Another look at Nokia’s alleged Android-WP-Asha mutant
If it ever comes to market, the user interface of the Nokia Normandy may look like a cross between Android, Windows Phone, and Nokia’s own entry-level Asha operating system.
Mr. @evleaks has been supplying us with a steady trickle of leaks about the Android-powered Normandy, with the latest one giving us the best view yet at what Nokia’s Android skin could look like.
Like on WP, the homescreen launcher seems to be scrollable vertically, and probably users will be able to move the apps around so their preferred ones are shown on top. The tiles and widgets are also WP inspired, though some elements of Asha transpire. Overall, this looks little like the Android that most of us know and love, but we’ve seen Android launchers with even more radical designs before.
There are no Google apps to be seen, but the leak shows some apps that are present in the Play Store, but not on Asha or WP, such as BBM or Plants vs Zombies 2. It’s thought that Nokia’s Android implementation is a fork, similar to Amazon’s Fire OS, and therefore incompatible with Google’s Play Store and other licensed apps. It’s possible that the OS will allow sideloading APK files.
As for the notification dropdown, we see a variety of actionable notifications for stuff like missed calls, calendar, and Skype. Again, it’s not the typical Android dropdown, but not something that can’t be easily implemented either.
Even if these screens are real, we have to remain cautious. There’s no telling how old they are or what Microsoft’s plans for the Normandy are. There’s still a very good chance we’re all getting excited over nothing…
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