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AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Nokia has dabbled with Android phones before, releasing the Nokia XL in early 2014.
# ducks in a row
Nokia isn't making smartphones any longer, but it's planning a comeback
It will be late-2016 before you see one on the shelves.
YOU CAN’T KEEP a good rumour down. Ever since it sold off its handset division, talk of whether Nokia would re-enter the smartphone market comes up any time the company is mentioned.
The latest rumours – from a Reuters’ report - say the company is recruiting heavily in preparation. Some job postings from its California office are for Android engineers and product development.
The major takeaway from this is the same as before: Nokia is focusing on software and will leave hardware to someone else.
This ties into Nokia’s announcement last month where it said it would re-enter the market via a brand-licensing model. In other words, it would get someone else to do the manufacturing for them, but use the Nokia branding in exchange for royalty payments.
The other problem is it can’t re-enter the smartphone market until late 2016 because of its deal with Microsoft.
Nokia has placed its focus on software in recent times but it has partnered with other companies to release devices.
Some of the products it launched included the Z launcher, a custom lock screen, and the N1, an Android tablet created by Foxconn. It also recently announced a virtual reality camera called OZO designed to capture stereoscopic 3D video.
While it’s a shadow of its former self, the Nokia brand is still remembered fondly by those who owned a 3210 or 3310 in the late 90s and early 00s. While it dominated the feature phone market, it struggled to replicate the same success with smartphones, ultimately resulting in it selling off its handset division in 2014.
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