Nokia Launches First Android Phones

Nokia has unveiled its first family of Android phones at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.

The X, X+ and XL will range in price from 89 euros (�74) to 109 euros.

Up until now Nokia's suite of smartphones has used the Windows operating system. The announcement had been widely expected despite Microsoft detailing plans to buy Nokia's mobile division at the end of 2013.

Analysts have called the announcement a "perplexing strategic move".

The entry-level X model will feature a 4in (10.2cm) screen with 512MB Ram and a three-megapixel camera. The X+ will have 768MB Ram and a 4GB MicroSD card.

The top-end XL will have a 5in screen, a front-facing two-megapixel camera and a rear five-megapixel camera.

The X will go on sale immediately in several territories including Europe and Asia Pacific. The X+ and XL will launch in April.

Users who buy one of the X models will be able to use Microsoft's free cloud-storage system, OneDrive. The software giant's email software, Outlook, will also ship as standard on all models.

'Bitter pill'

The messaging service BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) will be pre-installed on the phones as will social network Twitter, video app Vine and the game Plants vs. Zombies 2.

More than 1.1 million devices running Android are expected to ship this year compared with 360,000 using the Windows operating system, according to data from research analysts Gartner.

Microsoft agreed to buy Nokia's mobile phone business in a deal worth 5.4bn euros ($7.2bn; �4.6bn).

At the time, the company's then chief executive, Steve Ballmer, called the deal a "big, bold step forward", adding the company was in the process of transforming itself from one that "was known for software and PCs, to a company that focuses on devices and services".

Critics say Microsoft has been too slow to respond to the booming market for mobile devices.

Source: BBC