Nokia to Make WP7 Phones?(unwiredview.com)
unwiredview.com
Nokia to Make WP7 Phones?
http://www.unwiredview.com/2010/12/20/holy-crap-nokia-is-in-talks-with-microsoft-about-windows-phone-devices/
9 comments
I still fail to understand why Nokia doesn't get it done with Software. I mean, look at Meego. Maybe I'm naive but I was really expecting more progress. I thought they were set to go. All they need is development power. Get their Meego core run on selected hardware. Do they put enough ressources there? Are there politics with Intel going on? It is so important to get going. They should know it and put $$ there. All we hear from Nokia is news about Symbian being supported more, which is not really promotion in my opinion. Look at RIM. Look what they do with their playbook and QNX. So much more progress than Nokia.
We need diversity and competition in the mobile market. Currently Apple and Google squeeze the money out of our wallets.
(And we need more Qt ;-))
Not at all surprising to me. Nokia is mostly a hardware company, and they just do not have a software house powerful enough to create mobile OS which could compete with iOS or Android.
Nokia is a good company, especially in the area of dumbphones (still a pretty big segment), but they are just not that good at making software - I tried in the past to use their windows client ;-)).
Nokia hardware + WP7 seems like a good combo to me.
Nokia is a good company, especially in the area of dumbphones (still a pretty big segment), but they are just not that good at making software - I tried in the past to use their windows client ;-)).
Nokia hardware + WP7 seems like a good combo to me.
Why wouldn't they choose Android over WP7. I would think Android would offer them more control over the user experience and Nokia branding.
And then have users bitching about not being able to install a bare-bones Android on it? :-)
I don't think going with Android is good. How could they offer anything more compelling than HTC or Samsung or Motorola, which are small players compared to Nokia?
I also think going with WM7 is suicide, but YMMV.
I don't think going with Android is good. How could they offer anything more compelling than HTC or Samsung or Motorola, which are small players compared to Nokia?
I also think going with WM7 is suicide, but YMMV.
The phones would be very compelling if offered with stock Android, since no one seems to do it outside of Google, anyway. Huge market potential there, but too bad no one is willing to take advantage of it.
Imagine if Nokia became #1 provider of stock Android phones...most Android fans would be swayed immediately.
Oh and of course they'd also need to be on the cutting edge of technology. They don't seem to be doing that lately, except for the cameras.
Imagine if Nokia became #1 provider of stock Android phones...most Android fans would be swayed immediately.
Oh and of course they'd also need to be on the cutting edge of technology. They don't seem to be doing that lately, except for the cameras.
I feel that we are gradually going in the direction of stock android on phones. Motorola has rolled back it's Motoblur to just blur, Samsung has been catching a ton of heat for the lack of updates to old BeholdII phones and the slow pace of updates for Galaxy S phones.
If the Nexus S is commercially successful (and I hope it is as I own one) then I see more handset manufactures moving in that direction.
If the Nexus S is commercially successful (and I hope it is as I own one) then I see more handset manufactures moving in that direction.
The only users bitching for bare-bones Android are a very small market segment. Only nerds like us really know the difference.
I personally think that Nokia adopting an OS other than one they control would be foolish. Their hardware is decent, but they need more control to create a compelling user experience.
I personally think that Nokia adopting an OS other than one they control would be foolish. Their hardware is decent, but they need more control to create a compelling user experience.
Even though I would prefer Meego all the way, I agree that Nokia and WP7 could be extraordinary. They could mark the standard for business phones. Hardware like the Nokia E7 and full MS office integration. At our company (big car company) they're rolling out iPhones to the management which is just ridiculous.
I wonder if the Microsoft past of its current CEO would have anything to do with it choosing to go WP7 instead of already market proven Android.
Microsoft needs more then a horde of clone phones. Maybe MS and Nokia can create something special that helps both? (Yes, MS wouldn't do HTC, Samsung etc. a favour with special Nokia treatment).
But you're right, Android is certainly more market proven, but also more ordinary.
