Nokia Was Testing Android on Its Lumia Smartphones Before Microsoft Acquisition
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Posted September 14, 2013 at 4:17am by iClarified
Nokia was testing Android on its Lumia smartphones before its devices and services division was acquired by Microsoft, reports the New York Times.
A team within Nokia had Android up and running on the company’s Lumia handsets well before Microsoft and Nokia began negotiating Microsoft’s $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone and services business, according to two people briefed on the effort who declined to be identified because the project was confidential. Microsoft executives were aware of the existence of the project, these people said.
Of course, one would expect Nokia to have a plan B in case it ran into trouble with Windows Phone. Getting Android running on the Lumia was not a Herculean engineering effort, according to their source.
Notably, Nokia had an option to exit its partnership with Microsoft at the end of 2014 and may have used the threat of switching to Android as tool in its dealings with the company.
If I were Nokia, I would not sell it away, but redesign hardware (the device) and the software. Creates all app that is popular for Nokia user to download. It would take time to develop but it is worthed !!!
That makes sense. It certainly explains why MS bought it. Could you imagine if Nokia bolted. MS has enough trouble selling Windows phones. If it's only supplier bolted, they'd be in real trouble!
I always love Nokia and their OS, it take sometime to get used to it, but when you do, it is a good phone.
Nokia only need to update there original OS, get all those folders out of the way, giving easier access to apps. Have a good browser, GPS and a App Store some tweeks here and there, and they would be good,
Some of the top smart phones out there get their ideas from Nokia, but Nokia take too long to change gear, and when they did, they select the wrong gear.
Still not a bad phone, it is overlook by the consumer, but I think it would better off with their own OS.
How fortunes are reversed overnight. BB suffers same fate, no viable OS. MS will bite the dust too if they insist on making mistakes about windows. They spend all energy defending piracy for a product ghat continues to shrink.