During what could be Nokia's swan song event, the Finnish phone maker today introduced a range of new smart devices - including two "phablets", a tablet and three phones for emerging markets priced from about R700 - at Nokia World, in Abu Dhabi.
Dating back to 1996, Nokia World has taken place annually across the globe - from Amsterdam, Barcelona and London, to the company's home turf, Helsinki, in Finland, last year.
Once the world's largest vendor of mobile phones, Nokia has had to step up its game each year as the smartphone war continues to diversify and intensify.
This year, a quarter before a EUR5.44 billion takeover by software giant Microsoft is expected to conclude, Nokia introduced its first tablet and phablet devices - as well as additions to its emerging market Asha portfolio, with added features in tow.
Low-cost phones
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop kicked off this morning's announcements by introducing three new members to the Nokia Asha range - the company's answer to connecting emerging markets through what Elop says are "highly affordable" smartphones.
Since the introduction of the Asha 501, in May, Elop said the platform had seen over 26 million downloads. "These include titles like Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, LinkedIn and our own Here Maps."
The next three members of the Asha family - the 500, 502 and 503 - he said, sport smarter cameras, better design and more social experiences. WhatsApp founder and CEO Jan Koum introduced the news that the popular instant messaging platform would also be available for Nokia Asha 501 as of next month - and for the new additions later in the year.
Prices range from $69 (about R680) for the Asha 500, to $89 (about R880) for the Asha 502 and $99 (about R975) for the Asha 503 - before taxes and subsidies.
The three new handsets feature a "crystal-clear" look, with a transparent outer - and opaque inner - casing. All three will be available in bright red, bright green, yellow, cyan, white and black. Elop says shipment of the phones to Africa will begin this quarter.
The Nokia Asha 500 features a 2.8-inch screen, 2MP camera and comes in single SIM and Easy Swap Dual-SIM variants. The 502 features a three-inch screen, 5MP camera with LED flash and Easy Swap Dual-SIM - and the top end of the Asha scale, the 503 features 3.5G connectivity, a three-inch screen, 5MP camera with LED flash, Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and comes in single SIM and Easy Swap Dual-SIM variants.
Lumia phablets
Nokia's high-end Lumia range also saw two new large screen additions announced by Elop - the Lumia 1520 and the more mid-range Lumia 1320.
Another first for the company, the Lumia 1520 and 1320 are both six-inch Windows devices that feature a new third column of tiles on the home screen.
The Lumia 1520 comes in yellow, white, black and glossy red, and features a 20MP PureView camera with optical image stabilisation and a 1080p HD display. The 1320 - available in orange, yellow, white and black - is similar to the Lumia 1520 and "builds on the affordability of the Lumia 520", featuring a 720p HD screen.
The devices will start shipping this quarter for Hong Kong, Singapore, US, China, UK, France, Germany, Finland and other European markets, for which Elop puts the price of the 1520 at $749 (about R7 400) and the 1320 at $339 (about R3 350). No dates have yet been announced for the devices' African arrival.
First Windows tablet
Saving the biggest for last, Elop introduced Nokia's first Windows tablet - the 10.1-inch Lumia 2520.
The company's ultimate aim with this device, said Elop, is to take the tablet out of the living room, and into the outdoors to make the tablet truly mobile. "Research shows the peak times for using tablets is between 6am and 8am, and then again from 6pm to 9pm. We want to shift this trend. Your tablet should be as mobile as you are."
To this end, he says, the tablet's HD display has been designed to provide optimal outdoor and indoor readability. The Lumia 2520 features both 4G long-term evolution technology and WiFi connectivity, as well as a 6.7MP camera with ZEISS optics.
The 2520 runs on Windows RT 8.1, and features multiple colour choices and fast-charging capability - "up to an 80% charge in one hour".
It includes a number of added features too, including an interactive game "Dragons Adventure" developed in partnership with DreamWorks Animation and Nokia Storyteller - an app that allows users to curate images and videos as a story on a map.
The tablet comes in glossy red and white, and matte cyan and black. Full specs on Nokia's new devices are available via Nokia here.
Collaborative comeback
Swift Consulting CEO Liron Segev says the new products imply Nokia and Microsoft are working together as one company. He says, now that the two bring both hardware and software together, they no longer have limitations. Segev believes the Windows phone is going to make "an insane comeback".
Two months ago, when Microsoft offered to buy out Nokia's floundering phone unit, the company hinted at new form factors and innovation in the tablet and smartphone space.
Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says Nokia seems to have neatly solved Microsoft's tablet problem. Having failed to gain traction since the launch of its tablet offering - Windows Surface - in June last year, the company has taken a huge write-down on unsold inventory.
Segev adds that having the software and hardware integrated in one company allows for closer collaboration and much more innovation.
Industry observers say Nokia, which dates back almost 150 years, has lagged in innovation, and is no longer the darling of the mobile world. Windows Phone, as an OS, is expected to end the year in the second spot - behind Android - yet ahead of Apple, according to the latest predictions from Gartner.
Ovum analyst Richard Hurst says this morning saw the start of a fire and a push to propel Nokia and Windows Phone forward. He expects to see much more focus on competitiveness with Apple in the future.
Goldstuck says this morning's event shows Nokia is building on recent gains and is not making too many mistakes. Microsoft and Nokia are "putting an exclamation mark on the new-look Nokia," he adds.
He anticipates the tablet being "hugely" popular in areas where the Nokia brand still counts for a lot.
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