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We had unboxed the Nokia X a while back, right after it launched in India. Only a few weeks back, Espoo's first bold entry into the low end Android smartphone segment was revealed at MWC. The phone might be running Android, a Google owned entity, but is completely devoid of anything that resembles Google services. Nokia completely forked the open source variant of Android, just like Amazon did, by choosing not to include Google services and apps, which are obviously a conflict of interests for the company. But being open source, the malleable Android is always willing to bend to our will, and soon enough, enterprising developers who got their hands on the Nokia X, devised a way to install Google apps and services onto this neat little device. We followed their path, and made a video, so that willing users can take advantage of it too -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_smAYnH6A64
As you can see from the video above, the process is pretty simple, and we owe it all to a thread from XDA, which nicely details the steps to root, as well as install Google Play Services on your Nokia X. Anyways, this is what we did -
How to get Google Play Services ...
The Nokia X made a huge (green) splash at the Mobile World Congress event a couple of weeks and has been rapidly making its moves into markets, with it launching in Malaysia, India and the Phillipines. It is now all set to launch in China, and just 5 days after announcing the device for the market and opening the pre-orders, Nokia has reportedly received 1 million of them already. The company posted this on its Weibo account with a celebratory image touting the big number.
This is a re-entry of sorts for Nokia, after suffering terrible sales and a rapid decline in marketshare, in the biggest mobile phone market of this world. The decline started just before Nokia switched gears in 2011 and the company never recovered from that fall. But for a country that is devoid of Google services, the Nokia X must have seemed like a viable option, and the numbers show. The Nokia X is basically a forked Android device from Nokia that can run all sorts of Android apps, except the ones that are tied to Google's services. One can sideload APKs and run any standalone Android app or get them through the Nokia Store, which will ...
India's supreme court asked Nokia to provide guarantee of 35 billion rupees ($572.5 million) in an escrow account before it is allowed to transfer its Chennai plant and other assets in the country to Microsoft reports Reuters. Back in September last year Microsoft agreed to buy 5.4 Billion Euros cash, 3.79 Billion for devices and services 1.65 Billion for the associated patents.
Last year officials raided Nokia’s manufacturing plant in Chennai, and found the company hadn't paid enough taxes. In December 2013, Delhi High Court asked the company to deposit money into an escrow account and agree to guarantee any tax dues to enable transfer of the factory in Chennai. Nokia appealed over it saying the Delhi High Court had imposed new conditions, and these are not aligned with international treaties and practices.
Last month Nokia said the tax case will not affect its transaction between the company and Microsoft, that is expected to close by the end of March. The plant at Sriperumbudur manufactures most of the entry-level devices, including its Asha range. If this remains frozen by tax authorities, it cannot be immediately transferred to Microsoft.
Nokia can run it on contract to Microsoft, but not for long, lawyers have previously ...
We had unboxed the Nokia X a while back, right after it launched in India. Only a few weeks back, Espoo's first bold entry into the low end Android smartphone segment was revealed at MWC. The phone might be running Android, a Google owned entity, but is completely devoid of anything that resembles Google services. Nokia completely forked the open source variant of Android, just like Amazon did, by choosing not to include Google services and apps, which are obviously a conflict of interests for the company. But being open source, the malleable Android is always willing to bend to our will, and soon enough, enterprising developers who got their hands on the Nokia X, devised a way to install Google apps and services onto this neat little device. We followed their path, and made a video, so that willing users can take advantage of it too -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_smAYnH6A64
As you can see from the video above, the process is pretty simple, and we owe it all to a thread from XDA, which nicely details the steps to root, as well as install Google Play Services on your Nokia X. Anyways, this is what we did -
How to get Google Play Services ...
It just feels like yesterday, when almost all of us were in denial that a Nokia Android phone could exist, but Nokia has put forward its boldest bet ever, especially at a time when it has been acquired by Microsoft, a company that has been at odds with Google since forever. Anyways, the device was revealed to much excitement and curiosity at the Mobile World Congress event, and eventually arrived in India just few weeks later. We had unboxed the device and also showed you how to root it and get Google Play services and apps on it, but as you might have guessed by now, we were curious to find out more about the device over the course of our usage. So we made a few videos to showcase what we found and learnt, skip past the break to find them.
