Here’s the video…

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Ty McMahan of the WSJ quotes Jeff Smith, CEO of SonicMule (the people who make the phenomenal music app, Smule) thus:

“Nokia isn’t on the shortlist of anything we do at Smule because we don’t think we can make any money.”

Unfortunately this is the view shared by absolutely everybody in Silicon Valley. There are about 8 exceptions that I’m aware of, perhaps a little more. I could name them right here, but doing so could risk iFascists with pitchforks turning up on their doors.

[iFascist definition: Someone who can only tolerate the iPhone, possibly Android and -- at a push, Palm's webOS. Anything other platform is deemed by an iFascist as irrelevant]

For a long time Nokia appeared confused at the growing iPhone and application furore. They’ve had applications for years — I’ve been using them for a long time. Indeed, striking the jackpot as a mobile developer before iPhone was really simple: Get Nokia to include your app on their millions of devices.

And for a long time, I have levelled a significant amount of criticism at the company. And I do mean significant. Just do a search for ‘Nokia’ and ‘Ovi Store’ here on Mobile Industry Review. Or, actually, just search Nokia. I’ve written some pretty biting things. It was a) how I felt and b) a reasonable reflection on reality. Rafe Blandford from All About Symbian (amongst others) would pull me down from the wall with good, smart ripostes. But fundamentally, I was right. Nokia hadn’t done X or Y. They hadn’t got this or that working. They’d released products or services into the marketplace that had silly bugs — with no easy way to remotely fix. Goodness me the list was as long as my arm.

Slowly, the company got round to it. The amount of times I internally rolled my eyes whilst I filmed Nik Savander explaining that the Ovi Store launch parameters had been missed and the company had entirely underestimated demand… I had to stifle a scream of angst when Savander then explained it would ‘take some time’ (words to that effect) to put the right. That stifled scream turned to a stifled wail when he clarified he was talking in quarters, not weeks or months.

I remember Rafe asking a question about Single Sign-On — a much discussed issue in NokiaWatcher circles — Nokia had bought all these companies, created all these services, and yet you had to have a different username for almost every single one. Silly things like that made the company look inept and positively last-century compared to the simple ease of the iPhone platform.

Installing an application was a sodding rigmarole. Ovi Maps was ridiculous (It couldn’t find the Colosseum in Rome, I kid ye not — I did that experiment).

But this is in the past. This is the problem with the kind of comments some of Silicon Valley’s finest are coming out with about Nokia.

Right now — *right now* — if you go and buy a Nokia N86, yes, you’ll typically have to keep on pressing ‘yes, yes, confirm, yes, use the 3G internet to connect, yes’ and so on. But the next generation… this is something to watch.

There are legions of consumers buying X6 and other such Nokia devices that are free from much of the friction of the previous era. It’s only going to get better.

Single Sign-On is fixed. The next stage will see Android-like unified login introduced to the startup procedure, automatically configuring everything from music, store, messaging, maps and so on. Try downloading an application from the Ovi Store on your bog standard N86 and, shock horror, it’ll simply install and run. No constant confirmations.

The next generation of Nokia devices — that is, the ones that hit the market in 6-8 months are going to be seriously relevant for developers, especially given the abject joy that the Qt development framework is bringing to many already.

Nokia has got the message, they’ve implemented the right changes and the next generation — well, it’s going to be really, really exciting.

The platform should be on every developer’s radar. But it should also be on ‘the shortlist’ as Jeff called it. Whilst developers are arsing around with Android, they should be evaluating and playing with Nokia’s Qt — their next generation development language. They should be taking baby steps right now by launching experimental toe-in-water apps.

There are over 130 million Symbian powered Qt devices in the market right now. Right now.

The latest version of Skype for Symbian just launched? Written in Qt.

Now, I understand that 130 million Symbian users cannot immediately search the Ovi Store for Skype and download it, because not all of them have the Ovi Store installed yet. But a lot of them do. And if you have Ovi Store installed (or pre-installed by default on all new Nokias), Skype — and any other app you’d care to develop — is a keyword search and a click or two away, just like it is on the iPhone.

Nokia is all about volume. 40 million iPhones/iPod Touches — that’s lovely and it’s delivering a lot of success for people.

Fast forward say 18 months… and let’s be a bit ballsy with some predictions… 500 million addressable Symbian devices in market? (Remember Nokia ships a million handsets before it gets out of bed every morning, ever day of the week) Hundreds of millions of users are all going to be looking for your app.

Get started now and avoid the rush.

And if you’re serious and you’d really like to be pointed in the right direction to get started developing with Nokia, I’ll help out. Drop me an email, ewan@mobileindustryreview.com.

Christof Hellmis is a highly affable and passionate chap. I believe Rafe had met him quite a few times before, but our interview at Mobile World Congress was my first opportunity to say hello. When I say Christof is passionate, he perhaps doesn’t necessarily display it in the traditional sense (e.g. arms waving, spluttering with delight). Instead he’s calm, confident, direct — you’ll see in Part 1, the first question we asked was ‘Tell us about the Ovi Maps 3.0 launch’ (where Nokia announced free maps and navigation).

Christof’s immediate response?

“For us, January 21st was a lifetime milestone…”

Right then. My kind of guy! So if you’re into mobile maps and navigation and the possibilities surrounding the technology, these two videos will be of supreme interest.

