Nokia has refused to die and has today unveiled the N1, its first Nokia-branded AndroidTM tablet with a Nokia Z Launcher but the phone won’t be available until Q1 2015.
The N1’s Z Launcher allows users to scribble a letter or two to find their content quickly and as well learns users history and predicts and highlights the applications consumers are expected to want based on time of day and location.
Nokia is promising a unique one-piece aluminum design with a soft finish in both Lava Grey and Natural Aluminum colors that make it stand out from other tablets. The tablet has a 7.9″ laminated display, sits in a 6.9mm thin and light design, runs on a 2.4Ghz Intel(C) AtomTM quad-core processor and is on Android Lollipop OS.
The N1 will go on sale in China in Q1 2015 for an estimated $249 before taxes then into other markets later.
Nokia is not getting itself dirty but has licensed its Nokia brand, its industrial design, Z Launcher software layer and IP on a running royalty basis to the OEM partner who will also be in charge of the entire operation from engineering and sales to customer care, including liabilities and warranty costs, inbound IP and software licensing and contractual agreements with 3rd parties.
Nokia Technologies business is only responsible for patent, technology and brand licensing. Because of its agremeent with Microsoft, Nokia won’t be launching a smartphone until sometime after 2016.