Nokia expects to launch by year’s end the first high-end devices based on its new MeeGo operating system, definitively ruling out any plans to support the rival Android platform. The new Linux-based MeeGo OS will be the core of many types of handheld devices and support a rich environment for app development as well as GPS and Bluetooth. The MeeGo system comes out of Nokia’s joint venture with Intel. Nokia and Intel have released an early version of the Linux-based MeeGo mobile OS to developers in preparation of the launch of a commercial version due out in October.
The N8, Nokia’s next smart phone and the last in the N-series phones, will be launched in Q3 and run the Symbian 3 platform. Although Nokia will migrate to MeeGo for all its future high-end devices, the company will continue to support Symbian for its less expensive smart phones. The project has already received backing from France Telecom’s Orange and Telefónica, as well as numerous OEMs and application developers.
