Nokia Drive transplanted to competing Windows Phones, why is this bad?

Nokia, along with every other handset maker who builds Windows Phones, have a problem. Microsoft controls the Windows Phone experience with an iron fist, dictating what can and can’t be done to the operating system, going so far as to even specify the exact chips that must be used to make the OS run. So how are HTC, Samsung, Nokia, etc., expected to compete with each other? In the Android world everyone tweaks Google’s OS to make it more unique, which in turn causes fragmentation since companies like HTC and Sony Ericsson typically do so much damage to Android that they’re always a version or two behind just so they can finish their work on Sense UI and Timescape, relativity speaking. Now Nokia’s deal with Microsoft is a bit more permissive, since both companies are betting on each other to make themselves relevant again, but with the Lumia 710 and 800 the only thing the Finnish mobile phone maker did to Windows Phone was bundle a handful of applications.

One of those said apps, Nokia Drive, was supposed to be a Nokia exclusive … but hackers being who they are have found a way to rip the app off a Lumia and run it on a Samsung Omnia 7. Nokia’s lawyers have already made their move, but don’t expect this forced silence to last very long. We want to know what’s so bad about this? Nokia should compete with their peers on what they do best, handset design and build quality. They should also sell Nokia Drive for those that want a turn by turn navigation experience. Better yet, they should make it free so that it puts their brand in more people’s faces and makes the whole Windows Phone platform more attractive.

We don’t know what Nokia is thinking by making applications exclusive to their devices since Windows Phone needs as much help as it can get to grow. If Nokia can’t see that, then we honestly can’t see Nokia caring about their future.

[Photo at the top of this article via Flickr]

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

Rj

Nokia drive will appear on other devices soon. This was announced last week.
- http://www.intomobile.com/ Stefan Constantinescu
  
  No, Nokia Maps will. Nokia Drive will be a Nokia Windows Phone exclusive.
- http://twitter.com/casandrasdream casandrasdream
  
  Wp7 is soooo booooring. Nobody wants wp7
  - Goober
    
    Do you get paid per comment much like your employer does for each click?
http://www.apphil.net Philipp Kandal

This was one
http://www.apphil.net Philipp Kandal

From a consumer perspective: Yes it would be fantastic if Nokia would put it’s Nokia drive to all Windows Platform phones

From a business perspective: What Nokia does makes perfect sense. Nokia has to be very careful that it doesn’t popularize the Windows Phone platform and then others like Samsung benefit. Keep in mind Android: HTC was largely driving it in the beginning and now Samsung has taken the lead. This is not what Nokia wants to happen with Windows Phone, so it’s clear that it’s key assets are kept exclusively to it’s own clients.
- Anonymous
  
  Agreed. But why waste time with this hack? He’s consistently trashed Nokia at every turn. Maybe it’s to get website hits or fulfill a contract with a third party, but clearly his commentary is seldom grounded in objective business analysis.
  
  Last I checked, Nokia is supporting MS on mapping by offering Nokia Maps within the ecosystem. Nokia’s online-offline turn by turn navigation remains exclusive to Nokia handsets. One should ask who else out there offers OFF line turn by turn navigation in over 90 countries for free.
  
  Just my opinion.
  - http://www.intomobile.com/ Stefan Constantinescu
    
    I love how Stoli89 hates my guts, yet comments on each and every one of my articles. He really is my most devoted fan!
Anonymous

Elop’s stated reason for going with WP7 was that Nokia didn’t want to become a commodity manufacturer in the smart phone space. That, through some Apple like magical thinking, they were going to make the second most tightly controlled OS unique.

With the release of the l800 the fantasy of their platform differentiation has been lain bare. The only thing they could do to sustain their own delusion of uniqueness was to make Drive exclusive.

The exclusivity is a really bad business decision, good money after bad etc.
http://twitter.com/casandrasdream casandrasdream

Wit no apps and no games you cant compete. Sorry Nokia
- Goober
  
  You posted this on 5 websites, quit trolling.
Anonymous

Nokia supporting Microshit makes me feel sick.
Anonymous

Nokia supporting Microshit makes me feel sick.
Arjon

I just got the Nokia Lumia 710 and I’m happy with it except for the fact that the limited of apps that it has is ridiculous..
Makes it look like crap compared to androids and iphones.