5 ms·

Nokia moves ahead with plans for a low-end Android handset

46 points by shawndumas 13y ago

Kuytu 13y ago
Microsoft wants to sell Windows Phones using Microsoft brand. How would developing Android handset and selling it under Nokia brand help that cause? It could be interpreted as lack of faith for their own platform. Would Microsoft do it just to get time to convert Nokia customers to Microsoft customers? Seems unlikely to me.
- asdfs 13y ago
  Microsoft hasn't acquired Nokia yet, AIUI.
- stonewhite 13y ago
  First of all, Nokia will be forking Android Microsoft has earned more money from android (by lawsuits) then it earned from WP8. Maybe it is trying to earn some more by embracing and extending. And another approach would be like, Samsung Crapwiz will look the same even if it switches to tizen or stays android. Similar to that, the latest Symbian phones already resemble androids both in UI and UX. So changing the underlying software would cause minimal attention. Nokia would only profit from this more mature and capable technology.
  - camus2 13y ago
    > Microsoft has earned more money from android (by lawsuits) then it earned from WP8. Maybe it is trying to earn some more by embracing and extending. It would be a big f_ck to all WP devs, why would they invest in Window Platerform if all they need is a linux box to develop for MSFT phones ? But hey, MSFT works in mysterious ways.
  - salient 13y ago
    Not lawsuits, patent extortion. If only there were actual lawsuits, but I don't think they've won anything from actual lawsuits. They just pressured companies into giving them money.
- Joeri 13y ago
  The only way it would make sense is to use an android fork without app store as a way of making cheap feature phones. They could then upsell people to windows phone and create a market perception that android is inferior. It doesn't make sense however, as the hardware needed to run android well outstrips that needed to run windows phone well. It would make more sense to make a stripped down windows phone. So, i see no way this plan survives the acquisition.
  - sgloutnikov 13y ago
    Not much point to that either, and I agree it doesn't make sense. Removing the Play Store, there already is Nokia Asha-- which runs very smooth on low-end devices.
  - vetinari 13y ago
    > the hardware needed to run android well outstrips that needed to run windows phone well It is a myth. The worst (and only) SoC where WP8 runs is the Snapdragon Krait. On this configuration, Android runs very well (see also Nexus 4 or Nexus 7 2013). Added to that, WP8 phones have lower-resolution displays (Lumia 520: 800x480, Moto G: 1280x720; Lumia 1020: 1280x720, Galaxy S4: 1920x1080), which drives down the needed RAM for your framebuffer, it's backing stores, textures and assests.
clumsysmurf 13y ago
"According to the report, Nokia plans to fork Android to fit its purposes, similar to the approach used by Amazon." No, please no !!! We have the Amazon fork; various Chinese forks; and now a Nokia fork ?!? I think this damages the Android brand. The way Google has been consolidating functionality into Play Service is a direct move against this kind of thing, whatever they say about open source being good. Whats the point of this? Samsung is making most of the profits from Android. They dominate the high end Android phones with LG in second if I recall. On the low end, there is a slew of junk but some interesting and very capable devices like the Moto G (as far as I can tell, it could only use a better camera and build quality). Are they attempting to compete with the Moto G and future Google/Moto devices targeted at this space, presumably as Google lets other OEMs have the high end, using their own fork and ecosystem? Maybe they should do Plan B with Ubuntu Touch and/or Firefox OS
- kumarm 13y ago
  [I think this damages the Android brand.] Wouldn't that be a goal for Nokia Handset Division as part of MSFT? Thats just a trick from old MSFT except with their monopoly.
- wmf 13y ago
  I don't think Amazon is particularly damaging the Android brand because they don't mention Android anywhere.
  - DannyBee 13y ago
    Sure they do "All Kindle Fire tablets are powered by the latest version of Fire OS—Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito", which starts with Android ..." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU0NSCU/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU0NSCU/
- pjmlp 13y ago
  It is always back to the same OEM game, differentiation.
- camus2 13y ago
  Nokia is not part of the Open Handset Alliance ( or whatever is the exact name). So they can fork Android all they want , why not?
nivla 13y ago
This is going to be interesting to watch since Nokia now belongs to Microsoft. I wonder if this is a tactic by Microsoft to tackle Google on their own turf. Atleast its better than those embarrassing Scroogled campaigns. No matter what it turns out to be, at the very best it will give the Open Handset Alliance some competition.
- seanmcdirmid 13y ago