First and foremost, the single most highly requested feature to show case was How to side load Android APKs on the Nokia X. Yes, the Nokia X, without any setting to change, supports sideloading of Android APKs. Unlike BlackBerry 10, no modification is needed and you can install them right away by downloading from the browser. To know more, ...
Nokia announced the Nokia 220, an affordable phone along with the Nokia X series last month at the MWC 2014. The Nokia X was launched in India earlier this month. Now the Nokia 220 Dual SIM is available for purchase in India from the official Nokia Store. It has a 2.4-inch (320 x 240 pixel) LCD screen with keypad, 2-megapixel fixed-focus rear camera and 2G support. It has Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0, FM Radio, Flashlight and a 1100 mAh battery.
It has Nokia Xpress Browser and integrated Microsoft Bing search. It comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo Messenger.
Nokia 220 Dual SIM features and specifications
2.4-inch (320 x 240 pixel) QVGA 262k Colour LCD Display
Dual band: GSM 900/1800
Dual SIM (2G + 2G) with Dual Standby
Nokia OS
2MP rear camera
Flashlight
Dimensions 99.5 x 58.6 x 13.2 mm; weight 89.3 g (including battery)
Music Player, FM Radio
Connectivity: USB 1.1, USB mass storage, Bluetooth 3.0 , 3.5 mm AV Connector
Expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
1100 mAh battery with up to 24 days standby and 15 hours talk time
The Nokia 220 Dual SIM comes in Red, Black, White, Yellow and Cyan colors and is priced at Rs. 2749. We went hands on with the Nokia 220 at the MWC last month. Check out the Nokia 220 hands-on.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7TKqPyyuyU
Nokia has been involved in a long term tax battle with the Indian government for more than a year now, and things don't seem to be getting any better for the Espoo company. Adding fuel to this fire is the Tamil Nadu government, which has recently moved to assess sales tax for devices that are exported from the Chennai Sri Perumbudur manufacturing facility. Nokia claims that these allegations from the government are baseless, as, by law, exports are exempt from taxes. With yet another tax evasion claim, it will be even harder for Nokia to complete its transition in time for the Microsoft acquisition.
It is well known that Nokia exports a lot of devices from the assembling plant in Sri Perumbudur, Chennai. We had even visited the factory a couple of times, where we were shown how the Asha and the other low end devices are manufactured, or rather assembled, and shipped from the plant. Nokia mainly exports the low cost devices from this facility but the company has been supplying its own local market too, with devices from the factory. According to Nokia, the Tamil Nadu Government claims that all devices were not exported and just sold domestically in ...
The Microsoft takeover of Nokia's devices and services division is easily one of the most high profile acquisitions from the recent past. After the announcement of this deal, it was said that the regulatory bodies all around the world would have to give their go ahead and only then can the deal be closed. Initially, it was meant to be completed within the first quarter of 2014, but it has now been revealed that some of the regulatory approvals are still pending and the deal is now expected to close in April 2014.
As previously communicated, the closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Nokia and Microsoft have already received most of the required regulatory approvals, including approvals from the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. Furthermore, Nokia and Microsoft continue to make good progress related to the closing conditions and integration planning. However, the transaction is pending approvals from certain antitrust authorities in Asia which are still conducting their reviews.
As you can see above, while the approvals have been successful in Europe and the USA, it's the Asians who still haven't given their go-aheads yet. This made us wonder if the ...
Nokia has started rolling out a minor software update for the Nokia X, the company's first Android smartphone based on Android Open Source Project (AOSP). The new software update v11.1.1 brings performance improvements compared to the older version (v10.0.3). It also brings option to change the color of tiles in third-party apps.
