Nokia at MWC

Nokia has just shown that its range of devices hasn't finished with its excellent Windows Phone smartphones. And it has taken an important turn in its target customers, strongly targeting the entry market with its new Asha and Android terminals

On the other hand, on the Windows Phone side, there hasn't been a single novelty.

Input devices for emerging countries

During the presentation, the announcements have been multiple and varied - Xataka's colleagues have been detailing them -, but the most striking thing has been the enormous change of focus and the reduction of Microsoft's presence in the event.

Unlike in recent years, now the software giant no longer carries the specific weight that permeated all Nokia products, being mentioned rather in passing as added services, default applications or brand partner.

Which may mean that Nokia will no longer be the source of the announcements and news we all expect in the future of the Lumia family, or whatever it's called.

It seems that Nokia intends to move away from the Windows Phone market, to focus on a difficult entry market where games are played with very low quality and price(for example, the use of 2G, which makes Web browsing unfeasible), and which is going to have tough competitors from oriental manufacturers.

The question that time will answer is: Is there room in that range of the market for a new manufacturer?

Featherweight Fight

Nokia's proposal with its Asha mobiles has come a long way. But the arrival of its X range, based on Android, has caused me a slight surprise ( although the rumor has been running around the Internet for weeks).

Mainly because of the impact it can have on low-end Lumia terminals such as the 520. A very good phone for which Nokia itself has just created some serious competitors with the XL and XL+.

For a little less cost, we will have a phone with characteristics very similar to Windows Phone; including Lumia's star applications such as Nokia Drive, Nokia Radio, Skype or integration with OneDrive; but also – being an Android – with access to the huge Google Play library or any other store.

Also, in the demo, we were shown an interface similar in look & feel to Windows Phone – even with some advantages of home screen setup – which worked very smooth and nice.

Conclution

The first question that arises is whether Microsoft has bought Nokia well. If I should have bought it whole and not leaving room for this move to Android and Asha.

The message to the customer/buyer is now more confusing. Three years of crushing forcefully for the market to match Nokia to Windows Phone, they just vanished And we have that the “good” Nokias are Windows Phone, and the cheap (and can sell for billions) are Android.

Can you imagine that Apple would validate the €80 Chinese iPhone with Android that is sold on the Internet?

I'm also not clear if Nokia's move away from Windows Phone is not a desperate move looking for oxygen in new markets. But I think they've got it wrong and it's going to cost them a lot of time and money to compete with the established manufacturers in the Android sector

And to show a button: while Nokia was trying to sell its low-cost Android terminals like wonders (also, as if they had a lot to do with Microsoft), the focus of the MWC was on the presentation of Sony and your Xperia.

It is true that time will put everything in its place, but the sensation of this move by Nokia would be summed up in that it has gone from being “ Mouse head, to Lion tail".

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