Nokia opens its first design studio in India

Source: Internet Press Release


Underlining the growing importance of India as a global design capital, the Finnish mobile giant partners with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology thus signaling the increasing impact the country is having on the development of mobile phones. The two year partnership one believes would give Nokia designers and India's talented young designers the opportunity to work together on new design ideas for India and the global markets.

Choosing India as its satellite design hot spot, Alastair Curtis, Nokia's Chief Designer, said "India is a dynamic and inspiring place for designers with its diverse mix of cultures, traditions and color. The new satellite studio will help us further develop our understanding of this vibrant country and to work more closely with its extremely talented designers. Reflecting India's status as one of the hottest countries for design right now I expect our work here to influence not only our thinking on new design trends and ideas for India, but also for many other markets around the world."

He further added, “The satellite studio will explore a range of design trends and themes including detailed research into color and material trends in India, mobile use of the internet in India and its implications for design, and examining innovative new features and uses for mobiles. Run by a compact, dedicated team of Nokia designers working with students at the Srishti School and established designers across India, it will also be a key destination for Nokia's global team to visit to share ideas and be inspired”.

And about the deal Ms. Geetha Narayanan, Founder & Director, Srishti said, "Nokia's investment reflects the growing importance of India's designers and the wealth of new talent being developed here. This studio gives the talent of tomorrow the opportunity to work with experienced Nokia designers from around the world. This exposure to world class designers in one of the fastest growing product category in the world will be a huge opportunity for the students in India".

The Bangalore satellite studio is part of Nokia's ongoing investment in design. Earlier this year the company established a new design studio for its design team at its Global headquarters in Espoo, Finland and plan to open a similar studio for its design team in London later this year. Globally, it has grown its design team with 50 new hires in the last year.

Nokia has 300 designers in its global team representing 34 different nationalities. The unique group includes designers, psychologists, researchers, anthropologists, engineers, and technology specialists, based in major cities around the world. They explore new materials, colors, and broader design trends, and collaborate with other leading designers, students, artists, and manufacturers to push the boundaries of design.

Apple iPhone & it's Clones!

Any razzle-dazzle affair is bound to attract too much attention – good or bad! It's not been a long time, since the Apple iphone made its way through the mobile world and there are millions of opinions already all over the cyberspace. Whether its the blogsphere, news aggregators and review based websites, people are literally going nuts over the phone. And, like all popular cultural icons the 'iPhone clones'have stuck their heads out!

Whether you are a common user or a rocket scientist, you would surely agree that it does take years of hardwork and consistent innovation to come up with such a complicated & efficient device. And clones' or 'inspirations' sneak through the back door.

One such is the Meizu M8, which has been hailed as the most affordable iPhone clone yet. So, if iPhone is really an expensive phone for you to afford, then you may go for the Meizu M8 which offer a 4GB model (with built in camera) and a 8GB model. This entry-level model is the poor man's iPhone and believe me it ain't bad either!

The Hua Long IP2000, which looks exactly like an iPhone (yes,looks are always deceptive!) comes with a touchscreen, 3.5'' LCD screen, 2 megapixel camera, USB connector and supports dual-band network. If that is all you need, then you have the phone minus the 'i'.

When the going gets really tough, you have to take your chances. The third big iPhone fan or follower is the Samsung P520. It is quite slim and weighs only 102 grams. In other features, you get Triband GSM with EDGE, QVGA touchscreen, 3MPx camera, Stereo Bluetooth and WiFi with UMA among others.

I would certainly keep my fingers crossed to see who bites the dust in the end - the original iPhone or these clones.