Nokia trademarks Viki, the name of its upcoming AI assistant

The movie Her painted a future where AI assistants are ubiquitous but it failed to mention just how many of them there will be. Now even Nokia is said to be making one which will answer to the name “Viki.”
The company (Nokia Solutions and Networks, not HMD) filed for a EU trademark with the description:
Software for the creation and monitoring of mobile and web digital assistants working with knowledge and combining all data sources into a single chat and voice based interface With New Nokia"s first Android phone a reality, we have to wonder how and when Viki will arrive on phones – will the Nokia 6 miss out or will Viki be a software update (not always possible, just ask Apple). And will it land on non-Nokia Androids like the Z Launcher did?
Apple has Siri, Google has Now, Microsoft made Cortana, Samsung bought Bixbi, even Meizu got into the AI assistant game. Do people actually use it or is it just the trendy gimmick?
Source (in Dutch)

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EU trademark filing by Nokia suggests that it is prepping a virtual assistant named Viki

Late last night, we told you that the Nokia 6 Android powered smartphone had been unveiled. The handset will launch early this year as an exclusive in China for JD.com. Now comes word that Nokia has filed for a trademark in the EU for the name “Viki.” This might be the name of a voice activated virt..

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Nokia 6 hands-on shows that sweet metal body in full glory

Nokia is back in the smartphone game and even if the mid-range China-exclusive 6 isn’t exactly what we all wanted at least it will give us some valuable insights for the future of the HMD-owned brand. You see while the Nokia 6 will retail for under $250 its aluminum body is more fitting of a flagship or at least an upper midrange device, so maybe it’s a good indication on what’s to come at MWC.
A reader of ours stumbled upon a bunch of live photos of the Nokia 6 on Weibo and was kind enough to share them with the rest of us. The images show the smartphone from all sides and even give us a glimpse of its about screen. In case you were wondering the Nokia 6 has the TA-1000 model number and its Android security patch level is December 2016.
Nokia 6
The Android Nougat version is the initial 7.0 as opposed to the latest 7.1.1 available, but differences really are minor there and they really mostly concern the Google Pixel phones.
One of the live shots is of the retail box of the Nokia 6..

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Android-powered Nokia 6 marks the brand"s return to smartphones

The Nokia brand is finally back in the smartphone game as today HMD Global, which holds the rights to the name, announced the Android 7.0 Nougat-powered Nokia 6. The bad news is that it’s a mid-range device for the Chinese market, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to get a premium global device.
Atypically for a mid-range device, the Nokia 6 comes with an aluminium unibody carved from a single solid block of 6000 series aluminium. It then undergoes two separate anodizing procedures to acquire a look far above what its price tag suggests.
Nokia 6 is powered by the Snapdragon 430 chipset with an octa-core Cortex-A53, Adreno 505 GPU and an ample 4GB of RAM. It’s built around a 5.5” 1080p screen that has a curved 2.5D Gorilla Glass sheet on top.
Nokia 6
On the camera side, the Nokia 6 offers a 16MP main snapper with PDAF and reasonably bright F/2.0 lens. On the front sits an 8MP camera with the same aperture. The 64GB of storage make sure you’ll have enough room for all your photos..

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Week 1 in review: Galaxy S8 rumors, Nokia and BlackBerry plans for 2017

CES or no CES, the stream of Samsung Galaxy S8 rumors is flowing steady. This week has brought us a release date, a hint at a Continuum-like feature, and a live photo, which may very well be a fake. Or it might be real, given that the phone is supposedly already in testing in China.
In the "tangible" folder we have the announcement of the Asus Zenfone AR this week in Las Vegas. A Google Tango-capable 5.7-incher with 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 821 inside, it also supports Google Daydream. You can"t be Tango-Daydreaming, though – only one at a time. Asus also pulled the wraps off an iPhone 7 Plus-like dual-camera Zenfone 3 Zoom – unlike the Zenfone Zoom with its periscope 3x mechanism, the Zenfone 3 Zoom has a 2.3x range, courtesy of two separate cameras.
Also at CES, Xiaomi unveiled an even hotter looking white version of the already scorching Mi Mix bringing the number of borderless flagships available outside of China to zero – the Mi Mix will still be exclusive to i..

