Becoming part of Microsoft apparently will not stop Nokia from creating an Android smartphone. Codenamed Normandy, perhaps to symbolize a turning point, Nokia’s Android smartphone is reportedly slated for release next year.
The lower end of the smartphone market is particularly important to Nokia. The company has struggled to gain a firm footing in the smartphone space, but is second only to Samsung in the overall mobile phone market. With smartphones now outselling feature phones, Nokia needs to be ready as highly price sensitive buyers upgrade to smartphones. The company has tried to attract those buyers with low-end smartphones running its own Asha operating system. But with three of every four smartphones sold now running Android, adopting Google’s OS makes sense for Nokia. Normandy will debut with a customized version of Android, according to The Verge.
Meanwhile Google is taking more control of some popular Android devices by eliminating manufacturers’ software. Sony’s Z Ultra and LG’s G Pad are now both part of the Google Play store, offered with Android 4.4 (KitKat).
The Ultra Z (which Sony calls the Xperia Ultra Z) is a giant 6.4-inch waterproof smartphone with an HD display that uses Sony’s BRAVIA TV screen technology. Google is selling the Ulra Z unlocked for $650. It supports LTE, HSPA+, and GSM/EDGE.
The LG G Pad is a Wi-Fi only tablet which will sell for $350. It features a full HD display, a 5 megapixel rear camera, a 1.3 megapixel front camera, and a 4,600mAH battery. LG says it is the first “Google Play Edition” tablet.
The Sony Ultra Z and the LG G Pad join the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S 4 in the Google Play store. Look for Google to add more devices to its portfolio in the months ahead.
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