Nokia's got no game: Android handset not coming in September
Strongly, strongly, strongly denied by Nokia, apparently…
Andy Kitson over at Juniper Research caught this Guardian article which confirms the possibility of a Nokia device, running Android.
Now then.
Now then, now then, now then.
Richard Wray at The Guardian calls this a ‘strategic U-turn’. I call it a killer move. An absolute killer.
They can test the market, see how people react … it really will be interesting putting a N97 Symbian device next to (for example) an N97 Android device, and seeing which one gives the better all round experience.
I’ve long held that Nokia’s hardware is second to none. Absolutely second to none. The amount of work they put in to their devices, the amount of thought, the amount of *workmanship* is exceedingly impressive. I’ve seen it first hand at one of their test labs. (See the MIR video of that day).
Set aside the hardware and let’s look at the operating system and user interface. Well. There’s not too much to be said from a positive perspective, other than it is certainly very capable. If you wanted to program your handset’s trajectory to the moon, well, count on the operating system doing an efficient job. But if you want to do other stuff quickly and easily… there’s a problem.
Developing for Symbian is an absolute flipping nightmare. That’s why I suggested that a head-in-the-sand-Nokia would be best placed setting up warehouses filled with independent developers working away trying to create interesting things for the Nokia platform (because, nobody else is).
But if you throw the baby out with the bathwater — a good idea in my book — that is, develop a Nokia handset running Android… well then, you free up the capabilities for a heck of a lot of developers to jump into the game.
The Android handset is supposedly launching in September — at the Nokia World conference. Count on me being there to bring you some stimulating perspective.
I’m encouraged.
Thoroughly encouraged. Nokia’s taken their head out of the sand.
It’s just one handset, mind. Just one Android device. Touchscreen, of course. But how will we all react to it?
Positively?
I wonder.
I think I’ll have a highly positive reaction.
I wonder about the die-hard Nokia fans.
What does this mean for Symbian? Obviously Nokia will still continue to make Symbian handsets — but if their Android one flies off the shelves, they might need to seriously look at that.
Interesting times.
