Nokia Q2 2011: 'clearly disappointing' results as challenges prove 'greater than expected'

With Nokia still yet to fully dive in to the Windows Phone swimming hole, you had to know it was going to be another ugly quarter's worth of results. And it is. The company just posted its Q2 2011 numbers and there's a definite downward trend. Operating profits declined 44 percent since Q1, 391 million Euro compared to 704, and net sales of mobile devices are down 23 percent over the same period -- 20 percent compared to Q2 last year. CEO Stephen Elop quite naturally tried to spin this thing in the right direction:

The challenges we are facing during our strategic transformation manifested in a greater than expected way in Q2 2011. However, even within the quarter, I believe our actions to mitigate the impact of these challenges have started to have a positive impact on the underlying health of our business. Most importantly, we are making better-than expected progress toward our strategic goals.

But, he can't deny the obvious, calling the results "clearly disappointing." Looking forward, Elop expects "competitive pressures to continue," but indicates the company has a "clear strategy" to improve things. He says those who have seen the company's early Windows Phone devices (really, who hasn't) are "very optimistic" about their potential and that they hope to launch this year with a "sequence of concentrated product launches. Very expensive launches, we hear.

Update: Elop just wrapped up his portion of the company's earning call. A summary and a few choice quotes are available below.

In the earnings call, Stephen Elop didn't rock the boat, more or less sticking to the company line by talking up the company's "immediate actions" to address the current state of the market, which he states has largely shifted from a "battle of devices to a war of ecosystems." The company's ecosystem of choice is now, of course, Windows Phone, and Elop says he has "increased confidence" that the first Nokia WP7 devices will ship this year. Yes, "increased confidence," meaning there's still room for a slip, and he reconfirmed that phones won't ship in volume until 2012.

Elop also talked about the company's intellectual property victories, most notably against Apple. There was "significant intellectual property income" this quarter and he re-iterated that "intellectual property is an important currency" these days, which leaves us wondering what company we'll next be digitally inserting into the salmon's mouth.

SwiftKey X keyboard app is free today on Amazon, be swift or pay $3.99

After plenty of hands-on time with SwiftKey X, we reckon it's probably the best virtual keyboard you can get for Android phones. And, for the next 21 hours or so, it's even better than that -- because it's free at Amazon's Appstore. So, if you're brandishing Android 2.1 or higher and you type in one of the 17 supported languages, then the source link below beckons. Come back quickly, though, or we'll miss you terribly. (The tablet version of the app is still $4.99, mind -- but there's always tomorrow.)

Dell Venue Pro firmware update silences WiFi woes

We wouldn't say it was delivered with lightning speed, but Dell's firmware update for the Venue Pro is at least on schedule. The outfit's Lionel Menchaca tweeted that the refresh, which brings a fix for a WiFi lockup issue (among others), "starts rolling out today for T-Mobile customers in the US + all other customers outside the US." Unfortunately for AT&T customers sporting this pro phone, it looks like you'll be left in the firmware lurch a bit longer --- there's been no mention of a similar update for Ma Bell.

Optus unlocks free-to-air-TV on your mobile with landmark innovation in mobile entertainment

Optus TV

Optus has today launched Optus TV Now, a landmark innovation in mobile entertainment. In an Australian first for a telecommunications company, Optus customers will be able to schedule, record and playback free-to-air television from any compatible 3G mobile device+ or personal computer. With Optus TV Now, Optus customers can record their favourite TV program using their mobile phone and then play it back on their mobile or PC at a time that’s more convenient to them. The service is available across all 15 free-to-air channels. 

Austin Bryan, Director of Optus Digital Media said, “While we’ve been able to record free to air TV on our personal video recorder for years, Optus TV Now is the first service that allows customers from across Australia to record free to air TV using their mobile and play it back on a mobile or personal computer.

 

“This innovative new product highlights the diverse and exciting potential for consumer cloud services. Optus TV Now, along with the recently launched Optus Smart Safe, proves that Optus is fast becoming a leader in digital services.”

 

All Optus mobile subscribers will get 45 minutes of free storage every month with the Optus TV Now Basic Plan while customers looking for more storage space can add Optus TV Now as a bolt-on to their existing mobile service. The Optus TV Now Standard Plan provides five hours of storage time for $6.99 per month while the Optus TV Now Premium Plan provides 20 hours of storage time for $9.99 per month.

 

Optus mobile customers are able to clear their recorded content and re-record and store as many times as they like, enabling them to make the most of their allotted storage throughout the month. Customers can also set whole series to record (pending available storage space) – meaning they can catch up on content at the time most convenient to them.

