MeeGo may not be gone after all. A group of former Nokia employees has banded together to resurrect the ill-fated operating system -- previously seen only on the doomed Nokia N9 -- ready to create new smart phones powered by MeeGo.
Describing MeeGo as "something wonderful -- the world's best smart phone product", the ex-Nokia staff have banded together to form new startup Jolla -- that's Finnish for 'dinghy', Finnish phoneme fans. The plan is to develop a line of new phones using the MeeGo operating system.
The plucky band of MeeGomeisters is headed by the former principal engineer of MeeGo at Nokia, Marc Dillon, leading a team of top MeeGo talent.
MeeGo was developed by Nokia and Intel as a smart phone operating system to rival Android and iOS. The free, Linux-based OS only appeared on one phone, the N9, before Intel got cold feet and abandoned the platform. Nokia subsequently signed on with Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system, paving the way for the Nokia Lumia line-up including the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900 and leaving MeeGo well and truly out in the cold.
From our brief glimpse of MeeGo, we rather liked it. The Nokia N9, pictured above, never came to these shores but we got our hands on it last summer, and there was more to it than a dress rehearsal for the brightly coloured, slickly designed Lumia range -- click play on our video to see MeeGo in action.
Of course, any operating system is only as good as its ecosystem. In other words, for an OS to become popular, there has to be lots of apps -- but in order for developers to be inclined to make lots of apps, the OS has to be popular. Until Jolla can address that by encouraging app developers to make MeeGo apps, it's unlikely to mount a serious challenge to Android and iOS and their app stores stuffed full of cool apps and games.
Then again, not everyone uses loads of apps, so perhaps if the phones are the right price, the right look and the right friendly experience, they could bring MeeGo back in style.
Do you think MeeGo can live again? Can smart phones survive without apps? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 14
Add your comment
anonymous 9 July, 2012 10:42
Whats the Finnish for "flogging a dead horse"?
anonymous 9 July, 2012 11:36
ruoskinta kuollut hevonen
Nick Hide 9 July, 2012 11:58
Well, you did ask.
anonymous 9 July, 2012 13:02
Nokia N9 nicest phone alive to date and probably will be for a long long time. MeeGo best UI. Very hapy at this news and wish the Jolla team all the best (though they don't need luck because they are straight up geniuses)
anonymous 9 July, 2012 13:52
Hope this is true. I'd really love an alternative to the neverending Android/iOS debate. I played around with the N9 of a friend of mine, and for all it's worth, it's a great phone. And shame on S. Elop for dumping it in favor of M$, but then again - that's where he comes from, isn't it?
As for the question - can smartphones survive without apps - of course they can. These days there's more and more touchscreen phones on the market at the expense of the traditional handsets with a physical keyboard. Touchscreen alone perhaps doesn't make a phone "smart", but is one of the defining criteria of the genre. As such, I can see more and more people are shifting towards the touchscreen phones perhaps not of their own will, but from the lack of other choice.
Enter meeGo devices that will be properly placed in different market segments, and I suppose lots of people, who couldn't care less about whethere there is 500 fart-simulating apps available to buy or not, should find what they are looking for.
For me for instance, I'd love a high-quality built unit with a screen that's pleasure to look at and operate. I'm happy with a phone that gives me good phonecall quality, decent support for sms (threading, unlimited capacit) and email, perhaps a decent browser as well (although this isn't a must as I rarely go online on a phone). Most people will welcome social networking apps to fill up the picture and voila!
The big question for me is this - who's going to build the hardware for the meego operated phones. The answer to this one will certainly bring us a lot closer to answering the question of whether or not there's place on the market for yet another mobile ecosystem... It doesn't look like it's gonna be nokia though, pretty sure not apple either. The rest of the gang are mostly doing android, with some going the M$ way. Let's wait and see I say :)
anonymous 9 July, 2012 16:36
As much as I love Android, I have to admit, this looks brilliant. I have always been fond of the way the Nokia OS looked, I was just never fond of the way their phones looked. We need more competition in the market, we need more choice - the only reason I like Android. Meego looks wonderful and will hopefully loosen the stranglehold companies have on the market by showing people there is something different and just as good, or even better than what they have.
I know carriers don't push the Lumia series because they don't give them as much money, they'll push you towards the Android or iPhone because there's more money in it, even though Windows Mobile is damn solid, reliable and lightening fast and does everything you need it to do.
Apps aren't the only thing that make a smartphone, something Android proved, something Microsoft demonstrated. Apps are fun, apps are nice, but they shouldn't be the deciding feature, even if that's the norm. Money makes the world go round sure, but if we aren't willing to take a look into the new OS's purely because of fashion fads then we can't complain when a vice like grip is applied to our wallets and locks us into their world.
sfdgoz 9 July, 2012 16:54
Nokia needs a Meego customized Android interface on a Nokia 808 PureView!!! That would be awesome!!!
DavetheBassGuy 9 July, 2012 17:56
If they can get alien dalvik to work on it efficiently, they can solve the app shortage problem, and then they might just have a chance. If they are successful, Nokia should really consider buying them back to bring out MeeGo phones alongside the Lumia line.
anonymous 9 July, 2012 21:44
@anonymous
The Lumias have the highest return rate of any device in NOKIA's entire history. Sales personnel for the carriers and retailers don't push them because they don't want to deal with the fallout.
anonymous 9 July, 2012 22:02
I have an N9, love it to bits and i'm in the UK so had to buy it on the internet..................
tomfromaardvark 10 July, 2012 09:25
The N9 was awesome and its great to see a new company try and go its own way! as great as android is, a change of pace will always be welcome, and the MeeGo UI looks like it could really find itself at home with the more technophobically inclined looking to upgrade to touchscreen phones. Fingers crossed it doesnt fall flat on its face, that would be a shame
anonymous 10 July, 2012 16:59
I feel that Nokia made a mistake in abandoning meego as with development it could have become market leader .Aworthy competitor to Android
anonymous 2 October, 2012 19:09
MeeGo ROCKS
anonymous 1 June, 2013 23:06
to be honest, nokia has always user friendly interface. be it the old 10 years old phone or the new ones of symbian derivatives and built quality is unmatched. now those people are here with sailfish. there has to be something that they will offer. i say inventors of smartphone has come up with a smarter phone. what you guys say?