Many of us have wondered what would have happened to Nokia if they hadn’t aligned with Microsoft and had instead adopted Android as their operating system (OS). We were almost given hope of that happening when we heard whispers of a Nokia prototype called “Mountain View” which apparently had 10,000 units already made and many more in production, but we’ve heard nothing about that since, dashing our hopes again. Well, according a rumour reported by The Verge, the so-called Nokia Normandy might just be a reason to rekindle that hope.
Originally posted a few weeks ago by leaker, evleaks, this picture of the Nokia Normandy looked innocuously like yet another Nokia Asha phone, however, while designed to be low-cost like an Asha, the Normandy is also apparently designed to be Android-powered. Unlike the Android we are used to, the OS on the Normandy would likely have the Google services stripped out of it, not unlike the Kindle tablets, so that Nokia could customize it for a more personal touch.
While the phone is rumoured to be released in 2014, unfortunately, there’s no way to know if this phone will actually ever see the light of day in the smartphone market as Nokia’s sale to Microsoft is yet to be finalized. But with Windows Mobile continuing to struggle and rumours of Microsoft lowering OS licensing fees to other phone manufacturers, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Microsoft allowing Nokia to release the Normandy with a Microsoft- and Nokia-optimized Android OS.
Would you get the Nokia Normandy if it was ever released? Let us know what you think.
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