Here’s Part 1:

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And then, Part 2:

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So how did Annsi handle that question?

He got stuck right in. He wasn’t sitting back and trying to remember the talking points, no. I witnessed a chap who sincerely believes (and, has most probably seen) in his vision for the future. It makes really, really interesting viewing — especially his assertion that the generic mobile interface for consuming ‘media’ will be a map.

I really was impressed that this ‘grey-haired’ executive could talk-the-talk. I really hope that he continues to galvanise the team at Nokia (and, to a lesser extent, the Symbian and MeeGo teams) to deliver the vision he described in this video.

I don’t think Anssi was being creative when, in Part 1, he commented that (in relation to the N97 failures) his ’sleepless nights are now in the past’. For someone as enthusiastic and as excited about the possibilities of mobile technology, it must have been a galling experience watching the utter derision with which consumers and the media greeted the arrival of the bug-laden disappointing Nokia N97.

What the hell were Nokia doing delivering the N97 into the marketplace as a high-end top-of-the-range device when it was going to get immediate comparisons to other bleeding-edge devices (and be found wanting, by everyone but the die-hard Nokia fans).

Of course the N97 and the N97 mini were a total success. Commercially. Annsi was careful to point this out. They shipped millions of them to their customers. But remember, the customers, of course, were the mobile operators, who, frankly, couldn’t-give-a-damn. They’d already committed to adding the ‘next’ Nokia device into their range whether it was good, bad or entirely rubbish. The end-consumers, however, well… I’m reasonably sure a lot of them fully intend not making the same mistake every again.

I think Annsi is right, however, when he makes the point that consumers really do trust Nokia. Or at least, they want to do so. They will, as Annsi maintains, “give us a second chance.” But just once. I think Nokia really must work hard to make sure that the high-end devices they ship into the marketplace this year are fantastic.

Anyway, to the video. If you’re even half interested in Nokia, if you follow the mobile industry, I strongly recommend sitting and watching Part 3 of the interview.

I’m willing to bet that even the most ardent iPhone and BlackBerry fans reading are closet Nokia fans too…

For convenience I’ve put all the parts together here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Anssi also goes into some detail about how Symbian fits into the Nokia ecosystem — his answer is a fascinating one. If you’re still thinking Nokia are about to dump the platform, think again. As Anssi points out, the platform is going to continue to be integral to the company’s success, particularly given the fact that MeeGo and Symbian will have Qt and common web runtime as the unifying layer for 85% of application and service development. I’m particularly excited to see what developers will make of this.

Have a watch:

Part 1 below is all about the N97. Anssi specifically wanted to deal with that first before we got on with the rest of the interview.

Watch this video and see what you think, I’m going to post my view of the video shortly.

Sites that have picked up the story so far:
- 3GSM-news
- Tietokone (Finnish Computer Magazine)
- Talouselama (Finnish Business trade press)
- DigiToday (Finland’s online business paper)
- Tweakers.net
- SymbianFrance
- Engadget
- Gizmodo

Whilst it’s all too easy to have a dalliance with — or even swap wholesale to — some of those swanky Apple, HTC or Motorola Android devices, there is still a heckuvalot of love in the room for Nokia.

Here’s an example of that kind of love from one reader who replied to the newsletter:

Thank you Ewan,

I am one of those converts to Android from Nokia… and I am longing to go back.

It feels like I’ve left the wife to go off with a blowsy tart, and now I am just realising that she is as thick as two short planks…

Regards

B.

Are you feeling dirty grasping your Android device close to your bosom? Are you, too, waiting for a gorgeous Nokia device to shine above the Fisher Price style Android devices out there? Or have you moved on?

Note: For the North Americans reading, who might not be familiar with the vernacular definition of ‘tart’, here we go: A tart is, ‘A woman considered to be sexually promiscuous’. Or as Terry Pratchett would say, ‘A woman of negotiable affection.’

Although it’s a gorgeous platform, the mobile industry is not all about the iPhone, especially when two giants of the technology industry (Intel, Nokia) decide to collaborate with each other.

The partnership has just been announced.

Here are the headline points from the press release:

- Global leaders Intel Corporation and Nokia merge Moblin and Maemo to create MeeGo*, a Linux-based software platform that will support multiple hardware architectures across the broadest range of device segments, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems.
- MeeGo offers the Qt application development environment, and builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core operating system and reference user experiences. Using Qt, developers can write once to create applications for a variety of devices and platforms, and market them through Nokia’s Ovi Store and Intel AppUpSM Center.
- MeeGo will be hosted by the Linux Foundation and governed using the best practices of the open source development model. The first release of MeeGo is expected in the second quarter of 2010 with devices launching later in the year.
- Nokia and Intel expect MeeGo to be adopted widely by global device manufacturers, network operators, semiconductor companies, software vendors and developers.

This is quite a dramatic announcement with broad implications. We’ll be speaking to Nokia more this afternoon, so until we can bring you their comments, here’s the main press release with the initial details:

In a significant development in the convergence of communications and computing, Intel Corporation and Nokia are merging their popular Moblin and Maemo software platforms. This will create a unified Linux-based platform that will run on multiple hardware platforms across a wide range of computing devices, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems. Called MeeGo, the open software platform will accelerate industry innovation and time-to-market for a wealth of new Internet-based applications and services and exciting user experiences. MeeGo-based devices from Nokia and other manufacturers are expected to be launched later this year.

