Nokia, the original mobile giant,
seemed to be on the way out until it began creating high-quality devices for
Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. Now it has surprised everyone by making an
Android phone. Nokia’s divided loyalties are reflected in the new device. Like
its more expensive cousins, the X+ and the XL, the Nokia X comes pre-loaded
with Microsoft services such as Skype, which includes free calls for a month,
and OneDrive, which includes 1GB of free cloud storage. The phone runs a
heavily customized version of Android that doesn’t even support Google Play, so
you have to download apps from Nokia’s more limited Android store (www.nokia.com/apps) or from
third-party sources. As Google regularly reminds us, third-party sources may
present a security risk.
So the X has its limitations, and
the Android/Microsoft mix is slightly confusing, but none of this matters
because this beautiful, well-made, fuss-free phone is yours for just €89 (73),
almost half the price of the wildly successful Moto G. Beneath the X’s Lumia- style
colored case, you’ll find support for Wi-Fi, 3G and Bluetooth 3; a 1GHz
Snapdragon S4 chip; 512MB of RAM; a 3MP camera, and 4GB of storage that you can
expand to 32GB.
One swipe of the sharp, colorful
4inch touch screen reveals Nokia’s excellent Fast lane. a dashboard of recently
used apps. notifications, photos and contacts. The X’s specs, design and
feature punch far above its price, so we wonder whether it’s a loss-leader from
Microsoft to lure Android users onto Windows Phone.