After the update, you can see that Nokia X software platform has been updated to version 1.1 from Nokia X software platform 1.0, but the core Android version remains the same (Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)). The Nokia Store got updated to new version recently that lets you download latest version of apps and games.
Nokia X was launched in India just two weeks back, and we have the first software update already. Hope it will get new features in a major software update in future. Nokia is expected to launch the Nokia X+ and the Nokia XL in India by May 2014.
The software update for the Nokia X is just 16MB and is available over-the-air (OTA). You can check for the software update manually from settings -> About phone -> System updates.
Nokia 220 Dual SIM, an entry-level feature phone went on sale in India last week. Nokia Asha 230 Dual SIM, the company's latest affordable touchscreen phone in the Asha series is now available from the official Nokia Shop. It was unveiled at the MWC 2014 last month and packs a 2.8-inch QVGA touch screen, 1.3-megapixel rear camera, Bluetooth 3.0 with Slam sharing feature, micro USB, expansion slot that supports cards up to 32GB and a 1020 mAh battery.
It runs on the new Nokia Asha software platform v1.1 with new Nokia Fastlane features, Nokia Xpress Browser. It comes pre-loaded with WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, LINE and WeChat. HERE Maps offers walking & driving directions. As usual you get 10 free games via Nokia Store.
Nokia Asha 502 specifications
2.8-inch QVGA 320 x 240 pixels capacitive touch screen display
1.3MP Fixed focus rear camera
Dimensions: 99.5mm x 58.6mm x 13.2mm; Weight: 89.2 g
Dual micro SIM support with dual standby
Accelerometer, Proximity sensor
2G, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM and FM Radio
Nokia Asha software platform v1.1 with Swipe UI
64MB RAM; 64MB internal memory, up to 32GB micro SD card support
1020 mAh battery with up to 12 hours of talk time and up to 21 days of standby
The Nokia Asha 230 Dual SIM comes in Bright Red, Yellow, Bright Green, White, Black and Cyan colors and is ...
With Microsoft's Build conference right around the corner, Nokia just sent out invitations for their own event. Scheduled to coincide with the first day of the Build developer conference. It is pretty obvious that the soon to be Microsoft owned company plans to announce new hardware.
While Microsoft's focus will be on the software side of things as part of its Windows Phone 8.1 update, Nokia is expected to announce two new devices dubbed the Lumia 630 (Moneypenny) and Lumia 930 (Martini). The two devices will straddle the upper and mid range segments of handsets.
Windows Phone 8.1 brings with it a whole host of updates that have been long awaited. These range from a new Action Center to a new Notification Center. There are many more tweaks throughout the operating system making it a rather major update. Here's a list of expected changes to come with Windows Phone 8.1
8.1 might support QHD 2560×1440 resolutions
On screen navigation bar support, with customization options
All Windows Phone 8 devices will be upgraded to 8.1
New NFC options for tap to pay
Contextual Volume control drop down
Options to turn advertising ID(tracking) on or off
And finally, Downloading files now possible from IE11!
Battery sense (see what apps are taking the ...
Nokia is holding an event on April 2nd which is less than a week from now and according to the rumor mill, Nokia Lumia 630 and Lumia 930 are the products that will be unveiled during the event. Nokia Lumia 630 has been one smartphone that has been leaking for nearly months now and we know almost everything to know about the device except the launch date.
Another Nokia Lumia 630 leak happened this week and this time, a Chinese website was able to get live photos of the device and near official poster of the Nokia Lumia 630. Among the many things that the Lumia 630 will feature, it will be the first Windows Phone device to come with dual-SIM support and will have dual SIM standby.
So far, the leaked specifications of the Nokia Lumia 630 are as follows
4.5inch WVGA display
Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU
1GB RAM
Dual SIM stand by
5MP rear camera and no flash
No front camera
Windows Phone 8.1
As you can see from the specifications, it will be budget dual SIM smartphone and it should be quite fast because of the powerful processor, 1GB RAM and the low resolution display. The pricing is rumored to be around 120Euros(Rs. ...
