A lot of mystery has surrounded Nokia’s move towards Android. It’s decision to release three new Android powered phones just before Microsoft acquires it, has raised quite a few eyebrows. While some perceive this move as a sign of rebellion and discontent in the Nokia camp, this might just be the smarted thing Nokia has done yet.
It is a popular misconception that the Microsoft’s main rival in mobile technology is Linnux and hence Android. The bigger fish out there is Google and that is where their real competition lies. Microsoft sees Android as a means to gain a strong foothold in a Google dominated arena. Which is why contrary to popular conjecture, this move was not aimed at alienating Microsoft. Rather it was made with the intent to woo Android app developers into developing for all platforms. Let us face it, Windows pretty much failed in the mobile development scene. Android, on the other hand has ruled the marketplace for many years now, and is rich with a number of talented and experienced developers. With the release of an Android powered Nokia phone, Nokia has just expanded the Android base. Having a device which runs on the OS used by over 80 percent of the users and smartphone application developers can only bring good things to Nokia.
Unlike other Android devices, users of the Nokia X, X+ and XL will not be able to use the google services like Google Play Store, maps, etc. They will instead have to rely on the Nokia store, and Microsoft mail, maps and Bing search. This move hence is a great way to popularise these services among people.
With the acquisition looming over them, Nokia has nothing to lose. This range of phones is a perfect test to see how Android app developers react, and whether they chose to port their applications for Nokia phones as well. With Microsoft, deciding to move from software services to hardware products, they probably will chose to continue this range of phones, even after Nokia comes to their hands. So to sum it all up, I personally think Nokia has come up with the right phone at the right time. But only the market trend can tell us the true story. So it is time for us to wait and watch.
