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Recent stirrings within Nokia led us to wonder last week if Nokia might be considering shifting its focus away from their own mobile platform and towards manufacturing hardware running operating systems developed by outside partners. Obviously, we were referring to the possibility of Android ending up on Nokia manufactured handsets, but new rumors are suggesting that this dream might never come to be. It seems Nokia and Microsoft are prepared to announce a partnership next week, though it is unconfirmed if it will be to announce Windows Phone 7 on Nokia phones or another type of partnership such as apps or services sharing.
While we stew on those rumors, we’d take it as a positive step for Nokia and hopes of Android someday finding a home there. Sure, an exclusive partnership for now might prevent that, but if Nokia is at least willing to install third-party operating systems on their devices it leaves a window open for Google’s platform. After all, HTC, Samsung, and LG all manufacture handsets based on both WP7 and Android. If Nokia ends up shifting its focus to hardware OEM only, then maybe one day the little green droid will make its way there.
[via Engadget]
I think I hear that nail being driven into the coffin…
I love to have Nokia hardware optimized for Android, WP7 not so much. And like @joedon3 said, you can hear the nail in the coffin if this were to go through.
Well seeing that WP7 isn’t selling well at all right now this just makes Nokia another victim of the WP curse.
Oh, Microsoft… Looking for Nokia to save you? who would’ve thought this day would come.
@joedon3 i think that is the best term to use for nokia right now
i have always heard good things about a nokia and now they are screwing themselves, i wonder why? they must think android wont last for long, but i def dont see WP7 making it through 2 or 3 years before they are forgotten.
and in all honesty i didnt even know wp7 were even out yet lol
Heh, the shit(MS) and the stale are teaming up. Actually Nokia has some good phones, but I have to agree with the earlier comments about the nail in the coffin.
But still, here’s hoping that it will shake up Android. Android hasn’t had any real competition in a while lol!
And the two of them sailed over the horizon, into the sunset and were never to be heard from again…
Thats sad. I would love to see a Nokia device with Android.
+ 1 hearing nail in the coffin
Partnership with M$ – IS like peeing in your pants in the winter.
It’s sad, I used to only buy Nokia phones and was saving up for the N95 when the G1 came out. Since then I’ve never looked back. Nokia makes some pretty spectacular hardware but they refuse to get with the times in software. What’s rally sad is that Android could save the company and the higher-ups are too stubborn to let it. RIP Nokia and WP7. Murder suicide is always sad to see.
This makes sense. From Nokia’s standpoint, the Android market is saturated with manufacturers producing high-end devices so their entry into Android has high costs, mainly, a high learning curve and competitive pricing. Windows 7 has less competition, and since it is not selling well, all Nokia has to do is produce a couple of high end, well received devices to gain some momentum. You market it well, and distinguish yourself as different from those Android and iOS phones. Maybe once it has reestablished itself as a market leader, it will jump into Android, but not before.
I’m not saying they are right, just that it makes sense from a business perspective. It’s a gamble, but one that could pay well in the long run.
WP7 really would be like pissing yourself to stay warm. After all, this is the phone where Microsoft strictly dictates hardware specs and forbids the manufacturer from touching the code. There’s zero opportunity for differentiation or driving the platform forward..
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I’d be very surprised if this was really Nokia’s next move.
If they ever release terms of a deal like this, we would probably see Microsoft PAYING Nokia to put WP7 on their phones. Microsoft already completely ditched the tablet market, if they can’t make some inroads into phones, they will be completely shut out of the mobile market all together.
I say.. Partnership with Micro$oft = is like Craping in your pants to get some cushion….
Sorry take the back.. Micro$oft is good company but Window Mobile Phone.. sucks..
Edited..
I say.. Partnership with Micro$oft Windows Mobile = is like Craping in your pants to get some cushion….
Didn’t Microsoft had a lawsuit against Nokia? Anyways, good luck Nokia. You laughed and scoffed at Android and the OHA. There is an old saying; after the laughter comes the tears.
Don’t forget that the current CEO of Nokia was previously the head of Microsoft’s business division and part of the MS senior leadership team up through Sept 2010.
Given that background and connections, its not surprising that some sort of agreement would be made between the two companies. Although, if it’s OS or apps related is yet to be seen.
Broke richard
Yep. I have an agreement with the captain of a sinking ship, but wait no money can save you now. :)
lol WP7 is doing great in Europe o_0
Android, WP7, something else different will help Nokia. Si its good for them.
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WP7? They are taking a gamble. WP7 just came out so we dont know how its gonna do.
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Some of yall make good points. If they go Android, Nokia could use custom UI’s on their phones. That would help to make the phone be different. I know some ppl dont like custom UI’s but I dont mind them.
RIP NOKIA
I love WP7; most people trashing it have never use it.
stupid…. why would they NOT use a FREE license OS like ANDROID that is dominating when they have a strong brand name. i would very seriously consider a nokia android phone
WP7 sold LESS than 2 million (less than 25,000 a day) vs. more than 32 million (300,000 a day) Android phones last quarter.
