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Nokia Dials Back Time To Sell Mobile Phones Again (bbc.com)

Nokia said Thursday mobile phones carrying its brand will make a comeback via a new venture that will reunite the Nokia brand with veteran Nokia execs who aim to move into smartphones capitalizing on an existing operation that sells low-cost basic phones. From a report on BBC: 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.

128 comments

  1. What would Trump do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Will he fix Nokia? More Trump news please!!!!

    1. Re:What would Trump do? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 2

      Will he fix Nokia? More Trump news please!!!!

      No. They're based in Finland. Hopefully he will follow through and eliminate nafta, cafta, and any talk of the TPP in order to level the playing field for American companies, though.

    2. Re:What would Trump do? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Great, which means we'll only be able to buy American-made cellphones, which means we'll be stuck with $2000 iPhones and their shitty walled gardens.

      Face it: American companies haven't been able to build great products for a long time. Our cars have sucked for decades (not counting Japanese cars made in American factories; those are good). Our home appliances are all crap now that they've merged into one big company. We haven't built the best electronics since the 60s or 70s. We still make good CPU dies though, so I guess there's that. I will admit, though: I have an American-made automated cat litter box and that thing is fantastic, though very expensive.

    3. Re:What would Trump do? by Clsid · · Score: 1

      I don't know man, I like American SUVs. The Eddie Bauer line of Ford Explorers were comfy as hell, and I like driving cars like Grand Cherokees and even old Dodge Neons.

    4. Re: What would Trump do? by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      Actually American manufacturing is still tough to beat. China only beats us in quantity, but even then we're still the number two manufacturing country. Our main manufacturing exports are jumbo jets and earth movers, and both do really well.

      Even in electronics, we still do quite well. We have the most advanced semiconductor fabs in the world, and we even make other parts like resistors, diodes, capacitors, etc. Sure, the final product is assembled elsewhere, but typically many of its components are made here.

    5. Re:What would Trump do? by nospam007 · · Score: 2

      "Great, which means we'll only be able to buy American-made cellphones, which means we'll be stuck with $2000 iPhones and their shitty walled gardens."

      Walled? Didn't you hear, it will be a fenced garden.

    6. Re:What would Trump do? by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 1

      No no no! If we're dialing back time for Nokia then we have to bring back the AMC Pacer...
      All that wonderful glass, it was where all bugs went to die... and then dry out... crusty bug heaven...
      OK, I may have been a bit buzzed back in the day...

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
    7. Re: What would Trump do? by virtuosonic · · Score: 0

      What about Motorola and its cheap, crappy, android phones we love?

      --
      http://agender.sourceforge.net/ get a free schedule tool
    8. Re: What would Trump do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > We have the most advanced semiconductor fabs in the world
      False, that would be TSMC in Taiwan

    9. Re: What would Trump do? by unixisc · · Score: 1

      But he's openly said he doesn't want to be president of the world, only America. So he won't do to Nokia what he's just done to Carrier

    10. Re: What would Trump do? by Teun · · Score: 1

      Our main manufacturing exports are jumbo jets and earth movers, and both do really well.

      Uhhh:

      Boeing had only netted three orders for the 747 this year. The sale almost doubles Boeing’s current backlog of 15 unfilled orders for the plane, according to the Chicago-based manufacturer’s website. The company said in July it was slowing 747 production output to six a year and would have to end the program if new orders didn’t materialize.

      https://www.bloomberg.com/news...

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    11. Re:What would Trump do? by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 1

      No no no! If we're dialing back time for Nokia then we have to bring back the AMC Pacer...

      Ahhh yes, the Pacer. Too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. It turned "clearing ice from the windshield" into an Olympic sport.

      Also, you had to remove an engine mount and jack the engine up a bit to change one of the spark plugs or the oil filter. I can't remember which it was now.

      --
      Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    12. Re: What would Trump do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What about the Google Pixel dumbass?

    13. Re: What would Trump do? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You just described Finland.

    14. Re: What would Trump do? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Jumbo jets and earthmovers aren't consumer goods. So I'll admit that America still makes some pretty good industrial equipment. We make some kick-ass rockets too (SpaceX). As for passive electronic components, I'm pretty sure that's BS; that stuff is all made overseas now. We still make high-value stuff like Intel CPUs. But we don't do the assembly for electronics now either; that's all in Asia now, except for military stuff which is very expensive.

      BTW, the #2 manufacturing country for exports is Germany. America doesn't export that much. That's not a great position for a very large economic power; we export a lot of low-value crap like coal and corn, but not stuff people (and businesses) in other countries actually want to buy (except Intel CPUs of course). Considering how dependent we are on other nations for manufactured goods, that's a big disadvantage; usually it's 3rd-world nations that export low-value stuff and import high-value stuff.

    15. Re:What would Trump do? by ControlsGeek · · Score: 2

      They screwed up the Grand Cherokee when they put that silly computer mode that shuts off the engine at stoplights and starts it again when you take your foot off the brake. Mopar starter motors are scary enough when you only use them once per trip.

    16. Re: What would Trump do? by ControlsGeek · · Score: 1

      Owned by Lenovo now.

    17. Re:What would Trump do? by Gussington · · Score: 1

      Will he fix Nokia? More Trump news please!!!!

      No. They're based in Finland. Hopefully he will follow through and eliminate nafta, cafta, and any talk of the TPP in order to level the playing field for American companies, though.

      By level the playing field are you using the Military definition of leveling?
      Because reducing your trading market from 7 billion to only 300 million will do exactly that.

