More mobile matters

The recently leaked memo from Stephen Elop, Nokia’s CEO, makes chilling reading. Ten years ago, the Finnish behemoth seemed invincible and the only mobile phones worth having were Nokia. But the company lost its nerves. The advent of the i-Phone, smart operating platforms such as Android and cheaper Asian manufacturing processes cast a dark cloud over Nokia, with its market share slashed from 38 to 28% in less than a year. Although many businesses would love to vaunt what is in effect 1/3 share of the global market, this is in fact dramatic news for Nokia. The company’s operating costs are gargantuan when compared to those of the likes of HTC and they have simply been lagging behind on innovation, with beta testing and materials research marred in the sort of bureaucracy that tends to creep into oversize corporations. Hard times are ahead for Nokia and it is even possible to contemplate an eventual demise of this familiar brand.

On a lighter note Toyota (again!) has launched a new app for the i-Phone consisting of a glass of water. Yes, water. The new app is supposed to make you a more careful driver. Having placed the i-Phone with the loaded app on your car’s dashboard you should attempt to drive without spilling any water. If you manage to do so you can allegedly save CO2. And if you paid too much attention to the app you could even achieve zero emissions, being stopped by the police, or smashing against the nearest obstacle perhaps.