The Finnish giant shows its new strategy in action

MARINA BAY SANDS, Singapore — The people had questions. They gave their answers. In the annual Nokia Connection web-cast around the world from this imposing hotel early this week, Nokia president and CEO Stephen Elop demonstrated how the company is making progress on the new strategy it laid out earlier this year.

From smartphones to entry-level handsets, from services to user interface design, and from improved device experiences to developer tools, Nokia outlined concrete actions for growth and hopefully, recovery of market share.

“Earlier this year, we outlined a comprehensive strategy to change our course,” Elop said in his keynote. “Innovation is at the heart of our strategy, and today we took important steps to demonstrate a new pace of innovation at Nokia. It’s the beginning of a new era for Nokia.”

For the mass market, Nokia introduced three new affordable handsets — the C2-02, the C2-03 and the C2-06.

The portfolio includes dual and single SIM options, and all three models offer a new, advanced Web and map experience for Series 40 phone users, as well as the choice of a touch screen or a keypad — formidable features for low-cost, entry-level devices.

Nokia also restated its commitment to Symbian, pointing to this July when Nokia will start shipping N8s, E7s, C7s and C6-01s with the new Symbian Anna software update, which includes a number of user experience improvements.

By the end of August, existing owners of these devices can also download Symbian Anna.

And over the next 12 months, Nokia plans to bring up to 10 new Symbian-based smartphones to market, belying any doubt as to the company’s support for this outgoing platform.

More to the point, Nokia also revealed its latest smartphone: the Nokia N9, a full-touch-screen device with three home views and a new user interface navigated through a simple swipe of the finger.

The Nokia N9 comes with a polycarbonate casing that enables superior antenna performance for better reception, better voice quality and fewer dropped calls, and a smarter all-round experience with NFC for sharing and pairing to accessories.

The N9 is expected to drive new innovation in the consumer experience, and inspire developers to build more powerful Qt (pronounced “cute”) applications.

The Qt framework is at the core of Nokia’s existing smartphone product line; there are currently more than 100 million Nokia Qt devices worldwide.

Ovi Store consumers are downloading an increasing number of Qt applications, including in high-growth markets like the Asia-Pacific.

Tapping into this trend, Nokia will make Qt core to building applications that connect the next billion users to the Internet.

For Qt developers, this will mean a dramatic increase in reach and opportunity during the coming years. And for the Finnish giant, no less than a consolidation of its long-held strength in mass market devices.

Smartphones? Watch this page when the Windows-powered Nokia handsets hit the market next year.

Interviews with Nokia executives Colin Giles and Neil Gordon (EVP for sales of Nokia and VP for sales of Nokia Southeast Asia, Asia-Pacific, respectively) at the event revealed synergies between Nokia and Microsoft, particularly when the executives mentioned Microsoft brands X-Box, Zune, and Bing as possible product applications.

The prospects are tantalizing: An X-Box/N-Gage phone? A Nokia XpressMusic with Zune capabilities? Smartphones with built-in mobile Bing search engines? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure, the battle for smartphone supremacy is far from over.