2014-02-24

Nokia X and X+ [Henrique Martin YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Stephen Elop interview at MWC 2014 [Myriam Joire YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Yes, I got a chance to interview #Nokia’s Stephen Elop at #MWC2014… Enjoy!

… OR how the market impetus noted as Nokia should introduce an Android forked smartphone for the $75-120 range in order to enhance its Asha Software Platform strategy [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Jan 17, 2014] has been met now
… OR how and why Nokia segmented the mobile market better than everybody else (note also that: “our new Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL smartphones primarily for growth economies” and those products will not even be available in North America)
To understand that see: Playback: Nokia’s MWC 2014 keynote in four minutes [The Verge YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

At Nokia’s last major press conference as an independent company, Stephen Elop took the stage to announce a shocker: the Nokia X, an Android-powered cellphone for the developing world. It’s a radical reinvention of Android, it’s colorful as can be, and it’s all here in just over four minutes.

… OR how that is a very powerful answer from Nokia to the current mobile phones situation:





… OR what are the incredible new developer advantages from Nokia to support that strategy:

multiple platforms from Asha, Nokia X and Lumia, which means list prices starting at EUR 45 [$62]*;

access to one of the largest mobile operator billing network in the world (in more than 60 markets and with more than 160 operators), which is a powerful revenue driver  (up to five times that of credit-card billing offered within other platforms);

~75% of Android apps portable without code changes, while for the rest porting is supported in a way that it takes usually less than 8 hours

… OR how the following points from View from Redmond via Tim O’Brien, GM, Platform Strategy at Microsoft [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Feb 21, 2014] are now getting a very powerful meaning:

“Consumers are now calling the shots <—> consumerization of IT”, i.e. enterprise computing is not ruling ICT alone any more, and as a result of BYOD the private, consumer devices are even dictating.

“Sales are not simple for developers anymore” Instead of the earlier uniform way of selling developers should use the most sophisticated approaches—think of the fremium, or advertisement based models as examples—in order to earn their revenue.



“The times of single platforms are gone, as developers own several platforms now”

Nokia X and XL hands-on with Nokia’s Jussi Makinen [SlashGear YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

My transcript (done because conveying unique information not available elsewhere):

0:05 My name is Jussi Mäkinen and I’m working at the Nokia X range product marketing and I’m going to give you a demo of the new Nokia X range family.

0:15 We have today introduced three new products. We have the Nokia X which is a device combining great Nokia design, Android applications with the power of Microsoft services like Skype. We have also introduced the Nokia X+ which is exactly same as Nokia X but with more memory, with 768 MB of internal memory, and then 4 GB of user memory for storing applications.

0:41 Also we introduced the Nokia XL, a 5 inch screen Nokia XL that has great Nokia design, changeable covers, really stirdy kind of designer things, a lot of cool kind of things like beatings and holds ups for a long-long time. It also is a same thing, so Android applications that you can download from Nokia Store and many global and local app stores, and you have of course the Microsoft services like Skype, for example.

1:11 The user interface is inspired by—I would say—three things. So we have taken the best out from the Windows Phone world. So the home screen with these tiles. For example I have a live imaging tile here that updates from time to time, and you have the great design that’s really kind of shows you great way that we can feed people into the Lumia ecosystem.

1:33 We have taken from the Nokia Asha, we have taken the Fastlane [see in: New Asha platform and ecosystem to deliver a breakthrough category of affordable smartphone from Nokia [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, May 9, 2013] So this is inspired by not only Nokia Asha but also the Nokia N9, MeeGo. So we have the kind of Fastlane of all your favorite applications, so you can find your favorite applications faster. So it isn’t taking your time and gives you more freedom.

1:51 Also from the Android you can see this way to access most-used settings from here like WiFi, Bluetooth and sound, and so on.

2:00 So it’s really kind of —I would say—the best of everything.

