
Nokia announces the X and X+, its first Android phones - wzsddtc
http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/24/nokia-announces-the-x-its-first-android-phone/
======
quanticle
Ars Technica [1] put it best. These phones are dead on arrival.

    
    
        This is not the first time Nokia has done something like this. It released a 
        Meego version of the N9, its long-in-development Symbian successor, before 
        immediately abandoning the platform and switching to Windows Phone.
    

This isn't a sign of some deep strategy. It's just standard Nokia platform
craziness.

1: [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/nokia-to-release-
an-a...](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/nokia-to-release-an-android-
phone-this-month/)

~~~
antimagic
I wouldn't be so quick to discount this move. It could be a classic Microsoft
embrace/extend/extinguish move. They lost the first round on mobile phone
platforms, but this would allow them to very quickly create a platform that
has developer support - after all, porting your apps from standard Android to
an AOSP fork is easier than than porting it to Windows Phone. Especially as
Microsoft/Nokia is pretty much the only organisation on the planet at the
moment apart from Google and Apple that is capable of offering all of the same
services that stock Android provides, making porting even easier for app
developers.

The latest Android look and feel is not so different from Windows Phone
either, once you actually get into the app. You could imagine a "Windows
Phone" homescreen skin with Android Apps behind it, and it would be really
quite a decent merger of the two environments, graphically speaking.

If they throw a bit of money around to encourage developers to undertake the
(hopefully) relatively simple task of porting from stock Android, it's not
impossible that they manage to get a pretty decent App Store together, which
would solve the app problem for the otherwise fantastic Nokia hardware that
they have been making these last few years.

Anyway, there's a lot of conditionals in the stuff that I've just written,
none of it may come to pass, I'm just saying that it would be unwise to
dismiss this effort without at least waiting a bit to see how it pans out.

~~~
miguelrochefort
> ... which would solve the app problem for the otherwise fantastic Nokia
> hardware ...

The number of app on Windows Phone is no longer a problem. There are more than
240,000 Windows Phone apps as we speak.

~~~
JaakkoP
It's not just about the quantity, but quality as well. Many of the major apps
such as Uber, Lyft and Venmo are still missing, and the app store is still
largely a joke with the hottest apps arriving significantly late - if ever.

As a Finn and a Nokia phone owner, I'd love the company to succeed. I'm just
puzzled about the level of arrogance they still showcase, as if they know best
what customers "should" want. For example, I visited Nokia offices past spring
and a very senior level executive told to a group of developers and I how he
doesn't understand why people even need apps like Instagram and "Chat Snap
App" [sic] when the Nokia apps work just as fine or better.

------
pmr_
> differentiated experience

I still can't believe that decision makers actually believe that customers
want that. Sure, it makes for great bullet points on the packaging, but most
consumer in the lower segment just want something that is familiar to all the
other stuff they have. Things you will never hear an Android user say: "That
Samsung Whatever Cloud App is really useful.", "That second App Store of my
carrier is full with great Apps.", and "I wish those buttons were even more
different from my old Android phone".

~~~
pavlov
I think Nokia's target market for these unAndroids is not existing Android
users at all, but rather all those people who currently have a low-end Nokia.
(There are literally billions of Nokia dumbphones in use around the world.)

