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Ahtisaari will continue to lead the Nokia design team, responsible for the industrial design and user experience design of all Nokia products. He has lead the team since 2009 during which time Nokia Design has created critically acclaimed products such as the Nokia N9, the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 900.

Previously, Ahtisaari was an entrepreneur, as CEO and co-founder of Dopplr, a social network for international travelers, and Head of Brand and Design at Blyk, an advertising-funded mobile network. Prior to this he was Director of Design Strategy at Nokia, and held roles in corporate strategy and venturing. Ahtisaari was also a Fellow of the Faculty and lecturer at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at Columbia University, and a composer and professional musician. He serves on the Board of Directors of Artek and WITNESS.

“One of the key differentiators of Nokia is the elegant and head-turning design of our products,” said Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia. “As we have charted our new course, Marko Ahtisaari has ensured that we elevate the importance of distinctive design, which is evident in the industry’s response to our award-winning Lumia and Asha products. By appointing Marko to the Nokia Leadership Team, we believe his influence will ensure that design leadership becomes part of everything we make and also everything we do.”

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The association between the two leading organizations will serve as a game-changer in the growing Indian e-commerce space as users can now buy handsets directly from the manufacturer as a branded experience, without needing any dealer or reseller in between. For the online space this is an unprecedented initiative and will bring about a major shift in consumer behavior in the mobile phone category.

According to Viral Oza, Director- Marketing, Nokia India, “At Nokia, we have always invested ahead of the curve in setting up a formidable retail network. Today, as online shopping gains momentum, we are the first mobile handset company to set up a branded online store. Through our association with Indiatimes Shopping, we are confident that we will be able to offer a superior online shopping experience to our consumer by giving them an opportunity to buy their favourite mobile device directly from Nokia.”

“This partnership is a step further in our aim to bring more offline brands to the online space. With our brand strength, resources, knowledge and credibility in the e-commerce space, we are confident of providing Nokia the right platform to connect with its users,” says Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Ltd.

Regarding the tie up, Mr. Gautam Sinha, Director Technology & ecommerce head said “We are pleased to partner with a top brand like Nokia and help them reach their online customers. We hope to witness strong synergistic growth capturing majority of online mobile handset market in the next few months. We have made significant investments in warehousing and last mile delivery to ensure a world class shopping experience for our customers.”

Consumers willing to buy Nokia mobile devices can shop on the NokiaShop by logging on to www.Nokia.indiatimes.com to buy their favorite Nokia device. Consumers have the option of making the payment through credit card or cash on delivery. Additionally, they have the option of converting their payment amount into interest-free EMIs spread over three or six months.

Nokia Shop has been launched on Indiatimes sub-domain, to sell entire range of Nokia devices – including smartphones, dual SIM phones, Touch and Type, QWERTY, Touch phones and value phones at Nokia Shop. The prices offered on the online store are Best Buy prices. The initiative will be driven by a core team with dedicated people from both Nokia and Indiatimes.
Indiatimes has strengthened its investments in regional warehousing and will be adding another few in the next couple of months. With this comprehensive network of regional warehouses, Indiatimes Shopping will deliver the orders within three days in all metros and mini-metros, delivering on its promise of reliable and timely last-mile delivery.

A recent report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) reveals that India’s e-commerce market is growing at an average rate of 70 percent annually, and has grown over 500 percent in the past three years alone. Given the potential of e-commerce industry, Indiatimes and Nokia are confident of high growth in the mobile phone category within the next two quarters.

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Among the brands to make it to the top of the list Nokia and Tata have retained their first and second positions from last year as India’s top two Trusted Brands this year. Sony, the Japanese electronics leader, slipped to fifth position this year, outranked by the two aggressive Korean Chaebols, LG at 3rd position and Samsung at 4th position. Maruti Suzuki improves its position of last year by one notch and is India’s 6th Most Trusted Brand this year. Bajaj ranked 7th is a new entrant in this year’s top ten (last year it was ranked 12th); LIC and Airtel positions are unchanged from last year at 8th and 9th rank respectively. Reliance slips to 10th Most Trusted Brand this year (from sixth last year).

Among 22 personalities listed among in BTR 2012, Anna Hazare has surged gaining the nation’s trust ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan who feature in that order. Most Trusted leaders in some other categories are Armani in Branded Fashion, DLF in Construction, NIIT in Education, ONGC in Energy, PVR in Entertainment, Pepsi in F&B, Dabur in Healthcare, Taj Hotels in Hospitality, Google in Internet, ACC in Manufacturing, Thomas Cook in Services, Being Human in Social Sector, Hewlett Packard in Technology, and Air India in Airlines.