This announcement strengthens the Nokia and Intel relationship, and builds on the companies’ broad strategic collaboration announced in June 2009. Intel and Nokia now invite participation in MeeGo from existing Maemo and Moblin global communities and across the communications and computing industries.

“Our vision for seamlessly communicating between computing devices from the home, auto, office or your pocket is taking a big step forward today with the introduction of MeeGo,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “This is a foundational step in our evolving relationship with Nokia. The merging of these two important assets into an open source platform is critical toward providing a terrific experience across a variety of devices and gaining cross- industry support.”

“MeeGo will drive an even wider range of Internet computing and communication experiences for consumers, on new types of mobile devices,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO, Nokia. “Through open innovation, MeeGo will create an ecosystem that is second to none, drawing in players from different industries. It will support a range of business models across the value chain, building on the experience and expertise of Nokia, Intel and all those who will join us. Simply put, MeeGo heralds a new era of mobile computing.”

MeeGo blends the best of Maemo with the best of Moblin to create an open platform for multiple processor architectures. MeeGo builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core OS and its support for a wide range of device types and reference user experiences, combined with the momentum of Maemo in the mobile industry and the broadly adopted Qt application and UI framework for software developers.

MeeGo also unites the robust worldwide Maemo and Moblin applications ecosystems and open source communities. For developers, MeeGo extends the range of target device segments for their applications. Using Qt for application development means that they can write applications once and easily deploy them on MeeGo and across other platforms, for example, on Symbian.

The Ovi Store will be the channel to market for apps and content for all Nokia devices, including MeeGo and Symbian-based, with Forum Nokia providing developer support across all Nokia device platforms. The Intel AppUpSM Center will be the path to market for Intel-based MeeGo devices from other device manufacturers, with the Intel® Atom(TM) Developer Program providing support for applications targeting devices in a variety of categories.

The MeeGo software platform, running on high-performance devices, will deliver a range of Internet, computing and communication experiences, with visually rich graphics, multitasking and multimedia capabilities and the best application performance. Since MeeGo runs on multiple device types, people can keep their favorite applications when they change devices, so they are not locked into one kind of device or those from any individual manufacturer.

MeeGo Hosted by the Linux Foundation

The MeeGo software platform will be hosted by the Linux Foundation as a fully open source project, encouraging community participation in line with the best practices of the open source development model. Intel and Nokia invite the respective members of Maemo.org and Moblin.org to join the combined community at MeeGo.com, as well as encouraging wider participation from the communications, computing and related industries. Developers can begin writing applications for MeeGo in Qt immediately. The first release of MeeGo is targeted for the second quarter of this year.

Congratulations to the team at Nimbuzz who are consistently delivering a fantastic integrated IM and VOIP experience across a huge number of platforms.

The Nimbuzz press release published yesterday announces that they’ve passed the 1 million download mark across 180 countries via Nokia’s Ovi Store.

These kinds of press releases are excellent news for Nokia in the run up to Mobile World Congress. It was around this time last year that the Nokia High Command got up on stage and announced the Ovi Store to a rather cynical audience. Nokia is finally getting there – a million downloads of just one application is really good!

Here’s the founder of Nimbuzz on the news:

Evert-Jaap Lugt, founder & CEO of Nimbuzz commented: “We are delighted with the success we have seen from Ovi Store by Nokia, which helps us reach 40% of the global handset market in more than 180 countries. It is a great reward for the efforts we have made to offer our mass market application on both Nokia smart phones and feature phones, Making Nimbuzz available to the global Ovi Store audience has paid off tremendously.”

Indeed — the Ovi Store now accounts for 6% of Nimbuzz’s 15 million users.

Onwards and upwards! You can download Nimbuzz via the Ovi Store here.

A week. Wow!

“We’re averaging a download a second, 24 hours a day,” said Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Nokia. “When we announced free walk & drive navigation we knew it would be a game-changer. The number of people now using their Nokia for navigation, and as a result looking for more location-aware software, is growing faster than even we predicted.

This is terrific news for Nokia — but also for third-party developers considering getting stuck into the Apps-For-Maps opportunities on the Ovi Maps platform. Speaking of which, here’s Rafe discussing that very subject just after the launch event last week:

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Here in the States quite a few people I’ve been meeting have commented (without prompting) that they’ll ‘be getting a Nokia for the car’ because of the free navigation. And that’s from a country that isn’t that aware of the Nokia brand.

I haven’t yet downloaded Ovi Maps for my N86 yet, I understand support will be made available for that shortly.

Meanwhile here’s the current list of compatible Nokia devices: Nokia 97, Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition, Nokia E52, Nokia E55, Nokia E72, Nokia 5230, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia 6730 classic and Nokia X6.

For the latest device list and to download, the link you need is: http://www.nokia.com/maps.

Mark is Director of Social Media Communications for the company. He and his colleague Ray are amongst the finest in the industry. They run a disciplined well-oiled machine that was, for quite a while, entirely misunderstood by Nokia’s High Command. I swear some of Nokia’s senior executives thought social media was all about hanging around on Facebook wasting time.

In recent times though, the might that is Nokia has definitely bought the Social Media T-Shirt and recognised that the influence from Mark’s team is, in some quarters, significantly more important than banging out a press release.

