After much deliberation, it looks like Nokia is finally climbing the Android bandwagon. The company is on the verge of releasing three Android phones- the Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL. The world got its first peek at the three phones at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (24th February to 27th February).
The X and X+ come with a 4 inch screen while the Nokia XL has a 5 inch screen. All three phones are driven by a 1GHz dual core Snapdragon chipset. The Nokia X has 512 MB of RAM while the X+ and the XL are powered by 768 MB of RAM. Some people who have seen the phones are saying that they look like a thinner and larger version of the ultra low cost Nokia Asha model.
Nokia Android Phones Coming to Malaysia Soon
The Nokia X will soon be available in Malaysia and some other Asian countries. In fact, we recently received a media invite to an event on 5 March that will announce the latest Nokia device to Malaysia.
The lowdown on the operating system on the X series phones
Microsoft will soon complete its acquisition of Nokia, so even though the kernel on the phones is Android, the user interface has been heavily influenced by Microsoft’s own mobile operating system. Nokia has essentially taken Android’s open source elements, removed the Google services like Google Play Store, Gmail, Maps, Chrome (why are we not surprised here) and added a Windows-like user interface. The phone is also loaded with Nokia’s HERE Maps, MixRadio, Skype, Microsoft OneDrive (cloud storage) and more. More apps can be downloaded from the Nokia store.
Why has Nokia embraced Android now?
Nokia saw that it just could not afford to stay out of the Android market, as there was not ways to push Android over with its own Windows mobile operating system. So it found a middle route; it took the best from both operating systems.
Nokia adoption of the Android platform is good news for the industry
Consumers who are used to the Android experience may find the user interface on Nokia’s X series alien, initially. At some places, it may seem as if Nokia is trying to push its phones with Windows operating system by branding them as Android phones. But Nokia has actually done the Android operating system a service.
By rewiring the Android system, Nokia has demonstrated the versatility of the system (Android) and its own ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Maybe future Android developers, learning from Nokia’s example, may take the elements from Windows’ mobile operating system and merge them into Android.
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Photo Credit: Nokia / YouTube
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