Nokia has been building its own Android phone, multiple sources familiar with the company’s plans told The Verge. Codenamed Normandy, and known internally at Nokia under a number of other names, the handset is designed as the next step in low-end phones from the Finnish smartphone maker. According to The Verge's sources, Nokia has been testing the phone with a special "forked" variant of Android that's not aligned with Google’s own version, similar to what Amazon does with its Kindle Fire line. An image of the handset was published in November by @evleaks, showing a Lumia-style device with no apparent capacitive buttons for navigation.
The Nordmandy device is thought to take the Asha line of low-end phones a step further, allowing users access to Android apps. It's unclear whether Nokia will release the handset before the Microsoft deal is finalized, or whether Microsoft will continue with the plans for the device. Nokia employees working on Normandy were informed the device is planned as a 2014 release, and one insider described the Normandy effort as "full steam ahead".
