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The leaks about the Nokia Normandy project, or something we remember as the Android-powered handset from the Finnish maker are gaining momentum from the past few days. The alleged handset first made the headlines back in November, when the famed Twitter leaker @evleaks posted code names of some mysterious Nokia handsets. Among them was the highly rumored Nokia Normandy whose fate is still undecided as Microsoft’s is expected to take over the Devices and Services division of Nokia, which will be completed in the coming months.
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Normandy was rumored to be a low-cost handset running Android, but it’s not the operating system as we know it. The alleged handset is rumored to come with a forked version of Android. Speaking of the forked version, it’s similar to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire tablet line up, something that’s not aligned with Google’s own version.
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Actually, when we saw the leaked UI of the highly rumored Nokia Normandy for the first time, it had a lot of Windows Phone touches to it, with tiles and the overall feel of the home screen, which is a pretty interesting customization from Nokia.
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Later, it was followed by a detail UI leak, showing some applications on the home screen which are not available for Windows Phone along with a notification center. The handset is also rumored to come with the default Nokia and Microsoft applications that ship with its Windows Phone line up like Here Maps, Nokia Camera app, etc. Personally, I think Nokia did a commendable job with the customization, if the leaked screenshots are correct, offering users the simplicity of Windows Phone packed within Google’s OS.
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Two ways to interact with Normandy. pic.twitter.com/uUY2XF4h7i
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— @evleaks (@evleaks) January 16, 2014
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Many believe it to be something equivalent to the Asha line up of the Finns, and is rumored to be a low-cost handset with support for more popular applications. The details about the technical specifications are a mystery at the moment, but The Verge notes, citing their own sources, the handset should come with a 4-inch display, a Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB storage with microSD card. The handset comes with a single button, similar to the one found inside the Asha line up of the company. Apart from this, there’s no information about the handset about the specifications it could bring at the table.
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By looking at the UI images leaked by @evleaks, it is also expected to come with dual-SIM support, which is popular in emerging markets such as China and India. But does this mean that the handset will not hit the US once it hits retail? Well, we cannot be sure, actually its fate is still undecided as we have no clue if the handset will ever hit retail because of the Microsoft acquisition.
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There’s no solid proof of when the handset could see the light of the day, but rumors point towards Mobile World Congress which will take place in Barcelona, Spain next month. There’s a possibility that Microsoft may be willing to pursue the project once the acquisition as complete, but things could be different in the future. Although we’d love to see the handset hit retail, and experience what Nokia has done with the so-called Android handset, even if its low-end.
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What do you people think about the fate of Nokia Normandy? Would you even consider purchasing it?
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