The sad thing here is that the Microsoft/Nokia Devices acquisition was supposed to have closed in January. There are two questions that come to mind, the first being why not replace the Asha line with something based on Windows Phone? The second being, how can you ship an Android-based device when you are about to be acquired by Microsoft? Answering the second one first, read my blog about the legal situation during an acquisition. At least sort of.įirst let’s jump into the debate about Nokia shipping an Android-based device as part of its Asha line. Got it? Now, let’s move on to things that make a lot more sense. I’m going to stay away from the “Microsoft should just fork Android” (as a Windows Phone replacement) debate by saying “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”. And then on top of that we have occasional rumors that Microsoft is working on a way to run Android applications on Windows Phone and/or Windows. Starting with the imminent announcement of the Nokia Normandy aka Nokia X aka who knows. We are floating in rumors and suggestions this week around Microsoft and Android, from a call for Microsoft to drop Windows Phone in favor of a forked Android to Peter Bright’s explanation of why that doesn’t make technical sense, to the long-standing rumors about Nokia switching its Asha line of feature/almost-smart phones from Symbian to an Android (AOSP) base.
