BARCENA—Imagine our surprise when, after months of chasing rumors, Nokia introduces not one, not two, but three different Android-powered devices.
Nokia’s X, X+, Xphones hardly resemble the devices that Android users are typically used to. They don’t use any of ’s backend services, like ’s in-app purchasing mechanism or its Maps A, the interface looks like Android received a ndows one makeover.
It’s as if ndows one Android had a baby.
Anything remotely Android-y is hidden beneath the interface, like the Settings menu, or the fact that the phones utilize a similar drop-down notifications shade. App developers can also port over their apps to Nokia’s specific Android ecosystem. Unlike BlackBerry’s crash–burn Android-porting strategy, the apps won’t be emulated—they’re specifically coded to work with Nokia’s particular Android devices.
The Settings menu is evidence that this device is built on AOS
Instead of a Android’s usual task switcher, the Nokia X Software atform (which is built on Android 4.1.2 lly Bean) implements a feature called Fastlane. Fastlane remembers all of your recent activity, including text messages the last song you played. It also displays notifications.
See your recent app activity with Fastlane.
The Home screen mostly resembles something you’d find on a ndows one. There are faux ve Tiles that you can exp move around. You can also create folders for a group of apps pin various widgets to the home screen. Interestingly, you can see in the photo below that ’s calendar widget is a part of the available selection.
dgets are a thing on Nokia’s X phones.
But Nokia made sure to add in a little bit of ndows one flavor in there, too.
The ck Screen uses a badge to display notifications at the bottom of the screen. To unlock, you can slide over to get to the last app you were using. If you weren’t actively in an app, it’ll then default to the Home screen.
A new take on slide to unlock.
As an added bonus, you can sideload your favorite Android apps by plugging in a microSD card using the pre-loaded ASTRO File Manager app to launch an A. Nokia will also load its X phones with the Yex app store in Russia 1Mobile in China, as well as two browsers: Nokia’s own browser Opera Mobile.
On the hardware side, the Nokia X X+ look mostly the same, except that the latter comes equipped with a bit more RAM. The Xis an inch bigger than its two siblings for those who want a bigger screen.
The Nokia Xis big, but not too big.
Nokia has always had a particular penchant for design its trio of X phones are no different. They’re cute, stylish, comfortable to hold; they feel more durable than other phones with plastic chassis. The X X+ also fit perfectly in the palm of my h.
Cupping the Nokia X.
In terms of performance, I can equate my short time with the Nokia X to a mid- or low-end Android phone with antiquated components. But what’s important to note is that Nokia isn’t attempting to focus the spotlight on the hardware fueling its devices, but rather the fact that it’s giving Android developers total access to its loyal fan base of users.
