Struggling Finnish phone maker Nokia has announced it has “something amazing” to unveil on September 7 this year.
The new product will be the result of Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft (or maybe despite it) and was announced using photos on a sign outside a currently closed Nokia store in Helsinki, Finland. The sign was also telling, “Something amazing is coming,” with the September 7 date next to it. There was also a QR code on the ad that, when scanned, takes users to a website that features similarly vague hype like, “Prepare to be amazed at all the things in your new Nokia store.” The timing of the announcement is interesting, since it comes right on the heels of Nokia World, which is scheduled to take place in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.
The exact product is a mystery though with some people speculating Nokia will unveil a new family of Lumia smartphones that fully supports Windows Phone 8. Another possibility is that the announcement may have something to do with Nokia’s efforts to become a leader in the field of location-based services.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop recently stated that the company’s goal is to become the “Where?” company, much like Google and Facebook have become the “What?” and “Who?” companies, respectively. He stressed the importance of smartphones and mobile devices, saying, “The mobile device will become the nucleus for collecting real-time data from sensors,” including location, orientation, speed, social media preferences, etc.
When it comes to location-based services, “[Nokia] could be a leader,” said Elop, specifically mentioning the potential behind the releases of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. “We expect the launch of Windows 8 for tablets and PCs, and Windows Phone 8, to be a catalyst for Lumia.”
Source: Brighthand.com