    18. Re: What would Trump do? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      It's a piece of shit: no removable battery or SDcard slot. Even worse, it isn't waterproof. That's a necessary feature on a modern phone; even Apple finally caved on this point.

      Any better suggestions, shithead?

    19. Re: What would Trump do? by vyvepe · · Score: 1
      Net export is bigger from Germany than from US. Of course, because US is running a deficit. It has the biggest deficit in the world. About 4 times bigger than UK (the second deficit country).

      Export value from US is bigger than from Germany by about 15%. The biggest export is from China. It is abut 42% bigger than from US. If EU could be considered as a single country then it would have about 5% bigger export than China.

  2. Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I hope they are successful. The Android vs. iOS competition has been giving most of us headaches for quite a while.

    1. Re: Great by Njorthbiatr · · Score: 1

      What, specifically do you hate about Android?

    2. Re: Great by Clsid · · Score: 1

      I would love to see something like Rust replace Java for Android programming. The day any language that is closer to the metal replaces that memory hog, Android will be able to compete with iOS on equal terms.

    3. Re: Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Security
        - bug track record
        - bug fix record
        - fragmentation makes finding bugs harder. There are many bugs in bloatware.
        - bad TPM implementation
        - locked bootloaders that interfere with the owner but not with forensics
        - manufacturer/carrier backdoors

      Software quality
        - lots of basic bugs like alarm clocks that don't go off, calendar app doesn't sync reliably, flaily bluetooth stack
        - "have you tried rebooting it"
        - bloatware

      Walled garden
        - you can't use Android without Google
        - and it's a shitty walled garden: google's chat app disaster. their poor position on surveillance with very little undiscoverable data.

      Privacy
        - they stonewalled on privacy controls for so long it's clear the Android architects don't work for me. They work for "the developers," or for the cause of lowering privacy expectations generally.
        - the privacy controls they delivered are not meaningful, usually handing over evercookies and contacts lists, tending toward putting "choosers" on the distrusted side of the privacy wall so the "developer" gets all the data not just the relevant slice, not allowing you to lie about your location, not facilitating any meaningful shrinkwrap-software mode where you can use and pay for an app without the developer having backdoor access to it.
        - every time a company herds you onto an "app" instead of a web page it's to reduce your privacy: to limit you to one account by capturing your phone number or device serial number, to track your location in the background, to spam you with notifications.
        - ultrasonic "copresence" cookies.
        - phones cannot be shared, and they're using this as a feature, for DRM. Even for one user, it is a key privacy feature to appear to be two users to people who wish to control you, like the "multiprofile" feature of web browsers.

      Speed
        - UI lag, hidden by "buttery" animations. great, but you still have to wait while they play out.
        - horrible lag on old TI chips like droid4. tens of thousands of milliseconds to navigate the settings app. While this is over, I will not forgive them for it because it's evidence of the phone "ecosystem's" collective delusion: they talk about number of cores and amount of RAM while it's stupid-obvious the phone is brokenly slow.

      TCO
        - price / months with software updates for phone > for a laptop, even for a low-end phone. It's also greater than the wireless plan
        - keeping it updated is a huge toll on the user: the update process is slow and must be helped along at many points so you can't run it overnight.

    4. Re: Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      > - you can't use Android without Google

      Of course you can. For example Microsoft/Nokia X was Android with all the Google replaced by Microsoft, Nokia or other services. It sold well enough (mostly to anti-Google Microsoft fans) that Microsoft had to kill it and bury it.

      Most Androids do sell with Google because that is what most people want.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_X

    5. Re:Great by unixisc · · Score: 1

      I hope they are successful. The Android vs. iOS competition has been giving most of us headaches for quite a while.

      I wonder what strategy will they use this time? Will they make Marshmallow or Nutella phones, or will they redo their Tizen phones?

      If they wanna do low end, that's fine, but here's what I suggest. Still have something like an Android/Cyanogen or Tizen phone, and keep some of the things that make smartphones better than low end. Like texting - retain the messaging app: typing is a lot easier that way instead of pressing 2 three times or 5 twice. Or simply keep WhatsApp there, and let it be a common interface for voice calls, video calls and text/pic/video messages. Have a brief list of apps, like a OneNote, WhatsApp, calculator, a couple of games and maybe maps. Oh, and have the ability to save phone contacts on an SD card, so that during upgrades/replacements, it's easy to migrate.

      Doing that could enable Nokia to regain a segment of the market.

    6. Re: Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hate that it's insecure. Hate the shovelware. Hate that carriers mangle it with their branding. Hate that the Google Play store isn't vetted. Hate that I have to root it for a true Android experience. Hate that I can't update it on older hardware. Hate that Google is behind it. There's more but my lunch is over.

  3. Nokia phones by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nokia used to make terrific handsets. It was only when Elop, the worst CEO in history, took the reins that things went south precipitously. If Nokia starts designing handsets again, this time with Android, I'll be in principle interested.

    1. Re:Nokia phones by bulled · · Score: 1

      This, I have very fond memories of my N900. It was a little rough around the edges when it launched, but the potential was there. I would take a Nokia handset with Android, but I really hope they have their sights set a little higher than that.

    2. Re:Nokia phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Elop was supposed to be terrible. The whole point was to depress the stock price for the coming Microsoft purchase.

      Enjoy reading this comment on your Microsoft run computer.

    3. Re:Nokia phones by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

      Enjoy reading this comment on your Microsoft run computer.

      That'd be something: my desktop has been Linux for twenty years.