If this is Nokia’s strategy, they are doomed.
If nokia belived in itself to be able to make geogious phones, it would go with Android and do well in competition with ather Android vendors.
If they dont have faith in themselves, thinking they will not be able to compete in the Android world – they will bet on MS to save them. But that will be GAMBLING with their own fait – at high risk – and against odds – against sound reasoning – a desparate move!
I used to buy Nokia always – I believe they could do great in Android world. They would be on the greatest platform – as the greatest phone manufactorer. Have a little faith in yourself, Nokia.
It is no surprise their market share is dropping like a rock, with this kind of thinking. I guess HP would not let them use web os.
One of the higher ups at Microsoft (I don’t remember which section) just became top dog at Nokia last fal. Coincidence?
Nokia is losing market share in Europe to both the iPhone and Android because Symbian stinks.
Partnering with Windows Mobile 7, buys Nokia time and allows them to offer smartphones with a UX/UI that is done. However, ultimately, like all OEMs, Nokia will want to differentiate its products and keep margins higher/phone by having it own mobile experience. Its unclear if they will do this on Android or a revamped version of Symbian, but I’d wager they eventually build a custom experience on Android so their phones run apps built for this growing platform.
Nokia will hedge their bets and have both platforms for while, then phase out the one that doesn’t sell…same as HTC, Samsung and LG are doing.
If my memory serves me right, Microsoft actually lost a few % points in the market last quarter, and Windows Mobile phones out sold WP7–although the November release date leaves it too soon to call.
if using android is like peeing on yourself to stay warm then i guess using windows phone 7 is like taking a dump then eating it cause youre hungry
I used to be the Nokia big fan, but not anymore after owned a Nokia N97 (piece of junk and over price). If Nokia is going to build their handset on WP7, then this will be THE END fo NOKIA. The only thing that WP7 can do for Nokia is digging up a 6-feet hole to Nokia to burry itself. WHAT A DUMB strategic decision. NOKIA is going down!!!!!!
Android is popular with phone manufacturers for two reasons:
1. Margins on phone sales are higher
2. It allows them to make a custom UI so they can differentiate their phones beyond hardware
If all phone manufacturers are selling is hardware running the same experience, they are trapped in a parity market and have to compete solely on price.
Android allows OEMS the least expensive way to create a phone that has a unique interface, runs on their hardware AND works with a growing number of apps.
Partnering with Microsoft and Windows Mobile 7 gets Nokia into the smartphone business today.
If sales take off, Nokia wins while they develop a unique experience on Android (most likely), Microsoft’s CE (doubtful), or a revamped version of Symbian (doubtful – cost to much to catch up and establish app market)
If sales of WM7 on Nokia phones are slow (as they have been with LG, Samsung and HTC here in the US), Nokia isn’t any worse off than it is today.
I agree with Waldo. I love my WM7 phone and think its much better than either the iPhone or Droid. But I am also aware that here in the US, Microsoft just isn’t a cool brand.
In Europe, Microsoft doesn’t have the same stigma. Compared to what most Europeans are used to (symbian) Windows Mobile 7 is awesome.
Sales of Nokia and WM7 might actually do well in Europe and buy Nokia enough time to build their own experience.
This is a deal that makes sense for Nokia and Microsoft.
Nokia that’s a dumb ass mistake your going to do their. If you have Android in your phones instead of Symbian and Windows 7. YOU’RE SALES WILL SKYROCKET PLEASE DON’T DO THIS MOVE.
The US market is NOT the only market so stop being arrogant with some of your perspectives.
This seems very strange given the huge investment they’ve made in Qt. They’ve already temporarily taken the UI portions of MeeGo out of the open source tree, presumably to get the look and feel of their first MeeGo device as a marketable surprise. They already seem to be supporting two platforms into the future (MeeGo and Symbian), with Qt as the bridge between them for application source-compatibility, so adding another, much less a vertically-integrated one like WP7, seems very strange.
On the other hand, maybe it’s only a one-off to get them a nice easy pay packet? WP7 is well supported by Microsoft, and would probably take less employer hours and expertise to implement than Android. So for a commitment-free high-end deviation from their main product strategy it may be an interesting move..
This seems very strange given the huge investment they’ve made in Qt. They’ve already temporarily taken the UI portions of MeeGo out of the open source tree, presumably to get the look and feel of their first MeeGo device as a marketable surprise. They already seem to be supporting two platforms into the future (MeeGo and Symbian), with Qt as the bridge between them for application source-compatibility, so adding another, much less a vertically-integrated one like WP7, seems very strange.
On the other hand, maybe it’s only a one-off to get them a nice easy pay packet? WP7 is well supported by Microsoft, and would probably take less employer hours and expertise to implement than Android. So for a commitment-free high-end deviation from their main product strategy it may be an interesting move..