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Nokia 6 Android powered smartphone unveiled; phone will launch in China powered by SD-430

Earlier today, we showed you the box belonging to a phone called Nokia 6 that we thought could be the Nokia D1(C). But a press release just sent out by HMD has announced the unveiling of the Nokia 6. The release, dated Sunday because of the time difference, notes that HMD has the exclusive licensing..

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Alleged photo of Nokia D1(C) packaging leaks images and specs of the Android powered phone

The image of what allegedly is the packaging for an upcoming Android powered Nokia branded handset has leaked. Besides displaying a picture of both sides of the phone, the box includes some of the phone"s specs. We would like to point out that the picture of the back and front of the handset do..

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Nokia E1 leaked specs and release details

HMD Global device passed certifications last week and now we know more about the device. It is indeed the entry-level Nokia Android Phone, going under the name Nokia E1.
On Friday, a new leak revealed more about the specifications of the device. HMD will equip Nokia E1 with 1.4 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 425 CPU with Adreno 308. The RAM will be 2GB with 16 GB internal storage. There is no information if the device will sport a microSD slot but with that kind of storage it looks likely.
The display will be 720p with 5.2 or 5.3-inch diagonal but the technology is still unclear. The rear camera is 13 MP while the front one is packing a 5 MP sensor.
Nokia E1 and Nokia D1C are just two of the at least five new expected devices in 2017 and we are eager to see the first of those at MWC at the end of February.
Via

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Nokia E1 specs leaked out, it"s a cheap one

Finnish company HMD Global has more than a couple of Nokia-branded smartphones in the pipeline, but we only know about a few of them. The latest reports say there will be 6 or 7 Nokia-branded smartphones that will make their debut on the market by the end of 2017.
Two of these rumored phones are kno..

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Slide reveals Nokia/HMD plan 6-7 Android phones for this year

It seems that Nokia/HMD plan to quickly populate their new Android-powered lineup – a slideshow from Malaysian distributor Avaxx promises 6 to 7 phones by the end of the year (plus however many feature phones are released). Previous plans were for just five, two of which in early Q2.
The Android phones will span all segments – from affordable entry-level devices to premium flagships. The Nokia TA-1000/E1 could be among the first to arrive, plus two versions of the D1C, which may be the low-end offering.
We’re unlikely to see new Nokias at CES, but plans may be hatched for MWC – Nokia’s old stomping ground.
Source

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Up to 7 Nokia Android smartphones could be released this year

If you"re excited at the thought that four Nokia-branded Android smartphones could hit the market throughout 2017, hear this: we might actually see 6 or 7 Nokia Android handsets before the end of the year.
The slide that we"re seeing in the photo embedded above was revealed during a recent..

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Nokia TA-1000 receives 3C certification

A new Nokia phone has passed China Compulsory Certification (3C). Listed as TA-1000 from HMD Global, the device comes with standard 5V/2A charging support, but that"s about all the info we get here.
While 3C doesn"t reveal any of the handset"s key specifications, it is likely not a flagship smartphone given the lack of fast charging support. So, it"s possible that we"re looking at the Nokia E1 here.
The device is rumored to be powered by an entry-level Snapdragon chipset and sport a 5.5-inch display. Other rumored specs include 1GB RAM and Android 7.0 Nougat.
Via

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Nokia to announce up to 5 new devices in 2017