  You know, Nokia could have planned/done the work for this before Microsoft decided to buy them. The deal hasn't closed yet, and there is a firewall between Nokia and Microsoft until then. Who knows what the future will hold... (disclaimer: no inside knowledge from either Microsoft or Nokia)
  - AlexanderDhoore 13y ago
    Maybe someone at Nokia woke up and realised that if they are ever going to make an Android phone, it has to be now. Once the firewall goes down, I doubt even a single Android will get through. They might be trying to setup a line of successful Android phones before Microsoft PMs storm in.
    - daliusd 13y ago
      It is not like you can release new phone with different OS in a month. As well it is not like Nokia is single solid company. There are speculations that Nokia was killed by giving too much independence to different parts of company.
afsina 13y ago
I say not gonna happen. MS bought Nokia, why submit to Android? Nokia will not pay OS licenses anyway.
- easytiger 13y ago
  They don't need to pay anyone anything.
- htns 13y ago
  Well if you buy into the "Elop scuttled Nokia for MS" conspiracy it makes perfect sense.
rurounijones 13y ago
3 years too late.
RyanZAG 13y ago
What a joke. Nokia with the full backing of Microsoft can't even make a decent OS. How do they expect to make a decent OS on their own after firing all of their software developers? Pathetic grandstanding.
- maaaats 13y ago
  You should really try a newer Lumia with Windows Phone 8. It works really well. Differently than Android and iOS, yes, but that's not necessarily bad.
  - RyanZAG 13y ago
    Haha, sure, nobody likes WP8/Lumia besides Microsoft employees because clearly they simply haven't tried it yet. Regardless of all the terrible reviews. Come on, get a grip on reality. The downvotes are even more amusing - does the truth hurt so much? Who is going to build this whole new non-Google Android ecosystem (store, maps, mail, etc)? Nokia's fired developers? Anybody who thinks this will work needs to get a medical check up.
    - maaaats 13y ago
      I'm not a MS employee, and enjoy it very much. You get downvotes for acting like a fanboy, not for telling "the truth".
sgloutnikov 13y ago
This is highly unlikely right now I think. This was possibly a test device they were working on before the WP partnership with Microsoft (and we know for a fact there were such devices). Nokia just sold it's bleeding business to Microsoft, and will concentrate on infrastructure and maps. Why would they want anything to do with Android at this point? It is also way too early for Microsoft (under Nokia's phone division) to be playing with it also, if ever.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
Nursie 13y ago
* 3 years too late * Should have done this at the high end * Fork? So no play store? Ugh. There are so many people I know who would never have left the nokia brand if they'd gone this way instead of the MS way. Rather than go down the pan and then get snapped up by MS they could have been competing with Samsung. And I don't mean like the others compete with samsung for the scraps, they could have captured most of the european market for android. Actually scratch the first point, I think half the people I know with high-end smartphones would probably still make the switch to a well-made, high-end nokia android. The other half use iOS :)
- maaaats 13y ago
  It's a myth that if Nokia made a high-end Android phone now/recently they would have gained a massive user base. If it was so "certain" that every commentator makes it out to be, they certainly would have tried by now. And yes, they are too late. They were doing their thing, and suddenly iOS and Android happened. But WHEN they decided to go down the MS road, they were already too late for Android. They would have ended fighting for the scraps, as you call it. At least now, they have a differentiating factor to them.
  - Nursie 13y ago
    >> It's a myth that if Nokia made a high-end Android phone now/recently they would have gained a massive user base. No, it's speculation. >> If it was so "certain" that every commentator makes it out to be, they certainly would have tried by now. This is far from certain, their leadership (since Stephen Elop came aboard) have been hell-bent on going MS exclusive, I doubt other options were even considered honestly. >> And yes, they are too late. They were doing their thing, and suddenly iOS and Android happened. But WHEN they decided to go down the MS road, they were already too late for Android. You underestimate the HUGE brand loyalty they had in the european market. >> At least now, they have a differentiating factor to them. And look where it's got them.
    - maaaats 13y ago
      >> And look where it's got them. Well, compared to a lot of Android brands they are doing OK, I think. Android is all Samsung + a little bit Sony at the moment.
Nux 13y ago
Interesting. I own an Asha and pleased with it. Would buy a low-end Android from Nokia, but I won't. Because it won't be from Nokia, it'd be from Microsoft. I'd rather just buy a N9 and put Sailfish OS on it. :)

