Elop: Nokia X is a great opportunity to connect new customers to Skype, Outlook, and Onedrive

We’ve had quite a lot debate here at WinBeta about the Nokia X, and whether it’s a good venture for the Redmond-based company. Some believe it should be abandoned, while some believe it can help Microsoft and Nokia attract more customers, especially in emerging markets. Recently, Stephen Elop took an AMA session, and yes, the future of Nokia X was one of the questions asked.

A reader asked about the future of Nokia X considering Nokia’s Devices and Services division is now a part of Microsoft. Elop said, “Microsoft acquired the mobile phones business, inclusive of Nokia X, to help connect the next billion people to Microsoft’s services. Nokia X uses the MSFT cloud, not Google’s. This is a great opportunity to connect new customers to Skype, Outlook.com and Onedrive for the first time. We’ve already seen tens of thousands of new subscribers on MSFT services.”

As for adopting Android, this is what he had to say: “Today, we are using AOSP to attack a specific market opportunity, but we are being thoughtful to do it in a way that accrues benefit to Microsoft and to Lumia.”

For those of who did not know, the Nokia X operating system is running on Android Open Source Project and Microsoft services, not Google’s. I’ve used the device, and it doesn’t even feel like you’re using an Android device. It feels more like Windows Phone. The device comes with Nokia’s app store, but users can install other Android apps using the .apk files.

I’m still standing on to my word, Nokia X can be a good venture for Microsoft, especially in emerging markets. Agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments below.