Mobile World Congress in February is the place-to-be for all major players in the mobile industry (except for Apple, that is) and that’s exactly the stage HMD Global will use to try and start the Nokia fightback.
Sources report that at least four new devices will be revealed next year along with the already leaked Nokia D1C that we told you about last month.
The devices will feature between 5″ and 5.7″ displays with WQHD or FHD resolutions. Sadly there’s info only regarding D1C and it says that the device will come in two different options – one priced at about $200 with 3 GB RAM and 5.5” display and a cheaper $150 version with 2GB RAM and 5” FullHD display.
Such specs clearly aren’t near flagship-worthy, so HMD Global either has another ace up its sleeve or it plans on testing the water with some mid-range offerings before going for the premium tiers.
Source | Via

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Four Nokia-branded smartphones tipped to arrive in Q2 and Q3 2017

HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the license to release Nokia-branded smartphones for the next 10 years or so, has already confirmed its presence at MWC 2017 where it plans to unveil at least one new product.
The first Nokia-branded smartphone to be revealed by HMD is likely to be the long-..

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Nokia D1C images and specs surface again; Android 7.0 to be pre-installed

The latest images and rumored specs have appeared for the Nokia D1C. The device will mark Nokia"s return to the smartphone business after it followed the terms of the Nokia Devices and Services acquisition by Microsoft in 2014. The non-compete clause that was part of the transaction has kept No..

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Week 51 in review: awaiting the Galaxy S7 and new Nokia flagships in 2017

With just a week left of 2016, we can"t really expect any more major events. It is instead the time to reminisce and look back on the past 12 months and also prepare and speculate on what the new year has to offer.
As far as the first point goes, there were at least a couple of notable calamities in the market this year and as December comes to an end, we are happy to finally see some proper evaluation and closure for some of the unpleasant situations. Samsung is ready with its official investigation of the Note7 saga, which should hopefully mark its final chapter. LG is also hoping to leave its V20 bootloop troubles behind in 2016.
On a far more positive note, the industry seems more hopeful then ever about the future of the legendary Nokia brand, especially after two new flagship offers leaked. The Samsung Galaxy S8 is already gathering a lot of attention. Samsung really has to knock it out of the ballpark this time around on both the Galaxy and Note fronts to make up for the ..

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In the heat of patent battle, Apple stops selling Nokia-owned Withings" smart products

As part of its ongoing legal dispute with Nokia, Apple has stopped selling Nokia-owned Withings" products from its online, and (presumably) retail stores. Withings makes stuff like the Body Cardio Scale, Smart Body Analyzer, and Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor. Now, you can no longer buy any of..

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Front of 2017 mid-range Nokia handset comes to light?

This image allegedly shows a mid-range Android powered Nokia model that will be unveiled in February at MWC
Next year, the Nokia brand will return to the smartphone world thanks to HMD. The latter bought the rights to use the Nokia name on handsets, and in 2017 it plans to roll out flagship and mid-..

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Nokia sues Apple for patent infringement in U.S. and Germany (UPDATE)

Back in 2009, Nokia sued Apple claiming that the tech titan had infringed on 10 of its patents dating back to the launch of the very first Apple iPhone in June of 2007. At the time, Nokia said “By refusing to agree (to) appropriate terms for Nokia"s intellectual property, Apple is attempting to..

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Nokia files new patent infringement lawsuits against Apple in the US and Europe

Nothing says “we"re back in the mobile space” better than a good old patent lawsuit. At least that"s what Nokia seems to think. Now that the brand"s re-entry into the mobile world has been confirmed countless times by company officials for 2017, Nokia is back at doing something else it hasn"t in a while: suing Apple.
Today the Finnish company announced that it"s filed patent infringement lawsuits against Apple in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, as well as the Regional Courts in Dusseldorf, Mannheim and Munich in Germany. Across all these actions, Nokia claims Apple has infringed 32 of its patents, covering display, user interface, software, antenna, chipsets, and video coding technologies.
The official press release on the matter unfortunately doesn"t go into more details, so we don"t yet know exactly how Apple is supposedly infringing these patents. Nokia says that since agreeing to a license covering “some” of its patents ..

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