Windows Phone 8.1 would be unveiled at the Build conference in San Francisco, California next week. We had already seen Cortana and Action Center in earlier leaks, today a video from Chinese website Coolxap.com has revealed new start screen backgrounds and parallax wallpaper effects in Windows Phone 8.1 when you scroll through the Start Screen. WP 8.1 will have separate settings to customize the Start screen and also options to select backgrounds. Images of Windows Phone 8.1 start screen background leaked earlier this month.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mekag2itW28
More details of the Nokia Lumia 630 codenamed Moneypenny surfaced last week, today a new video of the phone surfaced on the same Chinese website. According to earlier rumors, the Lumia 630 is expected to feature a 4.5-inch WVGA display, powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera and dual SIM support.
httpv://youtu.be/j9njETlMggw
The Nokia Lumia 630 and the Lumia 930 (global variant of the Lumia Icon) are expected to be unveiled at a separate Nokia event scheduled for April 2nd. We will be there at the Nokia event to bring you more details about these Windows Phone devices.
Via
Nokia and Android has been a pipedream that geeks and avid smartphone users have held out for years now. That we'd actually see one in 2014 at the cusp of the Nokia - Microsoft merger is not something we'd expected in our wildest dreams. That said, the phone was announced alongside two other devices ie the Nokia X+ and XL at MWC last month and is now available in retail. We brought your our first impressions of this AOSP running device from the show floor and here's the complete low down on the Nokia X.
Hardware
Before we get into the inevitable software teardown let's start off with a quick hardware overview. Without a doubt, the Nokia X is the best looking device anywhere close to it's price point. With a design that brings influences from both the Asha and Lumia side of things, we're very impressed by what Nokia has been able to achieve at this price point.
The front side of the phone has a 4 inch display with black bezels. Replacing the three buttons seen below Android devices is a single capacitive back key. As we'll find out soon enough, this is just the beginning of the differences from standard ...
At Microsoft's BUILD conference, Stephen Elop took the stage and announced the new Nokia flagship ie the Lumia 930. The phone will ship with the latest release of Windows Phone dubbed as Windows Phone 8.1. Essentially the international variant of the Lumia Icon, it brings top of the line specifications with a very cool new design that is a departure from the Fabula design language.
The phone has a 5 inch full HD display at the front and is being powered by a 2.2Ghz Snapdragon 800 processor. Users will get 32GB of storage onboard though unfortunately this cannot be expanded. The camera is a PureView module similar to that on the Lumia 1520 and is being accompanied by a dual LED flash. As you'd expect, the phone has built in optical image stabilization and will also come with the four directional microphones that were present on the Lumia 1520, Lumia Icon. Additionally it will have a new SensorCore feature that will gather distance and additional activity related data and tie it into Microsoft's Bing Health and Fitness apps. The SensorCore chip should function similar to the M7 unit on the iPhone 5s. The phone also includes Qi based wireless charging to ...
While the Nokia Lumia 930 is the company's flag bearer for Windows Phone 8.1, the entry level segment remains critical. To meet the demands of the audience in this category, Stephen Elop today announced the Lumia 635 alongside the Lumia 630 today. The phone's trump card is that it brings LTE connectivity at an exceptionally low price point.
The specifications of the phone include a 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor paired with a rather abysmal 512MB of RAM. Built in storage is 8GB and you'll be able to expand that via the microSD card slot. On the front, the device has a 4.5inch FWVGA display with a Gorilla Glass 3 covering on top of it. Something unique here is that alongside the Lumia 630, the 635 is the first Windows Phone device to have onscreen controls. It will be possible for developers to decide if they want to allow users to swipe away the controls in applications.
The camera module is a 5MP AF unit that unfortunately loses out on the LED flash. Nokia has also bestowed the Lumia 635 with the new SensorCore technology from the 930 and the handset will be able to track your activity data and integrate it ...
Rounding up the entry level Windows Phone 8.1 handset segment is the newly announced Lumia 630 handset. The phone will ship in both single SIM and dual SIM variants. The phone shares internals with the other budget handset announced i.e. the LTE packing Nokia Lumia 635.
