Nokia's Android device plans shelved, to focus on wearables: Rumours

Nokia's Android smartphone may not see the light of day as a new rumour says the company has now decided to focus on wearables.

Nokia has been long rumoured to be working on an Android smartphone. The recent rumours of a mid-range Nokia Android smartphone, dubbed Normandy, met with great excitement. But, now a new rumour says Nokia has dumped its Android smartphone/tablet project altogether. Instead, the company is now working on wearable devices.

Nokia's future wearables will reportedly feature flexible displays, augmented reality, wireless power transmission, graphene censors and electromagnetic energy generation. Report say the wearables will belong to Nokia's Lumia universe – a move that is evidently aimed at taking on future devices rather the current ones.

According to Chinese site Ctechnology, Nokia had been working on several entry-level Android prototype devices, including a 7-inch tablet running Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. But, Nokia has now dumped its Android smartphone and tablet plans.

According to Ctech, Microsoft wasn't directly involved in the decision to shelve work on Android devices. It's notable Nokia CTO office, which isn't part of Microsoft deal, was working on the Android prototypes. However, there's a clause in the Nokia-Microsoft deal that says Nokia will not sell phones for two years – the restriction is believed to be major reason behind the change in focus.

A Pocket-Lint report says despite restriction, Nokia's CTO office can still work on R&D activities such as wearables. VR headset manufacturer Vuzix recently unveiled the Vuzix M2000AR HMD smartglass, which was developed using Waveguide optics and Nokia’s holograph AR system.