Nokia Plans to Cut Around 600 Jobs by 2019-End

Finnish telecoms giant Nokia said Thursday it planned to cut around 600 jobs in France as it seeks to make cost-savings and refocus its loss-making businesses.

The group said it planned to reduce its headcount in France by 597, a little over 10 percent of its total workforce in the country. French trade unions (CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT, CFTC unions) called the move “unacceptable,” and asked for a meeting at the Economy Ministry.

The Ministry told Reuters it would convene in the coming weeks a committee made of union and company representatives to monitor the issue.

The job cuts would concern central and support functions within Alcatel-Lucent International and Nokia Solutions Networks France, which employ a combined 4,200 people in the country, a Nokia spokeswoman told Reuters in an e-mail.

R&D functions were excluded from the plan and Nokia will seek to limit as much a possible forced redundancies, she said.

Nokia, which no longer makes handsets having sold that business to Microsoft, bought French-American telecoms equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent in 2015 in a deal that was expected to lead to savings.

The cuts in France will be focused on administrative and support services and will not effect research and development as it refocuses on high-speed 5G telecom networks, cyber-security and Internet-linked appliances, the group said.

Nokia is aiming to make EUR 1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in total cost savings by the end of 2018 following net losses of EUR 766 million last year.

 

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 5 Receives September Android Security Update Ahead of Google Devices

Nokia, or rather HMD Global, is at it again. The company has released the September Android security update to the Nokia 5 smartphones ahead of Google’s update for its Pixel and Nexus devices. This, as you may have gathered, is not the first time that Nokia has beaten Google to its own Android security update. Back in July, the Nokia 6 received the monthly security patch ahead of Nexus and Pixel devices, whereas last month, the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 received the update alongside Google devices. So overall, it’s safe to Nokia has thus far been doing a good job with security update rollouts, something the company had promised soon after launch.

Getting back the September Android security patch for the Nokia 5, the 142.1MB update is now rolling out to users, Nokia Power User reports. The update does not bring in any other changes, the report notes. Google hasn’t yet published the Android Security Bulletin for the month of September 2017 yet, putting Nokia far in the lead with its own rollout. To add some more perspective to the announcement, HMD Global this week also confirmed that the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6, and Nokia 8 smartphones will all receive Android 8.0 Oreo updates.

To recall, the Nokia 5 was first unveiled back at MWC 2017, and has since launched the smartphone in India as well. While the smartphone’s India launch was back in July, the company only made the Nokia 5 available to buy in the country on August 15. The Nokia 5 comes with a fingerprint scanner mounted on the home button and sports a 5.2-inch HD (720×1280 pixel) display. It runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). Nokia 5 packs a 13-megapixel camera on the back along with a flash and while an 8-megapixel sensor sits at the front.

 

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 5 Users Report Dolby Equalizer Issues, HMD Global Says Fix Incoming

The Nokia 5 smartphone has been launched in multiple countries, including India, and now users are reporting of a strange equaliser issue on their units. Apparently, users are unable to open the Dolby Equalizer settings when in certain music apps like Google Play Music or Spotify. HMD Global was quick to respond on the issue, and has confirmed that it is working on it.

Users have taken to XDA Forums to report this issue where they claim that if they tried to open the Dolby Equalizer through apps like Google Play Music or Spotify, they met with only a white dialogue box, and nothing else. The Dolby Equalizer, on its own accord, opens without any glitches, but specific apps are unable to get it to work.

One of the users shared a screenshot of the email sent by Nokia care talking about the steps taken to resolve the issue on the thread as well. The email confirms that HMD Global is aware about the issue and has informed its developers. The developers are working on it, and will roll out an update rectifying the mistake soon. As a temporary workaround, Nokia Mobile Care is said to suggest downloading third party apps from Google Play in the meantime.

This means that a Nokia fix for this issue is coming soon. This issue isn’t a major one any ways, and shouldn’t really disrupt your everyday tasks on the Nokia 5. Also, this prompt reply is commendable from HMD Global, and reiterates the company’s solid software support for its Nokia lineup. In an interview with Gadgets 360, HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas had promised monthly patches and regular software updates bringing new features to Nokia users first.

Keeping this promise, we also saw the Nokia 6 getting the July security patch ahead of Google Pixel as well. Let’s just hope that HMD Global continues on this positive streak in the future as well.