Those users don't go into the shop thinking "I want stock Android" because
they have no idea what that would even be. Rather they go by a trusted brand
and the availability of well-known apps and games. If the price is right,
Nokia's unAndroid may actually serve this market quite well.

~~~
awjr
These phones are specifically targeted at developing markets.

------
igravious
So Microsoft has a Linux distro. Interesting. Anybody care to hazard a guess
what the future holds? My take is that this was well in development before the
MS/Nokia deal went through (it has gone through, hasn't it?) and Microsoft
were not (have not been) able to get it canned. Or, shock, horror, maybe
Microsoft are testing the waters - they already make a bunch from Linux
patents, maybe they want to see how much they'll make from App Store revenue
if these gain a decent market share. When you think about it, Apple doesn't
charge for iOS so if Microsoft start doing decent hardware sales maybe
Microsoft will start considering its mobile operating system division this
way. Given recent news that Microsoft has to discount Windows licences on
lower cost hardware to compete with Chromebooks we're starting to see that
Microsoft even though it is making money hand over fist is in an untenable
position.

A few questions.

How will Microsoft not be able to develop Mobile Office for Android?

How are Microsoft going to be able to maintain two mobile OSs?

Are Nokia going to see this through? I think it is a smart play, if they go
after it whole-heartedly like Amazon and provide a decent amount of
differentiation. One could easily see Samsung going this route.

~~~
d0
Microsoft (and their staff individually) actually contribute to the Linux
kernel so this isn't that crazy.

You can already get office 365 for iOS. Not sure about android but it's
logical.

This appears to be the budget/developing world side of things. I'd prefer to
see WinPhone on low end devices to be honest - it's really good even on low
spec handsets.

I see this as that much marketed "devices and services offering" they are
always going on about. They're making a killing from Azure etc and Windows
Live/outlook.com is the most mature and featureful cloud thing. They're
actually shit hot these days.

I still prefer my old fashioned Unix way of life though as I don't want to
become a paid up ecosystem slave.

~~~
blueskin_
Nobody I know uses Microsoft's lockin. Some prefer google's or apple's, but
increasing numbers are trying to escape from being a data source for
advertising and the NSA and ditching google, apple, and MS.

~~~
igravious
I agree that this is the next hurdle. To just from Microsoft's desktop embrace
to Google's cloud embrace is to switch one master for another even though
Google has shown itself to be an excellent open-source champion in terms of
their Summer of Code effort and the amount of client (and server?) software
they develop in the open. But lock-in is lock-in no matter how comfy the
handcuffs.

~~~
igravious
To just _leap_ from

I must at least cursorily proofread my comments.

I must at least cursorily proofread my comments.

...

------
akumen
This is the most confused device ever. A bastard child of Android and Windows:
basterdised verion of Windows Phone UI on top of a forked Android that's
integrated with Microsoft Cloud. The marketing has a distinct "feature phone"
feel.

Seriously, Asha or X device from Nokia with Firefox OS would make more sense
than this.

How many OSs does Nokia have now? 4 or 5?

~~~
Aoyagi
I don't think they plan making any new S40 phones, so that would make it two
OSes.

~~~
akumen
I counted four. Feature phone OS (ODM), Asha, Windows Phone and Nokia X
Platform as they are calling it.

~~~
Aoyagi
The "featurephone" OS is S40 and it's in both "classic" phones (e.g. 515) and
Ashas.... unless there is something I've missed completely. And come to think
of it, I haven't heard any confirmation of closing the production of S40
phones, so I guess that'd make it 3.

~~~
akumen
The classic feature phones is an older Symbian variant and Asha Platform OS is
S40 from what I can tell. Symbian is still king in a lot of countries so Nokia
will have to support it for a long time.

Struggle to see how this helps Nokia. Nokia Xs are smart phones at a price of
a feature phone. Great! Welcome to an already very crowded low-margin market
of cheap Androids in India, Brazil, China and Africa, the same market MS will
enter with cheap 8.1 devices and where Firefox OS devices are heading. Yet,
Nokia Xs have little extra to offer to the consumers that would significantly
differentiate themselves from the competition.

~~~
Zigurd
Asha did well in developing markets, and Nokia has an attractive app/ecosystem
suite for low-end phones. But Series 40 OS is not competitive with Android.
Nokia X goes straight at that problem. If you are careful about the apps,
especially the browser, Android will run well on VERY cheap hardware.

~~~
akumen
Just tried Xs at MWC ... not impressed.

------
arocks
Without Play Store and the ability to sideload Android apps (via .APK), you
can expect a proliferation of pirated Android applications for the Nokia
phones. Once again, Microsoft will enable the creation of a thriving anti-
virus industry.