Wow, I see where all the droid fanboys have been hiding. I noticed that none own or have tried the WP7 OS and are bashing it like if they own Google LOL. As for the smart person commenting about 300,000 Droid a day, you must be niave 54,000,000 in 6 months which is more than what is the estimated 53,000,000 worldwide sold. Realize that Google used upgrades in their numbers so open up your eyes. Is MS dead not when you have that much money and for a system to even sale half of the claimed 2 million in 3 months is a great start. Stop being a fanboy and enjoy the competition because it’ll benefit us all.
Hallerrrr… good luck!
Nokia makes solid hardware. Im not sure why they avoid Android but oh well, let them take the bumpy road getting there. I can agree with comment #33.. but still would like to see Android on some of their units. If the N8 had a decent Android port I would buy one just because the phone design looks nice but anyways.. With the way hardware is advancing it wont be long before most phones will be sold based on the internal specs (like computers) and have the option to flash whatever O.S. you want on it.. Im ready to build a barebones cell phone.. its only a matter of time
I see a couple good things that could come from a Nokia Android/Qt compatible phone.
1.Support for Qt apps and Android Apps of course! They can support Qt and Dalvik (they can probably use a compability layer for everything for running Dalvik programs in a X11 enviorment.
2.WebOS uses the SDL framework which is opensource. Maemo (through third-party packages) also has support for WebOS games through SDL.
3.Nokia could make a store that easily rival any other becuase of their brand name (Ovi) and if they can support other frameworks through their love of opensource and compabilty layers. Should be easily be possible on a dual-core phone with enough RAM.
4.Nokia is not known to invade privacy!
If I was Nokia i would make both android and wp7 phones and see what’s more profitable.
Common Nokia. Launch a sharp looking phone with good specs and build quality with vanilla Android on board and they’ll be flying off the shelves. I’d buy one were it to come to Verizon. Android can be done profitably, but that means doing it right and better than everyone else. A vanilla build of Android would allow you to push out updates quicker and have less fragmentation and give that much needed edge on the competition.
I don’t get it. Every WP7 utilizes hardware from 2009 (Qualcomm QSD8250). Why would Nokia want a phone which has outdated hardware when it launches? Watch Microsoft create WP8 next year for dual core devices only. I would laugh HARD.
I have/had a nokia; sent broken one back, got one not much better. now have a droid x. nokia and microsoft deserve each other. hope they fall flat on their faces.
Nokia and Microsoft have both been screwing around for 3-4 years, with no indication that either of them has some kind of secret weapon or great new product, ready to go out and get back some of their lost market share.
If they work together, it’ll be like Helen Keller trying to help Stevie Wonder cross a busy parking lot. Maybe they’ll make it safely to the other side, but it’ll be veeeery slow going and at least some collateral damage.
@41 Because Nokia itself uses pretty much outdated HW? Look at their flagship, the N8 HW specs…
I still havent seen a WP7 in the wild, just on display.
Talk about pulling back the hammer while the guns in the holster. What in the world is Nokia thinking?
Do they really think WP7 is actually going to being able to dig out of the deepening hole it currently resides?
When big MO goes, everyone knows, it’s all woes for those who froze instead of chose.
Nokia ruled the phone world, and tried to hold back progress
Palm invented the smartphone, but tried to hold back progress
Microsoft was at least in heavy contention, and tried to hold back progress
RIM owned the world of smartphones, and tried to hold back progress
Now Apple tries to hold back progress…..
Big MO is MOmentum. Android has it. In spades. iPhone users have begun to notice OUR phones do more than THEIR phones. BB is a joke, and MS has basically announced that WindowsPhone7 is for people who are too stupid to use a smartphone. Palm had a good chance, but it looks like they didn’t get the userbase they needed. Now Nokia admits they are floundering, but won’t just get on the Android express. It’s over.
um,correct me if im wrong,but, DOESNT NOKIA SUCK?!
Nokia don’t even deserve the likes of MS. They should stick with their chitty old-outdated Symbian and just dry out and die.
@Dan
That is the most amazing analogy I have ever seen! That most definitely is going in my sig with reference to you!
what about MeeGo os?
everyone’s forgetting something. Microsoft has deep pockets. Microsoft NEEDS Nokia.
Am I the only one who noticed that’s an illuminate hand shake?
Has Nokia had a phone in the past 10-15 years that was worth owning? If I had a choice between Android, Blackberry, iPhone, and a MS based phone, I would definitely be going Android, iPhone, BB, and no cell phone. I would rather not have a cell phone than have a MS based cell phone.
Symbian is a sinking ship. Nokia should ditch symbian altogether and offer both android *and* wp7 phones. Steal a page from your competitors’ playbook, Nokia. You don’t see Samsung and HTC sticking with an archaic OS
Some of the most ignorant trash I’ve read. Android fanboys have become worse than iPhone fanboys. Competition is good, why do you hope Microsoft fails? The WP7 OS is fantastic – quick, slick, and fun to use. Brand loyalty is about the dumbest thing I can think of.