Microsoft has indicated that it will continue to support Nokia’s Android smartphones and Asha budget phones. It is unclear whether this also means that new devices will be released. Microsoft completed the acquisition of Nokia’s telephone division on Friday.
That said Stephen Elop, who previously served as CEO of Nokia, in response to Microsoft’s finalization of the acquisition of the telephone division of the Finnish mobile manufacturer. The intention is that Microsoft will continue to support the Nokia X smartphones, which run on Android, and the Asha budget phones. However, Elop did not say whether new smartphones will also be released by Microsoft with Android or under the Asha brand. As a result, it is still unclear what exactly is meant by support.
Nokia announced its X-series at the Mobile World Congress in February, when it was already known that the Finnish company would be partly acquired by Microsoft. The Nokia X smartphones run on Android, but have a skin that is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Windows Phone interface. Due to the announced acquisition, it was suspected that Nokia would cancel the release of its Android smartphones, but this turned out not to be the case.
Asha is used by Nokia as a brand name for feature phones. Microsoft may use this as a cheap alternative for its Windows Phone devices. Asha devices run on a modified version of S40.
Microsoft announced on Friday that it has completed the acquisition of Nokia’s telephone division. The company from Redmond pays approximately 5.5 billion euros for this. Microsoft also gets a license for software services such as the map service Here and the brand name Nokia.