46 points by shawndumas 13y ago

Kuytu 13y ago

Microsoft wants to sell Windows Phones using Microsoft brand. How would developing Android handset and selling it under Nokia brand help that cause? It could be interpreted as lack of faith for their own platform. Would Microsoft do it just to get time to convert Nokia customers to Microsoft customers? Seems unlikely to me.

asdfs 13y ago
Microsoft hasn't acquired Nokia yet, AIUI.
stonewhite 13y ago
First of all, Nokia will be forking Android Microsoft has earned more money from android (by lawsuits) then it earned from WP8. Maybe it is trying to earn some more by embracing and extending. And another approach would be like, Samsung Crapwiz will look the same even if it switches to tizen or stays android. Similar to that, the latest Symbian phones already resemble androids both in UI and UX. So changing the underlying software would cause minimal attention. Nokia would only profit from this more mature and capable technology.
- camus2 13y ago
  > Microsoft has earned more money from android (by lawsuits) then it earned from WP8. Maybe it is trying to earn some more by embracing and extending. It would be a big f_ck to all WP devs, why would they invest in Window Platerform if all they need is a linux box to develop for MSFT phones ? But hey, MSFT works in mysterious ways.
- salient 13y ago
  Not lawsuits, patent extortion. If only there were actual lawsuits, but I don't think they've won anything from actual lawsuits. They just pressured companies into giving them money.
Joeri 13y ago
The only way it would make sense is to use an android fork without app store as a way of making cheap feature phones. They could then upsell people to windows phone and create a market perception that android is inferior. It doesn't make sense however, as the hardware needed to run android well outstrips that needed to run windows phone well. It would make more sense to make a stripped down windows phone. So, i see no way this plan survives the acquisition.
- sgloutnikov 13y ago
  Not much point to that either, and I agree it doesn't make sense. Removing the Play Store, there already is Nokia Asha-- which runs very smooth on low-end devices.
- vetinari 13y ago
  > the hardware needed to run android well outstrips that needed to run windows phone well It is a myth. The worst (and only) SoC where WP8 runs is the Snapdragon Krait. On this configuration, Android runs very well (see also Nexus 4 or Nexus 7 2013). Added to that, WP8 phones have lower-resolution displays (Lumia 520: 800x480, Moto G: 1280x720; Lumia 1020: 1280x720, Galaxy S4: 1920x1080), which drives down the needed RAM for your framebuffer, it's backing stores, textures and assests.

clumsysmurf 13y ago

"According to the report, Nokia plans to fork Android to fit its purposes, similar to the approach used by Amazon." No, please no !!! We have the Amazon fork; various Chinese forks; and now a Nokia fork ?!? I think this damages the Android brand. The way Google has been consolidating functionality into Play Service is a direct move against this kind of thing, whatever they say about open source being good. Whats the point of this? Samsung is making most of the profits from Android. They dominate the high end Android phones with LG in second if I recall. On the low end, there is a slew of junk but some interesting and very capable devices like the Moto G (as far as I can tell, it could only use a better camera and build quality). Are they attempting to compete with the Moto G and future Google/Moto devices targeted at this space, presumably as Google lets other OEMs have the high end, using their own fork and ecosystem? Maybe they should do Plan B with Ubuntu Touch and/or Firefox OS

kumarm 13y ago
[I think this damages the Android brand.] Wouldn't that be a goal for Nokia Handset Division as part of MSFT? Thats just a trick from old MSFT except with their monopoly.
wmf 13y ago
I don't think Amazon is particularly damaging the Android brand because they don't mention Android anywhere.
- DannyBee 13y ago
  Sure they do "All Kindle Fire tablets are powered by the latest version of Fire OS—Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito", which starts with Android ..." http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU0NSCU/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CU0NSCU/
pjmlp 13y ago
It is always back to the same OEM game, differentiation.
camus2 13y ago
Nokia is not part of the Open Handset Alliance ( or whatever is the exact name). So they can fork Android all they want , why not?

nivla 13y ago

This is going to be interesting to watch since Nokia now belongs to Microsoft. I wonder if this is a tactic by Microsoft to tackle Google on their own turf. Atleast its better than those embarrassing Scroogled campaigns. No matter what it turns out to be, at the very best it will give the Open Handset Alliance some competition.

