Nokia-branded mobile phones are on sale, once again, on the Finnish company's website.

For now, the range is limited to some pretty basic models, but that should change when Android-powered smartphones and tablets are added soon.
It's thanks to a deal with a small team based at a business park on the fringes of Helsinki, who are engaged in what will seem to many a foolhardy mission.
They call themselves HMD Global - and they believe they can make Nokia a big name in mobile phones once again.
I met Arto Nummela, Pekka Rantala and Florian Seiche in a cafe on what is still the Nokia campus.
That very day Arto and Pekka had stopped working for the Nokia Windows mobile phone business owned by Microsoft - because they had acquired both it and the Nokia brand to start their new business.
Yes, it is complicated, but so is the recent history of what was just a few years back Europe's technology superpower and the biggest force in mobile phones.
After the launch of the iPhone in 2007, Nokia faltered and by 2011 was on what its first American chief executive, Stephen Elop, called a burning platform.
Then, the phone business was sold to Microsoft, which soon found it had made a disastrous purchase as the Nokia Windows combination failed to claim a significant slice of a market dominated by Apple's iOS and Android.
Now, the Finnish business - which remained a big force in telecoms infrastructure after the sale of the mobile unit - has licensed the Nokia brand to HMD Global, which aims to take it back to the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ronaldo says there's no 'big rivalry' between him and Messi, just respect

Image
Just about any discussion on a soccer message board or comments section can and will devolve into a Ronaldo vs. Messi argument (it's one of Murphy's Laws), but CR7 himself says there's no rivalry between him and the little Argentine. They're not friends either, but there's plenty of respect between the two. When asked by Coach magazine which opponent he admires the most, Ronaldo said: "There is a big mutual respect between myself and Lionel Messi. The media like to make out like we have this big rivalry, but we don't. It is not like we are good friends, but there is a mutual respect on both sides." Both Ronaldo and Messi have long maintained that there's no longstanding feud between the two, and Ronaldo's son is even a diehard Messi fan. Nothing seems to have changed with Ronaldo's latest statements, even with his struggles so far this season, scoring just four goals in nine matches to Messi's 14 over the same period....
Read more

Malawi man convicted over 'ritual sex' with 104 women

Image
A Malawi court has convicted an HIV-positive man who had confessed to having sex with 104 girls and widows in traditional "sexual cleansing" rituals. Eric Aniva, 45,  was found guilty on Friday on two counts after a one-day trial in a packed courtroom in the district of Nsanje. "It is clear ... that the state has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused was engaging in harmful practices," the magistrate,  Innocent Nebi, said. "I find you guilty and convict you accordingly," he said, adding that sentencing would be on November 22. The verdict did not take into account the man's HIV-positive status, because there was no evidence of any of the girls or women having caught the virus. Custom in some parts of southern Malawi dictates that a man, known as a "hyena", is paid to have sex with bereaved widows to exorcise evil spirits and to prevent other deaths from happening. "I dared to reveal what I have been practising...
Read more

Nigerian caoch hopes Victor Moses Reverses his Retirement

Image
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is hoping that the chance to win a second Africa Cup of Nations title could convince Victor Moses to reconsider his decision to retire from the international football. Moses, 27, stunned the African nation when he called time on his international career earlier this month, but Rohr is hopeful that the decision can still be reversed. "We spoke already and I hope that his decision is not definitive," the German told KweséESPN. "I think it depends on his motivation. If he really wants to commit himself again, he is welcome. "Maybe the chance to win the Afcon is motivation. We will see." Moses was a key member of the Super Eagles team that won a third African title for Nigeria in 2013, and the World Cup in Russia was his second for the country. The forward scored 12 times in his 37 appearances for Nigeria, and provided a constant and potent threat for the Super Eagles whenever he played. His sudden retirement took even h...
Read more