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 8 Design Leak Shows Vertical Dual Camera Setup, Carl Zeiss Optics

Nokia 8 is on the top of everyone’s minds now that the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 release plans are out of the way. Considered the true Nokia flagship after the mid-range budget handsets unveiled so far, the Nokia 8 and its specifications have been leaked multiple times over the past few weeks. Now, press renders of the smartphone have been outed, giving away the Nokia 8 design details with Carl Zeiss optics and dual camera setup. This leak comes a day after a report pegged July 31 as the launch date for the smartphone.

Nokia 8 design

Tipster extraordinaire Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has posted a press render of the Nokia 8 flagship showing the device from the front and back. A Blue colour variant is seen sporting a metal body and a vertical dual camera setup at the back. The lenses are Zeiss branded, making this the first smartphone to be leaked with this after the announcement of HMD Global and Zeiss partnership earlier this month. @evleaks also leaked the dual camera module separately showing two camera lenses, a flash at the bottom, and an extra hole presumed to be for laser autofocus. However, that’s just speculation and the fourth hole could be for something entirely different.

There’s a Home Button in the front with hardware capacitive keys on either side for navigation. The volume and power keys both are seen situated on the right edge of the device, while the 3.5mm audio jack is seen sitting on the top edge.

Nokia 8 specifications

The Nokia 8 is tipped to run on Android 7.1 Nougat and sport a 5.3-inch QHD display. It is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. Nokia 8 may launch with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage initially, though the rumoured 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM variant may see the light of the day a little bit later. Two 13-megapixel rear lenses from Carl Zeiss are a possibility, and a 13-megapixel front camera is expected as well. The dimensions are tipped to be at 151.55×73.7mm.

Furthermore, the Nokia 8 is largely expected to be priced at EUR 589 (roughly Rs. 43,400). Lastly, at launch, the Nokia 8 will be available in four colour options – Blue, Steel, Gold/Blue, and Gold/Copper.

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 3 Now Available With Zero Percent Interest EMI Schemes in India

Nokia 3, the cheapest of the three new Nokia Android phones, will now be available in India with interest free financial schemes. HMD Global has struck a deal with Home Credit to offer prospective Nokia 3 buyers an interest free scheme. Nokia 3, an offline-exclusive Nokia Android phone, went on sale in India few weeks back. It is available in the country at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 9,499, and comes in four colours, namely Matte Black, Silver White, Tempered Blue and Copper White.

Under the new partnership with Home Credit, Nokia 3 will be available to buy with financing schemes that will offer 0 percent interest loans with flexible EMI and down payment options. With the new partnership, Nokia 3 potential buyers can opt for to pay their EMIs in six or seven months.

Commenting on the partnership, Tomas Hrdlicka, Chief Marketing Officer, Home Credit India Finance, said, “This strategic partnership is aimed at enabling customers to have easier access to Nokia phones with hassle free financing options. We are optimistic that our collaboration with HMD will make buying of the new range of mobiles much easier and convenient given our huge network of point of sales across the country.”

Ajey Mehta, Vice President India, HMD Global said, “The consumer is always at the centre of whatever we do. Keeping this in mind, it is our constant endeavour to offer a smooth and convenient ownership experience to our consumers. This led to our partnership with Home Credit to ensure that consumers buying Nokia 3 can avail of ‘interest-free’ financial schemes.”

To refresh on specifications of the Nokia 3, the smartphone is targeted at those who are looking for a premium-looking handset at a budget and features a 5-inch HD display, Android 7.0 Nougat, and 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek 6737 SoC. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). Optics include an 8-megapixel camera on both the front and back. The Nokia 3 packs a 2650mAh battery and measures 143.4×71.4×8.4mm.

 

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 6 Said to Be Receiving July Android Security Patch Ahead of Google Pixel

At MWC 2017, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas had confirmed to Gadgets 360 that Nokia Android phones will receive timely security and software updates for its smartphones. Keeping that promise, the Nokia 6 is now reportedly receiving the July Android security update via an OTA to all users in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The report came ahead of the July Android security update rollout for Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones, making it the first smartphone to get this month’s security patch.

The security patch brings a lot of fixes to recent vulnerabilities ensuring your device is not exposed to new flaws and bugs. Nokiapoweruser has shared screenshots from a Nokia 6 smartphone downloading the security patch (above), and the update size is reported to be at 149MB. HMD Global had promised timely updates and software support for up to two years for its Android phones. The company also confirmed that Android O will arrive on Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 smartphones.

