 This past week (June 13-15), Nokia Communications division hosted an event billed
as Nokia Connections 2005. The company hosted an “invitation only” audience (including
yours truly) in an effort to present and share details of their technology roadmap
and the company’s vision of mobility.
In addition to a slew of “key” Nokia executives, a number of representatives
from member companies enrolled in the Forum Nokia Pro developer program were also
on hand. Read on for a closer look at "Mobile People & Living Technology"
A Bigger Piece of the Pie!
From the get go it was clear, Nokia is chasing market share and positioning itself
to secure a big piece of the pie as mobile device usage is expected to swell from
200 million users Globally by year end (2005), to more than 300 million by 2010.
Through its product and solution offerings the company boasts that they are creating
opportunities for innovators. As we have already seen/heard, Nokia used the event
as a platform to announce some 7 new devices. Additionally, news of partnerships
and solutions were also made at the event (for the complete low-down on these
please see this News Archive). Further discussion is beyond the present scope of this piece.
About Nokia Connections
Key executives used the forum to discuss and inform us as to the strategy Nokia
has adopted in an effort to move forward and gain market share. The key factor
that was driven home was that Life is going mobile (recall back in the 90s it
was voice going mobile). As the company moves forward, we have been assured that
Nokia will be putting forward products and solutions that will expand on mobile
voice, focus solutions on enterprise mobility, and will increasingly mobilize
business processes. We will see many new devices coming over the years, however,
we have been reminded that the device is not enough... people need to share. Sharing,
therefore, will also be a key factor that will determine the company’s strategy
as they forge ahead.
Before I jump into some of the products and solutions announced this week, it’s
important to look at a few points that define Nokia’s market share and list some
key areas that are significant to the company:
- Nokia has a target of at least 40% market share
- Expanding markets include mobile multi-media, enterprise mobility, and network
services.
- Broadband wireless is/and will continue to drive new markets
- Speech and handwriting technologies are hot!
- Application developers are moving towards the smart phone environment and away
from the PC
- Emerging markets are Russia, Asia Pacific, China, Middle East, Africa
- Linux OS is gaining speed
- The proliferation of wireless broadband usage (subscribers are expected to
jump from 2.5 million to 30 million by 2009.
- Voice convergence driven by growth in WLAN uptake – the company will embrace
new convergence business opportunities!
- Other trends to be aware of include WiFi, WiMax, RFID, and VoIP
Expect 3 billion mobile device users by 2010!
Factors for Success
Nokia Senior VP and CSO, Tero Ojanpera reiterated to attendees a couple of key
points… “The company is firmly focused on the customer”… key segments that will
be targeted as they move ahead will be expanding the role of mobile voice and
mobilizing the business process (a hint to you developers!) Other words of wisdom
that I picked up on during the sessions… devices alone are note enough. People
need to share information and the players that simplify things will be the winners
(again, some great advice).
Ojanpera offered up some ideas of what he feels contribute greatly to the success
of mobile innovations. If you plan on selling your idea to Nokia then the consumer
“WOW” factor and brand recognition are paramount – it’s a great idea to ensure
that your solution supports this concept. Tailoring your product to specific geographic
regions is another key element so multi-language support as well as consideration
for cultural differences will also go a long way. Finally, price point is not
always a breaking point, however, a solution that adds value to the user is critical
– be aware of this!
Nokia CTO Pertti Korhonen reiterated to attendees that technology is in fact
an enabler for great human experiences. With all the pieces now coming together,
the company’s latest devices (and planned devices) have been designed leverage
what they term “Inspired Human Technology”. Regarding coming together, what Korhonen
was referring to was the advent and subsequent uptake of WCDMA (rates of 3.6 MBs
by 2006) , the presence of broadband wireless access, rich-media experiences enabled
by large display screens, rich content, simple to use and speedy devices, personal
content, and powerful software platforms. Now do you see the bigger picture? The
hardware, communications, and other enablers are facilitating the delivery of
more mobile content to the mobile device.
The image above shows Korhonen making a video call to colleague Frank Nuovo (VP,
Nokia Design). Using the nifty Nokia 6680 the pair captured video and shared a
discussion, each seeing a video display being shot by the other. I also had a
chance to make some video calls to colleagues while in attendance and it was as
simple as making a voice call but definitely had a "WOW" effect on us!
So What About The Developer?
It’s no wonder Nokia is chasing a bigger piece of the pie. With an expected 3
billion mobile device users by 2010 there’s going to be plenty of competition
for the new user. Findings from a recent research indicate that “Hot” markets
will be in Russia, Asia-Pacific, China, Middle-East, and Africa.
Several announcements made at the event support Nokia’s quest for market-share
and are quite significant to the Symbian OS developer and Symbian user community.
- Series 40 3rd edition – likely the hottest news affecting the developer community
- The new N series of devices
- Nokia 770 Internet tablet
- Linux OS
- See http://www.symbianone.com/content/category/12/142/114/ for actual PR announcements.
Series 40 3rd Edition; New Opportunities For Consumers & Developers
Series 40 3rd Edition is hot news; particularly as this “entry level” OS will
now provide even more functionality to the end user. Several new S40 devices were
officially announced at Nokia Connection (6111, 6060, 6720, 6280, and 6265).
At v3, Series 40 now supports a larger display, 3D graphics, an attractive user
interface, more personal features, new shortcuts, and perhaps most important,
a focus on multi-media consumption. Additionally, Series 40 Platform 3rd Edition
provides a number of new Java Specification Request (JSR) implementations that
provide an expanded range of APIs, including interactive 3D graphics (JSR-184)
and file connection and information management capabilities (JSR-75). Perhaps
the most exciting aspect of this latest release is that the new platform brings
streaming video and audio to the mass market…. Enter some fantastic opportunities
for developers and content providers. See http://www.symbianone.com/content/view/1927/114/ for the complete announcement on Series 40 v3.
Series 40 v3 provides the user with an easy-to-use menu structure, very familiar
to what Series 60 device users are accustomed to. 3D graphics make a nice addition
as well!
Series 40 devices from Nokia have typically been targeted at the entry-level
market, this for obvious reasons as the devices have historically been more “basic”
and priced attractively to entice the new user. What I saw this week however,
was a new lineup of Series40 devices that are stylish, feature-rich, and powerful!
Factor in the number of Series 40 handsets that will ship over the next several
years (I can only guess that the number greatly exceeds the current 25 million
Symbian OS devices in use) and as a developer you should be drooling!
 Some of the functionality users will find in the latest series 40 handsets include:
- Tri-band, mega-pixel camera, MP3 player (6111)
- Stylish clamshell design, chrome accents, MP3 ring tones, pulsating light,
MMS support (6060)
- 2 cameras (mega pixel & VGA), 8x digital zoom, 3G WCDMA support (6280)
- 2 mega-pixel camera, 320x240 QVGA color screen, digital music player, Bluetooth
and IR connectivity (6265 - pictured right). The Nokia 6265 is likely the most feature-rich series 40 device on the market
and will no doubt address the needs of the US market
For more about Series 40 see:
http://www.forum.nokia.com/main/0,6566,010_20,00.html
For specification on the 7 new devices announced in Helsinki see http://www.symbianone.com/content/view/1925/114/
Nokia 770 Internet Tablet
Something that came out of the 2 days of sessions in Helsinki was the fact that
Nokia envisions a connected lifestyle. Moreover, the vision is one where the user
has access to his office when and where he wants it. Another piece of the puzzle
as the company moves towards the day when there are some 3 billion+ mobile device
users is the Internet Tablet (aka. The Nokia 770).
The driving force behind the 770 is convergence. Nokia VP of Convergence Products
Janne Jormalainen reinforced this by pointing out the following:
- 150 million households with broadband connected homes
- rapidly growing at 40% year
- 50% of all newly connected homes go with Wi-Fi
- 125,000+ Wi-Fi hotspots Globally
- VoIP is taking off and realizing huge growth rates
The large screen makes browsing the Internet using the 770 a very comfortable
experience
Wireless connectivity has now penetrated the office and the home and the trend
will likely be that the home PC will increasingly become a repository of personal
and business information and data. A challenge will be how the user will manage
the vast amount of personal content that she is accumulating. Enter the Nokia
770.
Available Globally in Q3 2005, the 770 is expected to retails in the US$350 range.
Users will enjoy a “massive” 4.13” wide, 800x480 resolution touch screen. Supporting
applications include web browser, email client, news reader, Internet radio, media
player, PDF viewer, Image viewer, Flash player, and file manager.
Other specifications:
- 64 MB RS-MMC
- WLAN 802.11 b/g
- USB connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- OS - Linux-based Internet Tablet 2005 software edition
The big question that I had when testing this nifty device was – how many supported
applications will be available when it ships? Nokia will obviously be anxious
to bundle and promote supported apps; therefore, application developers will need
to start porting their mobile apps to the Linux environment if they already haven’t
done so. Of interest… what I heard from the sessions regarding why Linux OS was
that the tablet has been strategically designed based on IT rather than mobile
technology and that the Linux OS will maximize innovation. Developers interested
in creating Nokia 770 supported applications should consult http://www.maemo.org/. Simply put, Maemo is the development platform to create applications for Nokia
770 Internet Tablet and other maemo compliant handheld devices in the future.
At the core of maemo is the Hildon Application framework, which is based on GNOME
technology. GNOME provides an intuitive and attractive PC desktop for end-users
based on Linux, and a powerful framework for building applications that integrate
into the rest of the PC desktop.
For detailed specifications on the Nokia 770 see http://www.nokia.com/770
Speaking of Open Source, another significant announcement was briefly discussed
at the event. Moving forward, Series 60 device users will be using a new web browser.
Based on open source, the new browser, according to Nokia, will enable Series
60 licensees to further innovate and customize the browser. Collaborating with
Apple, the Series 60 browser will use the same open source components, WebCore
and JavaScriptCore, that Apple uses in its popular Safari Internet browser. According
to the official PR announcement (http://press.nokia.com/PR/200506/998214_5.html)The new Series 60 browser will be available to all Series 60 licensees as a standard
Series 60 application during the first half of 2006.
N-Series - Supporting Mobile Multi Media
Supporting the market for multi-media consumption ranks high on Nokia’s agenda.
As a result, the company has a number of solutions (devices) that enable the user
to share, express, visualize, and hear their passions. Photos, video, TV, text
messaging, music… this are all features that are in high demand and driving the
market for multi-media consumption. Obviously, this is where the Symbian OS and
Series 60 plays a key enabling role. It’s no surprise then that Anssi Vanjoki,
Nokia VP & GM, Multi-Media was praising the latest Series 60 devices in the
company’s portfolio… Nokia N90, N70, and N91 (on a side note… they will be available
in the order mentioned).
 Moving forward, expect N-Series to be a key supporting platform (device) encouraging
the consumption of multi-media applications and services. Optimized for imaging,
the N90 (right) sports dual screens with high-def display so users can easily
work in landscape or portrait modes. The design enables the user to immediately
have access to the camera functionality to minimize “lost opportunities”. Plenty
of internal memory as well as a swappable MMC card support loads of storage. For
music lovers, the N91 will be the device of choice. Once again plenty of storage
is provided along with a 2 mega pixel camera. The N91 comes with an integrated
FM radio as well as support for Visual Radio. Photo lovers will also dig the N70
as it offers instant access to the camera app., 2 mega pixel camera, 20x zoom,
and built-in flash. Something that struck me was the new form factors that enable
users to hold and use the device in the same way that you would with a “traditional”
camera. Holding the device in landscape orientation with side-access to the capture
button emulates this familiar feeling and the device even starts to look like
a traditional camera… this will no-doubt appeal to the newcomer to mobile photography!
Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki explains how N-Series is the enabling device for web browsing,
Mobile TV, Visual Radio, photography, and even blogging!
Fixed-Mobile Voice Convergence
Although beyond the cope of this piece, another key concept that was evident
in much of the discussion at the event was Nokia’s planned efforts to mobile enterprise
voice. At the heart of this ambitions goal is the opportunity that exists by separating
the fixed and mobile voice technology user. The vision… one business number &
one voice mail. Nokia’s involvement with key players like OnRelay, Avaya, IBM,
and Cisco will be key as devices converge and morph into wireless IP phones and
WLAN technology enables mobile VoIP.
For more on this topic see:
These are but some of the topics that I found of interest at Nokia Connection
2005. New devices are coming in the not-so-distant future; an enhanced OS in
Series 40 v3 (and a more mature Series 60 v3) enable customization and a rich
user experience; partnerships with key technology players and exciting new technologies
have been struck. The result… developers will be a hot commodity to help satisfy
the demand for multi-media services and applications.
Nokia Connection was an interesting event, as it provided a look at the vision
of what is obviously a customer focused company. The motto "Life Goes Mobile"
is clearly accurate, while Nokia's focus on mobile voice, enterprise mobility,
and rich content cannot be ignored. On more than one occasion these words of wisdom
could be heard... "think outside the box"
Some buzzwords and hot areas to explore!
- connected multi-media
- skype
- VoIP
- WiFi
- WiMAX
- RFID
- WCDMA
- Location-based services
Glenn pictured outside the Nokia factory, Salo, Finland. Did-U-Kow that Nokia
manufactures roughly 500,000 devices every day... the Salo plant is one of several
manufacturing locations around the Globe.
For more images and press from HElsinki See Here |
