One formality down: Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approve Microsoft sale

Elop probably isn't too broken up about it

Today Nokia shareholders approved the sale of the company's devices and services division to Microsoft, with the majority of them already giving the go-ahead before a formal and final vote.

Reuters reported Nokia shareholders holding more than 99% of Nokia voting rights voted in favor of the previously announced sale to Microsoft.

The Microsoft buyout, which also includes a €5.44 billion (about $7.37b, £4.57b, AU$7.82b) payment for licensing Nokia patents, is expected to infuse the onetime Finnish mobile giant with nearly €8 billion (about $10.84b, £6.72b, AU$11.5b) when it closes in early 2014.

Though it's jettisoning its loss-making mobile business, Nokia will still operate its telecom equipment business, Nokia Services and Networks, as well as its nat-sav software unit. It will still own a number of patents.

While many outsiders assume Microsoft is picking Nokia's cupboards clean of all the best stuff, a new report claims that may not be entirely true.

According to Unwired View, the previously Lumia exclusive Nokia Music may not be packing its bags for Redmond, instead staying behind with the company's map software for a multi-platform expansion.

Spelled out for us (credit: CTech)

Screenshots dug up by Chinese website CTech seem to indicate that Nokia Music could wind up on Windows, OS X, iOS and Android courtesy of an HTML5 app that will also work on all leading web browsers.

Nokia already attempted the same feat a year ago with its free Here Maps app for iOS, but there's no word on exactly when the HTML5-powered version of Music might actually make its debut.

Will you flip for Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10? Find out in our full review!

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One formality down: Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approve Microsoft sale

Elop probably isn't too broken up about it

Today Nokia shareholders approved the sale of the company's devices and services division to Microsoft, with the majority of them already giving the go-ahead before a formal and final vote.

Reuters reported Nokia shareholders holding more than 99% of Nokia voting rights voted in favor of the previously announced sale to Microsoft.

The Microsoft buyout, which also includes a €5.44 billion (about $7.37b, £4.57b, AU$7.82b) payment for licensing Nokia patents, is expected to infuse the onetime Finnish mobile giant with nearly €8 billion (about $10.84b, £6.72b, AU$11.5b) when it closes in early 2014.

Though it's jettisoning its loss-making mobile business, Nokia will still operate its telecom equipment business, Nokia Services and Networks, as well as its nat-sav software unit. It will still own a number of patents.

While many outsiders assume Microsoft is picking Nokia's cupboards clean of all the best stuff, a new report claims that may not be entirely true.

According to Unwired View, the previously Lumia exclusive Nokia Music may not be packing its bags for Redmond, instead staying behind with the company's map software for a multi-platform expansion.

Spelled out for us (credit: CTech)

Screenshots dug up by Chinese website CTech seem to indicate that Nokia Music could wind up on Windows, OS X, iOS and Android courtesy of an HTML5 app that will also work on all leading web browsers.

Nokia already attempted the same feat a year ago with its free Here Maps app for iOS, but there's no word on exactly when the HTML5-powered version of Music might actually make its debut.

Will you flip for Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10? Find out in our full review!

Get the week's hottest news stories, our most popular reviews, and fantastic competitions straight to your inbox with our free weekly newsletter.

Learn more

See more phone and communications news Add comment

View the original article here

Mobile Minutes: Microsoft, mobile questions, transforming the poor, Samsung

By Staff reports

October 10, 2013

Microsoft?s $7.2 billion Nokia bet not luring apps
Microsoft Corp.'s $7.2 billion pairing with Nokia Oyj?s handset business is failing to win over the software developers who are crucial to its success, Bloomberg reports.
Click here to read more on Bloomberg

Five mobile app questions board members should ask the CIO
When it comes to implementing technology solutions within an enterprise, the CIO is the authority on the matter; however board members need to sometimes test just how solid the CIO?s plan really is, according to Forbes.
Click here to read more on Forbes?

Six ways mobile technology has transformed the world's poor
Mobile technology is rapidly changing the face of communication in the most remote areas of the world, per the Huffington Post.
Click here to read more on Huffington Post

How new Samsung Note tablet compares with rivals
Samsung's new tablet computer comes out in the U.S. on Thursday. The Galaxy Note 10.1 ? 2014 Edition is the second version of Samsung's 10.1-inch stylus-based tablet,?according to?ABC News.
Click here to read more on ABC News

View the original article here

Microsoft axes freelancers, contract writers at MSN

SEATTLE, Sept 12 | Thu Sep 12, 2013 2:44pm EDT

SEATTLE, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is laying off dozens of contract and freelance writers from its MSN news and entertainment portal as the giant software company seeks to reshape itself as a devices and services company.

A spokesperson for the company confirmed the layoffs but declined to specify the number or comment further. A person familiar with the situation said the cuts could affect more than 100 people in all.

The pruning of MSN writers, who contribute end edit columns, blogs and features to the site, comes just two months after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced a radical reorganization of the company, which is only now starting to take effect.

Microsoft's online services unit, chiefly consisting of the Bing search engine and MSN portal, is in line for a shake-up as it has never been profitable and has lost almost $3 billion in the last two years alone. Some investors have pressed for a sale of the unit.

The MSN site has been stagnating for the past year, with its U.S. monthly unique visitors stuck at about 116 million, while the more popular Yahoo Inc and AOL Inc portals are growing faster, according to figures from industry research firm Comscore.

Microsoft beefed up its MSN news operation only a year ago in preparation for the launch of Windows 8. The company wanted to grow its ability to generate online content after last summer's sale of its 50 percent stake in news website MSNBC.com to longtime partner NBCUniversal, now majority-owned by Comcast Corp.

View the original article here