Nokia's Android smartphone nicknamed 'Normandy' is its first - Launch slated for 2014
Nokia is building a smartphone featuring Android OS and if certain reports are to be believed, it may be launched as early as 2014. Nicknamed Nokia Normandy, this is going to be the first ever Android phone from the company. There have been numerous leaks and news items in the past that said that Nokia is working on an Android smartphone, but none of the rumors ever became a reality. After choosing Windows Phone operating system over others for its' smartphones, Nokia seemed to be never looking back. The company has definitely experimented with the Android platform in the past - which came to light when images of a Nokia N9 running Android 2.3 were leaked in 2011. They were believed to be likely genuine, as Steven Elop had mentioned Nokia had considered Android in the past.
The heat surrounding a Nokia Android smartphone began re-surfacing when the New York Times writer Nick Wingfield revealed that Nokia had been testing the Android operating system on its Lumia hardware back in September 2013. He also shared that Nokia is also working on a new project based on popular Asha series phones called 'Asha on Linux' that uses a forked version of Android without Google services. Following that, after #-Link-Snipped-#, it became unclear if Nokia will ever come up with an Android device or not. But only recently, on 11 December 2013 showed the Asha-like device, codenamed 'Normandy' for the first time, stating that despite the finalisation of the acquisition, development of the device is continuing. It seems that Microsoft decided not to kill this project.
According to reports, Nokia Normandy is a low-end Android smartphone developed to target the emerging markets, just like the Nokia Asha series of smartphones. Above is the leaked image of the phone, that is believed to be true to how the phone might look. The Normandy is said to feature a special version of Android, similar to what Amazon did for its âKindle Fireâ tablets. So, joining the list of cheap Android smartphones could very well be the next big launch from Nokia. Those who love Android and are Nokia fans can now settle for this middle-ground and get a âforkedâ version of the operating system on a Nokia smartphone.
So, share your opinions with us - How do you like the idea of owning a Nokia Android smartphone?
