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Nokia Opens Hollywood 'Lab'

by Evan Shamoon on November 24, 2008 at 04:17 PM




Here's an odd pairing: Mobile phone behemoth Nokia has decided to open a lab in Los Angeles, designed with the explicit goal of "recruiting from and collaborating with the Hollywood entertainment, media and art communities".

It's an odd move for the Finnish company, whose company headquarters sit far, far away from Mickey Mouse, Brangelina et al., in Espoo, Finland. "Opening our latest laboratory in Hollywood is a key milestone for Nokia," project leader Henry Tirri said in a prepared statement. "Engaging more actively with the entertainment and media community and establishing a research force there is a significant step for Nokia as we continue to build our position as a leader in the converging worlds of Internet and mobility." Nokia will also be working with the likes of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and University of Southern California (USC) on the project.

Essentially, Nokia seems to be realizing that Apple is starting to gain a stranglehold in the whole "mobile entertainment" sector with the iPhone (read: iTunes Store, App Store), and is attempting to do something about it. May the Force be with it. [From: TechRadar via Textually]

Tags: celebrity outreach, CelebrityOutreach, entertainment, hollywood, nokia, trends

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