Nokia’s mobile division was recently bought up by Microsoft, the massive company holding the rights to Nokia’s name and branding on any and all smartphones produced under the partnership for the years up to 2016 – nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that Nokia are not able to go it alone with a smartphone which doesn’t necessarily break their contract.
Whilst the contract itself provided Nokia with the opportunity to be one of very few manufacturers to get their branding on Microsoft’s Windows Phone range, to some it signaled that the manufacturer was in some ways out of the race in terms of manufacturing phones in their own unique style.
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Whilst Windows Phone products each were received with varying degrees of success, it is the previous popularity and success of Nokia’s smartphones, produced by the company themselves, that have defined them as a big player in the smartphone world. The news that they may be going forth on their own with a new device is quite welcome.
Insider sources have been pointing to Nokia’s imminent release or announcement of an as of yet unnamed smartphone based on Android – the logical choice for any smartphone manufacturer without an operating system for a device.
According to sources in China, Nokia’s former N9 build team is already undertaking work on the phone – which would eventually be built by a manufacturer separate from the Microsoft contract, as MS themselves only hold the rights to the Nokia logo and branding.
These ‘original design manufacturers’, or ODMs, include companies such as Foxconn and Compal, the former having excellent experience in rolling out tons of smartphones every year. Indeed Foxconn are the builders behind many models of the iPhone so far.
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It’s not clear yet what the smartphone could be called and what features it might include , but in the past few days Nokia themselves have got the word out via social networking site Twitter, as seen at the top of the article, that the phone may see some kind of release or announcement mid month, from what we’ve read it will be on the 17th.
Of course this reveal is in no way detailed, time will most likely tell in this story.
Source: MyDrivers
Via: GSM Insider