The mystery of Nokia’s encrypted tweet yesterday saying “We’re up to something,” has officially been solved. At today’s Slush Conference in Finland, Nokia announced their first Android tablet, the N1, and it is extremely simple yet innovative. The tablet contains the predictive Nokia Z Launcher interface, giving its tagline “Thinking Ahead,” and everything about the design was carefully crafted, focusing on simplicity.
The Nokia Z Launcher allows user to simply scribble a letter on the screen, instantly bringing up search results. Nokia says that the Z launcher goes even further, bringing up particular applications based on location and the time of day. “It adapts to where you are and what you’re doing to bring you the right app, right when you need it.”
The entire body of the device is made out of one piece of sandblasted aluminum, covered with a satin finish that gives the tablet a very sleek appearance.
The N1 tablet is powered by a 64-bit Intel quad-core processor and uses Android’s Lollipop operating system. Nokia’s first tablet also has a 7.9 inch display, 2GB of memory, 32 GB of storage, 8 MP rear-facing camera, 5 MP front-facing camera, and 1080p video recording.
The value of Nokia’s brand has been diminishing for a while due to the rise of Apple and Samsung smartphones. But the company intends for their new tablet to change things around, offering them a new future.
“We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers’ hands with the N1 Android tablet,” Sebastian Nystrom, Head of Products at Nokia Technologies, said at the Slush Conference.
To create the N1 tablet, Nokia partnered with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who will be responsible for manufacturing, distribution, and sales. Nokia also plans to license their Z Launcher software to the partner on a royalty basis.
The N1 is planned to be available in China sometime during the first quarter of 2015. The price will start at $249, and Nokia plans to continue expanding their market.
Nokia’s twitter account has been bombarded by excited fans, and Slush’s audience reacted in positive ways as seen in the video below. Perhaps Nokia’s new tablet can revive the brand.