Nokia launches N9 smartphone

Finnish company Nokia launched its newest smartphone on Tuesday, at a conference in Singapore. The new device is the first to use Nokia's own MeeGo platform, but also the last, as the company is planning to drop it in favour of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 software. The N9 can be operated by a "swipe" of the finger and comes in three colours (magenta, cyan and black).

Stephen Elop, Nokia's Chief Executive, unveiled the N9 smartphone at a telecoms conference on Tuesday, June 21. Most experts say that the launch of the new device does not make much sense, as Nokia is planning to stop developing the MeeGo platform. This circumstance will make it difficult for the company to get customers interested in the product, except as a collector's piece.

Elop stated again, at the same event, that Nokia would introduce, later in 2011, its first smartphone to use Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system. He said that the Finnish company's principal strategy at the moment is to concentrate on the Windows software. Nokia started developing the MeeGo platform in February 2010, but decided to give up the project a year later and subsequently announced its collaboration with Microsoft. The N9 will be Nokia's only smartphone to feature the abandoned technology, which was initially supposed to become a core platform for the company's devices.

The N7 is an all-screen phone, with all features accessible by a "swipe" of the finger. The body is made from polycarbonate material and comes in three colours: magenta, cyan and black. The N7 has an 8-megapixel camera and integrated NFC. The phone received positive reviews from those present at the conference, despite its launch being labelled as a pointless effort, due to Nokia's sidelining of the MeeGo platform. Nokia officials did not yet announce when the device will go on the market. At the event in Singapore, Nokia also unveiled three smartphones using the Symbian operating system and announced plans to launch ten more this year. Despite its partnership with Microsoft, Nokia will continue to use the Symbian platform for low-end devices.

Although it used to be a clear leader on the competitive smartphone market, Nokia has recently faced tough competition from stronger rivals like Samsung and Apple. The company's market share has been seriously dropping. In May, Nokia announced as a result that it had abandoned hopes of meeting certain key targets.

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