2:04 We have the power of Microsoft services, and here—for example—we have the swipe keyboard. So you can write very easily just by swiping. So we have taken that into account as well. The Microsoft services are of course first and foremost in this product. We have Skype, we have Outlook on that phone, then you can download more from different app stores, so this is really important for us.

2:27 And again, one more user interface thing, just a small thing we have taken again from Asha, is the contextual menu that you can access inside applications.

2:37 So I would say that it’s really kind of best of all worlds: taking that great Nokia design that built to last, and Android applications with power of Microsoft services.

2:47 I’ve been working on this product now for one a half year on the product development side, and it’s a kind of really there has been a kind of opening for this product. Not only in a way [of being] in the right price point between Lumia and Asha, but also in the consumer mindset. When we have done consumer research everybody has been saying, or I’ve been asking people all around the world like: “What is the feature that you want to have in your Asha?” And people have been saying that “We want Android”. And this is exactly what we were doing here. Giving people what they want.

3:19 And I think we’ve positioned that with Nokia and with Microsoft uniquely in order to do this, unlike any other company out there.

From Nokia connects the next billion with affordable smartphones [press release, Feb 24, 2014]

Stephen Elop, executive vice president of Nokia’s Devices & Services, commented on the launches:
“Nokia has connected billions of people around the world, and today we demonstrated how our portfolio is designed to connect the next billion people to great experiences.”

“Our deliberate approach is to offer four tiers of products including our affordable entry-level devices like the new Nokia 220; our entry-level Asha touch phones like the new Nokia Asha 230; our new Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL smartphones primarily for growth economies; and our Lumia portfolio, which is where we introduce the greatest innovation and provide full compatibility with the Microsoft experience,” he added.

Nokia X family delivers the best of all worlds

The Nokia X family features Nokia’s renowned handset quality and design, with a fresh, tile-based user interface inspired by our Lumia family. All devices come with Fastlane, a screen which lets people switch between their favorite apps more smoothly. People can access curated, quality-tested apps from Nokia Store, more than a dozen third-party app stores and by sideloading. Out of the box, they can enjoy signature Nokia experiences including free* HERE Maps, with true offline maps and integrated turn-by-turn navigation, and Nokia MixRadio for free* music streaming and downloadable playlists. All devices are also pre-loaded with a variety of third-party apps and games.

The Nokia X family is also an affordable introduction to popular Microsoft services, including free* cloud storage using OneDrive. With the purchase of any Nokia X family smartphone in select markets, people will get one month of Skype’s Unlimited World Subscription for a limited time, ideal to make international calls to landlines in more than 60 countries and to mobile phones in 8 countries.

The first device, the Nokia X, comes with a 4″ IPS capacitive display and 3MP camera. The Nokia X+ is optimised for multimedia enthusiasts, who can enjoy even more games, music, photos and video thanks to more memory and storage. Both the Nokia X and Nokia X+ will be available in bright green, bright red, cyan, yellow, black and white**. The third family member, the Nokia XL, boasts a 5″ display with 2MP front-facing camera – ideal for Skype video calls – and a 5MP rear-facing, autofocus camera with flash. The Nokia XL will be available in bright green, orange, cyan, yellow, black and white. The entire Nokia X family is powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon(TM) dual core processor and supports Dual SIM, letting people switch SIM cards to get better tariffs.

The Nokia X will go on sale immediately, starting at EUR 89 [$122]* and rolling-out in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa [i.e. NOT in North-America]. The Nokia X+ and Nokia XL are expected to roll out in these markets starting early second quarter, priced at EUR 99 [$136] and EUR 109 [$150], respectively.

* All prices are suggested retail before local taxes and subsidies. Actual in-market prices may vary.

Porting on Nokia X [nokiadevforum YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Developers who have been working with Nokia X have great things to say about it. 75% of Android apps will run on Nokia X software platform without any modifications. Bottom line – porting Android apps to Nokia X is easy!

