Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NOK) Brings Music Service to U.S.

Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) has been on the fringe  of the smartphone market in the last couple of years, especially in the developed markets like the U.S. and Europe. While the company has been viable in emerging markets like India, where cheaper handsets have been successful, it has been pushing to make some inroads with its high-end Lumia 900 series handsets that it revealed last fall on the Windows Phone operating system by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). As Nokia is making some modest progress in established markets like the U.S., the Finnish handset maker is due to unveil a new service for Lumia users that will bring these users on par with those who own iPhones or Android devices.

Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) announced that its Nokia Music+ service, which recently launched in Europe, will be available in the United States to those with Lumia handsets that run the Windows Phone operating system. In the U.S., the subscription service will cost $4 per month but will include several features that make this service competitive with several current premium services on other mobile devices. For example, users can have unlimited skips of tracks to have more user control over the music that is heard; unlimited downloads of music and playing it offline on your phone; lyrics of songs could be shown on your phone screen; the ability to stream music at up to eight times the existing quality; and the ability to have an app that would allow the service to play on desktops or other devices.

In related news, Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) is continuing to find success in the emerging markets, as Nielsen came out with its latest numbers from India, and Nokia is once again the favorite handset in the country, topping Samsung and BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY).

What do you think? Would you be interested in the Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) music service, or would this service get you to consider a Lumia handset? Do you own a Lumia, and what are your thoughts about it? We’d like your comments below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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