In today’s mobile news roundup: Nokia threatened by Microsoft Surface phone; Samsung ready for high Galaxy SIV demand; Google Now may soon land on iOS devices; Nokia Lumia 928 coming to Verizon in April; and Deezer coming to iOS and Android devices.

Nokia threatened by Microsoft Surface phone

When Microsoft unveiled the Surface tablet, the next topic of interest was the possibility of Microsoft making its own smartphone, shifting focus to Microsoft’s most dedicated mobile partner, Nokia.

Nokia has completely retooled its business to make Windows Phone-based smartphones, and if Microsoft decides to make it’s own smartphone running on Window Phone, that could leave Nokia out in the cold.

Nokia warned its investors of impending doom in a recent document filed with the SEC.  It stated that if Microsoft decides to make its own Window Phone, they’re all screwed.

“In choosing to adopt Windows Phone as our primary smartphone platform, we may forgo more competitive alternatives achieving greater and faster acceptance in the smartphone market. If the benefits of the Microsoft partnership do not materialize as expected, more competitive alternatives may not be available to us in a timely manner, or at all,” Nokia said in a filing.

Microsoft is currently paying Nokia $1 billion a year to support its Windows Phone platform, and Nokia pays royalties to use its licenses.  But if the tides suddenly change, Nokia would end up owing $651 million to Microsoft.

Samsung ready for high Galaxy SIV demand

Samsung is expected to unveil the Galaxy SIV at tomorrow’s Unpacked event in New York.  Samsung already gave a sneak preview of what the device would look like in a tweet containing an image of the SIV emerging from the shadows.  The photo doesn’t reveal much, but it’s enough to speculate that previous leaked photos may be spot on.

“The countdown for #TheNextBigThing has begun,” Samsung Mobile US tweeted on Monday night.  “Who’s ready for the Global Unpacked Event on March 14?”

The South Korean giant is said to be ready to face high demand for its newest Galaxy device, with sources claiming Samsung has allotted 10 million Galaxy SIVs to be released each month.

“Based on checks we had with suppliers, Samsung has already done significant work to ensure smooth supply and not to repeat what they had to deal with last time,” Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at IBK Securities said in an interview.

Google Now may soon land on iOS devices

A promotional video of Google Now appeared on YouTube but it was quickly pulled out.  The reason may be either because it isn’t ready for deployment, or it’s just a hoax.
Google Now delivers real-time information regarding traffic, news, weather, flight details, exchange rates, shopping deals, appointments and reminders, and much more.

For a full review of today’s top news stories, see Kristin Feledy’s roundup from this morning’s NewsDesk show below:

Nokia Lumia 928 coming to Verizon in April

Nokia is planning on releasing the Lumia 928 on Verizon in April.  The said device is an iteration of the Lumia 920 and will have most of its features similar to the original version except that it would be lighter and thinner.  What’s new is the 4.5-inch OLED display and support for simultaneous voice and LTE (SVLTE) on Verizon.

Deezer coming to iOS and Android devices

Deezer, the French web-based music streaming service, is going mobile as app for Android and iOS become available.  There’s also the Askking Music app, which delivers music discovery and gaming in one, and allows Deezer users to challenge their Facebook friends. Then there’s two more apps on the plate.  Moosify, which is an app that combines dating and music discovery, and Seevl which brings new tools for music discovery.

“Music streaming isn’t about giving people access to soulless databases of songs – we want to build an immersive and entertaining experience that gets people hooked on Deezer. Our affiliate scheme and API improvements will help developers seamlessly bring music into their greatest apps. We can’t wait to see what they’ll build,” Deezer CEO Axel Dauchez said.

It also released new APIs to make its service available to more people, in more countries.