Intel and Nokia unveiled plans on Tuesday to work together to create a type of mobile computing device beyond today’s smartphones and netbooks.

The move takes Intel a step further towards a breakthrough into the highly prized mobile phone market. Nokia typically works with potential suppliers on joint research for several years before deciding to adopt a particular technology.

For Intel, a partnership with a leading mobile player is crucial to adoption of its chips although the announcement suggested the groups would focus on niche products initially in categories of devices yet to be developed.

"We believe that this will allow us to create an entire new category of devices," Kai Öistämö, Nokia executive vice-president in charge of the group's devices unit, told a media conference call. "The mobile and computing industries are coming together and we, as leaders in our respective industries, are taking the responsibility to really be the enablers to create this brave new world."

His counterpart, Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice-president of Intel’s ultra mobility group, described the partnership as "this year's most significant collaboration in our respective industries."

Source: FT

Labels: intel, MIDs, netbooks, Nokia, smartphones

Juniper Research forecasts that annual sales of low-budget mobile devices will rise to over 700 million units by 2014, up 22% from this year.

Much of this is down to emerging markets, and Juniper explains that the key to tapping into this vast pool of potential customers is to drastically reduce handset costs.

A summary of Juniper’s report can be found in this free whitepaper.

According to Juniper, entry-level devices (Nokia’s defines this as phones that sell for less than $60) accounted for 45% (535 million units) of total global shipments in 2008. Juniper forecasts that low-cost devices will account for over 50% of all devices sold worldwide by 2014. Juniper Research believes around 24% of the 700 million low-cost handsets expected to be sold in 2014 will be sold in Africa and the Middle East.

Labels: Juniper Research, low budget mobile devices, Nokia

Following Wednesday's release of the North American N97, Qik - the live mobile video broadcasting service - will come preloaded onto all Nokia S60-based phones. Rather than appearing as an icon linking to a download page (as with the Nokia 5800), Qik comes installed and ready to go.

By installing it ready to go, Nokia (and Qik) hopes for significant increase in usage; getting people to actually use it has proved difficult. Much better to already include it than to convince people to make the leap, download the app then register an account.

Labels: Nokia, Qik