~~~
sudomal
It sounds like an ideal CyanogenMOD candidate. A phone from an iconic
manufacturer that's already running Android and needs to be opened up a bit.

------
sprash

        If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won.
    

\-- Linus Torvalds

~~~
graetzer
Microsoft is a kernel contributor, and Android isn't really linux

[http://go.linuxfoundation.org/who-writes-
linux-2012](http://go.linuxfoundation.org/who-writes-linux-2012)

~~~
m_mueller
Android isn't really linux? Please expand.

~~~
gilgoomesh
To the extent that Linux is technically just the kernel and fundamental
services, Android _uses_ Linux but is not itself "Linux".

To the extent that Linux implies "GNU Linux", i.e. a whole operating system
and a broadly interoperable and source compatible set of *nix services,
Android is not Linux any more than iOS is FreeBSD.

~~~
aceofspades19
Then you could argue that any embedded device that runs the Linux kernel is
not Linux because it doesn't use the GNU userland. I think its splitting
hairs, anything that runs the Linux kernel is by definition, Linux. You can
replace the GNU userland with anything you want, it doesn't suddenly make it a
completely new operating system.

~~~
dTal
Sounds like the argument is a question of definitions - does "operating
system" mean kernel, userland, or both? You argue that changing the userland
doesn't change the OS. I could counterargue that Debian/kFreeBSD is the "same
operating system" with a different kernel.

RMS believes that userland makes an OS, because he wrote a userland. Linus
believes that kernel makes an OS, because he wrote a kernel. Calling Android
"Linux" is like calling Windows 8 "Windows NT", i.e. correct if you're talking
about kernels and wrong otherwise.

------
raveli
Divide and conquer.

By making any success with its Android phones, Microsoft can achieve two
goals:

\- further fragment the Android platform making it more difficult for users to
buy devices and for developers to support the various devices and

\- benefit from Android's strong market position instead of only trying to
create market for Windows phones in places where it doesn't fit

They've identified the greatest flaw in Android ecosystem and they're
exploiting it in an attempt to make their own offering more attractive in the
long run.

~~~
fauigerzigerk
Divide yes, but as for the conquer part we'll have to wait and see.

It seems to me that they might confuse themselves and their own customers more
than anyone else with that convoluted strategy.

They identified Android's greatest flaw and swiftly added it to their own
ecosystem.

------
moondowner
"In fact, Nokia told TNW that only three APIs have been changed, so if a
developer isn’t making use of these, no changes are needed at all."

[http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/02/24/nokia-unveils-
nokia...](http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2014/02/24/nokia-unveils-nokia-x-
devices-running-forked-android-os/)

This so reminds me of Microsoft's J++.

~~~
kllrnohj
Looking at Nokia's dev docs: [http://developer.nokia.com/nokia-x/platform-
overview](http://developer.nokia.com/nokia-x/platform-overview)

It looks like the "three APIs" are not Android APIs, but rather Google Play
Services APIs. Specifically push notifications, maps, and in-app payments.

------
spiritplumber
Installing Google Play on this should be trivial anyway, what's the big deal?

The problem is that it's another iphone lookalike.

I WANT A DAMN KEYBOARD!

~~~
saurabhnanda
This. I just don't understand what are the benefits of a on-screen keyboard
vis-a-vis a slide-out hardware qwerty keyboard. Ever tried using an on-screen
keyboard with wet hands? Tried texting in class without looking?

Why can't we get one, just ONE, good Android device with a hardware keyboard?

~~~
GFischer
I want a slider, but not a side-slider, a top-slider. I want something like
the Blackberry Torch, but Android-based, or at least like the N86 or N95.

I still use my N86 for everyday use.

[http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_torch_9800-3203.php)

[http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n86_8mp-2713.php)

~~~
Pxtl
Why a top-slider? The side-slider seems to give so much more real-estate for
keys. Is it just the portrait display of the screen you want, or do you
actually prefer typing on the top-slider keyboard?

