Some might have seen it coming, some might have not. For 2 and a half years, Microsoft and Nokia had a partnership for pushing forward Windows Phone, and now it seems like that is coming to an end – the Redmond company finally buying Nokia for $7.2 billion.
“We will continue to build the mobile phones you’ve come to love, while investing in the future – new phones and services that combine the best of Microsoft and the best of Nokia.”
What MS is purchasing is most of the company – including the device division of course. What’s left of Nokia are its network infrastructure (NSN), its HERE services and Advanced Technologies.
The transaction will close early on next year, 2014. With all of that said, we know a few things. We won’t ever see a Nokia running Android, Microsoft’s hardware including the Surface might utilize Nokia’s hardware, and Nokia CEO Stephen Elop might replace Ballmer after all.
Editor’s Note: In 2012, we predicted that Microsoft will eventually buy Nokia for under $30 billion. It took 18 months for the prediction to come true but we were off by as much as $23 billion.
Company executives come and go, and as with the case of Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer, the retirement is slightly unexpected or too early. Ballmer has been at the helm of Microsoft for the last 13 years and has made a lot of changes for Microsoft.
Just as the biggest leaps & reorganizations are happening, his retirement is announced to happen in the next 12 months. Within that time frame, we’re also expecting huge efforts for their products, especially in the smartphone and tablet market.
Microsoft Windows might be the product to inject hope in the company that’s facing a lot of competition. The 8.1 ‘Blue’ update is coming very soon (which brings a lot of improvements), but the rest just makes everyone doubt the company right now; manufacturers & customers are moving away from Windows RT, Nokia’s the only thing keeping Windows Phone alive, and the Xbox One didn’t have the most marvelous launch either.
So what’s the future for Microsoft? We all know it has been very shaky (*cough* Vista *cough*), but what’s next? In fact, we don’t even know who the next CEO will be. It’s dark. And mysterious.
With that mystery however, it leaves us wondering; what could Microsoft possibly do next? What if you were the one to decide for the Redmond company? What would you do? They’ve changed their logos & their products dramatically already and whether that would work is yet to be seen in future numbers.
The said elements aren’t the major things that keep the company alive though. Microsoft gets most of its income from its business and server divisions; Windows Phone & Surface tablets won’t make the biggest differences whether if they fail or not… at least not yet.
“Microsoft is running late in a race that needs to be won.”
The tech industry is now focusing on mobile computing, whether you call it the Post-PC era or not, it still bares the same essence – we’re going mobile, and we’re going cloud.
That doesn’t mean to say though that we’re leaving our big stationary desktops. What I’m saying is that Microsoft is running late in a race that needs to be won – which is most likely why Windows Phone needs to be that 3rd OS option as it goes against BlackBerry, why Microsoft won’t give on RT just that easily and why they want YOU to be in their ecosystem (Bing, IE, Windows, SkyDrive, Office & so on).
“The company needs to get better at mobile, and it needs a brighter future.”
Would a notification center for Windows Phone help? Should they abandon RT? Should they create more new product lines like smartwatches & glasses? What would you do to attract more developers?
There are a lot of questions for the tech giant right now, and the struggle for relevance in the tech industry is tight. If Microsoft doesn’t do anything worth applauding to compliment their visions now and improve their hold on the mobile industry, the future will only get more uncertain.
For the next half of the year, it looks like HTC has a lot planned. They have the Butterfly S announced, and we are also expecting an HTC One Mini. But moreover that, it is reported that HTC has another One variant on the way – running Windows Phone OS.
The device won’t look exactly like the One, but will have the same aluminum body. Also, Beats Audio & UltraPixel might find a way into the phone as well.
If the GDR3 update comes in time for the mentioned phone, then it might include some very impressive specs since the GDR3 update will allow support for 1080p displays and the like.
Following the Windows Phone 8S and the 8X, we have no idea on what it will be called. However, we’re guessing it could be the HTC Windows Phone One or Windows Phone 9X (8+1). Fancy?
It’s the midway point of the year and if you’re planning to get one of those Live tile touting phones with your mid-year bonus, you should probably check out our list of the most affordable phones running Windows Phone 8 in the local market, and maybe we can help you in deciding which one to choose.
(Note: Prices are based on online sellers and lowest mall prices we’ve found.)
