Nokia plans board of directors refresh, chairman to step down

Following on from today's mixed bag of Nokia financials, the Espoo-based company will see some changes on its directorial board, after its Annual General Meeting in a few months. As forecast last year, non-executive chairman Jorma Ollola joined Nokia in 1985 and has been on the board through Nokia's explosive growth into the world's biggest handset manufacturer -- and its more recent troubles. He will leave the board alongside more recent members Bengt Holmström and Per Karlsson, while existing board memeber Risto Siilasmaa is currently pegged to take the helm once the new board of directors is formed. New candidates earmarked for the board include Bruce Brown, of Procter and Gamble, Mårten Mickos, CEO of Eucalyptus Systems and independent corporate advisor Elizabeth Nelson. The whole Nokia nitty-gritty awaits at the source below. Continue reading Nokia plans board of directors refresh, chairman to step down Nokia plans board of directors refresh, chairman to step down originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Nokia  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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Nokia releases Q4 2011 earnings report: operating profits drop, Lumia sales break one million

Nokia released its latest quarterly earnings report today, following up on a somewhat disappointing Q3 with a similarly bleak Q4. The Finnish manufacturer finished 2011 with a little more than €10 billion in net sales -- 11 percent higher than Q3, but 21 percent lower than 2010, when Nokia raked in about €12.7 billion. Operating profit, meanwhile, rose by 90 percent over Q3, but is still down on the year by a whopping 56 percent. To date, the company has sold more than one million Lumia handsets, but Espoo acknowledges that there's still a lot of work to do in 2012. In fact, Nokia expects to break even during the first quarter of this year, due in part to lower than expected seasonal sales and to what it calls "competitive industry dynamics." Find more numbers at the source link below. Nokia releases Q4 2011 earnings report: operating profits drop, Lumia sales break one million originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Nokia (PDF)  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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Microsoft patents method for secure pairing of devices wirelessly and a 3D rangefinder camera

IBM may be the king of patents, and Apple's patent applications grace these pages rather frequently, but Microsoft's not one to rest on its IP laurels, either. A couple of newly published patents out of Redmond have made their way to the web: one for securely pairing wireless devices and one for 3D rangefinder camera technology. The pairing tech works via a direct connection between devices using Bluetooth or WiFi and an automated, two-step authentication process. First, a request is sent by an initiating handset and is authenticated by its target using an address book of recognized devices. Next, the two devices exchange encrypted security keys to cement their digital friendship, leaving you free to exchange your favorite episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 or latest LOLcat pictures with the greatest of ease. Microsoft's other patent of interest is for "a 3D camera for determining distances to regions in a scene." That's not a new concept by any means, but this new bit of IP integrates all the functions of such an imager on a single chip. Essentially, it claims an image sensor, a light source to illuminate the scene being shot and a controller to gate the pixels on the sensor on and off and correct for inaccuracies caused by other light sources. It works by projecting the light source and determining the distance to various points based upon the time it takes for the light to bounce off the target and reach the camera sensor. Want to know more? You can haz all the patent particulars at the source links below. Microsoft patents method for secure pairing of devices wirelessly and a 3D rangefinder camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink WMPoweruser, Microsoft News  |  USPTO (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video)

Got plans for this evening? Cancel them now, and do everything you can to sneak into New York's Museum of Natural History. Because tonight, the museum's planetarium will play host to a 200-person space game, courtesy of Brooklyn's Babycastles arcade. It's all part of the museum's "Cosmic Cocktails and Space Arcade" evening -- an event that seems tailor made for anyone interested in cosmology, humans, and/or hallucinogens. The showcase of the soiree is the Space Cruiser game, which promises to turn the ceiling of the Rose Center for Earth and Space into a "living, breathing, space ship where participants navigate around a beautiful fictitious universe." With the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt assuming the tripartite role of ship captain-navigator-narrator, the game apparently begins with the birth of the universe, before transporting visitors across new galaxies and through time-bending wormholes. The ship launches at 6:30 PM tonight, but unfortunately, tickets are already sold out. Head past the break, though, for a rather "duuuude"-inducing video. Continue reading New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video) New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CNET  |  American Museum of Natural History  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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Strategy Analytics: Apple still owns tablet market, but Android narrows the gap

Strategy Analytics has come out with another report on the state of today's tablet market, which, not surprisingly, remains dominated by Apple. Cupertino's iOS comprised about 58 percent of the global slate market during Q4 2011 -- well ahead of Android's record high 39 percent share, but down from the 68 percent it commanded during the final quarter of 2010. Android, in fact, has seen quite a jump over the past year, with total shipments reaching 10.5 million units during the last quarter, up from just 3.1 million last year (Apple, by comparison, shipped 15.4 million iPads during Q4, versus the 7.3 million it shipped last year). On a global level, the tablet market continues to blossom, with total shipments reaching an all-time high of 26.8 million units last quarter, representing a whopping 150 percent increase over last year. Read the full report at the source link below, or head past the break for a more succinct press release. Continue reading Strategy Analytics: Apple still owns tablet market, but Android narrows the gap Strategy Analytics: Apple still owns tablet market, but Android narrows the gap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Apple Insider  |  Strategy Analytics  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others

So you've found the perfect solution for staying juiced up during your month-long African safari, but how are you possibly going to keep all 16 iPads powered until just before it's time to go? Why the Datamotion Systems PowerPad 16 ES-IP-PP16 USB Charging Hub, of course! Sure, there's no practical household application for the PP16, even in the most gadget-obsessed of families, but it'd be more than welcome in an enterprise environment or even an airport (especially an airport). The PowerPad's maker claims that it was "designed for charging Apple devices," though there's no reason you wouldn't be able to put 16 2.1-amp USB ports to use with other battery-powered devices. And we do need to address the elephant in the room -- that rather beastly fan-sporting housing -- but as Datamotion points out, the thing can always live under a counter and out of view. Hit up the source link for a closer look. Continue reading PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others PowerPad 16 USB station charges your iPad and 15 others originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Datamotion Systems  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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Nintendo releases quarterly earnings report: 61 percent drop in profit, grim forecast

Nintendo released its latest quarterly earnings report this morning and, as with last quarter's report, there's not a whole lot to celebrate. The company posted profits of ¥40.9 billion (about $631.6 million) for the October - December period, representing a 61 percent quarterly drop. That's especially disappointing, considering that this period has traditionally been strong for Nintendo, which had previously forecast an operating profit of ¥1 billion (around $12.9 million). Those forecasts have since changed, however, with the manufacturer now predicting a ¥45 billion ($580 million) operating loss for the full year, ending March 31st. Nintendo blames the poor showing to sagging 3DS sales, which have forced it to slash prices. Read the report in full, at the source link below. Nintendo releases quarterly earnings report: 61 percent drop in profit, grim forecast originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Reuters  |  Nintendo (PDF)  | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com

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