I’m absolutely delighted to see Mark’s response to Steve Jobs last week. If you recall, Jobs explained to a fawning audience that since Apple makes quite a lot of Notebooks that are ‘mobil’ (“mobile”), and since Apple makes quite a bit of revenue, well then… that makes Apple the largest ‘mobil’ company on the planet.

Mark was having none of it:

The difference between the two companies [Nokia and Apple] is even larger if you use the more common measure: the number of devices sold. By that comparison, Nokia has been the largest mobile devices company in the world for a dozen consecutive years.

I think it’s about time we saw more of this type of action from Nokia. Sitting hiding behind the parapets isn’t good enough. The company is hugely powerful, hugely capable but generally afraid at getting stuck into the online debate. That’s where it matters though, particularly in the context of influencing the geeks, the opinion-formers and (crucially) the developers considering adopting the Nokia/Symbian/Maemo platform.

You only have to look at the trackbacks on Mark’s post to see the effect his post has had across the marketplace with hundreds of publications picking it up.

Kudos to Mark for getting the post up and out. More please!

It’s been doing the rounds since it came out on Thursday last week and — well, frankly it makes for depressing reading.

But I don’t think it’s going to get better any time soon. There are indications from Nokia that they’ve got the message. We’ll get a very good idea of this when we see the next set of Nokia handsets. I’m sure they’ll have a few announcements soon.

In the meantime, super work, Prodigal Fool — I really enjoyed your letter.

It’s a stunning move that puts Google and the other handset manufacturers squarely on the back foot. As of 1030am today, around 83 million Nokia devices currently in the market can enjoy free navigation — all they have to do is download the package at www.nokia.com/maps.

But what’s more interesting is that from now on, every new (decent) Nokia handset will have GPS navigation support pre-installed. That is, you won’t even need to download anything. For example, buy a handset in the UK and it’ll have not only the full UK maps installed — but also the rest of Europe. If you want the North American maps, no bother. It’s a free download. And everything will be automatically upgraded as necessary. Likewise, buy a Nokia in India and it’ll come with all the relevant maps for that geographic area pre-installed.

They’ve done some serious work on the maps back-end too. Out go high-bandwidth bitmap images and in comes super-data-efficient vector graphics that look pretty amazing. Plus, maps works offline too. So you don’t have to keep your phone’s data connection active when you’re roaming unless you want to.

Nokia have also included Lonely Planet guides (and a whole host of other premium location-based content) at no additional cost. It’s going to all be there.

Plus, you’re now going to have some rather effective social location based facilities — including a direct link to the likes of Facebook that’ll enable you to post your current location as you wish.

The size and the scale of the move is dramatic. As the release points out:

The new version of Ovi Maps includes high-end car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance for 74 countries in 46 languages, and traffic information for more than 10 countries, as well as detailed maps for more than 180 countries

Astonishing.

But there’s more. The development potential is simply massive. By making turn-by-turn navigation and location services available to every device, Nokia has established one of the largest audiences for mobile location-based services. This year alone Nokia should manufacturer and sell about — what — 80 odd million devices? By the end of 2011, the market should be getting toward 200 million.

200 million people who’ll all be looking for train times mashed up with Pizza Express locations. Or games that I can play with my Facebook friends with integrated location features.

I love the fact that Nokia — with this rather aggressive move — has actually democratised the market. Anyone across the planet who buys a $100 Nokia handset will have access to these services for free. I love it.

It’s a strong, strong move — and a massive challenge for the rest of the marketplace. I can very much see your average consumer walking into a shop and selecting a Nokia simply because of this offering.

In the West, I can imagine a lot of us simply buying a £100 Nokia and sticking it in the car to replace (or instead of) the TomTom.

The issues for the likes of TomTom are clear — last time I checked their shares were down 10% on the news. I don’t blame the market. Spare a thought for Sony Ericsson and Samsung who are now relegated substantially to third place ahead of Google’s “inferior” North American-only service (“inferior” is how Nokia referred to Google’s offering this morning — and having seen the Ovi Maps service, I agree).

Google can theoretically extend its navigation option to Europe. They’ll have substantial trouble matching Nokia’s comprehensive offering.

i think this is a super move by Nokia. It’s good to see the company flex its sizeable muscles. The mood around the launch was positive, confident, combative. They’re very proud of what they’ve delivered. They should be.

Everything you need? www.nokia.com/maps.

(Written at 70mph on the M4, on a Nokia Booklet 3G with Vodafone SIM — I was in the passenger seat!)

As Diamian points out:

Hamelin has no difficulty turning the ringtone into a pretty waltz, because that maddening phrase is actually party of a waltz: the Gran Vals, by the Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega, written in 1902. Presumably that means he doesn’t have to grapple with copyright issues…

Here’s the audio and the music:

Doesn’t sound so bad there, does it?

The Ovi Store march is continuing. I’m still not happy with it — but it’s definitely usable. It’s definitely adding value for developers and consumers alike. And with nearly a million downloads a day now, the power of the huge amount of Nokia customers around the world is definitely beginning to show. At this rate, that’s about 365 million a year. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine Ovi Store use scaling 10x to 3.65 billion downloads in short order.

Here’s the meat from today’s release:

To get started, AT&T customers with these select Nokia devices* can simply visit store.ovi.com from their device browser to begin downloading personalized content, like apps, games, ringtones, productivity tools, movie trailers and more.
- Step one: go to store.ovi.com from your Nokia device from AT&T
- Step two: once at store.ovi.com you will be prompted to download the Ovi Store application
- Step three: enjoy great content and applications for your Nokia device with AT&T.

