In the past few weeks, the biggest news for me is how Nokia is planning to go all Android on us, now is that a good thing? I mean, some people are going to say something along the line of “if you can’t beat them, join them” and that would work about half a year ago, but now a thing has changed. Of course, everything has its positive and negative, and instead of being on one side of the wall, I’m trying to climb on top of the wall to see the whole story of this, so lets begin!
Good…ish, kind of
Of course, even know the good is not overwhelming (although some have different thought), the positives are obvious.
First on the list is of course, the apps situation. Giving Windows Phone and their reputation with apps, it’s no surprise to everyone that Nokia is going with this decision. Now, we do not know what kind of Android that Nokia is planning to input on the Nokia X, but my hypothesis made by some leaks, that it would be just like what Amazon did for their Kindle line up. So, even if you can’t get all the android apps on there, you still have the option of side loading apps for your phone. Also, if Microsoft and Nokia play the right move with the developers, set up some criteria for their Android apps, they can easily transfer those apps to the Windows Store. This is what Nick Gray from Android and Me speculated and this is actually plausible considering how Microsoft and Windows Phone just missed out on what’s considered to be one of the biggest game in the past few years, Flappy Bird. (He made this speculation on the Pocketnow Weekly)
And next on the list would be the sales number. Over the year, even know Nokia did a lot of things right, their sales number was not significant in the pass few years. So, with this, Nokia is bringing something to the table that everyone has been asking for a long time.
And the whole lots of problems
A lot of people do not think this is a mistake, and I do understand where are they coming from. After all, for a brief time, I was one of those people who is begging for a Nokia Android phone. But hey, people change, and I’m one of those people that changed my opinion on this, and here is why.
As I said above, the apps situation would be solved if Nokia decided to take this move, but it’s also sending out the message that “we cannot do our job properly.” I mean, it had been 2 years since Windows Phone released, and the fact that they have to depend on Android is somewhat embarrassing. Also, the side loading option, it would, and this is just my personal opinion, but it would just bring bad reputation. I mean, side loading is never a good experience, evidently showed on the Blackberry and their product.
This is also a short-term gain, long term lost. This also sending mixed message to Windows Phone developers too. Microsoft might attract over some holdouts from the platform because their new selections of apps that bring it to the same levels. Also, with this direction, developers will just abandon the Windows Store since now they can just make Android apps and do not even need to care Windows Phone ever exist.
Bottom line
Maybe I’m just being too negative, maybe Nokia and Microsoft know something that I don’t. But hey, I still think that even know this move might not be a popular move, they must have thought this through before they executed it. Now, we still have to remember the Nokia X (Aka the Normandy) might just be another Asha phone that will just sell in the emerging or the enterprise market that probably will not make any impact at all. Still, I am waiting for what Nokia have up their sleeve at MWC, because after see the Lumia Icon and the Lumia 1520, I convince that Nokia is just getting better.
Fonetime.net 