Date: 24th Feb 2010
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.
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