“Nokia is happy to bring the exciting content available through Ovi Store by Nokia to AT&T customers in an easy way with a convenient billing solution,” said David Petts, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T account, Nokia. “Ovi Store provides consumers with mobile content and applications from some of the most recognized developers and publishers from around the world, and we are now thrilled to deliver compelling content to AT&T customers with a payment solution that simplifies access and use.”

What’s inside?

It’s the Nokia Booklet 3G… Standby for more!

Brilliant, brilliant video from the Phoneage / Tehkseven chaps.

Genius.

There’s 976 views on this video at the moment (as I write). Provided this video doesn’t hit the mainstream and Twitter doesn’t pick this up, Nokia will be perfectly fine.

But if it gathers traction…

(By the way, as I look back I see we’ve had a lot of Nokia and Symbian related content recently. That’s in part because I’ve been working on a the newsletter content for this week’s inaugural distribution. And it’s not all about Nokia! Get on the distribution list here — it’s free.)

My wife was a speaker today at the Symbian conference. She mentioned that the whole thing seemed dead and pointless. Symbian has already lost the PR war. It’s haemorrhaging developers and will shortly loose the App war. Nokia is to blame. With the exception of the unreleased N900 they have delivered nothing substantially new since the amazing N95. They are guilty of a gross failure of imagination.

You can read the comment here. I clicked through from Reda’s comment to his website and found his CV — which states that he’s the UK and Ireland Cost Manager for Nokia Siemens Networks.

I thought I should respond to Reda’s assertion of bias toward Nokia with an explanation.

Reda formlated his assertion by reading through the last 7 Nokia related posts (he even helpfully listed them in his comment). The last 7 have contained some amount of Nokia critique.

Alas Reda didn’t read on. If he did, he’d have found this post:

Absolutely blown away by the N900

That’s actually the highest trafficked post this month on the site — with thousands from Nokia’s own intranet flocking to have a read. As you might have guessed it’s rather positive.

Perhaps it’s time for a clarification of the Mobile Industry Review position on Nokia: Frustrated fanatic. Frustrated enough to tell-it-like-I-see-it, rather than sit and hope.

Indeed Reda, if you’d had a look around the site — or read some of the posts you listed — you’d have learnt that I recently invested £630 in a new 3UK contract replete with a stunning Nokia N86.

You’d also have noted that — on our Youtube channel alone this month — we’ve had 45,000 views of our thoroughly excited N900 videos. We host our own HD videos on Mobile Developer TV and Mobile Industry Review too (with Youtube being just one outlet) — so adding all the views and embeds up from there too, we’ve had just over a quarter of a million folk watch me gushing like a child over the N900 in the last 10 days or so.

So I’m not biased toward Nokia. I’m not operating some secret nail-Nokia agenda. I write as I feel here on Mobile Industry Review, Reda.

Thanks for taking the time to write Reda and good morning to everyone at Nokia Siemens Networks.

Whilst in the Valley, I’ve seen many a senior Nokia (or Symbian) executive, accustomed to being treated with a certain level of deference, being snubbed either unwittingly or in some cases deliberately. Snubbed by the media, by the tech elite and by the developers.

The fact that the company shifts BUCKETLOADS of handsets and is still one of the largest players on the planet is entirely lost on most of Silicon Valley.

The company was at best overlooked and at worst deemed irrelevant.

Silicon Valley is the centre of the mobile planet. That’s not going to change for some time. And when the centre of the Universe keeps forgetting you, that’s not good news. But it’s not a critical problem.

Not until you do the equivalent of burning the Silicon Valley poster child.

Yes. Nokia is suing Apple.

All of a sudden, University Avenue, Palo Alto, is alive with furious Tweeters telling their networks exactly what they think of Nokia.

There are far-reaching ramifications to Nokia’s offensive against Apple.

When I read the news on the BBC, I immediately switched over to the bible of Silicon Valley: TechCrunch.

“Goodness me,” I thought to myself, “TechCrunch will either flail Nokia-alive, or not bother even to mention it.”

It’s the former.

John Biggs of CrunchBase fires both barrels over at Nokia. The headline?

Nokia Takes Apple To Court. If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Sue ‘Em.

John finishes his post with this explanation:

Nokia has been struggling to gain traction in the high-end phone market now that we live in an iPhone world and this may be a last ditch effort to derail futre models or, assuming they’re going for a bit more mercenary approach, cash in on some of the iPhone’s success.

I guarantee Rafe Blandford of All About Symbian is right now banging his forehead on the desk at this analysis.

But John’s language is an accurate representation of a lot of the Valley opinion that I’ve been able to measure this afternoon.

The Silicon Valley Insider goes slightly further:

Lame Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Patent Infringement

The Insider’s Jay Yarow is decidedly unimpressed by the move:

Yawn.

Nokia should focus on trying to build a better product.

I do like Jay’s perspective: build a better product.

I understand Nokia has to vigorously protect it’s intellectual assets — especially in the face of a competitor who is — allegedly — not playing ball.

A lot of people are going to view the action as case of incredibly expensive ’sour grapes’.

Please don’t take your eye off the ball, Nokia.