    4. Re:Nokia phones by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

      Elop was hired as CEO...what do you think happened to the previous CEO? Hint: He didn't get old and retire, he didn't get elected Emperor of Finland. Actually, he was fired for doing a bad job. A quick Google says that under the previous CEO, Nokia went from 38% to 21% in just four years, and he hadn't been able to come up with an adequate response to the Apple iPhone that re-made the industry.

      The worst thing you can say about Elop is that he took a company that was clearly already falling apart and in a terrible position, and was unable to turn it around.

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    5. Re:Nokia phones by Stormwatch · · Score: 2

      No. That would imply he at least tried to act in favor of the company's interests with a modicum of competence.

      Say, do you know the "Osborne effect" - when a company announces upcoming products too soon and kills demand for the current ones?

      Also, do you know the "Ratner effect" - when a company's leadership publicly attacks its own products, ruining their reputation?

      Put them together and you get the monstrosity of the "Elop effect".

      That lunatic stated that the still immensely popular Symbian was not competitive, killing that cash cow overnight. What for? The WP-based devices meant to replace it were still several months away - and not only that, that system would have a reputation for lacking essential features for years. This means, all of a sudden the world's biggest cell phone maker had no viable smartphone to sell. The vacuum left by Nokia's suicide was promptly filled by Android devices. So you can see how Elop's leadership was immensely profitable... for Samsung!

      A sane and honest person in his position at that moment would have praised and supported Symbian until its successor was ready. And by that I clearly mean MeeGo, not WP.

    6. Re:Nokia phones by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

      He sold a company that was in the process of going bankrupt to a big technology company that was desperate to enter the cell phone market. It was a smart move for the shareholders.

      The company was going to shit before he was ever hired as CEO. Him saying "Symbian sucks" was just acknowledging what was widely acknowledged in the marketplace. It was certainly not immensely popular. It was a complete joke compared to the iPhone or even Android 2. No rational person would look at Symbian, iPhone, or Android, and choose Symbian. At that point, Nokia was basically in the business of selling dumbphones to poor people, because $50 Android phones were still a year away.

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    7. Re:Nokia phones by Stormwatch · · Score: 1

      Nonsense! Nokia was nowhere near bankrupt at the time. By Q4 2010 they were consistently profitable and Symbian still led at ~32% market share. Yes, other phone makers had moved away from it, but Nokia's own sales were mostly untouched - iOS and Android had grown mostly by taking customers from Palm, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile. And as Symbian was a more lightweight system, it would be easier to put it on low-cost devices. Expectations at the time were rather positive - if they could keep advancing Symbian and finally deliver MeeGo.

      Elop's stint was an attempt at fixing things only the same sense as drinking poison is an attempt at quenching your thirst. It was a disaster in every way. The fact that he killed hopes for another MeeGo device after the extremely positive reception of the N9 shows clearly that he was there solely to advance Microsoft's interests, no matter that it harmed Nokia.

    8. Re:Nokia phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When Elop took over, Nokia was already in deep shit. The stock price had dropped 70% in the previous two years.

      Looking purely at the numbers, Elop actually slowed that decline.

      Context, people. It matters.

    9. Re:Nokia phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, Elop was hired to save Nokia which had been in the shitter for years. He did a wonderful of removing the dying limb and strengthening the remaining company. My wife worked for Nokia in the headset division and almost lost her job in 2006 (two years before Elop was hired) when the mass layoffs started. Luckily, she was able to transfer to Nokia Siemens Networks, which is now just Nokia after Siemens sold their 50% stake to Nokia.

    10. Re:Nokia phones by Gussington · · Score: 1

      If Nokia starts designing handsets again, this time with Android, I'll be in principle interested.

      Why do you care? Handsets these days are all just rectangle glass touch screens. And since the software is all third party there is nothing to design.
      Handsets are commodity items my next one will probably be a cheaper Chinese version that does 99% of the name brand for 2/3rds the price.

    11. Re:Nokia phones by cheesybagel · · Score: 1

      Oh he did quite a lot worse than not turn it around. Several of the cellphone companies back then are still around in some form or another. With the cash reserves they had they could have done a lot better.

    12. Re:Nokia phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you don't want "Android", you want an open source Linux-based O/S, not a corporate-controlled, telecom-hacked unsupported, and malware-impregnated shite.
      You know, like Sailfish. It runs Android apps.
      Go get yourself a Jolla phone, be part of the future ....
      https://jolla.com/jolla

    13. Re:Nokia phones by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hubris ruined Nokia phone. One of my relatives started the Nokia plant in Texas. Didn't they even have co CEO's for awhile? And in 2001 over 50% of the cap of the Helsinki stock exchange. Just crazy.

  4. No Symbian, please by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 1

    As long as they bring back just the awesome hardware, I'm fine, and may even buy a new Nokia phone.

    But please don't bring back that horrible Symbian OS.

    1. Re:No Symbian, please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But please don't bring back that horrible Symbian OS.

      I suspect it will be Sailfish OS (derived from MeeGo). IMO Nokia would have fucked everyone over with N900 if Elop didn't sink that ship.

    2. Re:No Symbian, please by snookiex · · Score: 1

      This. I briefly owned an LG Android phone but I learned to hate it very soon for sw and hw reasons. Now I'm stuck with my old N9/N900. They're excellent phones and I love the OS. On a partly related note, Sailfish seems to be doing it right. *pokes Nokia/HMD/Whatever*

      --
      Open Source Network Inventory for the masses! Kuwaiba
    3. Re:No Symbian, please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your opinion is heavily skewed by a nerd bubble. N900 was shit.

