Nokia Dropped the Ball on Smartphones

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. Today, we’re looking at three particularly interesting stories.

How Nokia Dropped the Ball on Smartphones

Through a series of interviews with key executives, the Wall Street Journal has taken a look into Nokia’s history, revealing how Nokia almost caught the touchscreen smartphone bandwagon, but ultimately decided to take a different course.

Probably the most revealing quote in the story comes from Nokia’s chief designer Frank Nuovo. Looking at old Nokia slides, which show early touchscreen smartphone prototypes, Nuovo said: “Oh my God. We had it completely nailed.”

First iPad Prototype Was Huge

The first iPad prototype, dating back from the early 2000s, was much bigger than the actual iPad that shook the world of computing in 2010. Check out the earliest known images of the iPad, unearthed in the Apple/Samsung patent dispute, over at Network World.

Apple Must Advertise that Samsung Didn’t Copy the iPad in the UK

A UK judge ordered that Apple must issue a notice stating that Samsung did not copy its design for the iPad. The statement must stay on Apple’s website for 6 months and be advertised in several British publications.