Clearly this is the best welcome that the Microsoft services-ladden Nokia X was ever going to get in the world of the green world: complete root treatment and a Google services makeover complete with the Google Now Launcher (formerly GEL – Google Experience Launcher). The Google Now Launcher just became available for other devices other than the Nexus 5 on the Play Store this week and with the Nokia X being one of the newest droids out there, why not get some love too?
XDA Developers senior member @Kashamalaga was at MWC and got one of the developer edition devices Nokia was giving away to developers so that they can make available their apps to the Nokia Store . For long time users of Android devices, it is not Android if the device lacks Google apps and services. With the Nokia X clearly a no-go zone for those services and Android being a platform that is not so open yet not so locked, anything can happen. Not that we are surprised anyway, this was to be expected. There are countless YouTube videos of tech reporters who loaded Nova Launcher in their hands on with the X and its siblings X+ and XL.
Rooting the device opens it up to a whole new world of options and it will be interesting to follow up news on the Nokia X from now on. KitKat via unofficial channels is not far away since the X runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. So the Nokia X can comfortably run Google apps though until there are proper ROMs (which should be coming soon), we won’t have that deep Google integration to include location reporting and the like. What is it that they say about half a loaf of bread? Yes, we can have that. For now it is refreshing to see the Play Store and Google Now ensure the Android we are all familiar with remains.
Source: XDA