    4. Re: No Symbian, please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      N900 was the worst piece of technology ever conceived by man. I believe it sold only 500 units etc

    5. Re: No Symbian, please by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      I think Nokia has learned it's lesson about using outdated failures. If people wanted alternatives they would have sold more Windows Phones

    6. Re:No Symbian, please by drewsup · · Score: 1

      first thing i thought also, Sailfish on a new Nokia might be worth looking at!

    7. Re:No Symbian, please by unixisc · · Score: 1

      If they made a plain Android phone - say a Marshmallow or Nutella, they'd do just fine, and could reclaim some market from the likes of Samsung

  5. There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    There are a lot of people who don't want smartphones. Nokia is legendary for its cellphones. Does this herald the return of the dumb phone?

    1. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Clsid · · Score: 1

      After you snap a picture of what you are seeing and are able to send that by email while at the same time check out a video of somebody goofing around, making a comeback to a dumb phone will only happen if you are broke or something.

    2. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by fotbr · · Score: 2

      I'd love to go back to one of their old candy-bar style phones that did nothing except be a phone. I don't care about texting. I don't care about data. I don't care about music. I don't care about photos. I don't care about video. I don't care about apps.

      I had my fun with smartphones over the years. I've changed.

      I want a phone like I had 15 or so years ago: One I can charge once every other week whether it needs it or not. Something with actual buttons that I can operate by feel, without having to look at it.

    3. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Desler · · Score: 1

      Define "a lot" in hard numbers and do provide the methodology at which you came at that number.

    4. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by kamapuaa · · Score: 2

      Cranky old men who used to work menial IT jobs, have been downsized, and now post on Slashdot with 4 or 5 digit userids.

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    5. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      They still sell these for old people. Amazon shows the Kyocera Rally S1370, for instance.

    6. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Parents that don't want their kids sexting. Done.

    7. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > After you snap a picture of what you are seeing and are able to send that by email while at the same time check out a video of somebody goofing around,

      Not everyone is obsessed with Facebook and Twitter. Millenials don't understand that - or much of anything at all that is not on social media.

    8. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      After it finishes booting uoops never mind battery died. You'd think all those amp-hours would last more than a day.

    9. Re: There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what does that mean?

      There is better content with 1,2,3 value user ID ??

      Real users post anonymously and contribute without credit

    10. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Tetch · · Score: 1

      Does this herald the return of the dumb phone?

      Please oh please yes please please please ..... specifically, a phone that lasts 30 days between battery charges, and which isn't a fear-inducing mess of security holes needing constant updates (i.e. small attack surface please). Also, just a phone please. Don't need a camera built in - already have better cameras, that are just cameras.

      You can give it a flashlight function if you must - I might have very occasional use for that. But I will never want to surf the web on a goddam phone, okay ?

      --
      If you don't pray in my school, I won't think in your church.
    11. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could do that on early 00's symbian phones

    12. Re: There is a sizable market left out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it means that users with low user ids tend to be cranky old unemployed IT workers.

    13. Re:There is a sizable market left out there by holophrastic · · Score: 1

      I still have a nokia phone -- my sixth in a row. Still with buttons. Best voice quality, small, light, not too-thin-to-hold. It's not my computer. It's my phone.

      So, for all of those people who can't actually work on a phone -- because our work is bigger than a phone, in the same way that a general contractor can't use a swiss army knife to build your house -- a great phone with buttons beats out a big phone with a touch screen every day.

      I'm happy to spend another $300+ on a nice durable quality phone with buttons, and a headset jack. Internet, I can take or leave.

  6. But will it run by macxcool · · Score: 1

    Linux ;-)

    1. Re:But will it run by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      I sincerely hope so... the cost of a "Linux capable" platform is so low today as are the power requirements. Would you rather carry a bulletproof cellular telephone that costs $30, or a bulletproof cellular telephone with a fully functional computer embedded for $35?

    2. Re:But will it run by Tx · · Score: 2

      Firstly, Android is Linux. But in the sense meant here, no. Quote from elsewhere; "Future Nokia smartphones will utilise Google's Android operating system, currently deployed on 86% of the world's smartphones."

      Bringing another OS into play in a market that is sewn up by two major players is pretty much guaranteed to fail, and I really don't see what a Linux phone would do for the average consumer. Do really think Nokia/HMD Global should waste millions of Euros in R&D to develop a Linux phone distribution just to satisfy a handful of nerds? Not a compelling business case, if you ask me.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    3. Re:But will it run by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Nokia had a range of operating systems that were, in every sense, fully functional computer operating systems, but were far more efficient. I'm not sure the choice between No Linux and Linux is what you claim.

      At this point the market has decided everyone wants devices that, if you're lucky, might be able to last a day and a half on a single battery life (and that require battery technologies that have proven to be somewhat unstable to provide that amount of life.) So I'm not sure how much the "efficient operating system" thing counts right now, but I wish it did.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    4. Re:But will it run by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      Kind of like the two party political system, eh?

      Jolla is a Nokia spinoff that's trying to meld Linux/Android functionality into a single platform, I lost track of them after they failed to deliver my tablet - not interested in their phones that don't work in my country.

    5. Re:But will it run by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      I sorely miss my Moto810 feature phone. It had a camera, it did e-mail, it lasted a week on a charge.

      When I say "I want Linux" - what I want is a desktop (can be LXDE or similar, but at least a task launch menu and multiple windows), I want a functional terminal on that desktop, and I want a package manager that can install a reasonable subset of the stuff you can get from Debian, or similar. I also want to be able to write custom software on a reasonably standard desktop system, with access to a reasonable subset of the existing libraries, and deploy it to the phone. Access to all the phone gadgets (touchscreen, network, camera, speaker, mic, IMU, etc.) can be through custom API, but needs to be reasonable to integrate with existing tools and libraries.

