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That's right, MICROSOFT is an ANDROID vendor after Nokia gobble

Ex-Nokia CEO Elop says Redmond is 'committed' to Nokia X, Asha

Nokia won't be changing its strategy now that it's been gobbled up by Microsoft, its former CEO Stephen Elop has said.

Elop, who has returned to Redmond after almost a four-year absence to head up the software giant's new Devices Group, said in a blog post on Friday that we'll continue to see the same mix of Nokia-branded devices as before the acquisition – including ones that don't run Windows Phone.

"We are committed to continuing our support for feature phones, the Asha family, and the Nokia X family of devices, announced at the Mobile World Congress in February," Elop wrote.

That last item is a bit of a puzzler. The Finnish firm stunned the world at MWC when it announced the Nokia X line, its first devices running a variant of Google's Android OS, mere months before its acquisition by Microsoft was expected to close.

Some pundits have speculated that this late effort was merely the death rattle of a strategy that would quickly be snuffed by Microsoft's top brass, but it seems that's not to be the case.

In a separate blog post, Nokia's Tiina Jaatinen said current customers can also expect the same level of support for their pre-acquisition Nokia devices as before.

"Your device warranty is completely unaffected by this change and the same world-class customer service and support teams will continue to look after your devices," Jaatinen wrote. "You can still get all the help and support through the usual channels: online support, contact centers and local Nokia Care points."

Elop's own role, however, will be somewhat expanded. As executive vice president of the Devices Group, Elop will oversee not just Lumia smartphones and tablets and Nokia-branded mobes, but also Xbox hardware, Surface, Microsoft's giant Perceptive Pixel displays, and accessories.

"As Microsoft and Nokia Devices and Services come together as an expanded family, we will unify our passion, dedication and commitment to bringing you the best of what our joint technologies have to offer," Elop wrote. "From today onwards, the possibilities are endless. As now, we're one!" ®

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