Microsoft sold 5.8 million Lumia smartphones and 30.3 million non-Lumia handsets, including Asha and Nokia X devices, during its last quarter. “Low price point devices drove a majority of the Lumia smartphone volumes,” the company added.
The figures for the three-month period (ending on June 30) were disclosed in Microsoft’s Q4 2014 earnings report. The firm announced plans to acquire Nokia’s hardware business last September , before closing the deal in April .
Last week, Microsoft said it would be cutting up to 18,000 jobs over the next 12 months. The bulk of the layoffs – 12,500 in total – will come from Nokia. The company also plans to shift some Nokia X devices over to Windows Phone and, moving forward, will prioritize its own mobile OS for new low-end devices.
“We will be particularly focused on making the market for Windows Phone,” Stephen Elop, Executive Vice President for Microsoft’s Devices and Services division said in a memo last week. “In the near term, we plan to drive Windows Phone volume by targeting the more affordable smartphone segments, which are the fastest growing segments of the market, with Lumia.”
➤ Microsoft [Earnings Release Q4 2014]
Featured image credit: TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Fitbit’s next fitness tracker could let you pay for in-store purchases
Fitbit has had a busy 2016 so far, having launched two new fitness trackers: the $200 watch-like Blaze and the slimmer $130 Alta . It’s also found time to acquire payments hardware firm Coin .
The company hasn’t revealed terms of the deal that closed on May 12, but said that “the acquisition accelerates Fitbit’s ability to develop an active NFC payment solution that could be embedded into future Fitbit devices, broadening its smart capabilities.”
Coin made a splash in 2014 when it announced its smart card-like gadget, which allows you to digitally store and use all your actual credit cards to pay for purchases. Last August, it launched version 2.0 of its product which brought support for contactless payments, thanks to NFC.
But don’t expect Fitbit to launch a payments-capable fitness tracker this year. The company says it’s too late to integrate Coin’s tech into its current cache of products. However, there isn’t much to stop the company from releasing such gadgets in 2017.
The Verge notes that Coin Rewards and the Coin Developer Program are being shut down immediately, but existing Coin cards will continue to work until their batteries die. Coin will also stop production of its cards.
Ideal Gifts: The Mi Power Bank charges up your devices in style
In the Ideal Gifts series, The Next Web team shares personal recommendations for gifts to give this holiday season.
I generally avoid gifting overly ‘practical’ items for the holidays, because most folks end up buying that stuff for themselves anyway. However, The Mi Power Bank from Xiaomi is worth breaking that tradition for.
Roughly the size of your palm, the Mi Power Bank packs a massive 10,400mAh battery to charge your devices while on the go, with enough juice to power up an iPhone 5s nearly five times.
There are tons of power banks out there, so why am I singling out Xiaomi’s offering? For one thing, it’s beautifully built out of precision-cut aluminum, and feels as good to hold as it is to look at. It’s also protected from surges and overcharging so you’ll never have to worry about damaging your mobile devices when using this. And it’s very reasonably priced too.
I’ve lost track of the number of times the Mi Power Bank has rescued my dying iPhone, and I only regret not having bought this sooner. If you’re looking for a great gift for the gadget aficionado in your life, this is a no-brainer.
➤ Mi Power Bank [ $24 on Amazon ]