Nokia has been coy amid the speculation of a supposed smartphone running on what we're led to believe will be a 'forked' version of Google's Android, but with the Mobile World Congress drawing ever closer, the well-guarded secret is becoming increasingly difficult for the Finnish company to keep under wraps. Today, prolific leaker Evleaks has come through with yet another press image of the supposed 'Nokia X' handset, and although the fact that Microsoft is in the processes of purchasing Nokia throws up quite the conflict of interests, it's looking more likely than not that the Lumia maker will be pressing ahead and showcasing the Nokia X next week.
Just when you thought that the fashion world couldn't get any more weird, someone decided to throw the smartphone industry into the mix, just to see what kind of un-Godly concoction they could come up with. The result? A skirt made from Nokia 1020 and 1520 smartphones.
Although Windows Phone, as discussed earlier, is a struggling ecosystem in mobile space, the devices currently being churned out for the platform are every bit worthy of recognition. Nokia, even before it was acquired by Microsoft, provided a continual stream of great handsets for WP users to behold, and has today unveiled yet another addition to its high-end line-up. The Lumia Icon, which will launch on Verizon Wireless in The States, packs a similarly high-end performance to that of the established releases like the Lumia 1020 and 925, and as the Finnish company's first major release of the year so far, we'll be looking at the key specs and form factor after the break.
The Wall Street Journal has just waded into the growing speculation around the purported Android-based Nokia smartphone - allegedly known as the Nokia X - by noting that the Finnish company does in fact intend to announce the device at this year's Mobile World Congress, which kicks off later this month.
It's looking more and more likely that Nokia will indeed be launching an Android-based handset. Thanks to a couple of previous leaks, we already have a relatively vivid picture of the UI, which looks a lot more like Windows Phone than Google's mobile OS, and we can also have a fairly solid idea of its form factor. Now, thanks to yet another spoiler from the ever-reliable Evleaks Twitter handle, we have a list of specs for the so-called 'Nokia X,' and in line with previous reports, it's pretty standard mid-range fare.
We've been hearing a lot of rumor and speculation regarding Nokia's supposed effort to bring its first smartphone running on Android to market, and while it has been suggested on numerous occasions that next month's Mobile World Congress (MWC) could be the venue for the grand unveiling, Nokia has now all-but confirmed this to be the case by sending out invitations to a special press event kicking off on 24th at 8.30AM. The invitation doesn't, of course, specify what will be on show, but with everything seeming to point towards the mid-range handset - codenamed 'Normandy,' we could be just one month away from seeing it in the flesh.
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's products and services department back in September of last year had thrown any aspirations of the Finnish company delivering an Android handset into doubt. Its Redmond overlord is, after all, trying to make strides with its own struggling mobile ecosystem in Windows Phone. But nevertheless, talk of a Nokia-made device running Google's Android has remained, and as far as we know, it's being developed under the codename Normandy. Today, courtesy of various sources on both Twitter and China's Weibo, we could have our first legitimate glimpse at the so-called "engineering prototype." Check it out after the leap!
Nokia is keen to take the Windows Phone platform and to build on top of it, which is where the company's Lumia Black software update comes into play. Bringing new software features to handsets like the Lumia 1020 and Lumia 925, the software is available to users of those devices as of today. Other devices will get the update in the coming weeks, we're told.
Nokia, once the market leader in the mobile industry, placed its faith heavily in the Windows Phone ecosystem - a decision that, at the moment, doesn't appear to have paid dividends. The Finnish company has long since created decent smartphones, but with WP struggling, the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC have continued to dominate. Microsoft's purchase of Nokia's products and services dept. back in September seemed to indicate that Nokia and WP would continue to collaborate as an exclusive unit, however the much-rumored Nokia Android smartphone has just been leaked from a reputable source.
A number of sources in the past have suggested that Nokia might’ve been building its own Android powered device to compete with the likes of Samsung and HTC in the lower-end of the smartphone market. At present, It's unknown if the project will ever be officially given the green light to proceed, but it's existence, according to a new report, is enough to peak our interest.