The talented Mr Ben Smith over at The Really Mobile Project has used one of those super flash cartoon animation services to script his experience of shopping at the Ovi Store.

Although Ben is a little flippant with some of the dialogue, there’s a very serious message. At the end of the video Ben points out that the Really Mobile team have spent over £40 on applications at the Ovi Store.

But they’ve only managed to download 1 application successfully.

Oh dear.

The team — collectively — submitted 4 support requests asking for help.

They got one response.

ONE.

The other three were apparently ignored.

The one response was rather shocking — they asked for bank details (via email) so they could do a refund (since original payment had been made by operator billing). There has to be a more efficient and safer mechanism, surely?

Deary me.

Meanwhile, I recommend getting a coffee and sitting down and watching Ben’s masterpiece above.

I posted a note yesterday highlighting that one movie Studio had chosen to integrate ‘iPhone Apps’ into it’s marketing mix right on the front-page of their official movie site for the upcoming ‘blockbuster’, 2012.

In the headline, I said that this pointed to the ‘death’ of Nokia and Symbian applications.

The actual headline reads:

“The future is dire for Nokia and Symbian applications: Dead by 2012”

Now, regular readers will recognise the MacLeodism — the fact that ‘death’, 2012, you know, it’s all related. I was aiming for a Dan Brown-esque parallel in the title.

I know Nokia is dead.

I know Symbian isn’t dead.

But as far as Sony Pictures are concerned, Nokia, Symbian, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, they could all be relieving themselves up the proverbial wall. Sony Pictures doesn’t care.

It’s jumped into bed with iPhone. For a number of reasons. All of which are absolutely totally 100% dire.

Kudos to Alex Kerr who jumped into the conversation with absolute indignation. You can read the to-and-fro between us on the thread comments.

Further kudos to the always magnificient Holy Father of Symbian, Rafe Blandford (of All About Symbian). I could actually feel Rafe’s wry grin from 50 miles away as he typed his text.

Both Rafe and Alex pointed out — I’m summing up, big time — that Nokia is far from dead.

I acknowledge this.

I am *loving* the N900.

I’m sure that 40% of the Far Eastern/African marketplace is going to be loving Nokia (and Symbian) for the next decade.

But what about Sony Pictures?

The fact they CHOSE not to bother with Nokia really bugs me.

It really, really bugs me. Massively.

They simply couldn’t give a toss about Nokia.

Fundamentally that’s frustrating to me as a Nokia user.

Before you actually go ahead and stick your dagger into my apparent Nokia-hating-heart, I’d like to point out that only DAYS ago, I agreed to an 18-month contract with 3UK. I’m playing them £35/month for 18-months for the privilege of carrying around a Nokia N86. Nokia hater I am not.

Symbian hater, I am not.

But I am 100% apoplectic at the senior management of Symbian. Or Nokia. Or, frankly… do you know what, I can’t be BOTHERED to even find out who is to blame.

What the hell are you playing at? You. Yes you — the chap or lady in control — why the hell is Sony Pictures publishing an official movie website with — NO WORD OF A LIE — the menu item saying ‘iPhone Apps’.

Where’s the Nokia Apps?

Or… let’s put that to one side.

Where are the SONY ERICSSON Symbian applications? Isn’t Sony Ericsson meant to be, you know, some sort of 1/3rd Symbian lover?

While I’m at it, isn’t Sony Ericsson LOOOOOOSELY connected to Sony Pictures?

Doesn’t the Sony Pictures Chief Executive ever sit down and have breakfast with the Sony Ericsson Chief Executive?

If is TOO much to ask for them to get into bed together?

Is it TOOOOOO much to ask for Sony Pictures to hire a Symbian development firm to knock up some apps similar to the iPhone ones they’re currently showing off?

Rafe, Alex… you and I know the answer is yes.

It is too much.

Nobody can be flippin’ bothered.

Let me try a different tact.

Just to ram it home. Just to ensure that I win the argument, 110%.

Ocado.

You know them. They’re the British company that are reasonably well connected with the upmarket food retailer, Waitrose.

Ocado deliver Waitrose goods.

You place your order online and a very nice man in a greenish outfit arrives at the appointed time, often with a Galaxy chocolate bar in hand, with your shopping.

Genius.

Guess what?

Yeah. There’s an app for that.

You don’t need me to continue, do you?

But I will.

Yes. Ocado, in their infinite wisdom, want their consumers to be able to use their mobiles to place their shopping orders whilst they’re (for example) on the train.

Genius.

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?

Rafe certainly does.

Ocado launched an iPhone application recently.

Here’s the website with the details.

You can even watch Dan Lane’s video on the subject here.

Ready for my point?

Where’s the Symbian Ocado application?

I’ll tell you. Nowhere.

Nobody could be bothered.

I’m willing to bet that the Ocado team — like the Sony Pictures team whom I speculatively wrote about yesterday — had a meeting about this.

I reckon smart people in very nicely shaped suits sat round a pretty looking meeting table at Ocado HQ and listed out the mobile platforms most prevalent in the UK.

I’m further willing to bet that everyone in the room did the polite business equivalent of coughing ‘bullshit’ whilst one of the chappies read through his research.

“Right, it says here that one of the biggest handset platforms in use in the UK today is Nokia?”

“:: cough :: bullshit ::”

Ok…

“And, er, then it says Sony Ericsson?”

