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Comment by jhou2 | Hacker News Reader

I scrolled through the comments looking for the obligatory hell freezing over snark remark.

Cyanogen is arguably the only creditable opposition to the Google Android hegemony. It's nice to see MS recognize that and support it. Too bad MS shut down the Nokia Android fork in its nascency.

It would be interesting to see if they can get more windows and windows phone compatibility into Android.

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The new Nokia N1 uses Lollipop: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n1-6814.php

Sales: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2015/01/nokia-n1-doing-extremely-we...

Nokia Android fork lives. Stay tuned.

Hi, as a PM on this Nokia project, I want to point out that it's not a fork. We use vanilla Android Lollipop and our Z Launcher addition is entirely optional.

I was just about to say it isnt a fork!

Thank you for correcting me. The N1 looks fascinating. Hope it will become available outside of China soon.

It will :)

That's the company that still exists called Nokia, not MS Mobile, the hardware arm that Nokia sold, which until recently still sold phones as Nokia.

I recall fiddling with an HTC HD2, able to run both WP7 and Android ROMs (Froyo I think?). What a great device.

Back in 2010 I was given an HTC Touch Pro 2 that ran the positively ancient Windows Mobile (hence "given"). Someone had ported both Android and Ubuntu to it, and I used it with Android as my primary phone for some months. The hardware was great, the UX on Android was OK, but had enough quirks that it was replaced with an LG P500 (which lasted for 2.5 years; now that was a great phone).

Ugh I had a Touch Pro (the first one) on Alltel. It was a piece of junk. I ended up having four of them. Every time I took it back because something was broken, I waited for weeks to get a replacement to find out that the replacement had something else broken. Alltel was being bought by AT&T/Verizon at the time, so they weren't getting new phones and the Touch Pro was the best phone they had so they couldn't replace my phone with a new, similar phone. Sprint was giving everyone who had a Touch Pro a Touch Pro 2 for free, there were so many issues.

When I finally was able to get a new phone, I got a Palm Pre which was (and still is) the best phone I ever used until HP ruined it.

An HTC Touch Pro 2 was my primary device for years. It had the best keyboard that I have ever used on a phone. I've been trying to get used to software keyboards for three years, and I still _HATE_ them. Modern phones are worthless, and it's the lack of any means of inputting (discreetly - I hate talking at my phone) more than a few sentences that makes them junk.

Why don’t you just get a keyboard case then? I’ve no direct experience, but this[0] came up on my first search query and looks reasonable enough and inexpensive.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrathin-Bluetooth-Slider-Keyboard-...

no you clearly do not understand AOSP..

Cyanogen follows Google AOSP rules and thus doe snot oppose Google in anyway shape or form..

and despite MS actions Nokia, the other part MS did not buy is going ahead with an android fork.

> despite MS actions Nokia, the other part MS did not buy is going ahead with an android fork.

Can you provide a source for this please? I remember reading about the new Nokia N1 tablet but it was built and designed by foxconn and just branded by Nokia so I am not aware of any Android fork there...

The "Android fork stuff" was part of Nokia Mobile Phones, so it ended up at Microsoft.

Nokia has the "Z Launcher" product which also the N1 tablet is running.

https://www.zlauncher.com

Hi I'm a Nokia PM on this project. It's not an Android fork. Z Launcher is running on top of vanilla Android on the N1.

I think that's been true up until now, but Cyanogen has recently announce intentions to move away from dependence on Google.[0]

[0] http://www.androidauthority.com/cyanogen-google-kirt-mcmaste...

I cant help but think of Amazon's FireOS and that's not a good thing.

If you want an ecosystem completely controlled by only one company, there's always Apple.

If that means updates and security patches in a timely manner, and a roadmap for support for older devices, then that's good, surely???

And I say this running my XPeria S with Android 4.1.1 and my Motorola Xoom on 4.1, with my wife's Samsung S4 Mini running some 4.1 or 4.2 (and no notification light, it's stupid). Let's hope nobody finds out where my devices are on the Internet because they're likely full of security holes that will never ever be plugged.

sources are: AOSP source agreement....the Android CTS which covers google OHA partners,etc..

But no one engages critical thinking and reads here

Just because both vanilla Android and Cyanogen follow AOSP doesn't mean they can't compete. Just look at Samsung and Touchwiz.

I think you're mixing up AOSP and Google Apps / Play Services.

AOSP is available under a standard open source license, and can be used by anyone under those terms. It's the use of Play Services and Google's Apps that requires specific permission and has relatively onerous terms. CyanogenMod can use Play Services, but it doesn't have to, and seems to be moving away from it entirely.

there is also Ubuntu Phone

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