Personally, I find the on-screen keyboard fine for the ham-fisted one-handed
typing of short messages, but I want the maximum width and real keys IFF I
have enough to type to justify switching to two-handed typing. So the side-
slider seems like the better form-factor.

~~~
GFischer
It's probably very quirky of me, but I like the slide-to-answer feature, and I
like holding it in one hand and being able to type without watching.

I basically like my N86 because it allows for one-handed operation without
looking at it - I can even fast-dial some numbers just pressing the .

I also like the physical camera button A LOT, if high end Nokias come with
Android and camera buttons, I might consider them for that alone :)

TL-DR I love physical buttons.

I also don't use predictive text - I should get to the 21st century someday :)
, but I switch languages and contexts too often and it gets in the way.

------
DominikR
How is that even possible, I thought Android is closed source.

At least that's what Ars Technica has been telling us for the last months.

</sarcasm>

~~~
Oletros
Yap, and PvZ2 can't be ported to AOSP because it uses GMS API's

~~~
josephlord
I think you mean that they would need porting rather than just releasing as
the same binary in another store (unless that API usage is conditional).

------
bbx
I remember when Nokia phones were crushing their opponents in terms of user
experience, despite the incredible amount of devices they offered. The one-in-
all blue button was remarkable. There were no OS, just different brands.

Nokia failed to make the leap to smartphones though. I still believe they were
the only company capable of competing with the iPhone by delivering a
hardware/software combo, but sadly failed to do so.

~~~
miguelrochefort
Have you not seen the high-end Nokia Lumias?

~~~
dandrews
Parent was talking about all-Nokia product.

------
throwawaykf05
Hmm, taking a cynical view, this could be a win-win for Nokia. Consider this:

1) The device does well: Nokia makes some money.

2) The device flops: Nokia can lay to rest the common criticism that they
should have gone with Android. They can say, "See? We did Android. It went
nowhere."

Don't blame the lack of a Play store, because remember, they were in
discussions with Google and could not reach an agreement. I'm convinced it's
because of Google's requirement that "all your location data are belong to us"
[1] which would directly undercut Nokia's own location services. Because of
Google's all-or-nothing stance, that took Google mobile services completely
off Nokia's table.

Also, in the unlikely case that it does well, I wouldn't be too surprised if
MS lets it live post-acquisition. After all, it's using their services, and
these days there's probably more money to be made there than in selling
software.

1\. [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/new-android-oem-
licen...](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/new-android-oem-licensing-
terms-leak-open-comes-with-restrictions/) \- "Google's Network Location
Provider must not only be included, but set as the default network location
provider; this is no doubt the clause that triggered a lawsuit from rival
location company Skyhook."

------
Zigurd
I used to think it was a 100% lock that this project would get squished like
bug the moment the Microsoft acquisition closes. Microsoft probably has a SWAT
team of HR drones and lawyers sitting in vans outside Nokia offices to ensure
that they do not incur any Apache license patent obligations, and that this
project team gets sent to the Siberia customer support office.

But now I think there are two other possibilities. Not high probability, but
possible:

1\. Satya Nadella thinks differently about Windows Phone, and Microsoft
embraces an Android-based product, much in the way that Amazon has. Not
because Windows Phone is a turkey, but because Windows Phone is actually quite
similar to Android technologically, and it makes sense to create applications
that run on both, equally well, with equal features, in order to help
Microsoft products penetrate the mobile market faster. The Nokia product
becomes the most efficient way for Windows users to get a Microsoft app suite
on an Android device, but any Android user will have access to the same app
suite. Maybe Windows Phone prospers. Maybe not. But Microsoft wins either way.

2\. Microsoft backs out of the Nokia deal. Satya Nadella thinks Ballmer was
high when he bought a troubled OEM, including factories that make Series 30
handsets, especially now that Google got rid of Motorola. So all the lawyers
that are not worrying about those Apache license patent clause issues are
worrying about how to back out of the deal while minimizing penalty
obligations. This would be a momentary embarassment, with many years of
serenity as a reward.

------
brunnsbe
Here is a link to the press release: [http://press.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-
connects-the-next-bi...](http://press.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-connects-the-
next-billion-with-affordable-smartphones/)

------
NicoJuicy
Weird.

Microsoft intended to handle Android as a non-primary platform. I'm curious if
those apps are going to be available on the Google Play Store as well (i hope
so).

With this move, they should have update apps on the Android platform.

Also, i'm curious if developers have to change their Android APP UI to fit the
new UI from Nokia (could be dangerous for Nokia).

Next, Android users all have a gmail account, now they need to switch to
Outlook ? Not exactly user-friendly. Most developers have to change their
Authentication also on their app.

------
kreeben
I have heard great things about Microsoft's Windows Phones and Nokias
hardware, but this move is confusing to say the least and I am not quite sure
why it is necessary. MS designed the WP OS to run on moderately speced
hardware but not on low-end devices? And now that they want a smartphone for
the rising markets, they go looking for suitable software, which they find in
the lap of their immediate competitor?

------
rbanffy
I imagine this decision made through both Microsoft's and Nokia's legal
departments, but I can't really stop wondering what the implications of
Microsoft distributing GPLv2 (with implicit patent licenses) and Apache (with
explicit ones) has on their patent extortion<C-backspace>licensing business
can be.

This could end up being much larger than just a couple phones.

