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Surprising techies, Nokia returns to mobile devices

November 18, 2014

In a surprising decision, Finnish company Nokia has announced a return to the market for mobile devices with a tablet targeted at Chinese consumers. The new device is expected to be launched in early 2015.

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Nokia N1 Android Tablet
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Heikki Saukkomaa

Nokia, the Finnish telecom equipment maker, unexpectedly announced on Tuesday that it would be returning to mobile devices with a tablet aimed at Chinese consumers.

The company's N1 tablet has a 7.9-inch screen and will be powered by Google's Android operating system.

The device is set to be released on the Chinese market in the first quarter of 2015 and is projected to cost around $249 (199 euros) before taxes, the company said.

The tablet will be made by the Taiwanese technology group Foxconn, to which Nokia is licensing its name and the industrial design. The device was presented at the Slush technology fair in Helsinki.

"We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," said Sebastian Nystroem, Nokia's head of products.

This is "a great product for Nokia fans and everyone who has not found the right Android tablet yet," Nystroem added.

The move to re-enter the mobile-devices business was not expected, as the company appeared set to focus on telecom services following the conclusion of the sale of its ailing handset business to US software giant Microsoft earlier this year.

Nokia was the global leader in mobile phones before the launching of Apple's iPhone in 2007 and other Android-based smart phones from other companies such as Samsung.

sri/cjc (dpa, AFP)