Nokia Corporation (NYSE; OMX: NOK) will begin its comeback in the Israeli market on Sunday with the launch of the new Lumia series with a Microsoft Windows Phone 8 operating system. The new Lumia is the third Windows Phone 8-powered smartphone to arrive in Israel, after the Samsung Galaxy Ativ S and the HTC 8X.
Nokia importer Eurocom Group has set up a tryout pavilion, which will be open through February 11, at Ramat Gan's Ayalon Mall to introduce the new Lumia to the Israeli public. It will not be possible to buy the smartphones at the site, but customers can try them out in several content halls for photography, Microsoft Office for business, music, and games via the Xbox 360.
The Lumia 820 and 920 will have to fight on three fronts. The first front is against Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and its iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. The second front is against Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG), which offers its Android operating systems for smartphones, such as Galaxy S2 and S3, which sell for NIS 2,000-3,000. The third front is against the Windows Phone 8-powere smartphones of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KSX: 5930; LSE: SMSN) and HTC Corporation (TWSE: 2498).
Lumia smartphones are not cheap, with the 920 model costing NIS 4,300 and the 820 model costing NIS 3,500. The Samsung Ativ S costs NIS 3,500. Nokia's edge is that its customers who have not switched to Apple or Android smartphones believe that it is a reliable company. On the other hand, people with iPhones and Galaxies will struggle to switch to a Lumia because the number of apps available for it in Israel can be counted on the figures of one hand.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 24, 2013
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