The much talked of Nokia X and its other variants X+ AND XL
have been launched at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona. As anticipated, the
Nokia X is the first Android powered Smartphone from the Finnish handset maker.
The phones under
the Nokia X family are not pure Android phones; these phones instead run a
forked variant of Android, similar to the way Amazon does for its Kindle Fire
lineup. Nokia has taken the open-source elements of Android and has pulled in
other elements of Asha and Windows Phone to offer users a different experience.
The downside here
is that Nokia X users can't have access to the Google Play Store for apps.
However, the phone will run Android apps, but Nokia will curate a list of such
apps. A recommended source for the apps is the Nokia store, says the company.
In other words, the new platform, Nokia X, is based on the Android Open Source
project (AOSP).
Nokia XL, the biggest of the three new smartphones, has a
5-inch screen, 768MB RAM, 5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash on the back and
2MP front camera.
On the other hand, Nokia X and X+ have 4-inch screens and 3MP fixed-focus cameras, said former Nokia CEO and current executive vice-president of devices and services Stephen Elop while unveiling the devices. Nokia X will have 512MB RAM, whereas X+ will feature 768MB of RAM.
All three devices will run on a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and have dual-sim functionality, access to 3G networks as well as display resolution of 800x480p. Nokia will offer a 4GB microSD card free with X+ and XL smartphones, but not with the entry-level Nokia X.
As expected, Nokia has preloaded the X, X+ and XL smartphones with Microsoft's cloud services like SkyDrive and One Drive, instead of Google's software, which may prove a dampener for some. The company is offering 10GB of One Drive storage for free, along with one month of free unlimited Skype calls to landlines and mobiles.
Some of the apps pre-installed on the devices are Here Maps, Nokia Mix Radio, Facebook, Skype, BBM etc. Users can download apps from the Nokia store, or choose to sideload apps directly from the web.
Interestingly, the home screen of Nokia's three Android smartphones is heavily influence by that of Windows Phone operating system and features Live Tiles. The company has also included FastLane multitasking solution, which it debuted with the revamped Asha series, and Glance Screen in the new smartphones.
Nokia announced that Nokia X will be available immediately in Europe for 89 euros, whereas X+ and XL will hit the stores in early Q2 2014 for 99 and 109 euros respectively. However, it added that the three models will hit markets like India, Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe first, without indicating the price range for these markets.
On the other hand, Nokia X and X+ have 4-inch screens and 3MP fixed-focus cameras, said former Nokia CEO and current executive vice-president of devices and services Stephen Elop while unveiling the devices. Nokia X will have 512MB RAM, whereas X+ will feature 768MB of RAM.
All three devices will run on a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and have dual-sim functionality, access to 3G networks as well as display resolution of 800x480p. Nokia will offer a 4GB microSD card free with X+ and XL smartphones, but not with the entry-level Nokia X.
As expected, Nokia has preloaded the X, X+ and XL smartphones with Microsoft's cloud services like SkyDrive and One Drive, instead of Google's software, which may prove a dampener for some. The company is offering 10GB of One Drive storage for free, along with one month of free unlimited Skype calls to landlines and mobiles.
Some of the apps pre-installed on the devices are Here Maps, Nokia Mix Radio, Facebook, Skype, BBM etc. Users can download apps from the Nokia store, or choose to sideload apps directly from the web.
Interestingly, the home screen of Nokia's three Android smartphones is heavily influence by that of Windows Phone operating system and features Live Tiles. The company has also included FastLane multitasking solution, which it debuted with the revamped Asha series, and Glance Screen in the new smartphones.
Nokia announced that Nokia X will be available immediately in Europe for 89 euros, whereas X+ and XL will hit the stores in early Q2 2014 for 99 and 109 euros respectively. However, it added that the three models will hit markets like India, Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe first, without indicating the price range for these markets.
Elop said that
Nokia, set to be acquired by Microsoft soon, will encourage app ecosystem for
the Nokia X platform. It will offer developers different monetization methods
in emerging markets.
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