According to a report via The New York Times on the weekend, Nokia was reportedly working on an Android based Lumia phone just in case the partnership with Microsoft went sour beyond 2014.
Nokia of course, did have the option to get out of the original Microsoft partnership deal in late 2014 so testing an Android devices was a key step in preparing for a future without Lumia devices running Windows Phone 8. According to the New York Times sources, getting Nokia devices to boot Android was an easy task to accomplish from an engineering perspective.
Microsoft executives were apparently aware of the Android project Nokia was working on. However, its existence wasn’t part of the acquisition negotiations.
Of course, a potential switch to Android by Nokia would have had meant a massive blow for Microsoft, as Nokia accounts for over 80% of all Windows Phone devices sold. Nokia though, would have certainly gotten the better part from such a deal (the company’s current share of the smartphone market is 3% for the first half of 2013, down from 32.8% in 2010) as Android currently powers about three quarters of all smartphones sold globally.
Personally, I would have liked to see Nokia work on and ultimately bring out an Android based Lumia device, as Nokia have shown they can make absolutely beautiful hardware, but its partnership with Microsoft at the time for Windows Phone 8 is what truly helped keep its continued downward spiral market share wise.
Would you have liked to see Nokia work on and bring out a Android powered Lumia device?
