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Nokia, a name which was once synonymous with
mobile phones until first Apple and then Samsung Electronics
<005930.KS> eclipsed the Finnish company with the advent of
smart phones, said the manufacturing, distribution and sales of
the new N1 tablet, will be handled under license by Taiwan's
Foxconn <2354.TW>.
The aluminum-cased N1, which runs on Google's <GOOGL.O> Android
Lollipop operating software but features Nokia's new Z Launcher
intelligent home screen interface, is due to be in stores in
China in the first quarter of next year for an estimated price
of $249 before taxes, with sales to other markets to follow.
Sebastian Nystrom, the head of products at Nokia's Technologies
unit, said the company was looking to follow up with more
devices and will also look into eventually returning to the
smartphones business by brand-licensing.
"With the agreement with Microsoft, as is customary, we have
this transition and we can't do smartphones ... We have a time
limit. In 2016 we can again enter that business," Nystrom told
Reuters.
"It would be crazy not to look at that opportunity. Of course we
will look at it."
Microsoft last week dropped the Nokia name on its latest Lumia
535 smartphone, which runs on its Windows Phone 8 operating
system, but still uses the brand for more basic phones.
After the Microsoft sale Nokia was left with its core network
equipment and services business plus its smaller HERE mapping
and navigation unit and Nokia Technologies, which manages the
licensing of its portfolio of patents and develops new products
such as the N1 and the Z Launcher.
Asked about rumors that Nokia was looking to re-enter the
handset market, Chief Executive Rajeev Suri said last week he
was looking into ways to bring the brand back into the consumer
market through licensing deals.
(Editing by Greg Mahlich)
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