Nokia shows off MeeGo-based N9 smartphone'

 

Nokia has unveiled a new smartphone in the company's flagship N-series

Dubbed the Nokia N9, the device comes with a curved design and a 3.9-inch AMOLED display. According to Nokia, the N9 will come in three colors--black, cyan, and magenta--and offer storage of 16GB and 64GB. The smartphone will ship with an 8-megapixel camera that allows for autofocus and "HD-quality video capture."

Unlike its predecessor, the Nokia N8, the N9 is based on MeeGo, a Linux-based mobile operating system that was supposed to be the future go-to platform for the company. Last year, a Nokia spokesperson said in an interview with Reuters that following the N8, "N-series devices will be based on MeeGo." At the time, Symbian was expected to be running on Nokia's other smartphones.

However, the future of MeeGo, at least on Nokia smartphones, is now very much in doubt.

Earlier this year, Microsoft and Nokia announced that they had inked a deal that would see Windows Phone become the "principal" operating system on Nokia's line of devices. Following that announcement, Intel, one of the companies behind MeeGo, told CNET in an interview that it wasn't pleased with Nokia's decision to work with Microsoft, and it was looking to bring the operating system elsewhere.

"This is a Nokia decision. Yes, we're disappointed with it," an Intel spokeswoman said following the Nokia-Microsoft announcement. "But we still believe there's a smartphone component to [MeeGo]. And we're talking to other partners. But it's also Netbooks, tablets, set-top boxes, automotive systems. So, it's a lot more than just the phone element."


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20072887-17/nokia-shows-off-meego-based-n9-smartphone/#ixzz1Q13RTSLw