The entire process – from downloading SDKs and porting, to integrating Nokia HERE in place of Google Maps – has been seamless. Satyajeet Singh, VP Products, Zomato

The API analyzer made it very simple to identify the areas of change, making app portability even simpler. Vinodkumar Putta, Team Lead, Zomato

Nokia X services API documentation is fabulous and helped me port my app in a few hours. Pedro Monteiro Kayatt, Lead Developer, Naked Monkey

Porting our apps to Nokia X was a very pleasant experience due to in-app billing and push notification APIs being compatible with Google’s architecture. Marko Štamcar, Senior Android Developer, Outfit7

From a development perspective it’s not going to cost you anything and it just take you a few hours to do. Samuel Forrest, VP of Business Development, PICSART

Nokia X is ready for your Android Apps! [Nokia Developer Blog News, Feb 24, 2014]

We’re happy to announce that Nokia X is now ready for your apps!

Nokia X is a new developer platform made to run Android apps, including yours. It’s an easy, risk-free way to turn your Android app on to a whole new user base without adding to your code base.

We’re excited to be able to deliver your Android applications on Nokia X smartphones. If you’re as ready as we are, head over to Nokia Publish now to get started—it should only take a few minutes to test and submit your app. (Note that if your app uses Google Cloud Messaging, Google Maps, or Google In-App Billing, you will need to migrate to our APIs[ link] for those services.)

If you want to learn more before jumping in, check out five simple reasons why you should publish your Android app to Nokia Store now.

Five reasons to publish your Android App to Nokia Store [Nokia Developer Blog News, Feb 24, 2014]

Nokia X opens new markets to your existing apps
Nokia’s sales leadership and brand strength in the fastest growing smartphoneand mobile app markets provide the launchpad for your apps’ success. With Nokia X, you can reach an untapped pool of savvy – and app-hungry — new smartphone users around the world.
Learn more …

Nokia X’s monetization tools create additional revenue streams for your apps
Monetization tools like Nokia In-App Payment, combined with Nokia’s extensive operator billing network, provide your existing apps with new monetization mechanisms in emerging markets. Consumers in many high growth markets do not have international credit cards, making revenue collection a challenge. Nokia X leverages Nokia’s wide operator billing coverage, which extends to over 3 billion mobile subscribers, with over 160 operators in more than 60 markets. Operator billing has been shown to deliver up to a 5x increase in revenues and a 10x increase in purchases over credit-card billing in the Nokia X targeted markets, meaning more revenues opportunities for your apps.
Learn more …

Android app compatibility
Nokia has tested over 100.000 Android apps and approximately 75% are directly compatible and ready to be published to Nokia Store. If your app uses Google services for maps, push notifications or in-app payments, you will need to replace these APIs with Nokia specific APIs that have been built to work almost identically to those they replace. Nokia services have been designed to minimize porting effort from apps using corresponding Google services and allow developers develop and distribute a single app package targeting both ecosystems.
Learn more …

Develop apps for Nokia X using your existing Android SDK, toolkit and skillset
If you already develop Android apps, you can continue to use your existing tool chain. Nokia provides a plugin package to the Android SDK, including the services APIs and the Nokia X emulator.You’ve already got the other tools and skills you need.
Learn more …

Nokia Developer programs provide the marketing and technical support you need
Through programs like DVLUP, Nokia Developer Offers and local outreach, Nokia offers you opportunities to promote your apps to new users and potential customers, while our online training, events and support tools make sure you’re putting your best app forward.
Learn more …

Nokia X Platform overview [Nokia Developer, Feb 24, 2014]



Nokia X is a customized platform built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), the software stack upon which some of the most popular smartphones in the world are based. Nokia X lets you leverage your existing Android apps, while taking advantage of Nokia’s optimizations to help you grab more downloads and generate more revenues in targeted markets.

Ready to start porting your apps? Get started ›     Download the plugin ›

Will your Android app work on Nokia X?

Nokia Store testing has shown that approximately 75% of Android apps will run properly without any modifications; they’re ready to be published in Nokia Store.

Develop and distribute a single APK targeting multiple stores.