The Nokia 6 has been made available in China, Hong Hong and Taiwan only for now, but is set to arrive in many markets in a month or two. It was supposed to arrive in the UK this month, but got delayed till August 16 due to high demand. In India, the Nokia 6 has been launched at Rs. 14,999. The Nokia 6 registrations for the first sale will start on July 14, but the company has not announced when the smartphone will go on sale.

Nokia 6 specifications
Nokia 6 sports a 5.5-inch full-HD display with a 2.5D Gorilla Glass on top. It is powered by a Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The dual-SIM Nokia 6 smartphone comes with a 3000mAh non-removable battery with fast-charging support. On the camera front, Nokia 6 comes with a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, and dual-tone flash, as well as an 8-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. The Android 7.0 Nougat smartphone has USB 2.0 port for connectivity, fingerprint sensor in the front, stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos audio enhancement.

 

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 Users Will Get Up to 9GB Free Vodafone Data

Nokia 3 customers will get 4GB of free Vodafone 3G/ 4G data as part of the partnership between the telecom operator and HMD Global, the new custodian of the Nokia mobile phone brand. In addition to this, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 buyers will also get 4GB and 9GB of free data from Vodafone when the two smartphones become available to purchase in July. Of the three Nokia Android phones, only the Nokia 3 is available to purchase at present. The free Vodafone data will be available for both prepaid and postpaid customers buying the smartphones.

Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 free Vodafone data offer
With the new Vodafone India offers, Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 users will be able to avail additional 4G or 3G data. Prepaid subscribers with Nokia 3 or Nokia 5 phones will get 4GB additional data with the purchase of a 1GB recharge, for 3 months or 3 recharges (whichever comes first) at Rs. 142; this means they will get 5GB data at the price of 1GB. Similarly, Nokia 6 users will get total of 10GB data from Vodafone on purchase of a 1GB recharge, for 3 months or 3 recharges at Rs. 251. The company notes that prices will vary depending on the circle.

As for postpaid subscribers, Vodafone says Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 users will also get the same extra 4GB data for three consecutive billing cycles, if they have a minimum of a 1GB data plan activated. Nokia 6 users will likewise get 9GB of additional 4G or 3G data.

Vodafone adds that the additional data offers for Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 smartphone users are valid across all Vodafone circles, while customers in Vodafone’s ICR circles (AP & Telangana, MP & CG, Bihar & Jharkhand, HP & J&K) will get the data at 2G speeds.

Announcing this initiative, Sandeep Kataria, Chief Commercial Officer, Vodafone India said, “We are delighted to partner with HMD Global to roll out this exciting offer that enables our customers to get the most out of their new Nokia smartphones.”

Commenting on the partnership, Ajey Mehta, Vice President India, HMD Global, said, “This partnership showcases our commitment to provide the best possible experience to our Nokia smartphone consumers who are Vodafone subscribers.”

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 Prices in India Announced: Event Highlights

Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 India launch event is over, and all the details of the three smartphones have been officially announced. The prices in India of Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3, as well their respective release dates have been revealed by HMD Global. The company also revealed that all the Nokia phones in India will now be manufactured within the country. Notably, these are the first Nokia smartphones to hit the Indian market since the Lumia brand dropped the Nokia moniker under Microsoft’s ownership. Moreover, these are the first Nokia-branded phones with stock Android as the software, instead of a heavily tweaked version of the popular mobile OS.

Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 price in India and release date
Nokia 6 price in India is Rs. 14,999, and the smartphone will be exclusively available on Amazon India. Registrations for the Nokia 6 sale will begin on July 14 on Amazon, and as a launch offer, those who purchase the phone from using their Amazon Pay balance will get a Rs. 1,000 discount.

On the other hand, Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 are both offline-exclusive products, and will be available via over 80,000 retail stores that stock the company’s handsets. The Nokia 3 price in India is Rs. 9,499 and it will go on sale starting June 16, while the price in India of Nokia 5 is Rs. 12,899, and pre-bookings for the handset will begin on July 7.

These are highly competitive prices, and will mean the three Nokia Android phones will compete with the different variants of Xiaomi Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 in the highly competitive segment of affordable smartphones.

 

Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6 specifications and features
Nokia 6, the best-specced of the new Nokia-branded Android phones announced so far, features a 5.5-inch full-HD 2.5D screen with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and a fingerprint sensor below the display. The Nokia 6 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and was powered by Snapdragon 430 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. The handset will come with 32GB inbuilt storage, and will support microSD card support up to 128GB, and houses a 3000mAh battery. The Nokia 6 sports a 16-megapixel rear sensor, while the front camera’s resolution is 8-megapixel. Featuring body made using 6000 series aluminium, the smartphone comes with in-built dual speakers and Dolby Atmos support, and is aimed at those who want great design and specifications.

