Nokia is reportedly preparing to launch its first Android based smartphone this month with a few modifications.
Microsoft will soon complete the acquisition of Nokia mobile device business and license the patents, but the Finnish company plans to show off its first Android-based smartphone soon. Reports of Nokia tinkering with Google's OS have been making rounds for quite some time now. A latest report by Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter, reveals that the Nokia Android phone, codenamed Normandy, is expected to debut at the Mobile World Congress, starting February 24.
Nokia tied its full Lumia lineup exclusively to Microsoft's Windows Phone, but it looks like the phone maker is finally coming out of its shell to experiment with Google's dominant mobile OS. Microsoft's Windows Phone powered only high-end smartphones devices, unlike Android that is used in devices ranging from entry-level to high-end phones.
Analysts saw this coming for some time, as reports speculated that Nokia engineers were working on an Android phone before Microsoft struck the $7.4 billion deal last September to acquire the phone maker. Ross Rubin, principal analyst for industry researcher Reticle Research, noted that Nokia's Android handset appeared similar to Kindle devices. Though, Amazon uses Android to power up the Kindles, it uses its own customization.
Nokia believes that its "non-Google services would be compelling enough to woo consumers from other platforms," Rubin told Venture Beat. Services such as Nokia's Here maps, Mix Radio, and a Nokia app store featuring Android apps are possible options for Nokia's customized Android-based phones.
The Microsoft-Nokia merger is still being worked out and it is uncertain if Nokia will bring any Microsoft apps in its Android phone.