~~~
air
I don't think it has to go through MS legal yet. Nokia has to legally act as
if the merge does not go through. If/when Microsoft will sell this phone, it
will probably be through a subsidiary, just like it does currently all open
source contributions through [https://msopentech.com](https://msopentech.com)
, to avoid respecting the patent licenses.

~~~
rbanffy
I would imagine a judge would not be kind to this type of subterfuge once
litigation started. It's completely obvious they are not distinct entities.

------
wslh
I think the proper way to do this is to run Windows Mobile side by side with
Android. Since Android is open source it's easy to do that for companies like
Microsoft. You can virtualize one OS or find another way to integrate them.

Another route is dual booting but I think it does more harm than good.

------
tdicola
How long will this realistically last in the new MS-owned Nokia? Will it have
the same fate as the Kin?

------
slowmotiony
512MB ram? My year old android handset has 1GB and is slow as all hell. It
hangs, reboots itself, shows weird errors ("Activity Phone is not responding"
when somebody is calling) and takes 30 seconds to open firefox. I don't know
what Nokia is thinking.

~~~
indy
Android 4.4 is targeted to run on low memory (i.e 512MB) devices unlike some
of the previous Android releases.

~~~
Oletros
Nokia X runs Android 4.1, not 4.4

~~~
pritambaral
Source?

EDIT: Wikipedia initially said 4.4.1

~~~
Oletros
Someone has already changed it.

~~~
mhaymo
I'm still seeing it saying 4.4.1, with this as the source:
[http://www.nokiapoweruser.com/2014/01/08/nokia-normandy-
show...](http://www.nokiapoweruser.com/2014/01/08/nokia-normandy-shows-up-on-
antutu-5-mp-cam-854-x-480-display-running-android-kitkat-4-4-1/)

~~~
Oletros
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_X](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_X)

------
brudgers
The analogy I see is to Unix. A worthwhile strategy for some larger companies
is to build their own flavor on top of a greybox platform. This is what Amazon
has done. Their Android flavor is seasoned to move Amazon goods and services.
A Nokia Android flavor can be tailored to move Nokia goods and services, just
as Google's Android flavor is all about Google's business plan.

The advantage that Nokia has is a fundamental B2B ethos. It is a commonality
with Microsoft. Their chief rivals, Google and Apple don't have a partnering
mindset. Nokia gets Skype and Office. They have a long history of maps.

This makes sense. In the long term going with an Android fork has nothing but
upside for a company with Nokia's chops and culture.

------
est
spec: [http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-
family/](http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-family/)

Looks rather poor. 800x480px on a 5-inch screen would be painful.

