Nokia Looking to Hire Linux Engineer, Might Plan Android Devices

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is focused on the release of Windows Phone devices as part of its partnership with Microsoft, but it seems that the company is also looking into other platforms out there.

In fact, the handset vendor has already published a job listing on LinkedIn, announcing that it is looking for a Linux software engineer.

According to the post, which is dated November 29, Nokia is looking into embedding Linux software and drivers into its new products, which would suggest that Android might soon arrive on its devices.

“We are looking for an expert C/C++ & JAVA engineers to develop embedded Linux device software and hardware drivers for our exciting new products,” the job listing reads.

“The candidate must have knowledge and experience working with mobile phone technology. Strong knowledge of embedded linux drivers and resource optimizations such as scheduler/governor is a must. Experience with network stack, RF driver, display driver, and imaging pipeline are also essential.”

Furthermore, the company notes that the candidate will join the team that will build products and services that take advantage of mobile, imaging, and location technologies

Those interested in applying for the job, located in Sunnyvale, California (part of the company’s Concepting & Innovation team in Location & Commerce) also need to have great team collaboration and communication skills.

“You should also be passionate for mobile devices, be self-driven and motivated and be adaptable to the ever changing mobile market. You will also be closely involved in architecture, system design and product specification,” Nokia notes.

Nokia’s Windows Phone devices are picking up steam on the market, but not as fast as one might have expected them to, and it seems that the Finnish handset vendor might soon try to find a new way out of the rather unpleasant position it finds itself in at the moment.

However, the company has already said that Android is not in its near future plans, although it gave it a thought or two when considering the move away from Symbian.

Of course, there is also the possibility that Nokia is considering porting some of its popular applications to Google's Android platform, which would explain the need for a Linux specialist. Most probably, the company will offer more details on this in the not too distant future, so stay tuned.