized by iOS and Android. And if you’re wondering just how the OEM plans to differentiate its hardware in this cluttered wireless market, expect to see phones with an emphasis on “state-of-the-art imaging technology and battery performance.” Here’s to hoping Weber’s words don’t come back to haunt him when his bet goes live next year.

Nokia’s Chris Weber promises US-centric push for Windows Phone 7 devices originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been eagerly awaiting September 23rd so you can grab your very own Nokia N9 in America, the company’s first (and last) MeeGo smartphone may not be shipping in your region after all. We’ve been reaching out to Espoo in recent weeks in an attempt to nail down a US ship date for the drop-dead gorgeous handset, and much to our chagrin, we received a rather disheartening reply:

“After the very positive reception to the launch of the Nokia N9, the product is now being rolled out in countries around the world. At this time we will not be making it available in the US. Nokia takes a market by market approach to product rollout, and each country makes its own decisions about which products to introduce from those available. Decisions are based on an assessment of existing and upcoming products that make up Nokia’s extensive product portfolio and the best way in which to address local market opportunities.”

Bummer. Moreover, the folks over at The Inquirer were fed an eerily similar line regarding a ship date in the UK, leaving us to wonder where exactly this thing is planning to launch. Regardless, we’re still doing our darndest to get ahold of one for review, but it’s becoming all the more obvious that it’ll hardly matter to folks situated in the US of A. And that, friends, is a crying shame.

Nokia: the N9 isn’t coming to America originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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