Android tablet: Nokia trying to stay relevant until 2016?

Nokia, yes the good ol' Nokia, or at least the part of the good ol' company that has not been sold to Microsoft, surprised the world on Tuesday by announcing an Android tablet!

Yes, you read that right. Nokia has made an Android tablet. And pretty darn good if the specifications are any indication.

But the question is why this, and why not a smartphone?

For years Nokia fans, its well-wishers, industry analysts argued that Nokia should start making and Android phone. It didn't happen, even as Nokia's own smartphone and devices platform, in the now famous words of Stephen Elop, burnt under its feet.

Then to save itself, Nokia jumped from the "burning platform". But it jumped into an uncharted territory called Windows Phone. Rest, as they say, is history, something which for Nokia ended with the sale of its phone and devices division to Microsoft.

Now, in the world of consumer market Nokia is almost nobody. Microsoft has even scrapped its name from the boxes of the Lumia phones, which - despite their Windows Phone operating system -- managed to stay afloat in countries like India on the basis of brand strength that word Nokia commands.

But looks like finally it has dawned within Nokia that maybe Android can save it, even at this hour when the future looks bleak. There is a feeling that maybe Nokia, as a company with unmatched expertise in design and hardware, can use Android as a platform and regain its footing.

Sadly, it is a plan that will have to wait until 2016. And 2016 is also the reason why Nokia has made an Android tablet and not an Android smartphone.

As part of its deal with Microsoft, Nokia cannot make a Nokia-branded  smartphone until 2016. Its hands are tied even if engineers within the company are raring to go and challenge Microsoft and its Windows Phone with Nokia's Android devices.

Year 2016 is not far. But in the world of technology things move pretty fast, so Nokia can't sit and wait. The company is playing with Android for a while now. It earlier launched the Z Launcher for Android phones. It is integrating services like Here maps into Android. But it can't launch a smartphone at the moment.

The N1 tablet is company's attempt to stay relevant in the market. It is an attempt to keep Nokia in the minds of consumers, especially now when Microsoft is moving ahead with its plan to scrap the word Nokia from almost anything that is connected to Lumia phones.

The N1 may not succeed - although it looks mighty good on paper - but by creating a high-end tablet, Nokia is trying to keep the buzz alive. The N1 is also a showcase of Nokia's traditional strengths as a device manufacture. It seems to have a design and finish, which is better than almost all Android tablets and matches what Apple offers in its iPads. It highlights the company's focus on good sound quality, camera hardware and screen. It even has some unique features like Type C USB port, which is reversible and works irrespective of the orientation in which you connect a cable to it.

The N1 is Nokia's attempt to stay alive and wait for the right moment - some time in 2016 - when it can come back with a more relevant device like a phablet or a wearable. And it looks like a mighty good attempt.