Mobile Computing News

Photo: Nokia

Though we would rather stop writing about Nokia’s woes – and this is likely to be our last post on the subject – nobody could ignore the recent passionate blog post by Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia’s Mobile Solutions bigwig, regarding Nokia ‘fighting back’ against the competition. In it he confirmed that there would be no Nokia Android device, Symbian^4 is likely for Nokia N-series devices, and that he aims to take a good swing at putting Nokia back at its rightful position – the very top.

Cross-wired? More Symbian on the way?

Though the Mobile Solution’s chief post reads like a rally call of the truest kind that Nokia fans (or any smartphone fans, for that matter) want to believe, there’s just a slight issue – his message and that of his colleagues is getting crossed.

You see, last week the company announced that moving forward, all their high-end smartphones – most notably Nokia N-series devices – would be powered by MeeGo exclusively. Thus the Nokia N8 would be the only N-series with Symbian^3, or any Symbian for that matter. Now, Anssi backtracks on that statement, reaffirming the Nokia N8 being the only Symbian^3 device, though adding, ‘Of course, we never comment on future products, but a Symbian^4 N-series device is a strong possibility. A very strong possibility.’

Not only does Nokia have a challenge from a PR perspective, but more importantly from a strategic perspective if, as in the case here, both hands aren’t speaking to each other.

Nokia fans unimpressed

Photo: Nokia

Taking a read through the comments section of Anssi’s post, it is clear even Nokia’s most impassioned fans are beginning to treat everything the company says with a pinch of salt. One commenter in particular, ajmqrst, had an interesting take on MeeGo and why he believes it could fail the same way Symbian has, saying Nokia and Intel are both great hardware companies trying to build great software – a feat the pair is incapable of. Though we tend to disagree about their capability to build great software based on what we’ve seen elsewhere, it’s an interesting perspective.

And, even if said commenter were correct, Nokia have made it absolutely clear they plan on building their own software, killing the rumours of aligning with third-party software vendors, saying: ‘Despite rumours to the contrary, there are no plans to introduce an Android device from Nokia.’ Done deal, then.

What do you make of this Symbian^3, MeeGo N-series and Symbian^4 N-series back and forth? Which strategy do you think the company should adopt, in general, and more specifically for its Nokia N-series devices? And, for Nokia N8 owners, how has your experience with your new handset been?