~~~
Aoyagi
It's supposed to be very cheap'o. MS (and by that Nokia) is focusing on "fast-
growing emerging markets" a lot.

~~~
GFischer
And they're right to do that :) . A "base of the pyramid" attack on Apple and
Samsung sounds like their only option.

Only Samsung and chinese companies are cornering that market, which was
formerly Nokias'.

------
princeyesuraj
It should be a challenge for Nokia buy not allowing Google Play Services and
Promoting Windows and Nokia based apps but this is the only way windows will
allow Nokia to develop more android based devices.

As of this post from Nokia [http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-
family/](http://conversations.nokia.com/2014/02/24/nokia-x-family/)

I think they still allow other 3rd-party sources for downloading the apps and
there are still more Android based phones to come.

------
pritambaral
For others like me, the press release says: "a family of smartphones that run
Android(TM) apps". Yes, other app stores can be sideloaded, and they even
mention a few, but not Google's Play Store.

Personally, I doubt getting Play Store on it would be as simple as sideloading
(sideloading itself isn't much different from what other app stores do)
because of Google's Play Services.

Hopefully root (or a ROM, if necessary) could help with that.

------
awjr
From what I can tell, this is aimed at 3rd world countries.

I'm guessing Microsoft did not want to put their OS on a device that won't
have top performance as well.

------
mukundmr
This is a good move as it addresses the need for cheaper phones in markets
like India where the "Nokia Asha" line of phones are a poor substitute against
similarly priced low end Android phones. By making the user experience similar
to Windows phone and removing Google Mobile Services, they have made it easier
to upgrade to the more expensive siblings at a later date.

------
glasz
i can't express how i hate the nokia-microsoft-conglomerate for... this...
"strategy".

it appears they don't even have what could be called strategy. for years now,
they've been fucking around, burning money and talent like crazy.

the only thing nokia-microsoft should do is leverage windows phone's
potential. and there's so much of it. (i'm saying this as an apple user). all
the money for all this bullshit they are doing/have done could have been well
invested in fleshing out their ecosystem (and i don't mean "pay developers for
ports"). e.g they do have so bloody many customers who'd love mobile devices
with the ms office suite. there, right there is you focus point. but no, they
delay their mobile office because of internal fist fights. useless bastards
management.

for god's sake, these things make me want to storm into board meetings, jump
on the table and just scream at their stupidity and kicking heads off
shoulders like bruce lee.

man...

~~~
sirkneeland
"e.g they do have so bloody many customers who'd love mobile devices with the
ms office suite. there, right there is you focus point."

Given that Windows Phones (mobile devices with the MS office suite) have been
on the market for 3 years and not really taken off, I'd wager your theory
isn't really true. Clearly having MS Office is not enough to sway many people.

------
d0
Is this non-Microsoft Nokia or Microsoft's handset division.

If it's the former, I will guffaw loudly in the direction of Microsoft!

~~~
sirkneeland
it's the latter.

------
blueskin_
Weak specs, no physical buttons, and one of the two missing an SD card. I
predict these will not do well.

Edit: Oh, and the interface is awful. The sensible thing would have been to
use Android as inspiration to redesign Metro to be less ugly and
nonfunctional, not to try and port Metro to Android...

------
CmonDev
It's good to see an Engadget link again. TheVerge is turning into a hipster
political magazine...

~~~
sirkneeland
Glad I'm not the only one who finds the Verge's foray into politics to be
wholly unwelcome.

