STAFF REPORT ISB: Microsoft has unveiled its first phone after completing its takeover of Nokias handset division – and the device is powered by Android.
The operating system, developed by Google, is usually seen as a rival to Microsofts own Windows Phone OS.Microsoft said the Nokia X2 offered it a way to hook users into its cloud-based services, several of which come pre-installed as apps.
One expert said the alternative would have been leaving “money on the table”.
“I still find it astounding that Microsoft is making Android phones, but there seems to be a steely determination to take a more open approach for the greater good of the whole company rather than just the Windows Phone platform,” said Ben Wood, from the telecoms consultancy CCS Insight.
The Nokia X2 features a front-facing camera missing from the earlier model”. If they dont do this, then someone else is going to get the business. “I also think its a reflection of the fact that Nokias budget Asha line of feature phones was unable to compete with entry-level Android mobiles.”
The X2 is the follow-up to the original X, launched in February before Nokia sold its mobile business.
The original model became the best-selling mobile in Pakistan and the third best-selling handset in India – according to market-research company GfK – as well as achieving strong sales in Russia, Kenya and Nigeria.