      And a pretty pony, you're just a bad company if you can't provide all that and a pretty pony for my birthday.

  7. Pffft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Overpriced S60 phones (800 Euros or so with a slightly bigger screen than a 6030 for 150 Euro). The S60 had only a supershitty J2ME API. No C++ Api available.

    Then they had some Linux device. Instead of forging ahead, they created a second Linux platform and then buried both.

    Maoist Surrender Monkeys, thats the Euro Elite these days. One of their favorite tactics is to hire INDIANS for SW engineering, while europeans have the shit jobs. I guess Obama teached them this tactic.

    1. Re:Pffft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remind me, where do ARM cores come from? You know the ones in EVERY phone? - oh, I remember, Europe, specifically the UK. How strange. And Fabbed into chips at TSMC in Taiwan or mainland China. go USA!

    2. Re:Pffft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Then they had some Linux device. Instead of forging ahead, they created a second Linux platform and then buried both.

      Meego was a development of Maemo and actually used Maemo as its base. It was Microsoft (via Elop) that killed that.

  8. Errata by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The 6030 had only a supershitty J2ME API. No C++ Api available.

  9. Not going to succeed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nokia made good phones back then. Phones consisted of strong plastic, antenna, and black and white LCD screen. Now smartphone needs good AP, OLED screen, camera, metal/glass casing, waterproof, good battery, etc. I don't think Nokia has skills on any of those. They'll probably come up with something similar to Blackberry Priv.
    I'm sure Nokia has some talented engineers, but they are competing with Apple/Google/Samsung engineers who already has a decade of experience of building smartphones and extremely talented at that.

    1. Re:Not going to succeed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Nokia doesn't have any experience building a good smartphone? You've never seen a Lumia have you? You think they've been doing nothing these past few years? Even while shackled to the MS ecosystem they were still building good hardware. If the Lumia had Android it would have sold well. From a construction and design point of view it was well built, sleek and had good battery life. The PureView camera that Nokia developed was fantastic for its time and shows that Nokia can still put together an impressive package and technologies when it buckles down. Being free from Microsoft now hopefully HMD gives them some latitude to develop new technologies and come up with new designs for their phones. With Samsung losing a bit of consumer faith, Google still essentially just entering the market with the Pixel that's dividing opinions, LG being hit or miss and everyone else in a way making up the numbers I think Nokia has a good chance of playing up the nostalgia of their past achievements if they come out the gate swinging. I know they're going to make entry level phones first to test the waters but if they really put in some effort to build a premium phone I believe they can bring some innovation to an otherwise stagnant smartphone market like they used to with their N Series phones

  10. What's so bad about Symbian? by Ihlosi · · Score: 1
    Ok, it could use a lot more polishing than Nokia gave it.

    But:

    1. It can run Angry Birds.

    2. It can sync with a local PC, without depositing your address book and everything else on MS/Google/Apple servers

    3. It used to be open source, before it became open ... for business.

    4. It can run DOSBox.

  11. Dare to be different! by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Build phones with a replaceable battery, with actual keys to type in a phone number or to flip up/down in the phone book, with slots for SD cards and plugs for micro USB.

    I know it sounds crazy, but I have that odd feeling that there just MIGHT be a market for something like this.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Dare to be different! by bazorg · · Score: 1

      How about a Nokia 3310, but with 4G and a wifi hotspot for your Nokia PC/tablet?
      Maybe they cannot compete in a world of $29 Android devices, but they could build PRO laptops and PRO tablets. With USB ports, Courage(tm) sockets, SD card slots, full HD screens and plastic shells with varied designs.

    2. Re:Dare to be different! by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

      It IS crazy. You might as well buy a netbook computer, because that's how big and clunky the thing will be. There's simply no room on a modern 5.5" screen cellphone to put a physical keypad; either it's going to be huge (5.5" screen plus fixed keypad or keyboard), or it's going to be a slider, which have proven to have mechanical problems plus they're super-thick (this coming from someone who'd happily accept more thickness in exchange for a bigger battery). Not only that, the keypad will have limited usefulness, because you'll still have to use the on-screen keyboard for texting; I don't know about you, but most of my phone typing is text, not numbers. Who the hell still messes with phone numbers anyway? Are you of retirement age? Do you still use AOL? It's not like I get new phone numbers from people *that* often; I'm not quite that popular with women.... (though now I'm over 40, it does seem like my popularity with them has quadrupled or more, probably because I still look good and am in shape, and the competition from men in my age group is so pathetic).

      Here's the features you need in a modern smartphone for success: 1) user-replaceable battery 2) SD card slot 3) USB-c 4) IP68 waterproof 5) Android OS and access to the Google Play store. Going with a non-Android OS is doomed to failure, because of the apps; it's the same reason desktop Linux hasn't taken over much from Windows. A big bonus to woo customers away from other premium Android phones would be to eliminate all the crapware and make a streamlined, high-performance version of Android. A lot of people would probably jump on that, given the interest in Google's Nexus/Pixel phones. Throw in the features above (battery, SDcard, waterproof) and keep the price in-line with the Galaxy and Pixel phones and you've got a winner because it'll cover everyone's bases. (The weakness of the Galaxy line is the software: all the crapware and bloatware on Samsung's Android version. The weakness of Google's phones is the hardware: a lack of features like a removable battery and SDcard slot.)