N. Chandramouli, CEO of Trust Research Advisory, elaborated on Brand Trust™ as the soul of the engagement and said, “In life, without trust, there is nothing. Each time a human engages with anything, the basis for all decisions is trust. Be it brands, other humans, or just ideas, one will react to them on the basis of the trust it generates. Last year was tumultuous for several brands, but those which focused on trust, have gained market-share, revenues and profits. On the other hand, the brands which have focused only on the latter, have invariably lost both. Focus on building trust and all else will follow automatically”.

Anand Mahindra, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, elaborates on Trust is Everything concept for the Mahindra brand, in the report, “No great secret lies behind the highly-trusted Mahindra brand. Consistent delivery against every promise is the single biggest driver of trust for our brand. Apart from this, factors like high quality products and services, adherence to highest standards of corporate governance, the very high integrity of the leaders who run the company and adherence to a set of values in conducting business have helped the Mahindra brand earn the trust of all its stakeholders.”

The report, priced at Rs. 10000 (Rupees Ten Thousand Only) is available exclusively at TRA offices.

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NFC (Near Field Communication) uses radio frequency identification technology to allow an NFC enabled device to swap information instantly in real time. This technology, is used by Nokia in promotions for the Ra.One Bollywood release to give away film-related content such as ringtones, games, wallpapers etc. Going forward, the NFC technology has the potential to be used to make easy, quick and smooth mobile payment transactions.

Text Box: Key Benefits of NFC: • User friendly • Faster data transfers in real time • Cost Effective • Versatile applications “Besides being a cost effective and user-friendly technology, the basic requirement to be able to use this technology is having an NFC enabled device. The NFC technology being quite popular in tech-forward countries such as South Korea and Japan, we are proud to have collaborated with Nokia on the largest deployment of NFC touch points in India, which also happens to be one of the single largest deployments worldwide of NFC technology, and look forward to seeing the potential of NFC in areas such as mobile payments.” says Ajay Adiseshann, Founder and MD of PayMate.

Commenting on the NFC technology on Nokia devices, Viral Oza, Director Marketing Nokia India said, “As a market leader, it is our constant endeavor to offer innovations which make our consumer’s life simpler. To create awareness around this technology, we have deployed NFC chips with unique content across almost 1,000 Nokia outlets in the country. The consumer response to the ‘Just Tap’ with NFC feature on our smartphones has been very encouraging. We are confident of the potential of this technology in the future and are working closely to get the ecosystem ready for this technology.”

NFC solution enables users to access Content and Services, simply and securely with a single tap of the phone against an NFC touch point. You can exchange text, images, URLs and other data simply by holding your phone up to various smart tags. It promotes quick and easy sharing of content between two mobile devices as well as with consumer electronics such as cameras, TVs and printers.

This experience can also be extended to a convenient and secure checkout and payment with the PayMate solution. Customer could purchase an item by simply tapping their NFC enabled device against an NFC enabled menu or a tag on an item they wish to purchase. All product information could be transmitted to the customer’s phone via the information triggered from the RFID tag and the customer can then choose to go ahead and select the item for purchase. Their NFC device could be linked via PayMate to a payment mechanism such as their bank account or a prepaid account and the customer could then authorise the payment directly on to their mobile phones. NFC thereby helps in contactless payments by transforming the mobile phone into a digital wallet, thus eliminating the need to carry cash and credit cards.
Likewise, coupons, promotions and advertisements for various products and services could also be transmitted to the consumer’s phone, taking mobile marketing to a new level.

For the end user, the entire experience is fast, precise, and convenient. For merchants and content providers, NFC is a cost effective, active, and engaging solution that also provides real-time usage and insight to customer interests and preferences.

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On STAR CJ alive, Diwali begins on 9th September with a line-up of the best products and never-seen-before offers for STAR CJ alive viewers. From home appliances to kitchen appliances! From LCD and LED TVs to laptops and mobiles and cameras! Fashion, jewellery, home linen, kitchen ware, food – all these and more will be vying for the viewer’s attention! Choose from an extensive range of options from Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, Videocon, Nokia, Reebok, Puma, Tanishq, Sia, Welhome and so on.

STAR CJ alive gives you the opportunity to be the first to begin your Diwali shopping without having to wait for other offers. Shop from STAR CJ alive this Diwali and become the ‘Diwali Ka Shopping Star’ with an astounding value of gifts to be won! Rs. 10 crore worth of gifts will be up for grabs as part of this shopping extravaganza.

Speaking on the festive promotion, Paritosh Joshi, CEO, STAR CJ alive, said, “Diwali is a very big and important festival for all Indians. So, we decided to flag off the preparations required to celebrate this great festival, early, through ‘Diwali Ka Shopping Star’. What’s more, our patrons, get so much more in addition to shopping for their festive requirements thereby making it a memorable Diwali for the entire family.”

