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Microsoft will abandon Nokia's Android smartphone project
It's a day of upheaval over at Microsoft as the company has announced that it'll cut 18,000 jobs in the near future. At the same time, however, Satya Nadella has cast doubt on the long-term future of Nokia's X series of Android-powered smartphones. In an email, the Microsoft CEO says that the company will refashion "select" Nokia X designs as Lumia smartphones that run Windows Phone. There's no word on if the other handsets in the range will continue, but it seems unlikely given that the phones run Android, Microsoft's biggest rival in the mobile space. If you're still on the hunt for one of these devices, don't worry, as Stephen Elop has added that the company will continue to support and sell the existing range of X series devices.
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The Nokia X has already been hacked to load Google Apps, access the Play store
There's a theory that if you make Android look enough like Windows Phone, that users will grow accustomed to the interface, and when it comes time to upgrade, seek to scratch that tile-shaped itch. That's the view Steven Elop gave us in our recent interview at MWC at least. There is another theory: finally Nokia Android handsets are here, and no matter how you dress it up, users want all the apps that come with it -- not Nokia's curated store. Enter xda-developers, the forum that works tirelessly to bend wonky Android interpretations back into unmodified shape. This time it's user Kashamalaga who has figured out how to make the freshly minted Nokia X play nice with Google Apps, Google Now, and even the Play store. Could free and easy (no sideloading) access to the full gamut of Android apps actually work against Elop's "gateway drug" approach? It's hard to say. Though once again, the dev community provides an answer for those that play fast and loose with their OS loyalties.
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Nokia announces the X and X+, its first Android phones
Nokia is officially launching its very first Android devices, known as the X and the X+, on stage at its annual Mobile World Congress press conference. We were all taken aback by the second (and third) device (since only one leaked), so it's incredible to see Nokia make such a huge foray into enemy territory. The X will have a 4-inch, 840 x 480 IPS screen, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage expandable storage via microSD slot and 3-megapixel camera, while the X+ sports the same specs but more RAM (768 MB) and an included 4GB microSD card. You won't be getting Google's apps or Play store, however as both handsets will be based on the forked AOSP Android OS. Nokia says that'll have the advantages of the Android ecosystem, but with a "differentiated experience." So far, Here Maps, MixRadio, Skype and Outlook are being featured on the Nokia Store. You can access the Nokia and third party stores using the devices, but not Google Play, obviously. We've heard SwiftKey will be available on the Nokia X range (and for free, too), as will BBM, which is also coming to Windows Phone sometime "this summer." The new devices are featuring a ported version of FastLane for Asha devices as a sort of skin, to give a similar experience as its other budget handsets. When you swipe across it, it'll bring up a sort of notification bar showing recently used apps, missed calls and texts and other activities. During the demo, Elop showed both the Nokia Store and Yandex, where he pulled down Aero Express, a Russian-flavored app. The X will be available immediately in growth markets (ie, not the US) and run 89 euros. The X+, meanwhile, will run 99 euros but won't arrive until sometime in Q2 this year.
