Nokia's Android phone to have Windows phone

Normandy, Nokia's rumored phone based on a customized version of Google's Android operating system, may not stray from its WP-powered Lumia siblings as far as looks are concerned.

That is if photos of a tile-based interface that Twitter user @evleaks leaked online and claimed to be screenshots from Normandy are accurate.

"Two ways to interact with Normandy," @evleaks tweeted.

For months, Nokia has been rumored to be working on Normandy, a low-cost phone targeting emerging markets.

Nokia's Lumia smartphone line has been associated with Microsoft since it runs Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system.

Tech site TechHive said the screenshots show "a heavily skinned version of Android styled in the Metro interface, similar to the leaks we saw crop up recently."

For the average user at least, it showed no sign of Android, it added.

"Whether it'll be geared for emerging market or for Android-loving Windows users is uncertain, but the latest interface mockups from evleaks seem to suggest that whatever version of Android Nokia goes with, it will look a lot like Windows Phone 8," it said.

TechHive cited earlier reports by The Verge indicating Normandy may have a 4-inch display, a Qualcomm S4 processor, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM.

It quoted ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley as saying the phone will also have a custom version of Android "built directly on top of the exist AOSP code base that other Android forks utilize."

Still, TechHive said it could be counterintuitive to make an Android phone as earlier reports showed Nokia had tried Android before.

"A while back, reports indicated that Nokia had tried Android on for size, so it's not too farfetched to think that these leaks might just be what could have been. Still, Microsoft and Nokia are doing a lot to push the Windows Phone platform, so taking a step back with an Android phone merely sounds counterintuitive," it said. - VC, GMA News