News Microsoft acquires Nokia's mobile arm

Greetings!

 

Greetings!

 

the missus has just upgraded her galaxy ace to a Lumia 520 , she really likes it (and yes it syncs to her surface RT and xbox )

 

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Android without access to Store...

 

Yeah, because that's how it works.

Android consists of two parts. There's the 'open' OS part, and there's the Google APIs and services that hook into it. You can fork the OS part to create your own flavour of Android (as people have been arguing Microsoft should do, instead of persisting with WP8), but you cannot tap into the accompanying services --they belong to Google. Moreover, as time has gone by Google has been stripping more and more functions and APIs out of the open OS bit and incorporating them into the Google specific bit. Android ain't that open anymore.

So Nokia may fork its own version of Android, and nice it looks too, but it won't have access to Google Play, Google Search, Google Now, most Google apps, Google Maps, Google Docs... Let's see how that flies.

 

I've got an off brand tablet that won't work with Google Play, and the predictive search when entering addresses into the browser is broken because of it. on the other hand, Google maps and the separate Google Earth application work to one extent or another. The Standard android mapping app works fine, but GE won't work with the GPS input.

Appearently it's not quite an all or nothing approach from Google to what will and will not work without full android integration.

 

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The lack of access to Google Play and all the non-Google apps is what disappoints in this "Normandy" device.
You can use Android and stay clear of Google apps. I use Android and dont use Gmail, Drive, Maps, Chrome, Google+, Hangouts or any of the Google apps, except for YouTube.
Normandy app store will be very poor by Android standart.

 

If this device does get released (following the finalisation of MS's acquisition of Nokia's hardware/phone division) then it will be intended for developing markets. It's not intended as a competitor to high end android mobiles and probably won't be seen in most markets.

 

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I am seeing it be referred as an Asha replacement.

 

It's going to be. With each new version of Android more of its functionality is ported to Google-proprietary APIs.

Nokia would have been better off to just embrace Android fully and slap their own skin on top, as HTC and Samsung have always done.

 

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http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_x_a110-6067.php

 

Personally I am waiting for the release of WP8.1 and the launch of the new upcoming app store to make my final decision on which direction to take. I like WP and want it to take off but MS really need to deliver what they have been promising for far too long now. Should MS fail to deliver a true competitor to Android then I doubt I'll wait any further and will go with Android via a high end Samsung or maybe a Sony Xperia.

 

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http://n1.nokia.com/

 

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