Nokia goes Android with N1 tablet in deal with Foxconn



The name of Nokia is back in the electronic hardware market on a piece of kit running Android.

The company has announced the Nokia N1 tablet, its first move in the consumer market since it sold its mobile phones division to Microsoft seven months ago for $7.2bn.

But it's not as simple as it seems.

Here's what's happened.

Nokia has licensed its name to Foxconn, which will be manufacturing the iPad Mini look-alike.

Not only that...Foxconn, which of course makes the iPad Mini as well for Apple, will also look after all marketing and advertising for the Android-powered N1.

In effect, Nokia is simply licensing out its name and a bit of software Foxconn will use to skin Android Lollipop.

And just to ram home how things are so very different these days for Nokia, the N1 will be aimed at the China market with a vague promise that other regions will be looked at later.

So, it seems Nokia's deal with Microsoft was for mobile phones only.

It's sad that Nokia has gone down the road of so many other brands and will become just a licensed name on someone else's product.



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