    3. Re:Dare to be different! by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And make it durable, and keep supporting upgrades regardless of how old the phone gets. I'm tired of buying a phone because the previous one just stopped working, or buying a new phone because stuff no longer runs on it since the OS is out of date. I would buy a phone that would last more than 5 years on that strength alone.

      --
      There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
    4. Re:Dare to be different! by Higaran · · Score: 2

      I agree with you mostly, but I think that some people also what a good mid ranged handset. I have the Nexus 5x and I don't think I could find a better phone for the price when it came out, or even today. I just want something that is quick, all around not bad and I don't want to pay $600 ever year or even two for a new damn phone. For $700-$800 a flagship smart phone cost I could get a not too shabby laptop, phones really should not cost as much as they do. Google really messed up this year with the pixel, the killed one of the main points of the phone, historically they have not been extremely expensive, or like last year there were 2 models, one being a good midrange price.

    5. Re:Dare to be different! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used a Nokia E7 for a few years, and still use it as an alarm clock. It has a full touch-screen, and a flip-out keyboard. Despite dropping it a few times, and using it heavily, it never suffered mechanical problems. It also, sadly, did not have the easily-changeable battery or swappable SD card like other Nokia Symbian phones of the era -- but it did have HDMI out, and USB "host" capability for connecting a keyboard, mouse, or external card reader.

      A somewhat thicker phone to accommodate a flip-out keyboard is not an unbelievable compromise considering some people use phones that are, height- and width-wise, nearly as big as their head.

    6. Re:Dare to be different! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, my first 2 Android phones had flip-down keyboards (G1 and G2). I miss being able to type quickly and accurately.

    7. Re:Dare to be different! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I would pay more money for a "thicker" phone than the no slider/flipout KB equivalent that's a few millimeters thinner.

    8. Re:Dare to be different! by Clsid · · Score: 1

      Just go and get a Blackberry Passport or Classic. Everything you are asking minus the replaceable battery. Does not seem to be faring well.

      The keyboard thing does not make sense though, not only because its size, but as soon as you need to type stuff in a different language, it becomes painfully obvious you need another system in place.

    9. Re:Dare to be different! by _merlin · · Score: 1

      Where's the profit in that? If a phone lasts too long they can't make money selling you a new one, and providing updates for old phones is just a money sink from their PoV (unless they charge for updates, but you'd crucify them for that, too), Lack of updates for phones isn't new - even in Nokia's heyday (5110, 8110, 8850, 8210 etc.), firmware updates were relatively rare, and you had to pay a service centre to install them for you.

    10. Re:Dare to be different! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      As good as gorilla glass is now, they could probably make a phone with a big touch display on one side, and a smaller display and a keypad on the other. Seems like that would satisfy everyone, except those who want a replaceable battery. It would be thicker, but that's OK.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:Dare to be different! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      but I have that odd feeling that there just MIGHT be a market for something like this.

      It's competing with all the other phone targetted at grandparents.

      As much as you think there's a market for this, 100 slashdot users don't really count. Remember the market itself has chosen.

    12. Re:Dare to be different! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The LGV20 has a replaceable battery. I was quite shocked to find that out.

    13. Re:Dare to be different! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here you go. This meets all of the requirements you've listed.

    14. Re:Dare to be different! by Gussington · · Score: 1

      Build phones with a replaceable battery, with actual keys to type in a phone number or to flip up/down in the phone book, with slots for SD cards and plugs for micro USB.

      I know it sounds crazy, but I have that odd feeling that there just MIGHT be a market for something like this.

      Really? Because outside of nerd forums I see no real demand for any of this. And even in here most people don't care for it.
      USB charging is good, so you can use anyone else's charger, and a head phone jack is good, because most people don't own stupid BT headphones. But outside that the rest is negligible.

    15. Re:Dare to be different! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      I actually did have a phone with a tiny keyboard you could flip out underneath. Granted, it was a hint thicker than 2mm, but not much thicker than a contemporary iPhone with its "keeps the tinfoil phone from crumpling in your pocket" protection cover. And it didn't need a cover, so...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    16. Re:Dare to be different! by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      What market has chosen? Apple has chosen to produce an iPhone and people can buy it or not have an iPhone. And people buy it.

      Remember how market economy was supposed to be? Suppliers offering choices and people being the decider what sells and what doesn't? What choice do I have? If I want a more or less modern phone, I have to swallow that it's going to have a soldered battery with an anemic lifetime because it's paper thin, along with the phone not being much thicker and needing a protective cover so it doesn't crumple when you put it into your pocket.

      And please don't tell me people really HATED those USB ports enough that they DEMANDED them removed...

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    17. Re:Dare to be different! by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      What market has chosen? Apple has chosen to produce an iPhone and people can buy it or not have an iPhone. And people buy it.

      One company, let's broaden the example. Apple introduces a phone without a keyboard and no interchangable battery. In the mean time the market is flooded with various other phones including those with full keyboards, flip phones, ports, batteries and whatnot. Over time the keyboards disappear? Why? Same reason the stock prices of the vendors' products plummeted, no one bought that. Even within a vendor you can see trial and trends. Good old Samsungs had always had an interchangable battery right up to the S6. That one tanked. The S7 also has no battery, but they reintroduced a number of other far more critical features.

      That's how the market works. Nothing in the market forces a company to take massive income hits to provide features for a very small portion of the market. Those that do provide those features do so at a cost where they can still make profit (hence the grandma phones you can get for $40). You know for all the people who swear by the Nokia N900 as the pinacle of phone design here on Slashdot (open, removable battery, full keyboard, powerful for it's day) I never saw a single one and I like to think I'm in a pretty damn nerdy crowd.