If your app uses Google services for push notifications, maps or in-app payments, you’ll need to make a few changes, but it won’t take long (usually less than 8 hours). Nokia services have been designed to minimize porting effort from apps using corresponding Google services and allow developers develop and distribute a single APK targeting multiple stores.

Test your app’s compatibility ›

Nokia X platform details

The core Nokia X platform is built on AOSP v4.1.2 [Jelly Bean], which supports API level 16. On top of this, Nokia has added several enhancements to improve both the user experience and the developer experience:

Nokia service APIs

Distribution and billing

UX elements

- Nokia In-App Payment  ›
- HERE Maps  ›
- Nokia Notifications  ›

- Distribution in Nokia Store  ›
- Payment with Operator billing  ›

- Design overview ›
- Design essentials ›
- Nokia X icon toolkit ›

Nokia X app development uses a plugin to the Android SDK, so it will be familiar to developers who have used the Android SDK before. The Nokia X services SDK includes support for emulating Nokia X devices for testing and debugging.

Download the Nokia X services SDK ›

First hands-on with the Nokia X family [Nokia YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Introducing the new Nokia X family of devices – the Nokia X, X+ and XL. The Nokia X smartphone family combine Nokia design, build quality and gives you access to the world of Android apps, benefits from signature Nokia experiences including MixRadio and HERE maps, and offers an introduction to Microsoft’s most popular services such as Skype, OneDrive and Outlook.com. Read more: http://conversations.nokia.com

The above video has been expanded in XTRAORDINARILY XCELLENT: THE NOKIA X FAMILY [Nokia Conversations, Feb 24, 2014] by the following information:

 Today Nokia introduces a brand new family of smartphones, the Nokia X family, a range of handsets that combines Nokia design, build quality and services with the ability to run Android apps.

The first three phones in the family – the Nokia X, X+ and XL – are priced between the existing Asha and Lumia lines, at €89 [$122], €99 [$136] and €109 [$150] respectively, to appeal to new smartphone users looking for popular apps and their first cloud services.

The X family boasts Nokia’s exciting, high quality hardware design and a range of bright colours. The brand new, tile-based Home screen offers you a simple, elegant way to manage your apps and phone functions and also reintroduces a redesigned version of the enormously popular Fastlane notifications centre – a second Home screen if you like – from the latest Asha devices.

My insert here: The new Nokia X family – Your Fastlane to Android™ apps [Nokia YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Meet the new Nokia X family of affordable smartphones. The Nokia X, X+ and XL give you access to the world of AndroidTM apps:http://nokia.com/nokiaXrange

My insert here: Nokia X – Life in the Fastlane [Nokia YouTube channel, Feb 24, 2014]

Xciting services bring a smile

The Nokia X family offers terrific value with acclaimed Nokia and Microsoft services and experiences. HERE Maps with turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps are included. Nokia MixRadio offers hundreds of free streaming and offline playlists. Free cloud storage from Microsoft OneDrive with 7GB of space for free is included out of the box. There’s also access to Outlook.com as your email service. And there’s Skype with a month’s free calls to international landlines in selected markets.

All three of the devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual Core processor and are Dual SIM. A range of third-party apps comes preinstalled, including BBM, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Viber, Vine and Twitter. As many more as you can fit can be obtained from the Nokia Store, third-party app stores and sideloaded.

Xtreme family resemblance

The table below covers the differences between the devices, but these are the highlights:

The Nokia X is the entry level member of the family, with 4-inch IPS LCD screen, 512MB RAM and a 3-megapixel camera. It will be available in green, black, white, yellow, cyan and red.

The Nokia X+ offers you a little more, as the name suggests: there’s 768MB RAM and a 4GB MicroSD card is included in the box. It comes in the same colours as the Nokia X.

Lastly, the clue is in the name for the Nokia XL, as well, with its 5-inch screen. The Nokia XL also boasts 768MB RAM, the free MicroSD card and it has both a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for Skype calls, as well as a 5-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and flash. The same colours are available as for the Nokia X and X+, except bright orange replaces the red with this model.

