Microsoft is now the supreme ruler and owner of Nokia's once powerful Devices and Services Division, but now the company is setting its sights on several Nokia brand names. Iconic names such as Lumia, PureView and ClearBlack are now Microsoft's property.
The sale of Nokia's mobile division was announced late last year, but the deal managed to be completed in April of this year to regulatory hurdles in several countries. However, it was not certain what would be the fate of Nokia's brand names that were closely linked with its mobile devices.
Let's break down some of the meanings to these acquired names.
PureView: This has a lot to do with Nokia's camera technology. It is mainly just a marketing term, but became a well-known name after Nokia launched the PureView 808 Symbian smartphone back in 2009. The device was the first handset of its kind to come packed with a 41 megapixel camera that took pictures almost as good as a standalone shooter.
ClearBlack: It's the name of Nokia's display technology that reduces the reflections on the glass. With this technology, users should have little issue reading text on their high-end Nokia smartphone in direct sunlight.
Lumia: What we have here is a trademark name for Nokia branded Windows Phone devices. When a person thinks of Windows Phone, only one thing comes to mind, Lumia. Furthermore, when a person thinks of Lumia, only Windows Phone comes to mind. This is to prove how effective the Lumia branding is, and it appears Microsoft will continue with the name for the foreseeable future.
Strangely enough, Microsoft is keeping the Asha brand name. This name is used by Nokia to market is feature phones. The others are Surge and Mural, which are names of some Nokia devices.
The Asha line of devices is the most popular in Nokia's lineup so it would make sense for Microsoft to keep a hold of the name. However, we are not certain if the company plans to refresh the Asha line with the Windows Phone operating system, or continue using the old Java based Series 40 operating system.