Internally, the phone is powered by a 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon 400 processor and a surprisingly limited 512MB of RAM. Both variants of the Lumia 630 will ship with 8GB of storage that can be expanded via the micro SD card slot. Over on the front, the phone has a 4.5 inch FWVGA display covered with Gorilla Glass 3. The Lumia 630 along with the 635 are the first devices to have on screen buttons instead of the capacitive controls seen so far on Windows Phone devices.
The phone has a 5MP AF capable camera unit at the back and will also support SensorCore. SensorCore is a chipset based function that tracks your activity data throughout the day and integrates it with the Bing Health & Fitness application. Running Windows Phone 8.1, the handsets will have proper integration for dual SIM functionality and will distinguish between the two lines by using distinct color identities. The Nokia ...
Nokia has announced Nokia MD-12, the company's new portable wireless speaker. It has NFC support to pair your smartphones easily and the built-in vibrating actuator on the base promises thumping bass when placed on most surfaces. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery that promises about 15 hours of playback on full charge. It weighs just 180 grams.
It has a microphone, so that you can use it as a speakerphone once your phone is connected to the speakers. It also has a AUX in port and comes with a cable in the box to connect other devices to the speakers. Nokia has not revealed any technical specifications of the device. The Nokia Device Hub app would let you manage the speaker and other connected accessories, offers app recommendations for your accessories and lets you see where you used them last time, in case you misplaced it, says the company.
The Nokia MD-12 wireless speaker would retail for 39 Euros (Rs. 3210 approx.) and comes in yellow, green, orange and white colors. It is expected to go on sale some time in Q2 2014.
HERE, the location-based service from Nokia announced HERE Drive, HERE Transit and HERE Drive+ last year. HERE Drive came pre-loaded with Nokia Lumia smartphones out of the box and was available for free from Nokia Store for other smartphones. HERE Drive+ app was launched for free with select 9 series and 8 series smartphone ,but it was paid with other Nokia Lumia and other Windows Phone 8 devices.
HERE has extended free HERE Drive+ voice guided navigation benefits in 97 countries for all Windows Phone 8.1 devices. This would let entry-level Nokia Lumia 520 or any Windows Phone smartphones from Samsung or HTC running Windows Phone 8.1 can get HERE+ for free. HERE Transit is also free for all the WP 8.1 users.
HERE Drive+ app with global navigation license was previously priced at 15.49 EUR for some Lumia devices and 34.99 EUR for all the other Windows Phone devices.
The HERE app would also be updated with 3D view of building in select countries, in addition to 3D landmarks, aerial images, two fingers gestures to rotate the map and tilt to activate the 3D mode . HERE Drive+ would also bring the most expected long press to set destination feature.
The HERE Drive+ and all the new features would be available with Windows Phone 8.1 update.
Nokia announced the Lumia 630 and Lumia 630 Dual SIM, the company's latest mid-range Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones at an event in San Francisco few hours back. The phone follows the same design language as the other Lumia devices such as Lumia 620. We got to check out the Dual SIM variant of the phone. Check out the photo gallery of the Lumia 630 Dual SIM below.
The Lumia 620 had a 3.8-inch WVGA screen, but the 630 has a 4.5-inch FWVGA ClearBlack IPS display. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is just 9.2mm thick, bit thinner than the Lumia 620.
It runs on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS that brings a lot of new features including a new Action center for notifications Cortana personal digital voice assistant (Only for U.S.), start screen wallpapers, lock screen themes, word Flow keyboard, new camera UI, Internet Explorer 11 and more.
Windows Phone 8.1 also introduced dual SIM support and the Lumia 630 Dual SIM is the first dual SIM Windows Phone handset. It has Smart Dual SIM that offers call waiting and call forwarding between two SIM cards.
It has the same 5-megapixel rear camera with 720p HD video recording that we had seen on the Lumia 620.
The ...