Nokia Acquires Symbian, Unveils $700 N97 Phone with Mobile Web

On the heels of a forecast that mobile device volumes would be down in 2009 compared to 2008, the world’s largest maker of cell phones reportedly has acquired an international company with U.S. headquarters in Foster City, California that develops a widely used mobile device operating system.

 

Officials at Nokia said in a public statement today that they’ve acquired Symbian Limited, whose employees will become part of the Finland-based company Feb. 1.

 

The announcement dovetails with Nokia’s (News - Alert) unveiling of a new handset – the so-called “N97,” which will run on Symbian software – that’s expected to challenge Apple’s iPhone (News - Alert) and Research In Motion’s Blackberry devices on the market.

 

According to Nokia officials, the N97 features an advanced mobile computer, 3.5-inch tilting touch display, QWERTY keyboard and an “always open” window to social networking and other Web sites.

 

Jonas Geust, a Nokia vice president heading the company’s N series of phones, called the N97 “the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence.”

 

“Together with the Ovi services announced today, the Nokia N97 mobile computer adjusts to the world around us, helping stay connected to the people and things that matter most,” Geust said. “With the Nokia N97, Nseries leads the charge in helping to transform the Internet into your Internet.”

 

Pictured right, the N97 will be available in the first half of next year and introduces the concept of “social location,” company officials say. It includes integrated A-GPS sensors, an electronic compass and is designed to give users the chance to update their statuses on social networking sites easily. That’s a feature that, according to mobile phone application insiders such as John Burry of Mobui, represents the future of mobile communications.

 

The Associated Press says the device, announced at a conference in Spain, will cost the equivalent of about $700.

 

“It will probably be compatible with AT&T (News - Alert) Inc.’s high-speed data network in the United States,” according to the AP.

 

The N97’s unveiling comes as Nokia, citing the recession, calls for about 330 million mobile devices to be sold worldwide in the fourth quarter, down from initial projections.

 

“The weaker consumer spending has impacted many industries, including the global mobile device market,” Nokia officials say. “The mobile device market has also been negatively impacted by the more limited availability of credit, which has limited the purchasing ability of some of our trade customers.”

 

According to the AP, Nokia hasn’t been able to get a lot of U.S. carriers and consumers interested in its high-end phones. The company hasn’t had touch screens on its devices, and most have also been missing full-alphabet keyboards, according to the AP.

 

Nokia officials are hoping the new device fills the void. The N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more.

 

It also has music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.