• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, August 10, 2011

Marking the end of era, Nokia reportedly plans to stop selling both feature phones and Symbian-based smartphones in the United States and Canada.  In an interview with AllThingsD, the head of Nokia's U.S. subsidiary said the move will let the company focus its energies on the Windows Phone.

"When we launch Windows Phones we will essentially be out of the Symbian business, the S40 business, etc., " explained Nokia President Chris Weber. "The reality is if we are not successful with Windows Phone, it doesn't matter what we do (elsewhere)."

As such, "The US division (of Nokia) is putting everything into Windows Phone, and promises the biggest-ever marketing push in what must surely be a last-ditch attempt to get big in America," The Register writes.

"As part of Nokia's newfound Windows Phone 7 strategy, you should expect to see a bigger advertising presence for the company real soon," promises Computerworld.

"For its part, Microsoft is also hoping that its Nokia agreement will result in an increased market for Windows Phone," eWeek points out. "However, with Nokia bleeding market share at an appreciable rate, it's an open question whether Microsoft can inherit its new partner's significant market share without significant attrition."

"The U.S. has historically been a difficult market for Nokia, which had found itself hindered in the top end by carrier refusal to subsidize their more expensive modules," notes The Wall Street Journal. "Meanwhile, an increased preference for smartphones among U.S. consumers has made Nokia's recent low-end offerings moot."