New Nokia Lumia mobes fail to inspire investors

Shares drop after new Windows 8 phones launch

Nokia failed to excite any investors with its new WinPhones yesterday, its stock slumped 15.9 per cent as the Lumia 920 and 820 were launched.

Nokia's shares dropped to $2.38 on the New York stock exchange yesterday, indicating that some shareholding folks don't think the new Lumias will take back any major market share from competitors like Apple and Samsung.

The Finnish firm's move onto the Windows mobile OS is something of a last ditch attempt to save itself, after sales of its once-dominant cellphones failed to keep up with those of the competition. The Nokia/Windows partnership is still pretty fresh, only kicking off last year, but in the fast-paced and crowded smartphone sector, the time is already running out for the Lumia range.

The new flagship mobes carry Windows 8, the latest iteration of Redmond's OS, to set them apart from the reams of new launches coming hard and fast in an attempt to eclipse Apple's latest event, strongly rumoured to be the launch of the iPhone 5.

Typically for the fruity firm, it's not saying exactly what will be unveiled on 12 September, but the leaks have been fairly consistent in announcing the latest Jesus mobe is on its way, and Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and others are keen to get their newest gear out at the same time.

Motorola pulled the trigger yesterday along with Nokia, launching three new Android mobes designed for Verizon's 4G network in the US. At the end of last month, Samsung outed its Galaxy Note 2, the update to its surprisingly popular stylus-equipped tablet-mobe hybrid. ®