Nokia sells its Espoo, Finland HQ for $222 million, will stay on as tenant

Nokia selling HQ

As promised, Nokia has sold its Espoo, Finland headquarters to another Finnish company, Exilion, and signed a long-term lease to stay on as principal tenant. The handset maker reported that the property, dubbed Nokia House, went for 170 million euros ($222 million) and that the sale of the 48,000 square meter (517,000 square feet) property would be completed by the end of the year. Nokia reportedly made the deal to help stem the flow from its recent poor financial performance, but will at least get to stay on in the building it's occupied since 1997. Check the PR after the break for more info.

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Nokia wants to sell off its headquarters in Espoo, Finland, move in as tenant

DNP Nokia selling HQ

Just how deep do Nokia's financial woes go? According to Finnish journal Helsingin Sanomat and Reuters, deep enough that it's mulling the sale of Nokia House, its principal HQ located in Espoo, Finland. The company told the journals that it's looking to divest "non-core parts" of its business, "and that includes the headquarters," according to a spokesman. Since Nokia has lost billions just in the last two quarters alone, it is likely looking for cash wherever it can and its Espoo property is worth $250-400 million, according to Helsingin. However, the cellphone maker is adamant it would stay in its home country, and could remain a primary tenant in the sprawling complex after such a sale. If they do unload the property, we're just glad we recently got some souvenirs.

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Nokia wants to sell off its headquarters in Espoo, Finland, move in as tenant originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget visits Nokia House wrap-up: Stephen Elop Q&A, Lumia 920 camera tests and more

Engadget goes to Nokia House 2012 wrapup Stephen Elop live Q&A, Lumia 920 camera tests, Asha launches and more

It's been a whirlwind week of all things Nokia for our Engadget crew here in Helsinki, Finland. With a (nearly) all access pass to the company's glass House in Espoo, we brought you a very candid, very live Q&A with CEO Stephen Elop -- recorded for posterity with the Lumia 920 -- as well as in-depth proofs of that handset's game-changing rear camera module. From side-by-side low light comparison shots with other leading smartphones to optical image stabilization tests and even a peek behind the Finnish outfit's R&D practices, we've got it all. So, if you haven't had time to catch up with this flurry of pre-launch news from behind the velvet rope, now's your chance. Just click on past the break for the full recap.

Continue reading Engadget visits Nokia House wrap-up: Stephen Elop Q&A, Lumia 920 camera tests and more

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Engadget visits Nokia House wrap-up: Stephen Elop Q&A, Lumia 920 camera tests and more originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Inside Rovio’s HQ (video)

Visualized Inside Rovio's HQ

When in Helsinki, or rather Espoo, there's only one thing left to do after stopping by Nokia's glass House -- visit Rovio's HQ. That's right, the company made famous (and filthy rich) by flinging fowl is just a short walk away from Elop and co.'s waterside domain. And, in a bit of perfect timing, we were graciously welcomed into the gaming outfit's office on the eve of its Bad Piggies launch. As you might expect and hope, the walls, doors, floors, couches, desks, soft drinks and even bottles of hand lotion are adorned in all things Angry Birds. There's even a mock-up experience store -- populated with a variety of branded paraphernalia -- sitting pretty in pale green just outside a bank of cubicles. It's everything we ever imagined it to be. But don't just take our words for it. You can check it out for yourself in a video after the break. And now, we're really Finnish(ed).

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Visualized: Inside Rovio's HQ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)

iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test handson video

Nokia's Lumia 920 packs the industry's best image stabilization -- there's no questioning that -- thanks to a camera module that pairs both sensor and lens-based optical IS. The iPhone 5 also offers a notable improvement over its Apple-made predecessor on the video front, but considering that its stabilization is of the digital variety, we wouldn't expect it to top Nokia's new flagship. We had an opportunity to test both smartphones in a head-to-head demo at Nokia's research and development facility in Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of the company's Espoo headquarters. In fact, we're told that this is the very first such comparison shoot in the world, considering that the iPhone made it to market just last week and the only opportunity to shoot with a Lumia 920 is currently in the European country where the device was born.

As expected, the Nokia phone was able to capture far smoother video than what we snapped with the iPhone, with both devices secured side-by-side in a homemade foam holster. Unlike our handheld interview shoot earlier today, we pushed the limits a bit further this time, running through Nokia's parking lot and turning every which way as well. It's important to note that the Lumia 920 we used was a prototype, but its performance was still quite solid. You'll find the side-by-side video just past the break -- the Lumia 920 is on the left, with the iPhone clip on the right.

Continue reading iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)

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iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Interview (captured with Lumia 920): Nokia CEO Stephen Elop on WP8 and beyond

The Engadget Interview Nokia CEO Stephen Elop shot with the Lumia 920

Do you know what's better than one interview with Stephen Elop? Two interviews in one month. We'd barely recovered from yesterday's bout of nostalgia when we were given the opportunity to sit down with Nokia's CEO in his office at the company's HQ. Better yet, we were allowed to record the discussion with a hand-held Lumia 920 prototype. The resulting video is remarkably stable. Full disclosure: the audio was recorded with a shotgun mic mounted on a Sony NEX-C3 camera.