Check the speX

Nokia X

Nokia X+

Nokia XL

Screen

4-inch IPS LCD, 800 x 480px

4-inch IPS LCD, 800 x 480px

5-inch IPS LCD, 800 x 480px

RAM

512MB

768MB

768MB

Storage

Up to 32GB
MicroSD

Up to 32GB
MicroSD; 4GB card included

Up to 32GB
MicroSD; 4GB card included

Rear camera

3-megapixel fixed focus

3-megapixel fixed focus

5-megapixel with autofocus and flash

Front camera

-

-

2-megapixel

Processor

8225 Qualcomm Snapdragon

1GHz Dual Core

8225 Qualcomm Snapdragon

1GHz Dual Core

8225 Qualcomm Snapdragon

1GHz Dual Core

Networks

ESGM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

WCDMA 900 / 2100

ESGM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

WCDMA 900 / 2100

ESGM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900

WCDMA 900 / 2100

Dimensions

115.5 x 63 x 10.4mm

115.5 x 63 x 10.4mm

141.3 x 77.7 x 10.8mm

Weight

128.66g

128.66g

190g

Standby time

2G = Up to 28.5 days

3G = Up to 22 days

2G = Up to 28.5 days

3G = Up to 22 days

2G = Up to 41 days

3G = Up to 26 days

Talk time

2G = Up to 13.3 hours

3G = Up to 10.5 hours

2G = Up to 13.3 hours

3G = Up to 10.5 hours

2G = Up to 16 hours

3G = Up to 13 hours

The Nokia X will be available to buy immediately in Asia Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle-East and Africa [i.e. NOT in North-America]. The Nokia X+ and XL are expected to be available from Q2 2014. The prices quoted do not include any local taxes or operator subsidies.

We’ll be bringing more details and interviews with the Xperts on the new Nokia X family over the next few days. But let us know your first impressions below.

Note 1: The 8225 Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz Dual Core is based on 45nm Cortex-A5 cores and corresponds to the previous Snapdragon tiering which was upto Qualcomm decided to compete with the existing Cortex-A5/Krait-based offerings till the end of 2012 [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, Sept 30, 2012] in which it was described as follows:

From the announcement point of view the [MSM]8225 was launched by Qualcomm Brings Snapdragon S4 Processors to High Volume Smartphones and Expands Qualcomm Reference Design Development Platform and Ecosystem Program [press release, Dec 8, 2011] in which it was declared that:

The MSM8625 and MSM8225 chipsets will be available on Qualcomm’s third generation QRD development platform in the first half of 2012, in addition to being available as standalone chipsets. QRD development platforms based on both the MSM7x27A and MSM7x25A chipsets [the previous entry level from Qualcomm] are currently available. Qualcomm has shipped over 100 million MSM7225 and MSM7227 chipsets [the preceding even to those “A” chipsets entry level from Qualcomm], and smartphones based on these chipsets are operating on multiple carrier networks worldwide.

Note 2: The hardware is therefore quite similar to HTC Desire X [Qualcomm Developer Network, Aug 30, 2012]

Manufacturer:

HTC

Name:

Desire X

Model:

HTC Desire X

CPU:

Qualcomm MSM8225 snapdragon

CPU Clock:

1000

GPU:

Adreno 203

Platform OS:

Android 4.0.4

Operators:

Unlocked

Date announced:

8/30/12

Date available:

10/8/12

ROM Capacity:

4GB

RAM Capacity:

768MB

Display type:

Super LCD capacitative touchscreen

Display Resolution:

480×800

Primary camera:

5 megapixels

Secondary camera:

None

Connectivity:

GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WLAN, USB, Bluetooth 4.0

Sensors:

Accelerometer, Compass

Stand-by (GSM):

Up to 750 hours
[31 days]

Talk Time (GSM):

Up to 6 hours

For the less familiar heritage of the Nokia X range watch Nokia N9 [Meego] UI hands-on demo [NokiaConversations YouTube channel, June 20, 2011]

