The N1, Nokia's new brand-licensed tablet computer designed to rival Apple's iPad Mini, was launched this week just six months after Nokia sold its ailing phones and devices business to Microsoft for more than $7 billion.

The manufacturing, distribution and sales of the N1 will be handled under licence by Taiwan’s Foxconn.

The aluminium-cased tablet runs on Google's Android Lollipop operating software but features Nokia's new Z Launcher intelligent home screen interface. It's due to be in stores in China in the first quarter of 2015 for about $249 before taxes.

Nokia was once synonymous with mobile phones until first Apple and then Samsung Electronics eclipsed the Finnish company with the advent of smartphones.

Sebastian Nystrom, head of products at the company's Technologies unit, said Nokia was looking to follow up with more devices and will also look into eventually returning to the smartphones business by brand-licensing.

Transition period

“With the agreement with Microsoft, as is customary, we have this transition and we can’t do smartphones . . . We have a time limit. In 2016 we can again enter that business,” Nystrom said.

“It would be crazy not to look at that opportunity. Of course we will look at it.”

Microsoft last week dropped the Nokia name on its latest Lumia 535 smartphone, which runs on its Windows Phone 8 operating system, but still uses the brand for more basic phones.

After the Microsoft sale, Nokia was left with its core network equipment and services business plus its smaller HERE mapping and navigation unit, as well as Nokia Technologies, which manages the licensing of its portfolio of patents and develops new products.

– (Reuters)