According to a report via The New York Times on the weekend, Nokia was reportedly working on an Android based Lumia phone just in case the partnership with Microsoft went sour beyond 2014.
Nokia of course, did have the option to get out of the original Microsoft partnership deal in late 2014 so testing an Android devices was a key step in preparing for a future without Lumia devices running Windows Phone 8. According to the New York Times sources, getting Nokia devices to boot Android was an easy task to accomplish from an engineering perspective.
Microsoft executives were apparently aware of the Android project Nokia was working on. However, its existence wasn’t part of the acquisition negotiations.
Of course, a potential switch to Android by Nokia would have had meant a massive blow for Microsoft, as Nokia accounts for over 80% of all Windows Phone devices sold. Nokia though, would have certainly gotten the better part from such a deal (the company’s current share of the smartphone market is 3% for the first half of 2013, down from 32.8% in 2010) as Android currently powers about three quarters of all smartphones sold globally.
Personally, I would have liked to see Nokia work on and ultimately bring out an Android based Lumia device, as Nokia have shown they can make absolutely beautiful hardware, but its partnership with Microsoft at the time for Windows Phone 8 is what truly helped keep its continued downward spiral market share wise.
Would you have liked to see Nokia work on and bring out a Android powered Lumia device?
Whatever anyone’s personal opinions are of Nokia, Android or Microsoft, it’s an undeniable fact that Nokia and Microsoft are failing to capture the market. Android is the chosen smartphone platform of the majority of the market. The Nokia name is a household name that many people are prepared to trust. The problem is Microsoft. They are ‘on the nose’ from a consumer perspective. The colorful Windows tiles on phones, tablets and laptops sit around in stores, largely ignored by the purchasing public. There are many reasons for this that are beyond the scope of this comment thread. We are seeing… Read more »
The second last paragraph sums up the whole problem.
Unfortunately for Nokia, they were foolhardy enough to bet the company on Windows Phone being successful. They lost the bet, and the company.
Technology gains another company name for adding to the historical footnotes.
I’m actually glad Nokia went with Windows. Nokia’s hardware is big and colourful and Android wouldn’t have done it justice. Windows Phone, with its big colourful tiles just seems perfectly matched for the Lumia phones. Lumias with Android just look boring, as can be seen in the images above.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Android, but for Nokia’s brand, it would have been the wrong choice.
I hate to admit it (because I love their Hardware and WP7 isn’t for me), but I think you’re right.
Colorful hardware is something missing from Android.
All we generally see is boring black or white, with the all too rare special edition of a particular device made in colour with a corresponding sharp hike in price tag.
At one time, the boss of LG was saying that they wanted to bring back the idea of colourful phones. That went nowhere.
I’d love to see Android devices regularly released in a wider spectrum of colours.
Looks like Windows Phone was the wrong choice too James considering future “Nokia” phones won’t be branded Nokia any more, after the purchase. Microsoft only purchased the Lumia and Asha names, not the Nokia brand.
Glad Nokia didn’t go with Android. I only tried WP8 because of Nokia’s reputation for quality hardware and, having done so, have switched to WP8. (I am a long time Android user – ran Cyanogenmod from an SD card on an HTC HD2, then HTC Desire Z, SG 2, Htc One XL, Galaxy Note 2, Nexus S and 4, Nexus 7 and 10 tablets, Xoom and Transformer Prime!). The reason I switched to WP8 is email. Google refuses to fix the lack of notifications for emails in Exchange when using subfolders (which makes it unusable for work email). Having done… Read more »
Good for you, you’re obviously wrapped with your choice and that’s great! However, I’m surprised to hear you’ve struggled using MS Exchange email on Android. I used it currently on my Nexus 4 & 7 and have no problem at all; I used it on and HTC One XL prior to that also with no problem.
Either way, I get the appeal with WP8 and I’ve high hopes for it in the future. For now at least, I can’t get enough Android and don’t see myself changing anytime soon.
Try creating a subfolder in your Inbox and rules for emails to go to the subfolder. Even if you choose to synchronise the sub-folder, you won’t receive a new email notification for new mail going to that sub-folder. You have to manually open each sub-folder to check if you have new email. What was most frustrating is that Touchdown allows subfolder notification (and I used it for years – it’s just so ugly though!) so it could be done. It has been a starred issue on the Google fix list for years but they obviously don’t care to fix MS… Read more »
That would be very frustrating! I’ve actually steered away Folders within folders for just this reason; you’re absolutely right. I remember someone trying to convince me that I’m sorting my emails “in the wrong way”!!
I’m glad WP8 is working out for you.
Nokia could have made the competition in the Android marketspace very interesting, but they dug their own grave when they made the deal with the Evil Empire.
put AOSP on that and Hmmm. nexus killer