Nothing against WP7 but I think if this were true, Nokia would be digging themselves another hole. Well they may not fall because of WP7 but I just don't see it giving them a chance to become a super start handset maker they once were. If they chose to make Android phones, I would be interested in purchasing one, since the quality of their phones is very high.
And what makes you think that Android would be better? Everyone's already doing Android and the models are becoming very similar to each other.
The WP7 phones are much more similar to each other though, both in software and hardware (same chip). Plus, Nokia will have NO control over the OS. And they wouldn't benefit from Android's huge momentum. Even late entrants like LG are selling millions of Android phone units.
I thought they wanted to make their own OS so they don't get commoditized and distinguished only by hardware. How is WP7 helping them doing that? It's much worse than Android in that respect.
I thought they wanted to make their own OS so they don't get commoditized and distinguished only by hardware. How is WP7 helping them doing that? It's much worse than Android in that respect.
The Android UI tweaks are almost irrelevant and universally despised, so not much of an advantage there. Neither Android nor WP7 would help much here.
I wonder how much of Android's momentum is actually just the fact that the phones look cool. Do most of the customers know that they're running Android like they do with iPhone? What would Nokia's differentiators be?
I wonder how much of Android's momentum is actually just the fact that the phones look cool. Do most of the customers know that they're running Android like they do with iPhone? What would Nokia's differentiators be?
Nokia has a lot of hardware-tricks up their sleeves. One thing they could do to Android is to make the models stop being so similar to each other. I think, for an example, that an E72 running Android could go a long way in luring away BlackBerry users who are reluctant to give up a HW keyboard. There's currently only one Android device in that space (Desire Z), and it's pretty expensive.
They could, except it seems that Motorola beat them to it. :) Hardware can't be much of a differentiator - I am thoroughly unimpressed with the recent avalanche of Android phones. They all look the same, with geeky differences such as dual-core, 1MP larger camera, trackball.
All these things are exciting to Engadget and r/Android but are almost irrelevant to consumers and confusing to boot. If I had to pick an Android phone today, I would have no idea how to do it. So I stick to my current phone and wait for real game-changers to appear.
All these things are exciting to Engadget and r/Android but are almost irrelevant to consumers and confusing to boot. If I had to pick an Android phone today, I would have no idea how to do it. So I stick to my current phone and wait for real game-changers to appear.
I completely missed the Droid Pro, which does dilute my argument a bit.
But: your statement that all Android phones look the same would support the idea that hardware could be a differentiator. Nokia has a long history of shipping many different kinds of hardware to many different customer segments. Android devices seem to have some trouble breaking out of the high-end segments where they are competing pretty directly with iPhone. The lower end Android devices also feel cheap. A lower-end Nokia never felt cheap.
But: your statement that all Android phones look the same would support the idea that hardware could be a differentiator. Nokia has a long history of shipping many different kinds of hardware to many different customer segments. Android devices seem to have some trouble breaking out of the high-end segments where they are competing pretty directly with iPhone. The lower end Android devices also feel cheap. A lower-end Nokia never felt cheap.
There's also the Droid 2 Pro.
It seems that by planting Elop on the CEO position at Nokia, Microsoft has perfected the use of outplacement as an offensive weapon.
The apparent source of this information is hardly a person that is considered to be reliable. Eldar has a track record of false rumors for the purpose of gaining more attention to himself.
Since I won't buy a Nokia phone in the near future, I think I'll just sit and wait.
Too bad. Their hardware has always been excellent.
Too bad. Their hardware has always been excellent.
This seems like a very odd move for Nokia. I was hoping MeeGo would become there predominant platform. I guess anything is better than Symbian at this point.
Maemo was/is nice, but it needs some more work to really work well in all situations, looking forward to the n900 successor
Maemo was/is nice, but it needs some more work to really work well in all situations, looking forward to the n900 successor
And while we think it's a big deal to most normal people it's a non-event.
Not saying they couldn't change their minds between then and now, but I'd find it weird. Then again, working exclusively on hardware might be the pivot Nokia needs to get out of the hole they carved out for themselves in the past few years.