“:: cough :: bullshit ::”

“Right… er… Motorola?”

“:: cough :: bullshit-you-gotta-be-kidding-bullshit ::”

“Er… iPhone?”

At this point, the meeting room will have come alive. iPhones will have been withdrawn from pockets and proudly displayed. Smiles will have appeared. Heads will have nodded. The proposal from the Symbian development agency that was £50k higher than the iPhone proposal will have been set alight under the table.

What went wrong with Nokia and Symbian?

How could one of the UK’s retailing giants (i.e. Waitrose/Ocado) not bother to even think about the Nokia platform for it’s mobile system?

What the hell is wrong with this billion-dollar picture?

We all know.

The Emperor has no clothes. It’s too expensive, too annoying, too frustrating, too difficult to even THINK about developing for the Nokia/Symbian platform for anyone other than a few brave, brave souls.

So then Mr Symbian.

Step up.

What the hell are you doing about this?

Or is the best policy for MIR’s 250,000 readers (and, by extension, the other million or so who read after the re-tweets, forwards, emails and whatnot 90-days hence) to simply get on with developing on the iPhone — and maybe have a bit of a look at Android?

And before anyone trots out the total bollocks of ‘X hundred million Symbian handsets on the planet’, let’s take a step back. I KNOW there are — and will be — a lot more Symbian handsets on the planet than there are iPhones/Palm Pres/Androids and so on.

I know this. I don’t dispute this. I know that Nokia’s market is for the 29 quid handset in India.

But that doesn’t help me.

It doesn’t help the good 10-20 million mobile obsessed Westerners sat with a Nokia handset wondering why the Symbian Foundation is busy sitting on it’s arse (if not, SHOW ME THE 2012-tie-in movie mobile application?).

Why can’t I order my shopping via Ocado on my N86?

What’s so rubbish about my Nokia N86 that Ocado simply chose not to recognise the Nokia platform?

Help me Obi-wan-Blandford and Obi-wan-Alex… You’re my only hope.

Should I do the decent thing and get back in my box, sit in the corner and be delighted that I’ve spunked £630 on a contract with 3UK for my Nokia N86 that, at almost every corner, appears to be demonstrably useless for anything exciting that I’d like to do.

I’d like to unlock my Streetcar my with my Nokia. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to show my mates some Gym Babes working out. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to order my shopping via Ocado. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to download some 2012 movie stuff. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to manage my car insurance on my handset. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to download an entire season of The Wire to my handset. I can’t, because they (the studios) couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to access my Dropbox in a nice mobile application. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to use Jamie Oliver’s ‘20 minute cooking tips’ application. I can’t, because he couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to AudioBoo on my handset. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to use Evernote on my handset. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to query my 300+ gigabytes of music with a Zumodrive mobile application. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to find my nearest London Underground tube station with a single button click. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to be able to immediately query the nearest cinema times in a purpose made mobile application that allows me to buy cinema tickets in 2 clicks. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

I’d like to use the Wordpress application to manage Mobile Industry Review remotely. I can’t, because they couldn’t be bothered to invest in developing a Symbian app.

Of course, most — if not all — of these organisations/companies in question will have made a determination that the Nokia/Symbian platform (and other related platforms such as Sony Ericsson/Motorola) are simply not worth the hassle.

So who’s made the wrong choice?

Them?

Me?

Was it my fault?

The market is telling me that I’m an idiot for owning a Nokia.

I access the Nokia Ovi Store and I — when it’s working — I’m presented with some third-rate scrabble games or a 6-month old movie trailer.

What am I missing?

Who’s the arse?

Is it me?

Am I wrong for wanting what others have got?

Obviously I don’t suffer.

I don’t suffer because I went out and bought an iPhone a long time ago. I can’t quite bring myself to only use a Nokia. It’s far too painful.

But please do put me out of my misery.

Is it me?

Am I wrong?

is the right position to stoically stand by Nokia and Symbian whilst they deliver me — in summary — a totally shit service by comparison? All I want to do is cool shit via my phone.

I’ve got past the fact that my Nokia lets me do stuff like send text messages and take really nice pictures. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I’m way beyond taking nice pictures. What’s next? Why is the chap on the tube opposite me getting a better mobile experience than I am, from my Nokia?

How come he get’s to order his shopping on his phone, on the train, in the morning, whilst I check my empty text messaging folder for the 12th time that minute?

Should my policy be to deploy a fake smile at every opportunity?

Is the best way ahead to simply ignore the staggering iPhone application innovation and put it down to ‘a fad’?

Or should my policy be patience.

That’s it!

Patience my dear friend!

Do I need Robin Williams from Good Will Hunting to come and rescue me? Do I need him — in a very proper manly way — to put his arm around me and guide me off to the sidelines gently whispering, “Ewan, calm down, calm down. Good things come to those who wait.”

Even though I protest, do I need Robin to placate me?

“But,” I complain, “That guy over there has an iPhone and he gets to order his shopping ON THE TRAIN! ON THE FLIPPIN’ TRAIN!”

“You’re only kidding yourself, Ewan,” comes the reply, “Those iPhone users,” he says, glaring at them, “It’s only fleeting. It’s not true mobile. It’s not proper, Ewan.”

What do I do?

Sit and wait for the Nokia-Symbian enlightenment in a few years?

Maybe QT will fix it, er? I won’t even mention the 20-stage install process on Symbian.