seanmcdirmid 13y ago
You know, Nokia could have planned/done the work for this before Microsoft decided to buy them. The deal hasn't closed yet, and there is a firewall between Nokia and Microsoft until then. Who knows what the future will hold... (disclaimer: no inside knowledge from either Microsoft or Nokia)
- AlexanderDhoore 13y ago
  Maybe someone at Nokia woke up and realised that if they are ever going to make an Android phone, it has to be now. Once the firewall goes down, I doubt even a single Android will get through. They might be trying to setup a line of successful Android phones before Microsoft PMs storm in.
  - daliusd 13y ago
    It is not like you can release new phone with different OS in a month. As well it is not like Nokia is single solid company. There are speculations that Nokia was killed by giving too much independence to different parts of company.

afsina 13y ago

I say not gonna happen. MS bought Nokia, why submit to Android? Nokia will not pay OS licenses anyway.

easytiger 13y ago
They don't need to pay anyone anything.
htns 13y ago
Well if you buy into the "Elop scuttled Nokia for MS" conspiracy it makes perfect sense.

rurounijones 13y ago

3 years too late.

RyanZAG 13y ago

What a joke. Nokia with the full backing of Microsoft can't even make a decent OS. How do they expect to make a decent OS on their own after firing all of their software developers? Pathetic grandstanding.

maaaats 13y ago
You should really try a newer Lumia with Windows Phone 8. It works really well. Differently than Android and iOS, yes, but that's not necessarily bad.
- RyanZAG 13y ago
  Haha, sure, nobody likes WP8/Lumia besides Microsoft employees because clearly they simply haven't tried it yet. Regardless of all the terrible reviews. Come on, get a grip on reality. The downvotes are even more amusing - does the truth hurt so much? Who is going to build this whole new non-Google Android ecosystem (store, maps, mail, etc)? Nokia's fired developers? Anybody who thinks this will work needs to get a medical check up.
  - maaaats 13y ago
    I'm not a MS employee, and enjoy it very much. You get downvotes for acting like a fanboy, not for telling "the truth".

sgloutnikov 13y ago

This is highly unlikely right now I think. This was possibly a test device they were working on before the WP partnership with Microsoft (and we know for a fact there were such devices). Nokia just sold it's bleeding business to Microsoft, and will concentrate on infrastructure and maps. Why would they want anything to do with Android at this point? It is also way too early for Microsoft (under Nokia's phone division) to be playing with it also, if ever.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

Nursie 13y ago

* 3 years too late * Should have done this at the high end * Fork? So no play store? Ugh. There are so many people I know who would never have left the nokia brand if they'd gone this way instead of the MS way. Rather than go down the pan and then get snapped up by MS they could have been competing with Samsung. And I don't mean like the others compete with samsung for the scraps, they could have captured most of the european market for android. Actually scratch the first point, I think half the people I know with high-end smartphones would probably still make the switch to a well-made, high-end nokia android. The other half use iOS :)

maaaats 13y ago
It's a myth that if Nokia made a high-end Android phone now/recently they would have gained a massive user base. If it was so "certain" that every commentator makes it out to be, they certainly would have tried by now. And yes, they are too late. They were doing their thing, and suddenly iOS and Android happened. But WHEN they decided to go down the MS road, they were already too late for Android. They would have ended fighting for the scraps, as you call it. At least now, they have a differentiating factor to them.
- Nursie 13y ago
  >> It's a myth that if Nokia made a high-end Android phone now/recently they would have gained a massive user base. No, it's speculation. >> If it was so "certain" that every commentator makes it out to be, they certainly would have tried by now. This is far from certain, their leadership (since Stephen Elop came aboard) have been hell-bent on going MS exclusive, I doubt other options were even considered honestly. >> And yes, they are too late. They were doing their thing, and suddenly iOS and Android happened. But WHEN they decided to go down the MS road, they were already too late for Android. You underestimate the HUGE brand loyalty they had in the european market. >> At least now, they have a differentiating factor to them. And look where it's got them.
  - maaaats 13y ago
    >> And look where it's got them. Well, compared to a lot of Android brands they are doing OK, I think. Android is all Samsung + a little bit Sony at the moment.

Nux 13y ago

Interesting. I own an Asha and pleased with it. Would buy a low-end Android from Nokia, but I won't. Because it won't be from Nokia, it'd be from Microsoft. I'd rather just buy a N9 and put Sailfish OS on it. :)