First Nokia-branded Android tablet announced

Helsinki: Finnish mobile communications company Nokia announced its first Nokia-branded Android tablet Tuesday.

The company made the announcement, which means its re-entry into the consumer electronics market, at the Slush 2014, a technology and start-ups event held in the Finnish capital city.

The tablet, running on Android 5.0 (Lollipop), using Nokia's own Z launcher, is called N1. The N1 has a 6.9 mm thick anodized aluminium unibody with a 7.9-inch screen. It will be available in two colours, lava grey and natural aluminium.

"We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple," Xinhua quoted Sebastian Nystrom, head of products at Nokia Technologies, as saying while announcing the N1 at the Slush 2014.

As its first launch, the N1 will be available in China in the first quarter of 2015, said Nokia in a press release issued Tuesday.

According to Nokia, after the first launch, it also plans to introduce the N1 tablet in Russia and some European markets. However, the company has no immediate plan to release the device in the US.

Nokia, a global leader in communication technologies, used to dominate the international mobile phone market. After the sale of its phone business to Microsoft, Nokia's operation divisions mainly include Nokia Networks, HERE and Nokia Technologies.