We talked about HTC's colorful "signature" Windows Phone 8X and 8S and what that means for the Nokia-Microsoft partnership. Next we asked if Nokia is planning to work with carriers to offer incentives for existing Lumia owners to upgrade to the company's 920 and 820 handsets. Finally, we discussed the evolution of PureView imaging technology from the 808 to the 920 and how Nokia plans to combine these building blocks in the future. Hit the break for our video interview.

Continue reading The Engadget Interview (captured with Lumia 920): Nokia CEO Stephen Elop on WP8 and beyond

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The Engadget Interview (captured with Lumia 920): Nokia CEO Stephen Elop on WP8 and beyond originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: Nokia’s Asha 308, 309 in-house lunchtime launch

Visualized Nokia's Asha 308, 309 inhouse lunchtime launch

Typically, when OEMs launch the next generation of their mobile wares, we're treated to painstakingly choreographed industry parties (that we chronicle in great detail). In fact, we can think of a recent one in particular that saw several tech journos corralled into a blue-hued freight elevator and then let loose on three levels of demos. Well, if you thought new product excitement began and ended with select press events or that executive-level enthusiasm was all just a by-product of intense media training, think again. As you can see from the image above, lunch time at Nokia's glass-walled HQ saw a crowd of curious employees noshing on the assortment of cafeteria delights while also sampling the newly announced Asha 308 and 309. It's that company-wide, inside-out passion for all things Nokia we've seen evidence of again and again throughout our time in Espoo. And because of that, we feel justified in saying there's clearly something in the Finnish water.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Visualized: Nokia's Asha 308, 309 in-house lunchtime launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget visits Nokia House, walks down memory lane (video)

Engadget visits Nokia House, walks down memory lane

It's not the first time Engadget editors have stepped foot at Nokia House -- the company's HQ in Espoo, Finland -- but it's always a treat, and our visit this week is no exception. Today we took a walk down memory lane, and spent some time with several Nokia handsets -- from one of the very first mobile phones to the Lumia 920. We played with some of the more iconic models and designs, such as the 1011 (first GSM handset), 1610, 7700 / 7710 (S90), 7280 (lipstick phone), 770 / N800 tablets, N-Gage / QD, 3300, 8800, 8110 (from the Matrix movie), N93 / N93i, N91, N92, N76, N95 and finally the 7650 (the first handset running Symbian). In addition, we also got to handle some of the Lumia 820 and 920 accessories, including the Fatboy wireless charging pillow and JBL-branded Power Up speakers. Check out the gallery below then hit the break for our hands-on video. Oh, and don't forget to tune in tomorrow for our live Q&A with Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop.

Update: That music-centric handset which uses an IBM Microdrive is the N91 (not N90) and was announced in 2005 (not 1995), and that flip-phone is the N76 (not the N75) -- sorry for the slip in the video.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

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Engadget visits Nokia House, walks down memory lane (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vringo buys small Nokia patent portfolio as asset sell-off continues

Vringo buys Nokia wireless patent portfolio as asset selloff continues

Nokia's sale of the century hour continues, selling off a small intellectual property portfolio to Vringo. The little-known app maker has snapped up a bundle of 500 patents and applications from the Finnish phone maker, including 109 issued US Patents. The collection mostly concerns backbone tech, including communication management, signal transmission and cellular infrastructure. Neither company mentioned a figure, but Vringo revealed that Nokia's getting a chunk of any future profits made. There's PR after the break if you're curious enough to wonder if Stephen Elop's planning the mobile phone equivalent of a yard sale.

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Vringo buys small Nokia patent portfolio as asset sell-off continues originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Q2 2012 financials: 4 million Lumias sold, $1.01 billion dollar loss

STUB Nokia's Q2 2012 announced

The past three months haven't been the best for Finland's former world number one. It hasn't been helped by the three biggest credit agencies lowering the company's bond rating to "junk," and the Lumia 900's violently slashed price. Unfortunately the latest results reveal continuing gloom: the manufacturer made an operating loss of $1.01 billion dollars for the quarter. The company managed to make €7.5 billion in sales ($9.2 billion, down .5 billion since the last quarter), shifting four million Lumia handsets in the process. In fact, the only cause for optimism is that sales of the Lumia range have roughly doubled each quarter.

The number of handsets pushed out the door increased (thanks to the Asha range of budget phones) with the company selling 73 million phones. That said, the company has clearly failed to crack America, selling a paltry 600,000 handsets in the States. The cash pile has also continued to dwindle, with the piggybank currently standing at €4.1 billion ($5.1 billion), down from $6.3 billion in Q1, despite getting a further $250 million in kickbacks from Microsoft. Unsurprisingly, the prediction for the third quarter of the year was similarly dour, summed up rather euphemistically as "difficult."

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Nokia's Q2 2012 financials: 4 million Lumias sold, $1.01 billion dollar loss originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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