Though Microsoft buried Moonraker blueprints for a smartwatch, the idea of a Nokia smartwatch yet draws breath. Nokia's board of directors has proposed amendments to the company's constitution to include language about smartwatches and other smart things.
The board proposed changes to Article 2 of Nokia's Articles of Association to better define what it means when it states its intent to "research, develop, manufacture, market, sell and deliver products, and software and services" in various consumer and business markets.
"These products, software and services relate to, among others, network infrastructure for telecommunication operators and other enterprises, the internet of things, human health and well-being, multi-media, big data and analytics, mobile devices and consumer wearables and other electronics," states Article 2.
Nokia may not be necessarily referring to smartwatches when listing "consumer wearables" among the list of products its plans to research, develop and market. With "human health and well-being" also two of its primary areas of focus, Nokia may be planning a fitness band or sensors to be paired with smartbands and watches.
However, Nokia's plans for a smartwatch saw the light of day last summer. That's when it was discovered that Microsoft had scrapped planned for a Nokia smartwatch with the codename Moonraker.
Moonraker was a Nokia design. But its user interface looked like Nokia had taken a page out of Microsoft's playbook on Metro tiles, the design scheme that replaced the start menu in the first version of Windows 8.
Nokia allegedly offered Moonraker to potential buyers during Mobile World Congress 2014 and even had plans to launch the watch alongside the Lumia 930. But when Nokia sold the rights to its handset division, the fate of Moonraker and the Lumia line were placed in Microsoft's hands.
Microsoft either tabled or ditched the Moonraker design, opting to push its fitness band as its first entry into the market for wearable tech. Microsoft doesn't appear to be thinking smartwatches just yet either, as the company has been fielding preorders for the second generation of its Microsoft Band and is apparently starting to fulfill those orders now.
