Nokia unveils tablet, phones, newfound verve

MANILA, Philippines - “This has been a remarkable time for Nokia… our industry, but most of all, for the people who love great experiences,” begins Stephen Elop at his keynote presentation for Nokia World in Abu Dhabi.

The former company CEO (now EVP for devices and services and rumored to be in the running to become Microsoft CEO) can scarcely hide his excitement as he unveils six new gadgets to augment Nokia’s portfolio ahead of the perceived holiday frenzy.

“At Nokia, we have been on the path to design beautiful phones that help people capture and share their world,” Elop continues his preamble before introducing three new phones in Nokia’s affordable smartphone line: the Asha 500, 502, and 503.

The bold release of the three devices in one line is no leap of faith. Elop reveals that the first Asha model (the 501, introduced just earlier this year in India) was a win for Nokia.

More than 26 million downloads have already been recorded for the device — enough reason to pin hopes on the Asha that has, in his words, “reinvented the highly affordable smartphone” segment. It does not hurt either that the Ashas enable function of key applications such as Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social-network staples.

Encased within an icy-clear exterior, the new Asha iterations also come with a “smarter camera” and enable even more social experiences. “Beauty and real strength,” maintains Elop, as he harps on the Nokia’s “constant pattern of innovation.”

Premised on award-winning designs, leadership in imaging, and a drive to create more experiences for people, the Nokia juggernaut continues with its top-shelf Lumia offerings. The Lumia 1520 and 1320 similarly boast six-inch screens (“the clearest and sharpest display experience that Nokia has ever delivered,” says Elop), and a capable camera to boot.

Nokia, in fact, likes to crow about its “unparalleled imaging” prowess, including an ability to shoot in RAW form. The 1520 presents images in full 1080p detail that goes a long way to aid users in appreciating gaming and videos. A spanking-new 20-megapixel PureView camera boasts enhanced sensor technology and optical image stabilization — not to mention oversampling technology to enhance image details.

Meanwhile, harnessing its affinity with Microsoft, Nokia takes a further step toward user friendliness in the Lumia, which features a new third column of large tiles to better access more content or applications.

All the imaging niceties translate to a better way to tell stories through video and stills, underscores Nokia, even when the sun comes down. Nokia further leverages on its Microsoft relations to access a suite of productivity tools, such as Microsoft Excel. Nokia even throws in seven generous gigabytes of free cloud storage on SkyDrive.

Capping off Elop’s presentation is the unveiling of Nokia’s first-ever Windows tablet, the Lumia 2520, which he describes as “a natural extension of the Lumia family (of) great mobile devices.”

Nokia is not just releasing the tablet for the heck of it. The 2520 does not fall in line behind the existing multitude. Citing research that shows tablet usage peaks between 6 and 8 a.m., and 6 and 9 p.m. (revealing that owners do their swiping, pinching, and pressing when they are home), he insists: “We are looking to shift this traditional trend (and) give people a tablet that’s actually mobile.” This means rewarding forward thinkers and early adopters with high-speed LTE capabilities (not just Wi-Fi). “(It’s) for use wherever you are,” Elop says simply.

Arriving relatively late in the tablet game afforded Nokia a chance to, well, outshine its peers through responsive features, such as best outdoor readability — made possible by highest peak brightness and lowest reflectance.

Meanwhile, in a separate session with Asian media, smartphone chief Jo Harlow, when asked by this writer, says Nokia is no longer the “man on the burning platform.” Elop had famously made the analogy in an internal memo when he took the helm in 2010 and embarked on a mission to turn the hemorrhaging company around.

Behind Apple and Samsung, Nokia is now the “third ecosystem,” says Harlow, even as she maintains they need to grow much bigger. “Are we on the burning platform? No. The burning platform is behind us,” she adds. “We are convinced that the assets of the Windows phone platform and the Windows platform more broadly have huge potential, and what we need is more awareness and consumer understanding of what these platforms deliver... From a hardware perspective, we are delivering great hardware and great software experiences with our own applications.”

Microsoft recently purchased Nokia’s devices and services business, even as it licensed Nokia’s patents, and licensed and used Nokia’s mapping services — to the tune of 5.44 billion euros. Both companies obviously hope the move will unlock growth. Nokia obviously benefits from the rigorous ecosystem of Windows and its portfolio of applications.

Harlow wants people to start thinking of Microsoft beyond their work PC, “as a consumer company” which now becomes a total product proposition, as opposed to individual pieces. It’s hard to argue against the meeting of two giants that are ready to take on even bigger industry staples.

If you ask Elop, it all boils down to the familiar Nokia catchphrase: connecting people.