For the better part of the last fifteen years, Nokia has been the world's dominant cell phone maker. You may not know the name, but you've seen the phones - everywhere. Nokia handset sales used to rise as regularly as the company's stock price.
Lately, both have been brought down to earth.
As iPhone and Android phones have woven their magic, Nokia phones have fallen flat. No smartphone mojo has come this way from Nokia's Finnish headquarters in years, and the company has seen its fortunes, as well as its reputation, suffer.
But you have to give Nokia some credit: Instead of curling up into a ball back home, the company is coming to where the action is, opening a new office in Silicon Valley, to face the competition dead on. Hundreds of employees moving to the office in Sunnyvale, to spice up the smartphone battle.
This is not only good news for those of you who like Nokia phones, it's also good news for nearby businesses. The Sunnyvale campus isn't a giant, Googleplex-like world, so look for the Nokians to hit local cafes and restaurants. Much like a new startup growing, this kind of addition is catnip to local business. Look for the locals to give their new neighbors a hearty Croeso! (Welcome, in Finnish), and thanks for coming.
Scott loves to see phone company competition. He's on Twitter: @scottbudman