Take a look at what STAR CJ alive has on offer this Diwali and you will never turn back. The channel will totally transform the lifestyle of the biggest STAR CJ alive shopper of the month by awarding him/ her the Grand Prize – a living room makeover! The 2nd biggest shopper stands to win a 4 nights and 5 days holiday package to the exotic and enticing Thailand! Stand to become the proud owner of 20 grams of gold if you are the 3rd biggest shopper of the month. There’s a lot in store and over 15,000 consumer stand to win something or the other on STAR CJ alive as the channel will announce NOT one BUT two sets of winners over this 53 day shopping party!

Recognized for its pioneering efforts in the home-shopping space, STAR CJ alive recently introduced the QR code facility making it easier for its patrons to interact with the channel. For now, scan the QR code featured during different shows, through your smart phone and get instant discount vouchers and much more!!! All one needs to do is download the QR Code scanner on their smart phones. Taking home-shopping to another level of ease and speed, STAR CJ alive has initiated this concept of marketing, for the first time in Indian Television.

If the thought of over spending is bothering you, fret not. What’s a little extra expenditure during festivals? After all they come only once a year. STAR CJ alive eases your woes with the great facility of shopping through HDFC 3-months EMI as the EMI facility will enable the patron to make the payment in 3 monthly installments through the HDFC credit card at 0% interest, while he / she will receive the product immediately after the first EMI.

For STAR CJ alive – India’s premium 24-hour home shopping channel, it’s all about transformation and making a difference to your lifestyle. Be the first one to begin – and complete – your Diwali shopping without having to face the hassles of conventional shopping. To catch all these and more, tune in to experience ‘Diwali Ka Shopping Star’ this Diwali only on STAR CJ alive or log on to www.starcj.com !

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“Work is an important part of personal lifestyle, aspiration and achievement for many people around the world,” said Purnima Kochikar, VP business mobility, Nokia. “Just as Symbian Belle extends the everyday possibilities for social interaction, we wanted to extend the possibilities to manage personal worklife for individuals and employers. Microsoft Apps is another example of Nokia’s ongoing commitment to continue delivering value and innovation to Symbian users.”

“Microsoft productivity apps for Nokia Symbian will help customers remain connected to Microsoft Office documents and services when they’re on go,” said Pat Fox, senior director of marketing and planning, Microsoft Office.

Available by the end of 4Q 2011 with broad consumer availability at the beginning of 2012, Microsoft Apps will bring collaboration and productivity tools including Microsoft Lync™ 2010 Mobile, Microsoft OneNote™, Microsoft PowerPoint® Broadcast and Microsoft Document Connection (which provides Microsoft SharePoint access) to Symbian Belle. An update in the first half of 2012 will introduce Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint as native applications for the first time outside the Windows platform.

Microsoft Apps will be delivered via software update over the air or via PC download and will function on the Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01, Nokia E7, Nokia E6, Nokia X7, Nokia 700, Nokia 701, Nokia 600 and Nokia Oro.

Additionally, Nokia is working with Microsoft to provide mobile device management of Symbian Belle devices through Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012.

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Being held from July 07 to August 07 across 8 cities* in 150 Nokia retail outlets, including Nokia Priority Stores as well as large multi-brand mobile retail stores, The tournament comprises two phases viz., an on ground leg and an online phase on facebook.com/nokiaindia. All that consumers need to do to take part is either visit a participating Nokia outlet or the online page, register him/her self and play away. The top 10 participants, who will be chosen on the basis of the total online and on ground scores, will win an all expenses paid trip and a ticket each to the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore being held on September 25 this year.

The just-launched Nokia X7 is one of the first Nokia smartphones to come with Symbian Anna, the latest update of the Symbian software user experience, with new, fresh icons and usability enhancements such as improved text input, a faster browser, refreshed Ovi Maps and higher security.

“The large display on the Nokia X7 is perfect for internet browsing, playing games and viewing video content,” said Viral Oza, Director-Marketing, Nokia India “Not only have we preloaded the Nokia X7 with the popular games Asphalt 5 HD and Galaxy on Fire HD, but our customers can now enjoy a whole bunch of other software improvements through Symbian Anna. Browsing and page downloading is faster, and Ovi Maps is enhanced with search features, public transportation routes and check-ins for various social networks. Typing texts and emails is also much easier with the vertical QWERTY and split-screen view that Symbian Anna offers.”

Users can also access a range of immensely popular and premium HD games free of cost from the Ovi Store. These include NFS Shift, Worms, Sims 3, Tetris, Monopoly, Bejeweled, Assassins Creed, GT Racing, Avatar, Hawx HD, Spiderman HD, Hero of Sparta HD, Guitar Rock Tour 2 HD and Settlers HD, among others.

