Nokia post profit

The world's top mobile phone maker, Nokia Corp, on Thursday said strong sales of smart phones and lower costs helped profits rise 65 percent in the fourth quarter despite a drop in total revenue. Net profit was 948 million euros ($1.33 billion), up from euro576 million in the last quarter of 2008. But net sales in the last three months of 2009 dropped 5.3 percent to 12.0 billion euros from 12.7 billion euros in the same period a year earlier. The Finnish company said it boosted its share of the mobile phone market to 39 percent, from 38 percent in the previous quarter and 37 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said that included gains in the market for smart phones, driven by the launch of new models.