Nokia's low-end Android phone expected later this month

Nokia will introduce a new low-end handset that uses Google's Android mobile operating system later this month in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress trade show, according to a report on Monday from The Wall Street Journal.

Nokia has been rumored for months to be working on a device that uses the open source Android operating system. The phone, which is aimed at developing markets, will be a low-end, inexpensive device. According to various news reports, the device will not be able to access the Google Play application store. Instead, it will run services created by Nokia and Microsoft, including Here maps and Mix Radio. Nokia will offer its own application store for the phone that will offer access to popular Android apps, such as Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and many others.

The device code-named Normandy, may go by the name Nokia X, when it's released. According to reports, the phone will offer a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch WVGA screen, 512MB of memory, 4GB of storage, and a microSD card slot. It's expected to be available in a choice of six colors, and it will reportedly include a 5MP camera, a 1,500mAh battery, and a dual-SIM setup.

Nokia is scheduled to hold a press conference in Barcelona at the MWC trade show on Monday, February 24. It's believed the phone will be shown off at this event, according to the Journal.

Addressing the low-end smartphone market

The strategy to use the Android operating system is similar to how Amazon has used the OS for its Kindle tablet, the Kindle Fire. Amazon also used the open source software as a basis for its device, but it does not provide access to the Google Play store or many of the made for Google Android apps that are available.