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“This collaboration is a great fit for us as both companies share a similar philosophy on connecting people beyond borders through the combination of compelling news content and highly sophisticated technology,” said Tony Maddox, Managing Director, CNN International. “The international scale of each of our businesses makes the scope of the collaboration particularly exciting.”

“Nokia and CNN share the belief that news is now mobile, powerfully democratic, and can immediately be shared by people around the world,” said Jerri DeVard, Chief Marketing Officer, Nokia. “We are pleased that CNN wants to use Nokia’s innovative mapping services for its international news platforms, and we are excited to work with CNN to deliver a compelling news service to users of Nokia phones.”

The collaboration also includes the CNN App for Nokia which provides mobile access to CNN’s world, business, sport, entertainment and technology reporting, as well as live streaming video. The app also allows users to share CNN’s news via their own social channels, and participate in the reporting process with direct access to CNN’s participatory news community, iReport. The CNN App for Nokia is available in Ovi Store.

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As part of this association, Nokia India and the KKR team also announced a nationwide consumer campaign — ‘KKR Tension Mat Le Yaar’. The consumer engagement program, unveiled jointly by D. Shivakumar, VP and Managing Director, Nokia India and team owner Shahrukh Khan, is an innovative way to involve cricket enthusiasts and KKR fans across the country to be a part of the IPL cricket action.

‘KKR Tension Mat Le Yaar’ is a motivational consumer campaign that opens up an interactive engagement platform for KKR fans to interact with each other and their favourite team. The campaign will make extensive use of the digital and mobile mediums to enable KKR fans to interact and share their stress busting mantras with the KKR team on both, match and off-match days. In a bid to get Kolkata Knight Riders’ motivation high, fans can either send in or post their stress busting ideas thereby helping the team stay calm, focused and motivated to win the title. Enhancing the interactive element, fans can view and vote for each other’s stress busting ideas, enabling each other to win additional points that can subsequently be redeemed for prizes including Nokia / KKR merchandise, match tickets and last but not the least, the grand prize of meeting Shahrukh Khan.

Speaking on the occasion, D. Shivakumar, VP and Managing Director, Nokia India said, “Nokia has had a long and successful relationship with Shahrukh and his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. We actively support Shahrukh, our brand ambassador, and KKR. We’ve gained a lot through this association with KKR which really connects well with cricket and bollywood fans across India. This is our fourth year of association. Every year we’ve had a new angle on the game and KKR, and this year promises another innovative campaign”

Commenting on the association with Nokia, Shahrukh Khan said, “Nokia and Kolkata Knight Riders are among the most visible brands at the Indian Premier League. We value our association with Nokia and I am very pleased that we have extended this relationship further. We start IPL season 4 with renewed optimism — it’s a new team and we intend put our best foot forward. I believe that the new IPL campaign — ‘KKR Tension Mat Le Yaar’ — will not only help the team stay focused and motivated, but will also bring the fans closer like never before.”

The ‘KKR Tension Mat Le Yaar’ campaign will open for cricket fans from 5th April and will run through the entire season of the IPL.

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This latest relevant innovation by Nokia is based on in-depth research and consumer feedback which reveal that mobile users who have invested years in becoming fast one-handed, one-thumb texters want to maintain their speedy edge for SMS, chat and instant messaging – yet enjoy the benefits of touch. The new Nokia X3 – 02 and Nokia C3 – 01 Touch and Type are perfect examples of bringing new consumer value by giving users a larger touch screen with clear icons and menu and a familiar keypad keeping critical keys such as the send and end keys.

Talking on the launch of the new device, Viral Oza, Head, Activation, Media and Online Marketing Nokia India said, “As a responsible leader, Nokia strives to enhance customer value with each innovation. With this debut in the Touch and Type design we offer consumers the best of both worlds and bring the world on their finger tips. Both the new devices, Nokia X3 – 02 and Nokia C3 – 01 have the ideal design for SMS and social networking where fast and frequent input is required, along with touch capability, which is ideal for functions such as smooth browsing and controlling applications like music and games.”

Marrying aesthetics with features, the two new Touch and Type devices by Nokia are designed for those who like to stay connected with friends and family and share experiences with their social group. The devices allow great email and IM experience using Nokia Messaging, enable fans of social networking to share moments captured on the 5 megapixel camera with 4X zoom on Facebook and MySpace; and enjoy fast access to Internet with WLAN.

Nokia X3-02 is 3G enabled and has an in-built music player and FM radio. Additonally, the Nokia X3 – 02 offers dedicated music and messaging keys and comes in at a very thin 9.6mm – making it one of the slimmest Nokia phones ever.

Nokia C3-01 is among the smallest Nokia touch devices with enhanced usability and is designed for people who want their intuitive and familiar Series 40 UI experience, enriched with touch.