------
ashishb
Too little, too late. My thoughts: [http://ashishb.net/tech/nokia-working-on-
android-phone/](http://ashishb.net/tech/nokia-working-on-android-phone/)

------
ulfw
Such a pointless release that will only lead to customer confusion. I bet
those will be cancelled as soon as the MSFT purchase (finally) closes. Just
goes to show why Nokia has been sold off. Sad.

~~~
Noughmad
It may be a negotiating tactic. You know, you need us more than we need you.

~~~
ulfw
Negotiate with whom?

------
enscr
Lots of comments & speculations but no good explanation of - Why?

~~~
jmnicolas
Maybe because Windows Phone can't run on low spec hardware and MS would like
to capture the emerging markets.

~~~
enscr
That may not be true. Look at the low end Lumia, they are moderately spec'd.
Even Lumia 720 which is Nexus 4 level device has a quarter of the RAM & works
great.

------
kookpa
Al the nokia x series look fantastics. I m waiting for nokia xl.

------
laureny
4 inch screen, 3M pixel camera, no Android Play and 4Gb of ram? What year is
this, 2010?

It's going to take a better phone than that to turn that ship around.

------
antman
I hope they use their own speech recognition engine. My cheap Nokia understood
me better 10 years ago than my expensive Android today.

------
nemasu
No play store? Nothing to see here, move along.

------
steele
If the camera is as good as the other Lumias and this can be flashed w/ CM,
count me first in line at the fire sale

~~~
eurleif
>3-megapixel camera

:/

~~~
baq
pixels without sensor size are meaningless. a 3 megapixel camera that has good
dynamic range and can shoot reasonable shutter speed at low isos in low light
would be much better in a phone than a 15 mpix.

------
drofmij
I was hoping for nokia + android + 41 megapixel camera. But no they have 3
megapixel ones? what?

------
aviraldg
Embrace, extend, extinguish...

------
dangravell
Look like a nice form factor. Sensible size, screen takes up most of the face.

------
jigneshlg
From business point of view i am bit curious to know why microsoft is started
using Android OS?

Android owned by Google and the biggest competitor of Microsoft. Despite of
having nice operating system like Windows mobile, they are trying Android !
This gives good sign of co-operation between giants.

Share your thoughts !

~~~
bskap
The Nokia/Microsoft deal hasn't completely gone through yet. Until it does,
Microsoft is not legally allowed to have any say in Nokia's product decisions

~~~
enscr
Microsoft has been known to do a lot of things that they aren't legally
allowed. In this case, I doubt they would not interfere if they didn't want
to.

~~~
jigneshlg
Agree with you,

Without business motive, they hardly do anything :)

------
Geee
And third, 5-inch Nokia XL. All priced 10 euros apart starting from 89€.

------
pritambaral
I can't find any hint of Home or Menu buttons, even soft.

------
TazeTSchnitzel
Forked AOSP? So, getting apps from Ovi store?

~~~
Aoyagi
Ovi Store has been frozen a few weeks (months?) back, so no updates for
MeeGo/Symbian applications through that.

------
malkia
Nokia is really a confused middle aged man.

------
einhverfr
Why call it X when they could call it X11?

------
kul_
phew! finally.

------
fidotron
The cat is finally out of the bag: Android as a platform is a more capable
service delivery layer than the web even for Nokia and Microsoft, especially
in developing markets, much as Google and Mozilla like to pretend otherwise.
These are going to prove exceedingly popular.

The sad thing is Android is essentially a dead platform at this point because
Google recognise investment in the core system is helping their enemies, and
they hold a veto over what counts as a fork and what doesn't. The only thing
that can save Android would be Google letting go completely, which is simply
not in their interests.

~~~
Oletros
>The sad thing is Android is essentially a dead platform at this point because
Google recognise investment in the core system is helping their enemies, and
they hold a veto over what counts as a fork and what doesn't. The only thing
that can save Android would be Google letting go completely, which is simply
not in their interests.

Still trying to grasp if it is just a parody or it is said seriously

