News - Nokia's 'Normandy' Android smartphone confirmed, pictured

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It is said to be a low cost device using a forked version of Android.

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I'll buy it !

About time! Good luck Nokia, make the android community proud!

This might have a short life, if it emerges at all, with Nokia now being Microsoft.

I can't see the benefit of this to Microsoft if they own it. On the other hand, if it were left to the remaining part of non-MS Nokia, no matter how crippled/un-user frindly the phone was, it would give them grounds to sue non-licensees for all those patents they hold without becoming a patent troll without a product. As MS is already licensed, so long as the phone didn't eat into its own market, this could be a win for them too.

It may happen because remember M$ receives royalty fees on every android device sold around $2 billion a year, so it is plausible

So Windows Phone is now burning platform, was that part of the Elop plan?

Still Microsoft are now almost a patent troll, so even if nobody wants use Windows Phone they'll still make money. But then the obvious next question is whether forcing the Windows Phone UI on desktop users with Windows 8 might backfire and Windows now becomes a burning platform. Certainly, the arrogance of forcing Metro on desktop users means lots of people would welcome a chance to go elsewhere.

Nah, can't see MS going for this... Also talk of windows being a burning platform is a bit sensationalist. Win8 may not be setting the world on fire but the vast majority of computers on the planet still use some form of windows and will do for a while yet.

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Originally Posted by NitrousX

It may happen because remember M$ receives royalty fees on every android device sold around $2 billion a year, so it is plausible

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Probably means they make more from 3rd party sales than from doing all the R&D to bring their own to market...

This handset will die a quiet death, another experiment that never left the lab.

It would be cool if they made a Windows phone/Android dual boot phone.

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Today The Verge reports that the Nokia Normandy will run a 'forked' version of Android, like Amazon does with its Kindle Fire, and that major Android apps including Skype will run on the device.

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Nokia making a budget Android phone = good.
Nokia's Android phone using a not-quite version of Android = very bad.

Really don't like that qualification that "major" Android apps will run. Then again, if the fork means replacement of some of the Google apps (like gMail) with others then that's fine by me.

Of course, in full cynic mode, maybe they're going to make a deliberately crippled phone, and then say "see - we told you Android sucked. Windows Phone is far better". Yes, I know, I'm paranoid. ;)

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Originally Posted by killer7xx

It would be cool if they made a Windows phone/Android dual boot phone.

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WTH for? How many folks - other than mobile geeks - would use that dual boot feature? Not many, I'll bet. And there's a rumour that HTC is also looking at this. No, far better (imho of course) to have a single phone that can run either Windows OR Android - with the OS of choice pre-installed.. Then at least if you fancy a dual booter, you can rely on someone at XDA to figure out how.

Plus I got a feeling That Nokia is gonna make something that the other Android runners couldn't beat. :bowdown:

I haven't even seen an Asha phone, but they are ditching that now? Blimey, more platform jumping than Manic Miner.

Interesting ploy if they do it though: "Do you want our high-end Windows phone, or a budget Android one sir?".

Except if it is a fork I guess they won't actually be able to call it Android. It won't have gmail, Google maps, Google Now etc unless you side load them.

I like its basic and somewhat plain design, but it does look a fair bit like the sony range of phones

The problem is where will this sit in their product line, is it meant to be cheaper than a 520?
http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/phones/ph...?ct=Pre&opp=10

Because frankly I've not seen any remotely decent Android devices on specs that low.

I guess it's possible to gimp the Android OS a lot so that it runs faster/smoother.

But if they are going for a Asher device, then it's going to be hard to make a good android device at that price point. I mean £70. That 520 might be limited with all sorts of crippled hardware, but it runs what it does comparatively well. The only big lags in load times that's ever an issue is with something like Skype, even WhatsApp runs better on that than it does on my S3!

Free Mass Effect boxset with every phone ?