Nokia's Android phone is coming this month, according to report

[Scorpus]

Nokia's Android-powered device is inching closer to reality, with The Wall Street Journal reporting today that the phone will be officially unveiled at Mobile World Conference towards the end of this month. Nokia already has a press event scheduled during the conference, and it's expected that the company won't be focusing on Windows Phone this time around.

Codenamed 'Normandy', the handset set for launch at MWC allegedly runs a 'forked' version of Android. Instead of running standard Android with Google Mobile Services, Nokia will integrate Microsoft services into their version of the OS and have a separate app store which will feature some of the existing Android app catalogue.

The handset is reported to launch as the "Nokia X", and will feature a Windows Phone-like UI also inspired by Nokia's previous phone operating systems. Applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Vine and BBM are said to run on the OS, although with a separate app store - similar to Amazon's version of Android used on Kindle devices - it's not clear how many apps will be available.

Leaked press renders and images of the Normandy show a phone styled in a similar way to Nokia's Lumia devices, including the usual range of vibrant color choices. The phone is rumored to be low-end, packing just 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. For any more details on what the device will bring to the table, we might just have to wait until it's unveiled at the end of the month.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/55626-nokias-android-phone-is-coming-this-month-according-to-report.html

 

[Jad Chaar]

This has some real potential. Let's see how this works out.

 

[jacques]

If they go full on android they'd sell allot more phones

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

An Android phone with a Windows interface? Heck, maybe they should forget about their app store and incorporate the iStore instead then potential buyers can have their cake and eat it too.

 

[Guest]

This wasnt very good news. I didnt like it. u shd feel bd.

 

[TS-56336]

That could see Nokia devices get a big boost. They needed good OS like android since they failed Symbian.

 

[Kibaruk]

Not only an Android phone with windows interface... an Android phone with Windows SERVICES!! AND A WHOLE NEW MARKET!!

I was excited on topic... GTFO NOKIA!

 

[misor]

Maybe Lenovo will also release a Motorola model running windows phone 8.1 too! what a crazy world we live in.

 

[Guest]

This could do very well in developing countries.

 

[Kibaruk]

This could do very well in developing countries.

What?? An android phone running windows services instead of those native to android, plus a crippled app market?

You know what did really good on developing countries?? Moto G. A superb low budget phone with full android.

 

[Guest]

This could do very well in developing countries.

The developing world market is not a place where anything half-assedly thrown together will do well just because it's cheap. I phone like this has nothing to compete with actual successful phones like the Lumia 520 and the Moto G.
Also, refer to a recent Ars Technica article explaining how forking Android doesn't make any sense (lack of the GMS API, mostly) to see why this is a plainly awful idea for Nokia.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

This could do very well in developing countries.

The developing world market is not a place where anything half-assedly thrown together will do well just because it's cheap. I phone like this has nothing to compete with actual successful phones like the Lumia 520 and the Moto G.
Also, refer to a recent Ars Technica article explaining how forking Android doesn't make any sense (lack of the GMS API, mostly) to see why this is a plainly awful idea for Nokia.

Really? Perhaps you haven't heard of this country just west of Japan called China. They have like a billion people and a 10% economy (That's growing about 5 times faster than America's by comparison). Apple's 5C was supposedly less expensive in order to cater to emerging markets (that's PC for 'Developing Countries'.) HTC just announced they're going to make a cheaper phone too. Are all these companies wrong to do it, or just Nokia?

Also, a good way to have people refer to articles that support your opinion would be to paste in a link. Maybe Nokia's idea is 'awful' or maybe journalists love making failure predictions because no one remembers when they're wrong and they'll be right once every blue moon or so. Go read some financial news, you'll think the markets will crash every Thursday.

 

[Nobina]

Not only an Android phone with windows interface... an Android phone with Windows SERVICES!! AND A WHOLE NEW MARKET!!

I was excited on topic... GTFO NOKIA!

That sucks but maybe Nokia will make their market besides Play Store so you can use both, like Samsung with their market. As for the interface, it could probably be changed by installing different launcher. Either that or it will suck so bad, which is a shame, I liked Nokia.

 

[Guest]

Microsoft/Nokia is just trying their old tried and true method of competing with superior products.
Embrace, extend and extinguish.

 

[Guest]

Really? Perhaps you haven't heard of this country just west of Japan called China. They have like a billion people and a 10% economy (That's growing about 5 times faster than America's by comparison). Apple's 5C was supposedly less expensive in order to cater to emerging markets (that's PC for 'Developing Countries'.) HTC just announced they're going to make a cheaper phone too. Are all these companies wrong to do it, or just Nokia?
Also, a good way to have people refer to articles that support your opinion would be to paste in a link.

Maybe Nokia's idea is 'awful' or maybe journalists love making failure predictions because no one remembers when they're wrong and they'll be right once every blue moon or so. Go read some financial news, you'll think the markets will crash every Thursday.

You didn't read my comment correctly.
First, I said this specific phone is a bad idea, not that all cheap phones are bad ideas. The fact I mentioned the Lumia 520 and Moto G should have made that more than clear. Also, the $500 iPhone 5c is definitely NOT meant for emerging markets.
Also, that article is about how forking Android is impractical due to lack of access to Google's proprietary API and the fact that many crucial apps require said API. It is not about whether cheap phones are good or bad business.
And I was not familiar with TechSpot's policy about posting links. But since I see it's allowed, here: http://arstechnica.com/information-...yone-else-should-fork-android-its-unforkable/

 

[Fbarnett]

I thought Microsoft bought Nokia? What am I missing here?

 

[Guest]

The developing world market is not a place where anything half-assedly thrown together will do well just because it's cheap. I phone like this has nothing to compete with actual successful phones like the Lumia 520 and the Moto G.

Also, refer to a recent Ars Technica article explaining how forking Android doesn't make any sense (lack of the GMS API, mostly) to see why this is a plainly awful idea for Nokia.

When speaking of the Moto G, it's still a $179 phone, that's still a lot of money in developing countries. I agree the Lumia 520 is quite good, but this phone is likely to be even cheaper than the Lumia 520 and if it's at least decent, it has potential. Nothing like dismissing this before even knowing for sure what it's like.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I thought Microsoft bought Nokia? What am I missing here?

I understood it to be R&D, not the whole company.