Nokia Marketing Manager Jussi Mäkinen walks us thru Nokia N9. Nokia N9 is designed around the things people typically use the most. Read more on Nokia N9: http://conversations.nokia.com/2011/06/21/introducing-the-nokia-n9-all-it-takes-is-a-swipe/

For more information on that see: Nokia N9 UX [?Swipe?] on MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan [‘Experiencing the Cloud’, June 24, 2011 – Aug 10, 2012]

Nokia welcomes Android developers; expands global developer footprint with momentum across Lumia and Asha [press release, Feb 24, 2014]

News at-a-glance:

New Nokia X software platform opens fast-growing segment to Android(TM) developers to monetize and expand the reach of their apps.

Nokia’s market-leading operator billing network powers in-app purchases, gives developers global reach.

Leading apps available for Nokia X devices include BBM, Facebook, LINE, Skype and Twitter.

Nokia Lumia momentum continues with addition of BBM, Adobe Photoshop Express and Facebook Messenger.

Nokia Imaging SDK 1.1, with powerful editing features, now available for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs.

Barcelona, Spain – Today at Mobile World Congress, Nokia unveiled five new affordable handsets including a new family of smartphones debuting on the Nokia X software platform. Based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), and backed by Nokia’s deep ties with operators, the Nokia X platform gives Android(TM) developers the chance to tap into, and profit from, a rapidly expanding part of the market. The launch builds on Nokia’s leadership in delivering innovation to more price points with its family of Lumia smartphones, and the latest momentum for Windows Phone.

“Today Windows Phone is the fastest growing mobile ecosystem in the world, and we continue to see incredible momentum with our Lumia smartphones,” said Bryan Biniak, Vice President and General Manager, Developer Experience at Nokia. “Now, with the introduction of the Nokia X family of devices, we’re delivering the same design, quality and innovation Nokia is known to lower price points to capture the fastest-growing segment of the smartphone market.”

Monetization, plus porting made easy

With billing agreements in more than 60 markets and with more than 160 operators, Nokia provides developers with access to one of the largest mobile operator billing network in the world, offering the scale and global reach needed to successfully monetize their apps and generate higher revenues.

“The reach of Nokia’s operator billing network provides developers with a powerful revenue driver – up to five times that of credit-card billing offered within other platforms,” said Amit Patel, Vice President, Developer Relations at Nokia. “Combined with Nokia In-App Payment, developers have the freedom to build on the model that works best for them.”

The vast majority of Android apps can be published to the Nokia Store as is. For those that require modifications, the Nokia X analyzer tool significantly reduces porting time by identifying the required changes. To make porting even easier, developers only need to maintain one code base and distribute a single application package file (APK) to target multiple stores.

At launch, leading global apps will be available for the Nokia X family of devices, including Facebook, LINE Free Voice and Messages, LINE Camera, LINE Bubble, Picsart, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Real Football 2014, Skype, Spotify, Swiftkey, Twitter, Viber, Vine and WeChat, among others. And in a first for Nokia customers around the world, BBM, a premier mobile messaging platform, will also be available on the Nokia X family of devices in addition to Windows Phone.

“BBM continues to provide a best-in-class mobile messaging platform with productivity, collaboration and community-building as cornerstones,” said David Proulx, Senior Director, BBM at BlackBerry. “We continue to see great enthusiasm for the BBM experience around the globe and we are thrilled to work with Nokia to preload BBM on devices beginning with Nokia X in select markets. We welcome Nokia X users to the BBM community.”

“LINE’s partnership with a global player such as Nokia is indeed an honor. Delivering LINE on Nokia X represents our commitment of ensuring that people around the world will experience the joy of communication through LINE on Nokia X smartphones,” said Shin Jung-ho, CEO of LINE Plus Corporation. “We are pleased to announce that LINE will continuously offer a variety of features to Nokia X platform to enhance users’ exciting experience in communication, social sharing, imaging, and gaming.”