Nokia 5 has been targeted to those who want a compact smartphone, and features a fingerprint sensor. For specifications, it comes with a 5.2-inch HD display, and Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The Nokia 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 430 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, and comes with 16GB inbuilt storage. It also supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 128GB). Nokia 5 packs a 13-megapixel sensor on the back and an 8-megapixel sensor at the front. Other features of the smartphone include Micro-USB 2.0, NFC, 3000mAh battery, and 4G LTE support.

Lastly, Nokia 3 is targeted at those who are looking for a premium-looking handset at a budget. It comes with a polycarbonate body and metallic frame on the sides. For specifications, the Nokia 5 features a 5-inch HD display, Android 7.0 Nougat, 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek 6737 SoC, 16GB storage, up to 128GB microSD card support, Micro-USB 2.0, NFC, 2650mAh battery, and 8-megapixel cameras on the front and back.

 

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia 6 Launched: Price, Specifications, Release Date, and Everything You Need to Know About the Android Phone

Some may say it’s five years too late, but the first Nokia-branded Android phone – yes, we’d rather pretend the half-baked Nokia X series never really happened – has finally launched. The rather unimaginatively named Nokia 6 was introduced on Sunday by HMD Global, the new custodians of the Nokia brand.

Without any fanfare, HMD Global announced the launch of Nokia 6 via a release on its website, well ahead of the rumoured MWC debut. The Nokia 6 runs Android 7.0 Nougat and it sports a 5.5-inch full-HD display wrapped in 2.5D Gorilla Glass. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC alongside 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The Nokia 6 is a dual SIM smartphone that is backed by a 3000mAh non-removable battery.

The unibody Nokia 6 is built using 6000 series aluminium and its home button has an embedded fingerprint scanner. It packs a f/2.0 16-megapixel rear camera with phase detection auto focus and dual-tone flash, as well as an 8-megapixel f/2.0 front camera for selfies. The smartphone also includes Dolby Atmos tech and ‘dual amplifiers’ for louder sound.

There’s no word yet on what software features, if any, the Nokia 6 will offer in an attempt to stand out from the rest of the Android crowd, though HMD Global had previously hinted its Nokia-branded Android phones will offer a near stock experience.

Nokia 6 price in India and release date
Unfortunately for Nokia fans in India, the Nokia 6 is a China-exclusive smartphone that will be available only via JD.com at 1699 CNY (roughly Rs. 16,750) in “in early 2017”.

The company says it has no plans to launch the Nokia 6 in other markets though it confirmed that the “Nokia 6 marks the first step for the Nokia brand into Android smartphones with more to come in H1 2017.”

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)

Nokia D1C Android Smartphone Image Renders Leak Design Details

Nokia is tipped to return to the smartphone market in 2017, and the company is expected to unveil two to three devices in the upcoming year. One of them is the rumoured Nokia D1C, whose specification details have been cropping up recently. Now, fresh images have been leaked giving us a glimpse of what the smartphone looks like, and cementing the fact that indeed a Nokia mobile device is up for resurrection.

While a past leak suggested that the Nokia D1C may just be another Android tablet from the company, few other leaks point otherwise. Now, these fresh image renders from Weibo testify the latter theory, and even reveal design details on the upcoming Nokia smartphone. The Nokia D1C is expected to come in Gold, White, and Black colour variants. The Gold colour option is expected to sport a fingerprint scanner underneath the Home Button, while the others aren’t. There are capacitive buttons at the front (except for Gold, which sports a Home Button), and the volume and power buttons are housed on the right edge.

The smartphone has rounded metal edges, with the 3.5mm audio jack on top, and the USB port and microphone at the bottom edge. From the leaked images, the Nokia D1C appears to have a glass back casing, however, we recommend you to take this leak with a pinch of salt until further evidence.
Past leaks suggest that the Nokia D1C is expected to sport a 2K resolution display, and be IP68 water and dust resistant. The smartphone is expected to sport a Snapdragon 820 or Snapdragon 430 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. There’s a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera expected on the smartphone as well.

Nokia earlier this year announced it was working with HMD Global to bring new Android-based products to the market. After the Nokia N1 (First Impressions)Tablet, the company is finally set to re-enter the smartphone space. Furthermore, Nokia has also confirmed that CEO Rajeev Suri will be speaking at MWC next year, and this rumoured smartphone is expected to be unveiled then.

 

Source : (gadgets.ndtv.com)