The Motorola RAZR may be the hottest phone in the U.S., but Nokia is world champion. The Finish company just announced a first-quarter profit of $1.27 billion, thanks largely to strong handset sales. The company sold 75.1 million units, down slightly from the traditionally strong fourth quarter, but up 21 percent over the same quarter last year.
Nokia just launched three new handsets (see below), most notably the N93 "video camera phone." Nokia also debuted Nokia Nseries Studio, a "movie studio for the mobile world," enlisting actor and filmmaker Gary Oldman to help promote it. Oldman will create a short film shot exclusively on an N93.
Nokia is also planning for the future; the company has opened a new research center with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lab will focus on creating mobile devices that work as more of an information platform than a phone. - Eli