Nokia Announces Nokia X Android Smartphone

squiggleslash writes "Despite some industry skepticism, Nokia has indeed been working on an Android smartphone and finally unveiled the Nokia X today. As rumored, it's not a Google Play compatible device, running instead a Google-less AOSP build with a Nokia app store, and Windows Phone style shell. The budget phone will also not be marketed in North America. The Media seems convinced Microsoft — who are in the process of acquiring Nokia — will kill the project, but it's hard to see why Nokia would be working on such a project at this time if Microsoft had plans to do this."

Comments

i have to ask

[beefoot]

Since Nokia makes wonderful handset, could existing nokia handsets running windows be modded to run android?

I wouldn't have believed it - even uglier than WP

[daboochmeister]

If someone had suggested they could release an interface even more playskool, offputting and uglier than WP's tiles, I would have told them they were simply crazy. Alas, I was wrong.

Why now?

[Kingkaid]

It isn't a secret that Nokia was working on this phone for a while and their exclusive deal with Microsoft prevented them from releasing it until now. Part of the reason why MS likely acquired Nokia now was because the contract was set to expire and they could lose their largest handset manufacturer. From Nokia's POV, they've been making this for a while and why not show off the hard work? I am sure it is a bit of an ego thing on their part. And with the timing, in the event the regulatory stuff prevented the purchase from Microsoft, it is a good idea for Nokia to keep proceeding as usual and go ahead with the release. Remember that Nokia is only selling their handset side of the business to Microsoft, with a 5 year use of the name. After that time Nokia may consider getting back into the mobile space and what a nice way to come back by having a product that may wet a few appetites (it worked with their N9 and Meego, look at the diehards for those on /.).

Re:Why now?

[wile_e8]

From what I've heard, the companies are legally required to act like separate companies until the merger clears all the regulatory hurdles. So killing this because of the pending merger would look bad from that aspect. IANAL though, so any legal types feel free to correct me.

Re:Why now?

[Karlt1]

Dalvic is a JIT system, so no, there's no significant slowness caused by apps being shipped in bytecode form.

Just because Java proponents have been saying that for 20 years doesn't make it true.

WTF Nokia

[Nemyst]

So wait, you guys had trouble making the Ovi Store attractive for devs, you haven't managed to make the Windows Store have anything worthwhile in it, and so your answer to WP failing is to make yet another app store you won't know what the fuck to do with? Brilliant.

If you wanted to have Android on the side, you don't make it rely on some rather complex software infrastructure like that. I really don't see Nokia as having the resources necessary to keep up with their full software stack. Even big players like HTC and Samsung aren't using an alternative app store and many alternative skins suck really bad. Just keep in mind that Amazon's Kindle Fire HD is still on a derivative of 4.0.3 and probably will stay that way.

What's so hard in understanding this simple three-step formula:
1) Make some nice hardware.
2) Put vanilla Android on it with a clear upgrade path to the latest version.
3) Profit!

Sounds like a Niche, not a future

[Quick Reply]

An AOSP phone without Google Play, let alone Amazon App Store or any other established Android App Store, sounds like a Niche phone for programmers/hackers.

I suspect that it is designed to succeed the legendary Maemo operating system & N900/N9 phones, than a serious attempt to build a future Operating System.

I expect that it will be highly prized among the hacker community, totally hacked to death with an onslaught of Linux-based operating systems including Ubuntu phone, Firefox OS, CyanagenMod, and Maemo itself. Maybe a few surprises with some left-field operating systems finding their way on there as well.

Re:Sounds like a Niche, not a future

[Howitzer86]

I was under the impression that this phone was a low cost offering for developing countries. Hackers DO like that kind of thing, but I doubt it was made with them in mind. I agree with your suggestion that it might have been the successor to the Maemo platform. If so, this was something in the works since before the buy-out plans by Microsoft, and that MS, rather than kill it all together, decided to let them get it out there in order for them to make a return on their investment, provided they at least make it look like the Windows Phone OS.

This will definitely be wanted by hackers though with Android drifting ever-away from AOSP, it's almost assured to be considered a dead-end phone.

I see a long and successfull future

[DrXym]

For a phone product line that runs a bastardized version of Android, which doesn't provide access to Play store out of the box, and that is produced by a company shortly be absorbed into Microsoft

Re:I wouldn't have believed it - even uglier than

[tepples]

A phone UI can't get more Fisher-Price than this one.