Nokia To Take On Apple In China

Nokia has announced it will start selling Windows Phone OS smartphones in China from April in an attempt to win back market share lost to Apple's iPhone and Samsung devices.

China is seen as the biggest smartphone-potential market in the world: this week Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the country to have talks with Government officials.

Nokia's push in China will be an important test for the Windows Phone, which has so far had limited success in Europe and the United States. The world's largest cellphone maker by volume is reliant on Windows after dumping its own software platforms last year.

Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop unveiled two models based on the Lumia 610 and Lumia 800 smartphones.

The Lumia 800C will be sold without a carrier contract for 3,599 yuan ($573) from April. Pricing for the cheaper 610C model, to launch in China in the second quarter, will be announced later.

The two models will use CDMA technology of China Telecom, the nation's third-largest carrier. Nokia plans to bring all four Windows Phone models to the Chinese market in the second quarter and also adopt China Unicom's wireless technology.

Nokia Windows Phones will eventually run on all three of China's mobile networks including China Mobile, said Colin Giles, Nokia's global sales chief, although he declined to elaborate on timing.

"We've invested heavily in China," Giles told reporters. "We're creating innovation in China for China, which a number of our competitors aren't doing."

 (Source: Reuters)