Nokia N8 will be last of the N-series to run Symbian, MeeGo set to take over
With all the coverage of Android and the iPhone these days, it's easy to forget Nokia is still the smartphone leader in terms of global market share. The company is currently at a bit of a crossroads or a period of transition with a degree of uncertainty surrounding its future smartphone direction, the announcement of the merging of Maemo and Moblin to form MeeGo earlier this year, and the upcoming release of the new Nokia N8 running the new Symbian^3 OS.
Prior to the announcement of MeeGo and the N8, there were rumors that the company's flagship N-series would switch from Symbian to Maemo by 2012, but this possibility has now been made redundant by developments since. In a logical progression from that planned development, the company has now stepped forward to clarify its intentions with the announcement that the Nokia N8 will be the last of the N-series to run Symbian as all future N-series devices will run MeeGo.
Although it seemed certain that MeeGo would feature on some future N-series devices, I'm a little surprised that the whole lineup will be switching over to it. But it does speak volumes about Nokia's confidence in the new platform. Symbian will still be a large part of Nokia's future as it seeks to revamp the OS and implement it in more mainstream devices below the top of the line N-series.
Clearly the company is moving aggressively to raise its game in light of the fierce competition but many questions still remain. Are you looking forward to the Nokia N8? Or are you more interested in a future N-series device running MeeGo? In a related note, the swansong of Maemo, the fantastic Nokia N900, has dropped to a bargain $370 unlocked from Dell with free shipping (using a provided rebate code at the link). This is quite a drop from its original launch price of $649 and a great offer for those still interested in this unique device.
[CNET Australia]