      You may not have chosen, but the market most definitely did.

      And please don't tell me people really HATED those USB ports enough that they DEMANDED them removed...

      Let's revisit this in 3 years with a lens of the now. Either the MBP flops quite badly (likely given the reviews), or people gobbled it up and companies with those pesky ports start losing sales to the MBP. Time will tell.

      Oh and we need to view it in the lens of now (2016) and no in the lens of the day, as yeah USB Type A ports suck balls and I can't wait for the world to be rid of them. This will likely happen in the next few years. Speaking of ... why did USB C get designed with a reversible connection? Oh yeah, the market chose that too.

    18. Re:Dare to be different! by michael_wojcik · · Score: 1

      You might as well buy a netbook computer, because that's how big and clunky the thing will be. There's simply no room on a modern 5.5" screen cellphone to put a physical keypad; either it's going to be huge (5.5" screen plus fixed keypad or keyboard), or it's going to be a slider, which have proven to have mechanical problems plus they're super-thick

      What a load of crap. My Samsung slider isn't even 12mm thick; that's considerably thinner than other things I carry in my pockets, and thinner than the feature-phones people happily carried for years. No, it doesn't have a 5.5" screen, but many of us don't see any need for a fucking 5.5" screen either - particularly not when we have a physical keyboard. And it has a removable battery and an SD card slot.

      Physical keyboards may not be popular with smartphone buyers, but that's not because they make phones too large to be usable.

  12. Maemo by Artemis3 · · Score: 1

    Ah, do you mean something like this?

    Nokia already did "waste millions of Euros in R&D to develop a Linux phone distribution". They would just be returning to their own project.

    --
    Artix
    Your Linux, your init.
  13. Will buy it blindly by Frankie70 · · Score: 1

    For the last 16 years, I have been using Nokia phones except for 1 HTC phone in between. My current phone is a Lumia. I bought it mainly because it's a Nokia. If Nokia makes phones I again, my next phone will also be a Nokia - I don't care what software it runs.

    1. Re:Will buy it blindly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lumia

      No true Nokia

    2. Re:Will buy it blindly by vandamme · · Score: 1

      Is an upgradeable open source OS too much to ask, though? And no Microsoft, Google or Apple.

  14. Re:Another TRUMP win! by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

    We need a nickname like this for Trump. "Crooked Hillary" is totally apt and accurate, but Trump is equally bad, just in different ways (looking at his cabinet picks here at the moment...), so he needs a suitable nickname in the same vein.

  15. In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nokia Snake coming to Android soon!

    1. Re:In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  16. Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great Britain no longer consider themselves as part of Europe, as the Brexit vote so amply demonstrated. ARM is a triumph of the commonwealth and the crown. Rule Britannia!

    1. Re:Recent events by unixisc · · Score: 1

      They voted to leave the EU. That doesn't change geography: England doesn't suddenly lie off the New England coast. Commonwealth - does it even mean anything anymore?

    2. Re:Recent events by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
      They voted to leave the EU. That doesn't change geography:

      I am bitterly disappointed. I was hoping we could be moved somewhere near Hawaii. Bali. Or anywhere warmer, with better food, and further from France.

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
    3. Re: Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      England is not Europe. It's England.

    4. Re: Recent events by unixisc · · Score: 1

      Amongst continents, the British Isles are a part of Europe. English culture can't change that, no matter how different it is from continental Europe

    5. Re:Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      with better food, and further from France.

      These two things are mutually exclusive

    6. Re: Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The commonwealth is a collection of independent countries that agreed to have the current UK Queen as head of state.

    7. Re: Recent events by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, only a few of the countries have the Queen as their head of state, the others have gone on to become republics.

  17. Re:Another TRUMP win! by unixisc · · Score: 1

    TRIUMPHANT Trump!!! After his success w/ Carrier

  18. Re:Another TRUMP win! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TRIUMPHANT Trump!!! After his success w/ Carrier

    Then "Carrier's B&*%h" is more appropriate.

  19. Re:Another TRUMP win! by zwede · · Score: 1

    We need a nickname like this for Trump. "Crooked Hillary" is totally apt and accurate, but Trump is equally bad, just in different ways (looking at his cabinet picks here at the moment...), so he needs a suitable nickname in the same vein.

    "Trumpster fire".

  20. Re:Another TRUMP win! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tweeter Trump

  21. Congratulations! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You just invented the late 90s cordless phone!

  22. Linux on Nokia hardware by DrYak · · Score: 1

    Firstly, Android is Linux. But in the sense meant here, no.

    I think the parent poster might be referring to GNU/Linux.
    Android does use the Linux Kernel, but slaps a completely different user space atop of it.
    (Mostly written in "I Can't Believe it's Not Java(tm)" in addition a few core libraries replaced with alternatives that have non-GPL licensing, like the Bionic C library).

    Bringing another OS into play in a market that is sewn up by two major players is pretty much guaranteed to fail

    ...except if that 3rd OS does run the Apps of one of the 2 major players.
    Which is exactly what *Windows* failed to do (Android apps never got supported, at least the technology got recycled into WSL)
    Which is where HP/Palm's WebOS bid on the wrong horse (They counted on compatibility with classic PalmOS apps. It did make sense back when they started designing webOS - as PalmOS used to be a major platform back then. But didn't make any sense as webOS smart phones go released - as Android had became the main platform).

    At the end of the day, end-user don't care that OS their smartphone run.
    They only care if they can play the same games/use the same chat app as everybody else.
    Thus it's the app availability which is the most important.
    As long as your OS can run Android Apps and tap into its vast eco-system, you're golden.

    and I really don't see what a Linux phone would do for the average consumer.

    Lower spec requirement, as proven by Sailfish OS.
    Thus :
    - either being able to run on lower-spec smartphones (and that's the reason while SFOS is being considered by some 3rd party developpers)
    - and in theory should able to have more headroom on flagship specs smartphones.

    A few other advantages (Turing Industries apparently found it easier to secure).

    Do really think Nokia/HMD Global should waste millions of Euros in R&D to develop a Linux phone distribution just to satisfy a handful of nerds?

    In practice, they *ALREADY WASTED THESE EUROS*. Then Elop sacked the R&D team, who went to create Jolla and develop SailfishOS.
    The Linux OS already exist.
    Nokia already paid for it.
    It would be a bad business idea not to at least consider using what they've already paid to develop.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  23. Jolla Phone keyboard by DrYak · · Score: 2

    or it's going to be a slider, which have proven to have mechanical problems

    3rd party have successfully designed keyboard which are magnetic slide.
    (No mechanical parts. Just carefully aligned magnet that accept 2 stable positions. Either the keyboard stuck to the back of the smartphone, or stuck in "slide out position" with the keys available for typing and the pogo-pins aligned with the contacts).

    I you don't want the keyboard, you just remove it (un stick it).
    This of course requires the availability of pogo-pins.
    Jolla's phone and Fairphone's phone 2 were both designed with extra pins so that 3rd parties could invent such gadgets.

    Android OS and access to the Google Play store.

    Technically, only the "access Google Play store" part is important.
    It just happens that Android OS is the most straight-forward solution to run Android Apps, but...

    Going with a non-Android OS is doomed to failure, because of the apps;

    ...unless this non-Android OS also runs android apps.
    Like the Alien-Dalvik engine available inside the Sailfish OS - for whose development Nokia already paid, until Elop decided to drop that R&D team (who subsequently formed Jolla)

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Jolla Phone keyboard by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      The removable keyboard bit sounds interesting, but for the non-Android OS that runs Android apps from Google's Play store, 1) has anyone actually demonstrated this is feasible, and 2) is it legally possible (would Google lock out such an OS)?

  24. Re:Another TRUMP win! by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

    No, not really. That's a good list and all, but "Hitler II" just doesn't have a good ring to it, the way "Lyin' Ted" or "Crooked Hillary" do, and more importantly, "Hitler II" doesn't actually have Trump's name in it! It's not obvious that it's referring to Trump because of this; someone could think you're talking about Erdogan or Putin. I'm looking for a catchy nickname that actually has either "Trump" or "Donald" in it, just like his nicknames for his opponents. Something with alliteration would be best (though "Crooked Hillary" lacked that). Maybe "Tyrannical Trump"? Though to be fair, it remains to be seen as he hasn't proven himself one way or the other, it's all just been rhetoric and bluster to this point.

    BTW, the press really does lie. WaPo proved that when they sabotaged Bernie's campaign. Trump was exactly right about that. It's not just the leftist (really corporatist) outlets like WaPo either; the alt-right news outlets are at least as bad. They're all liars. Also, Hillary didn't give a shit about anyone else but herself too, so Trump isn't unique on that point.

  25. Apps on Non-Adroid OS by DrYak · · Score: 1

    has anyone actually demonstrated this is feasible,

    As mentionned above, Myriad's Alien-Dalvik has and is the official commercial solution powering the Jolla Phone in my pocket (and what I use with countless android apps).
    I think I remember that this was also the official solution use by BlackBerry back when they offered Android Apps support on their (non-android) OS.
    This was also a solution considered for HP/Palm's webOS... but the whole platform went belly up before commercial deployment.

    SFDroid is another solution for SailfishOS, but opensource and thus used successfully by the community ports (e.g.: on Fairphone 2). I haven't tested this one.

    Shashlik is yet another one, but I don't know how far they've reached.

    WSL is what microsoft tried, but unlike the above, they weren't successful (and recycled it into the form that we now know of).

    is it legally possible (would Google lock out such an OS)?

    Technically possible :
    - yes, I'm doing it, and countless of other sailfish OS users.

    Legally possible :
    - murky. In theory Google requires a commercial license between them and the phone constructor, in order to allow them to use the full commercial "Google Play" experience (as opposed to simply using the opensource android).

    e.g.: As Jolla has never secured such a license (and the fact that it runs on a completely different OS might probably contradict the usual terms about the "google experience") the Alien-Dalvik installation on Jolla phones doesn't come with Google Play, but with Aptoid (and optionnally Yandex).
    By default they activate a couple of repositories containing a few apps that have been curated and known to work good on the phones.

    In practice:
    - Google has never done anything against end-user sideloading Googe Play Store into their phones (be it Cyanogen-modded, running Alien-Dalvik, etc.)
    And you could understand clearly why :
    - They DO have interest going against crappy no-name chinese clone-makers, because it might degrade the perception of their Google Play brand.
    - They HAVE NO interest going against en users. On the contrary: As this is end-user installed, Google don't need to go at great length to insure support (I might have found 1 or 2 applications that don't work on my phone). And as it is an *apps store*, google can earn tons of users who are happy to install paid content on their phone (There's at least a couple of games that I've paid).
    So google has very strong monetary incentives to let users keep installing Google Play Store on unlicensed platforms.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  26. Things go south with Microsoft by Finn_Hakansson · · Score: 0

    Everything Microsoft touches turns to shit. As I said back then, the execs at Nokia who went with Microsoft were either complete idiots or were traitors.