Lumia momentum continues while developers embrace cross-platform opportunity across Nokia’s product portfolio

Many partners such as Facebook, BBM, Twitter, LINE, Viber, Electronic Arts, Gameloft and Rovio are also making their key apps available across Nokia’s device portfolio of feature phones, Asha, Nokia X and Lumia.  Facebook Messenger, a fast, free and reliable way to stay in touch, will also be coming soon across Nokia’s four tiers of products. Global food delivery app, Foodpanda/hellofood, will also launch across the Nokia Asha, Lumia and X family of devices.

Developer innovation on Nokia Lumia continues, which reflects Windows Phone’s status as the fastest-growing mobile ecosystem in the world. Today, Nokia also announced that leading partners, including Adobe Photoshop Express, Facetune and JUSP will soon launch for Windows Phone – joining other must-have apps and games including Instagram, Vine, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Subway Surfers, among others that have recently launched.

Adobe’s Photoshop Express app, already available on Windows 8, is coming to Windows Phone later this year to allow consumers to edit easily across Windows PCs, tablets and smartphones. European mobile payment provider JUSP will launch across Windows PCs, tablets and smartphones in the coming weeks, while Facetune will soon let users create high-end portraits from everyday photos with intuitive and powerful tools previously reserved for the pros.

“In a world of mobile development, speed and time-to-market is of the utmost importance,” said Biniak. “At Nokia, we’re focused on helping developers accelerate the development process across platforms, while also providing access to the latest innovation and tools to help them focus on what they do best – creating the next great app.”

Nokia Imaging SDK 1.1 now for Windows

Built on the technology that powers Nokia’s own imaging apps like Nokia Storyteller and Nokia Camera, Nokia introduces a key update to the latest Nokia Imaging SDK – version 1.1. Nokia’s Imaging SDK 1.1 brings powerful image editing features to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs. Developers can now utilize the capabilities of the SDK to deliver a converged Windows app experience across any Windows Phone 8 device, such as the Lumia 1020 and 1520, as well as the Nokia Lumia 2520 tablet.

The Nokia Imaging SDK 1.1 is available today at developer.nokia.com.

Also starting today, the Imagin8 Mission competition further encourages developers registered with DVLUP to create innovative imaging apps. Among many prizes, the developer of the best new or updated app will win a trip to experience zero gravity with the ZERO-G Corporation. More information at developer.nokia.com/imagin8.

Nokia Developer Exchange Marketplace

Nokia now offers premium merchandising slots in 181 countries to its key partners through the Nokia Developer Exchange Marketplace. This new offer represents an expansion of the Campaign feature introduced in October 2013 for DVLUP, Nokia’s rewards program for developers. Inaugural partners participating in the exchange include Electronic Arts, Gameloft, AE Mobile, Miniclip and Outfit7.

“Even in digital, selling is all about ‘location, location, location,’” said Daniel Morel, Chairman and CEO, Wunderman. “With Nokia Developer Exchange Marketplace, developers have access to prime real estate for their apps, they can leverage performance metrics and do so much more. It’s a big step forward.”

“Nokia Developer Exchange Marketplace is an exciting new proposition,” said Sam Browne, Managing Partner of Carat Global, the number one-ranked agency network in the world. “Nokia’s investment illustrates ongoing intent to build, support, and cooperate with the developer community. Partners will have unique access to a range of valuable media properties, with a proven capability to deliver high consumer reach, and the opportunity of app distribution growth. Both large and small partners can view this as a significant new marketing asset.”

Filed under: Cloud client SW platforms, Cloud Computing strategy, consumer computing, consumer devices, design, Geopolitics, Microsoft survival, smartphones Tagged: Android applications, Android Open Source Project, AOSP, AOSP v4.1.2, Fastlane, Fastlane notifications centre, forked Android, Jelly Bean, MeeGo, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft services, MSM8225, Nokia, Nokia Design, Nokia Developer Exchange Marketplace, Nokia In-App Payment, Nokia N9, Nokia services, Nokia X, Nokia X family, <a href="http://lazure2.wordpr

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