 

Optus customers will be able to access the Optus TV Now service whenever they want. Customers can download the Optus TV Now Electronic Program Guide where they can select programs to record and playback from the wide selection of free to air channels available at their home address.

 

Isis Forms Relationships with Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express

Isis, the national mobile commerce joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, today announced that Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express will join Isis in making mobile commerce a reality for millions of U.S. consumers and merchants. Isis’ relationships with all four payment networks mean that with Isis-enabled phones and payment terminals in place, merchants and consumers will have ubiquity and freedom of choice when it comes to payment network acceptance.

“Since the formation of Isis in November, we have been committed to building a mobile commerce platform that aligns and advances the interests of consumers, merchants and banks,” said Michael Abbott, chief executive officer for Isis. “By working with the nation’s payment networks – Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express – we significantly advance the vision of an open and secure platform that provides banks and merchants with a new and highly relevant way to connect with consumers.”

LTE Gathers Momentum but Spectrum Challenges Still Remain

ABI Research’s market data currently tracks 28 commercial FD-LTE networks, and counting. No TD-LTE network has gone live yet, but commercial launches of this technology jointly developed by China and Qualcomm are getting closer, with the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) being formed in February this year to push forward its development and adoption. The five-month old initiative counts prominent WiMAX players such as Clearwire and P1 as its members, as well as major telco operators in Taiwan, India, Japan, and South Korea.

“The biggest concern facing many operators now is the squeeze on available spectrum,” says ABI research analyst Fei Feng Seet. “Regulators in certain countries have not yet announced any plans for LTE spectrum allocation.”

merican Express and Sprint Collaborate to Promote Serve

American Express and Sprint today announced an agreement that will provide Sprint customers with easy access to Serve, American Express' recently launched digital payments platform. The agreement marks Serve’s first relationship with a mobile carrier since launching in late March, and builds on Sprint’s commitment to providing customers mobile solutions with convenience and choice.

This summer Serve’s mobile wallet application will be made available in the Sprint Zone to Sprint customers using select Android-powered smartphones1. Sprint customers with these devices can find Sprint Zone, which also provides Sprint account information, recommends apps and more, as an icon on their Sprint mobile device.

Apple Introduces World’s First Thunderbolt Display

Apple Thunderbolt Display

Apple today unveiled the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, the world’s first display with Thunderbolt I/O technology and the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook. With just a single cable, users can connect a Thunderbolt-enabled Mac to the 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display and access its FaceTime camera, high quality audio, and Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt ports. Designed specifically for Mac notebooks, the new display features an elegant, thin, aluminum and glass enclosure, and includes a MagSafe connector that charges your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

“The Apple Thunderbolt Display is the ultimate docking station for your Mac notebook,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With just one cable, users can dock with their new display and connect to high performance peripherals, network connections and audio devices.”

 

With a beautiful 16:9 edge-to-edge glass design, the Thunderbolt Display uses IPS technology to provide a brilliant image across an ultra wide 178 degree viewing angle. Any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac notebook can dock with the display to quickly and easily create a full-fledged desktop solution. The Thunderbolt Display includes a built-in FaceTime HD video camera for crisp video conferencing, a 2.1 speaker system for high quality audio, an integrated MagSafe charger to keep Mac notebooks charged, three USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one Gigabit Ethernet port and a Thunderbolt port for daisy chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt devices.

 

The Thunderbolt Display is the world’s first display to include Thunderbolt I/O technology. Featuring two bi-directional channels with transfer speeds up to an amazing 10Gbps each, each Thunderbolt port delivers PCI Express directly to external peripherals such as high performance storage and RAID arrays, supports DisplayPort for high resolution displays and works with existing adapters for HDMI, DVI and VGA displays. Thunderbolt-based Macs with discrete graphics can drive two external displays giving professional users over 7 million additional pixels of display real estate and the ability to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt devices, as well as video and audio capture devices.

 

The Thunderbolt Display includes an ambient light sensor which automatically adjusts the display brightness based on external lighting conditions and uses only as much energy as necessary to provide an optimum viewing experience. Made with mercury-free LED technology, arsenic-free glass and highly recyclable materials, the new display meets Energy Star 5.0 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.* The new display contains no brominated flame retardants and all cables and components are PVC-free.

Pricing & Availability

The new Thunderbolt Display will be available within the next 60 days through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $999 (US). The Apple Thunderbolt Display requires a Mac with a Thunderbolt I/O port.