Woops. I already did!

Here’s the video:

Save me.

Somebody save me…

Just how completely screwed is Nokia — and in particular, Symbian — in these stakes?

We don’t need complicated in-depth analysis. We don’t need to pour over the Ovi Store.

If you’d like to see what the market thinks about Nokia, all you have to do is visit the official site of one of Hollywood’s latest movies, ‘2012′. It’s the next version in the apocalyptic-nightmare-CGI-fest genre (the previous being The Day After Tomorrow).

Visit the movie’s website and this is what you see, menu wise:

- About the film
- Video
- The Experience
- iPhone Apps
- Game
- 2012 Sweepstakes

Here’s a screenshot of the ‘iPhone Apps’ menu option:

Despite the fact that the iPhone makes up such a small percentage of American and international film-going audiences, Sony Pictures have made a simple decision: Nokia is irrelevant.

This is a worrying, worrying position for Nokia — and one that I’m seeing many, many other big non-technology companies adopt. Indeed I’m writing this post as an Aide-mémoire. I’m often asked by readers, normobs, investment bankers and analysts about what I think of the Nokia position. And it’s these examples that I cite to back up my ‘Noboby cares about Nokia or Symbian‘ position.

I’d like to be clear that I’m a big fan of the platform. I’m a regular user of my Nokia N86. But the company’s continued inability to connect — AT ALL — with the rest of the planet in the context of mobile applications, is utterly, utterly dismaying.

Somebody, somewhere, at Sony Pictures, made a determination that, as far as mobile platforms go, iPhone works. They’ll have weighed up the pros and cons for distribution, for ease of acquisition/download, cost of programming and experience. And in that meeting — for this movie in particular — they’ll have said ‘Right, then, iPhone it is.’

Somebody will have, no doubt, asked about the other mobile platforms.

Someone will have commented words to this effect, ‘A lot of our customers use Nokia, so we should…’

And the executive in charge will, I suspect, (after receiving the cost proposal from an Eastern European Symbian development house) have cut in with a very, very final, ‘No. Let’s move on.’

I’ve no doubt that these same executives are carefully weighing the Android platform — but, likewise, it doesn’t get a look in yet. The keyword is ‘yet‘.

The dire, dire reality is that for these kind of ‘normob’ companies, the door was closed on Nokia and Symbian a long, long time ago. And the key was thrown away.

What can Nokia and Symbian do about this?

Is it just too late?

Is the platform simply too unwieldy and too difficult? Is the mindset at Nokia and Symbian, despite recent attempts to the contrary, still far, far too restrictive?

Is the reality simply that, if you’re Nokia, Sony Ericsson… or anybody running Symbian, if you want the likes of Sony Pictures to pay attention and to support their releases on the Symbian platform, the best, quickest and only way of doing this is to pay Sony Pictures for the privilege?

I know Ewan loves and adores the N900, but even he can back me up on this. Just as having a serious smartphone without a 3.55mm headphone jack is a joke (yes, I’m looking at you G1, various BlackBerrys), having a smartphone with a stylus is becoming unacceptable. To the early adopters/mobilegeeks like me, it is a deal-breaker, and it’s only a matter of time before the disgust with the stylus seeps down to the general public (normobs as Ewan says).

I know some business men and women must be used to the stylus, as they’ve been using them since the days of the PDA. The stylus is like a security blanket for these people. But if they could have back the hours they devoted to learning the Palm Graffiti 1 & 2 alphabets and instead spent that time to learn how to play guitar, they’d be Randy freaking Rhoads by now.

The point is, that styluses (styli?) had their day in the sun. As did the rotary phone. As did the phone before the rotary phone where you’d pick up the receiver and say “Operator, get me #12!” But we are living in the age of glorious, gorgeous touch screens: the iPhone, Palm Pre, the HTC Hero, and the BlackBerry Storm (OK, just kidding about that last one).

About half the time I’m using my phone, I do so one-handed. I don’t operate it when I drive if that’s what you’re thinking, but rather when I’m carrying a cup of coffee, my lunch etc., so using a stylus is just out of the question.

Even with two hands, I hate the stylus. The act of sliding the ugly plastic wand out of the side of the phone is always the last resort. You try to think, “OK, this webpage only has two links I want to click, maybe I can get away with using my fingernail.” Then, invariably, you try again and again until you are so frustrated that you resign yourself to removing the stylus from its plastic cocoon.

Then you get to a website with fields. It’s too much trouble to go into a field put the stylus back, use the slide out keyboard, then remove the stylus again. So you try to hold on to they stylus by pinching it between your pointer finger and the side of the phone, as you attempt to type with your thumbs. Then of course, the stylus, awkwardly held in place merely by friction, tumbles to the filthy ground, and then rolls into the gutter. You then go to the nearest bridge or tall building and hurl your body towards the sweet embrace of the afterlife, a world with no stylus.

So I know that the N900 is a serious smartphone, and I’m sure that Nokia engineers were loathe to include a stylus. They would probably say “We had no choice, how else are you going to navigate the parts that need a delicate and precise touch?”

To which I would say: figure it out. Just figure it out, you’re the high paid engineer. We can put a man on the moon, but we’re still in the dark ages of mobile devices with the stylus. Actually, a little known fact, the original stylus was a crude hunting and gathering tool used by Neanderthals. A million years later, little has changed.

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