1. HTC Windows Phone 8S (around Php12,990)
Pros:
Solid and beautiful design
Loud and clear sound performance
Refreshing user interface
Cons:
So-so battery life
Sub-par camera performance
Prone to dirt stains
HTC Windows Phone 8S specs:
4-inch S-LCD Display (480 x 800) 233ppi
1GHz dual-core Krait CPU
Adreno 305
512 RAM
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.1
4GB internal memory
up o 32GB via microSD card
5 megapixel camera (LED flash, 720p video)
Windows Phone 8
120.5 x 63 x 10.3 mm (dimensions)
113 g (weight)
Li-IOn battery 1700 mAh
2. Nokia Lumia 720 (Php12,700 – Php14,500)
Pros:
Great performance for a WVGA screen
Snappy performance
Outstanding battery life
Cons:
Inconsistent camera performance
Lack of apps because of 512MB RAM
Nokia Lumia 720 specs:
4.3-inch ClearBlack IPS LCD display @ 800×480 pixels, 217ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Qualcomm MSM8227 Snapdragon 1.0GHz dual-core
Adreno 305 Graphics
512MB RAM
8GB internal memory
microSD card up to 64GB
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
HSDPA 21.1 Mbps
Bluetooth 3.0
NFC
6.7MP AF camera, Carl Zeiss, with LED Flash
720p video recording at 30fps
1.3 megapixel front-facing wide angle camera
Li-Ion 2,000mAh battery
Windows Phone 8
Wireless Charging support
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
Dimension: 127.9 x 67.5 x 9mm
Weight: 128g
3. Huawei Ascend W1 (Php8,990)
Pros:
Solid construction
Attractive design
Good battery life
Decent performance
Cons:
512MB RAM
Limited internal storage
Average camera performance
Huawei Ascend W1 specs:
4.0-inch IPS OGS display @ 480×800 pixels, 233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8230 Snapdragon 1.2GHz dual-core Krait
Adreno 305
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage (up to 32GB via microSD)
3G/HSDPA 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
5MP rear camera @ 720p
VGA front-facing camera
GPS w/ aGPS, GLONASS
Li-Ion 1950mAh battery
124.5 x 63.7 x 10.5 mm
130 g
Windows Phone 8
4. Nokia Lumia 620 (Php8,600 – Php11,600)
Pros:
Solid construction
Good design
Decent performance
Great display
Cons:
512MB RAM
Limited internal storage
Nokia Lumia 620 specs:
3.8-inch TFT WVGA (800×480), ClearBlack
1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon (TM) S4
512MB RAM
8GB internal memory, up to 64GB via microSD
5MP autofocus w/ LED flash; Video capture: HD 720p@30fps
VGA front camera
NFC
WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
1,300mAh battery
115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm
127g
Windows Phone 8
5. Nokia Lumia 520 (Php7,400 – Php7,990)
Pros:
Solidly and beautifully built
Amazing display
Cons:
512MB RAM
Limited internal storage
Nokia Lumia 520 specs:
4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) IPS LCD, 233ppi
Qualcomm MSM8227 Dual-core 1 GHz
Adreno 305
512MB RAM
8GB internal storage
microSD up to 64GB
5MP AF camera
720p video recording at 30fps
HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Li-Ion 1,430mAh battery
119.9 x 64 x 9.9 mm
124g
Windows Phone 8
Special Mention: We’d like to add though; if you are good in seeking for better deals – we have to tell you that we did see HTC 8Xs being sold for a cheaper Php10k recently.
That’s about it folks. Fancy anything on the list? Or rather, maybe you have one of them already? Feel free to give us all your says on the space down below.
For the longest time, Nokia was on top of the mobile phone foodchain. We’ve said that over and over again in previous articles, and today, they may have been eclipsed by other better selling brands. To be honest, however, I think Nokia’s doing a good job in trying to reclaim its spot as the number one smartphone company.
Several months ago, my stand on Nokia’s decision on Windows Phone was a little shaky. I even wrote an article about it here, asking if I should give them a second chance. Now though, I’m starting to think Nokia can do this.
I personally think that Nokia’s way to the top will be a lot easier with Android, but Nokia is indeed proving that there’s also a way to the top with Windows Phone.
Through WP, Nokia is a king. It’s the company that pops into your head when you hear Windows Phone, and it offers the best hardware running the software. However, for Nokia, it’s going to be a slow journey, but I am positive that they’ll get there.
Nokia has a great design department & an amazing camera team. The software too is above average as they have made a good set of apps for Windows Phone – which lacks compared to Android & iOS. They have City Lens, Here, Cinemagraph & more, and I think it’s very cool. Also, it’s Nokia that’s doing most of the effort by releasing apps such as #2InstaWithLove – which calls out to Instagram to make an app for WP.
Windows Phone still adds a limitation to Nokia though, which is probably why Nokia has no 1080p phones and why the company had to make a separate Smart Camera app for the Lumia 925 to compete with present day smartphones
With all of that said, we’re just hoping Windows Phone’s next updates will be a lot better, since I think it’s very obvious – Nokia’s work can be a lot easier if Windows Phone didn’t hold it back.
Marketing is something I feel that Nokia has just learned, and it’s one of the most important elements in business success. This is very clear in their new commercial for the Lumia, and I think it’s very clever. If only they got that to more TVs, maybe their sales would soar higher.
I was disappointed when we didn’t see the rumored EOS phone on Nokia’s event, but even if that’s the case, I was still glad. If you haven’t noticed yet, the Nokia Lumia 925 is still the company’s reply to the HTC One & the Samsung Galaxy S4 – and it still competes well.
While the One is made out of aluminum and the S4 of polycarbonate plastic, the Lumia 925 combines both materials into one phone. The Lumia 925 has the best of both worlds with an aluminum side frame and a polycarbonate back.
The display can be argued with, but the camera isn’t The Nokia Lumia 920 didn’t have a bad camera; it just didn’t do as great in daylight. Nokia aims to fix that with the 6th lens they’ve added into the 925. By keeping a relatively high megapixel count like the S4 and amazing low-light capabilities like the One, again – Nokia offers the best of both worlds.
Without everyone really knowing, Nokia’s very competitive. When the other phone manufacturers added a bunch of camera settings into their devices, Nokia made sure they had a counterpart – and they didn’t wait for any tweak from Microsoft. As for the CPU and the other specs, one might argue.
Windows Phone needs to have a great update to accelerate Nokia further. Apart from that, it’s also the game & app developers that needs a push to strengthen the ecosystem.
All of those things will make Nokia’s way to success easier, but even with those at a slow pace, I’m sure Nokia will do just fine.
