Nokia (NOK) Could Implement Android in Upcoming Handset (MSFT) (GOOG)

While Nokia (NYSE: NOK) might be unloading its Devices & Services unit, would that mean a shift away from Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows Phone 8 operating system.

According to AllThingsD (ATD), Nokia might be finally moving to use Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) Android mobile platform into an upcoming handset. The device would be part of its low-end smartphone offerings, which have largely been dominated by the Asha handset line.

ATD thinks that Nokia has been working on something called Normandy, which would repurposed Android into a better entry-level operating system. The company would keep the basic core of Android, but revamp the entire thing to look more like Windows Phone, much the same way Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) has worked the OS over for its Kindle tablet devices.

Normandy would also deliver services like Bing and Skype to first-time smartphone buyers.

Of note, Asha smartphones run on the aging Series 40 platform.

Seems like a smart move to get more users acquainted with the Windows Phone platform and Microsoft might stick with the project after it acquires Nokia's handset assets.

Shares of Nokia are flat in early Wednesday trading.

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