In what surely is a bid to raise much needed funds, Nokia sells off its Espoo, Finland HQ-- the so called "Nokia House" now belongs to Finnish company Exilion.

The 48000 square metre building cost all of €170 million, and the sale should be complete by end 2012.

"Owning real estate is not part of Nokia's core business," Nokia CFO Timo Ihamuotila says. "When good opportunities arise we are willing to exit these types of non-core assets."

The mobile maker will remain based in the building, if on a lease.

Nokia is currently working hard at trying to staunch its financial bleedings-- Q3 2012 saw company losses reach $754 million, down from $1.01 billion in Q2 (and $1.7bn in Q1).

Go Nokia to Sell and Lease Back Head Office Building

Go Nokia Q3 2012 Results

Apple claims it just invented wireless charging as it files the patent for a system powering devices over the air at up to 1m of distance. But is such a system as revolutionary as the iPhone maker says?

The patent, titled "Wireless Power Utilisation in a Local Computing Environment," makes use of near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) to juice multiple devices equipped with an NFMR resonator circuit. All without the need of putting the device(s) in question on top of a wired charging base (like to one the Nokia Lumia 920 requires).

However such systems are not new-- the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) released a "flexible" wireless power specification back in October 2012. A4WP members include Qualcomm and Samsung, and its design supposedly even "extends wireless power applications beyond the accessory or add-on market."

Wireless power startup WiPower also owns a patent on wireless charging, called "System and method for inductive charging of portable devices." Apple filed its patent on November 2010, while WiPower did so on May 2008.

What does this mean? Possibly another twist on the already convoluted patent wars Apple is involved in, at least once wireless charging gain in popular. In the least, we are sure A4WP will take a very close look at the technology it owns...

Go Wireless Power Utilisation in a Local Computing Environment

Go System and Method for Inductive Charging in Portable Devices

Go Alliance for Wireless Power Rolls Out Flexible Wireless Power Specification

RIM loses a dispute against Nokia in Swedish courts over the use of wifi patents-- and risks a sales ban of BlackBerry devices should it fail to reach a new royalties deal with the Finnish mobile maker. 

In other words, nothing too new in the world of mobile titans slugging at each other in courts around the world... 

The Nokia patents cover a number of crucial WLAN technologies (wifi, IEEE 802.11). The dispute follows a 2003 agreement (amended in 2008) allowing RIM to use a number of Nokia-owned patents, but since 2011 the two companies failed to agree license fees.

"RIM is liable to pay royalties and damages to Nokia for its ... sales of any subscriber terminals (handsets or tablets) ... compatible with the WLAN standard," the ruling says. "RIM has not contested that it manufactures and sells products using WLAN in accordance with Nokia's WLAN patents." 

Nokia filed similar suits in the UK, US and Canada.  

The legal squabble comes at the worst possible time for the struggling RIM, who hopes for success once the BlackBerry 10 platform launches early next year. 

On the other hand Nokia wants to bolster diminishing profits (Wall Street describes Nokia stock as "junk" these days) by monetising its impressive patent portfolio further. According to Reuters Nokia patents already generate annual royalty payments worth around €500 million... and the company surely wants more.  

Either that or it has to put more effort in selling, you know, phones. 

Now RIM will probably seek to reach agreement with Nokia-- patent consultancy General Patent Corp bluntly says the US courts will show little sympathy with the BlackBerry maker. Either that, or it risks sales bans. 

Go BlackBerry Maker RIM Loses Patent Dispute with Nokia (Reuters)

The days of oversized mobile devices are clearly here to stay-- Samsung reports global Galaxy Note II sales reach 5 million just 2 months after the launch of the 5.5-inch device.

The massive stylus-packing smartphone-tablet hybrid is popular across all territories, including EMEA, and sales show no sign of slow down so far, the company states.

Apple even includes the Galaxy Note II in its latest US patent suit against Samsung, together with Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Rugby Pro and Galaxy S III Mini. You know, because winning $1.05 billion is not enough for the iPhone maker.

The success of the the Galaxy Note II (whose 2011 predecessor was something of a market dark horse) is a far cry from the pre-smartphone days of the mobile market, where small was desirable. Nowadays big is beautiful, or at least profitable-- and for those of us with larger paws, that might be a good thing...

Go Galaxy Note II Global Sales Exceed 5 million

Go Apple Adds 6 Samsung Products to California Lawsuit (FOSS Patents)