NYT: Nokia was testing Android on Lumia phones before Microsoft deal
Microsoft officially acquired Nokia's devices group to improve the overall Windows Phone platform. The New York Times, however, hears from sources that the company may have had another incentive: Nokia had been testing Android on Lumia devices. The Finnish firm reportedly started experimenting with Android "well before" the deal, making it easier to switch platforms if the Microsoft partnership didn't last beyond 2014. Nokia's potential OS switch wasn't mentioned in the acquisition discussions this year, according to one tipster. Even so, the sources claim that Microsoft's executives knew of the project's existence -- they would have understood the consequences of losing Nokia's support. Microsoft and Nokia have so far declined to comment on the rumor, but it's clear that any Android-based Lumias are now consigned to the history books.
