Nokia’s Bid to Rule the Mobile Web

ESPOO, FINLAND If being first mover meant anything, Anssi Vanjoki and his colleagues at Nokia (NOK) would already rule the mobile Web. Way back in 1996, the Finnish company launched a prototype phone with a “dangerometer,” which used software and satellite technology to match your location to an online database of crime statistics. If you strayed into a dodgy neighborhood, the meter would turn from green to red, and an icon popped up inviting you to buy life insurance online.