Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (HEL:NOK1V)’s highly anticipated Android device Nokia X, previously called Normandy, is expected to be unveiled in Barcelona during the Mobile World Congress next week. But the company has already sent out the Nokia X to select app developers in India, reports GSM Arena. The device is expected to hit the markets in April this year.
Nokia building its own App Store
Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (HEL:NOK1V) must win over developers if it wants its first Android device to succeed. Reports suggest that the Nokia X will have Android source code, but it won’t come with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) offerings built-in. Most Android devices have in-built Google products such as Google Search, Google Maps and others. But Nokia is likely to replace them with its own and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s services such as Here Maps, Outlook, Skype and Bing search. That’s similar to what Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) has done with its Kindle Fire. The online retailer’s flagship tablet is based on the Android platform, but doesn’t sport all of the Google offerings.
Moreover, Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (HEL:NOK1V)’s Android smartphone will have no Play Store. The Finnish company has to build its own app repository. GSM Arena says that Nokia will develop its own app store for the upcoming device. The store is codenamed Asha on Linux (AoL). If rumors are to be believed, Nokia has already negotiated almost all of the top 100 Google Play Store apps for its own store.
Nokia X to be launched in April?
Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (HEL:NOK1V) is likely to keep the price of Nokia X as low as possible to gain strength in emerging Asian markets. According to rumors, Nokia X will be priced at around 6,500 rupees or $105. Reports suggest that the smartphone will first be launched in India during the Indian Premier League in April with a high-decibel marketing campaign.
Nokia X is rumored to feature a 3MP main camera, 4GB internal memory, 512MB RAM, dual SIM functionality, 1500 mAh battery and dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor.
American shares of Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (HEL:NOK1V) jumped 2.59% to $7.32 at 11:01 AM EST on Tuesday.
