N1 Android.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
In an unexpected move, mobile firm Nokia announced that it is set to make a comeback in China with its latest Android device, the N1 Android tablet.
"We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," Nokia's head of products Sebastian Nystroem announced.
According to Shanghai Daily, targeted primarily at the Chinese market, the tablet would be manufactured by Taiwan-based technology group Foxconn, which is the biggest supplier of tech giant Apple.
The Nokia N1 Android tablet is set to be launched in the Chinese market in early 2015.
The device would target mid-range tablet consumers and would be priced at $249 before taxes. Nokia anticipates that the sales of the device would also expand to other markets.
The device is also set to give the Apple iPad mini some competition. It would come with a 7.9-inch screen, which is roughly the same size as that of the mini. It would target users who want the size of the Apple iPad mini, yet want to work with an Android system instead, all under a quality tech brand that they could trust.
The device was presented at the Slush technology fair in Helsinki and it was the company's second.
The first Nokia tablet was the Windows-driven Lumia 2520, which was launched in 2013. Compared to the first tablet, the Nokia N1 is much cheaper, even though the Lumia can only offer quite a limited number of applications compared to other Android and Apple tablets.
The announcement came unexpected since, after Nokia sold its handset division to Microsoft in April, everyone assumed the company is done with the mobile and tablet race and would focus instead on its telecom services.
