Introduction

We are moments away from new product announcement from HMD Global. But 10 years ago, Nokia experimented on something unique with the Android operating system. This was the time where Nokia and Microsoft were committed to push forward the Windows OS on mobile devices, killing the Meego operating system and Symbian S6O platform.

Nokia X

For all intended purpose, the Nokia X was an experimental budget device. A what if scenario. To assess the publics response to an Android based device where Google services were substituted with Microsofts own. While this was an attempt at the very initial stage, it did not gain any traction as Windows OS was the priority back then , until the eventual realization that apps matters and there is no simple way of just bypassing Google services and enjoying Android app to its full potential without it. This led to the demise of the Windows OS on mobile devices and Microsoft started to focus on pushing again Microsoft services on Android device, be it on Surface Duo or even on Samsung devices.

The Nokia X’s design is influenced by the Asha 5XX series and Lumia series. The polycarbonate back is removable with a 1500mAh replaceable battery underneath. My unit is a dual SIM 3G device which is powered by Qualcomm S4 chipset which is a dual core processor with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. The camera is not so impressive, a 3.15MP fixed focus camera which highlights the intent of the device.

It runs on a heavily tweaked OS based on Android 4.1.2 and features Nokia X platform. Some elements are inspired by the gesture based navigation on Nokia N9 with features like fast lane. One thing that is striking is that all Google based apps replaced by their Microsoft counter parts. The Live tile like interface is meant to mimic the Windows Mobile OS but its far less useful than its Windows counterpart which is far smoother and richer with similar hardware.

You can catch more on Nokia X here

As mentioned earlier, we are moments away from official information regarding new products from HMD Global. Whatever said, I am still rooting for a proper revival of Sailfish OS which is unique and far more capable and scalable than many other OS out there.

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