Nokia bites the bullet,joins Google's Android.

Barcelona: Nokia , soon acquired by Microsoft Corp, is turning to software created by archrival Google for a new line of phones it hopes will make it a late contender in the dynamic low-cost smartphone market.
Its first models, Nokia X, X+ , XL,rely upon an open version of the Android mobile software system created by google that has become  the worlds most popular software used in smartphones.
The release of the phones comes just days before Nokia sells its handset business to Microsoft in. a $7.2 billion deal ,is an attempt to stay  relevent in emerging markets , where low-cost Android phones are being snapped up by hundreds of millions of buyers .
Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop said the market had "shifted dramatically ",and the group needed to address a sub-$100 segment that is set to grow four times faster than more expensive phones.
He told a crowded press confrence at the Mobile World Congress trade fair in Barcelona that rather than being an 180-degree turn in its strategy of using Microsoft's  Windows phone for smartphones ,it was a move that introduces the " next billion " users to Nokia's hardware and Microsoft's services .
"We see the  X family being complementary to ( Windows phone ) Lumia at lower price points", he said .
Global smartphones shipments grew 41% annually to reach nearly 1 billion  units in 2013 , according to market research firm Strategy Analytics . Android phones from dozens of handset makers accounted for almost four out of every five smartphones sold , or 781.2 million units .
But Monday's Announcement shows it had quickly been working on an open Android device for months  . The open version of Android software means that the new Nokia phone does not have to rely on Google play app store,Instead,Nokia is bundling it with its own music and map offers ,and Microsoft's email ,cloud,messaging and search services ,Apps will be available in Nokia's own app store , as well as host of other stores .