Intel and Nokia merge their mobile software platforms to counter emerging challenges

Processor leader Intel and mobile phone leader Nokia have merged their software platforms Moblin and Maemo to create a new platform called MeeGo to compete with Android. MeeGo is a Linux-based software platform supporting multiple hardware architectures for smart phones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks, or any electronic gadget handling converged applications of consumer computing and communications.

MeeGo offers the Qt application development environment, and builds on the capabilities of the Moblin core operating system and reference user experiences. Using Qt, developers can create applications for large number of devices and platforms, and market them through Nokia's Ovi Store and Intel's AppUpSM Center.

MeeGo will be hosted by the Linux Foundation and governed using the best practices of the open source development model. The first release of MeeGo is expected in the second quarter of 2010 with devices launching later in the year.

While Android is already a mainstream OS with overwhelming support from the industry, the MeeGo success can only be measured by evaluating how open is MeeGo in supporting non-Intel processors such as ARM's processor cores.

If embedded systems and semiconductor related software service providers find MeeGo advantageous over Android in developing mobile device applications and software for all range of processor platforms, then MeeGo can click in the market very quickly.

With the Apple made devices and ARM processors around, Nokia's products not stand tall in the market and Intel will have tough time in cracking the mobile device market.