Jolla is gearing up to launch its first smartphone running the new Sailfish mobile operating system later this year, and today Finnish mobile network operator DNA revealed it would be the first carrier in the world to stock it.
Jolla is yet to confirm an official release date for the smartphone – simply called Jolla – but announced previously that pre-ordered devices would begin shipping in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Tomi Pienimaki, CEO of Jolla, reiterated this launch window for DNA’s retail release later this year. “It is valuable to find a good operator as a partner in the domestic market,” he said. “The co-operation between DNA and Jolla has been extremely rewarding, and we place particular value on the feedback regarding the wishes of customers, received from an operator that knows its clientele.
“Our two companies are equally enthusiastic about the launch of Jolla smart phones at DNA Stores nationwide during the last quarter.”
TNW recently got the chance to go hands-on with a pre-release version of the device in Helsinki. Head over to our full breakdown to see how the platform and Jolla smartphone is shaping up.
Details concerning the technical specifications are slim are slim, but we know that it offers a 4.5-inch display, a dual-core processor and 16GB of internal storage. It’s backed up by an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as a microSD slot for additional space.
It will cost €399 (roughly $512 USD) at launch and runs Sailfish OS, a new mobile operating system that was created by Jolla based on the MeeGo platform abandoned previously by Nokia.
EE’s recalling ALL of its ‘Power Bar’ chargers due to fire risk, but there’s good news too
EE has put out a precautionary recall of all its Power Bar portable chargers due to them posing a potential fire risk.
The company announced the decision via Twitter , requesting that all units are returned to an EE store. It also said:
The devices launched in April and were intended to offer an additional level of convenience for EE customers that found themselves short of power while out and about. However, in July one caught fire while charging , leading EE to offer advice to users to check and see if they had an affected unit . Now, it’s asking customers to return them all, regardless of the batch number.
In exchange for the essentially free Power Bar (they cost 35 pence, charged via SMS), you’ll get £20 of credit to spend on EE’s accessories site .
And no, there’s no point going on eBay to snap up multiple units to exchange for £20 credit – it’s only valid once for each person.
➤ Power Bar Recall [EE]
Google drops Nexus 4 to $199 in the US and slashes prices by 25% in 6 other markets
Google has reduced the price of its Nexus 4 smartphone to $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB one, as noted by Engadget .
The price drops aren’t limited to the US. The device is now available in the UK for £159 (down from £239) for the 8GB version, and £199 (down from £279) for the 18GB version.
There are also significant price drops for other markets:
The Nexus 4 was already affordable, so this latest price drop is a great deal, even if the phone is farther along in its lifecycle than newcomers like the HTC One and Moto X .
➤ Nexus 4 (Google Play)
See also: The beautiful, powerful Nexus 4 proves that Google Now is the future