MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 2010, BARCELONA – The world’s biggest mobile manufacturer and the world’s biggest semiconductor maker have forged an alliance that hinges on a diverse future of mobile PCs, netbooks, tablets, media phones, connected TVs and in-car entertainment.
It emerged last night that Nokia and Intel will release a new open software platform in the second quarter called MeeGo, that will be hosted by the Linux Foundation.
Both companies expect MeeGo will be adopted by a range of device manufacturers, network operators, semiconductor companies, software vendors and developers.
Developers will be able to use Qt to develop applications for a variety of devices and platforms, and market them through Nokia’s Ovi Store and Intel’s AppUp Center.
“MeeGo will drive an even wider range of internet computing and communication experiences for consumers, on new types of mobile devices,” explained Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.
“Through open innovation, MeeGo will create an ecosystem that is second to none, drawing in players from different industries.
“It will support a range of business models across the value chain, building on the experience and expertise of Nokia, Intel and all those who will join us. Simply put, MeeGo heralds a new era of mobile computing.”
What is MeeGo?
MeeGo is designed from the ground up to be open in every way. Combining the best of both Maemo and Moblin, and their developer communities, the new ecosystem will deliver a range of experiences for users, including internet, computing, communications, multitasking and multimedia.
Users will be able to easily move their applications from one device to another and use the same applications on a range of different devices.
“Our vision for seamlessly communicating between computing devices from the home, auto, office or your pocket is taking a big step forward today with the introduction of MeeGo,” said Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini.
“This is a foundational step in our evolving relationship with Nokia. The merging of these two important assets into an open-source platform is critical toward providing a terrific experience across a variety of devices and gaining cross-industry support.”
By John Kennedy
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Photos: (Above) Paul Otellini, president and CEO, Intel, and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, president and CEO, Nokia
(Below) Nokia’s stand at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona
