Everything You Need To Know About Nokia's First Android Phone 'Normandy'
Nokia's first Android phone which is yet to launch has been making small appearances on various sites. Now the much-awaited phone has appeared on some certification sites.
By Sadho Ram — 11 Dec 2013, 02:37 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Microsoft Gives Thumbs Up To Nokia To Release The 'Normandy' This Month
FINNISH PHONE MAKER Nokia will unveil its rumoured Nokia X Android phone at Mobile World Congress later this month, reportedly with Microsoft's blessing.
theinquirer.net
Citing "people familiar with the matter", the Wall Street Journal reported that Nokia's first Android phone codenamed the Nokia Normandy will be unveiled in Barcelona on 24 February, despite speculation that Microsoft might not allow it.
wsj.comThe report said Nokia's engineers were working on the Android phone long before Microsoft's bought the firm's devices division, adding that the Redmond company has since given the Finnish phone firm the green light to go ahead and release the device.
Such a move isn't all that surprising, as despite Microsoft's focus on its own Windows Phone operating system, if Nokia's Android phone is a success it will help cover the high cost of competing in a smartphone industry dominated by handsets running Google's mobile operating system.
theinquirer.net
The Wall Street Journal report also revealed some more information about Nokia's first Android device that's perhaps bad news for potential customers. The Nokia X apparently won't have access to Google Play, nor will it feature the usual Google apps, with Nokia instead opting for Microsoft alternatives. This was Nokia's decision, but we're guessing that Microsoft likely had a say too.
businessinsider.com
Nokia's Android Phone 'Normandy' Reportedly Certified In Indonesia And Malaysia
Nokia's anticipated Android-powered handset, the Nokia X (also known as Nokia Normandy), has continued to stay in the news, and now new reports indicate the handset has been certified in Indonesia and Malaysia.
ndtv.com
It is being reported that a Nokia device with a model number RM-980 (previously spotted in a benchmark listing) has been spotted at Malaysia's certification body, soon after it was noted that the same device had been spotted at Indonesia's certification agency.
thinkdigit.com
Apart from these certification sites, Normandy was also reported to be registered under Avaxx and Zitron who the official distributors of Nokia mobile phones.
ubergizmo.com
Nokia Normandy, also referrred to as Nokia X, appears on Vietnamese retailer site with Google services
The phone appears in a listing on Vietnamese gadget shop The Gioididong -- which is a fantastic name for a shop, it must be said -- but it doesn't appear to be on sale yet. The listing doesn't appear to give a release date.
cnet.co.uk
A Nokia spokesperson told the company hasn't announced a product of that name.
Although the price and release date are conspicuously absent, the Vietnamese listing does provide a few details on the purported specs of the hotly-rumoured phone.
If they're to be believed, this new phone only boasts a dual-core 1GHz processor under its 4-inch screen.
Most interesting of all, the listing claims the phone runs Android 4.4. KitKat software.
ubergizmo.com
That said, the attached picture tallies with previous leaks in showing a radically different interface for Android, based on big colourful squares not a million miles away from Windows Phone.
cnet.co.uk
Nothing major however, so in the end, the 4-incher shall still look like a blocky, slightly more elegant, larger Asha 501.
Image via thedroidguy.comOther features include a 5-megapixel camera and space for two SIM cards, although that's likely to be something only available in certain parts of the world. Dual-SIM phones don't really exist in this neck of the woods, at least in part because networks aren't keen on them.
The Finnish company is apparently working on a device that many Android fans would love to see in stores – an actual Nokia Android handset
Nokia has been working on an Android phone while their hardware division falls into the hands of Microsoft. According to a report from The Verge, Nokia is currently working hard to release an Android device.
slashgear.comCodenamed Normandy, and known internally at Nokia under a number of other names, the handset is designed as the next step in low-end phones from the Finnish smartphone maker.
theverge.com
The device is said to bring a forked version of Android to the table, like Amazon does with their Kindle tablets.
androidcommunity.comAccording to The Verge, the device is reportedly still in development
The phone is apparently set for a 2014 launch, although it’s unclear whether this will still happen, in light of the Microsoft purchase, even if the work on the device is currently described at “full steam ahead.”
theverge.com
Interestingly, the Normandy has not been developed as a flagship device to take on the Galaxy S4 and HTC One models. Instead, it’s an equivalent to Nokia’s Asha family of phones that would target budget-oriented Android shoppers.
More importantly, the Normandy runs a custom Android fork, as it looks like Nokia has decided to go the Amazon way with its Android plans. The phone apparently runs Android applications.
Normandy supports Android applications like Skype, and other popular top apps
Nokia has been developing the Android-powered phone despite Microsoft’s plans to acquire the company’s handset business.
theverge.com
Nokia’s effort is similar to Amazon’s own use of Android, allowing the company to customize it fully for its own use
gizmodo.com
But even if the Normandy project is real, it might never see daylight
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's handset decision is all but a sure thing at this point, and making hardware for a rival operating system sounds like the kind of plan that might get canned.
cnet.com
So unless Nokia manages to release Normandy ahead of its Microsoft deal, we can’t imagine Microsoft is interested in using Android to target the low-end over its own Windows Phone operating system.
theverge.com