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In February, Tomi Ahonen compared dropping MeeGo for WP7 to Microsoft in the 80s dropping the first version of Windows a few months before release, and going for Mac OS. Now I think he was right. I guess I'll just hold on to my 2330. http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2011/02/first-a...
For example, OS/2 was supposed to be Microsoft's future in the late 80s, and Windows was a stopgap. It wasn't even clear there would be a Windows 3.0 at all, until a couple of developers secretly took on the task of getting Windows running in protected mode (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/larryosterman/archive/2005/02/02/365...) .
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually I think just the opposite. Meego is a poor competitor to Android, because of how similar they are. In fact Meego today looks too much like the Samsung skin on Android (it would be funny if Samsung sued Nokia over trade dress). There's no reason to get a Meego device over an Android device. But plenty of reason to get Android over Meego, at least today. Whereas with Windows Phone, it is fundamentally differen…
There's no reason to get a Meego device over an Android device. But plenty of reason to get Android over Meego, at least today. I'll be the first to admit I'm a highly atypical case, but this certainly isn't true for me. I want a UNIX userland on my phone, and for that Maemo/MeeGo is pretty much the only game in town.
Except the N9 doesn't use MeeGo, it uses Maemo. Harmattan is just the release that begins the transition to MeeGo.
[0] http://sf2011.meego.com/program/sessions/harmattan-meego-com...
Except the N9 doesn't use MeeGo, it uses Maemo. Harmattan is just the release that begins the transition to MeeGo.
You're right [0], but I think it's too much to expect the tech press to make this distinction. Does it really matter if the N9 uses MeeGo or a version of Maemo that is compatible with the MeeGo APIs? The bottom line is that Nokia has a compelling smartphone platform other than WP7. [0] http://sf2011.meego.com/program/sessions/harmattan-meego-com...
Have Nokia actually committed to dumping MeeGo? It seems like if it achieves unexpected success there should be room to course correct. For example, OS/2 was supposed to be Microsoft's future in the late 80s, and Windows was a stopgap. It wasn't even clear there would be a Windows 3.0 at all, until a couple of developers secretly took on the task of getting Windows running in protected mode ( http://blogs.msdn.com/b/…
Recently they have been backtracking a bit and promised to keep updating/supporting Symbian until 2016, but the plans for MeeGo are unclear. However, they have stated that they will continue providing OTA updates for the N9, but that doesn't really mean anything.
I'm sure they don't really know the place for MeeGo right now, especially with the pressure from MS and the current success of N9.
Does anyone really believe Nokia's actual product will look like that demo? I kinda recall this not happening quite a few times in the past.. (n97 anyone?)
Have Nokia actually committed to dumping MeeGo? It seems like if it achieves unexpected success there should be room to course correct. For example, OS/2 was supposed to be Microsoft's future in the late 80s, and Windows was a stopgap. It wasn't even clear there would be a Windows 3.0 at all, until a couple of developers secretly took on the task of getting Windows running in protected mode ( http://blogs.msdn.com/b/…
No, they never said they would dump MeeGo. They said they would be dumping Symbian, and left MeeGo as a research project for "future disruption". Of course, they have stated to fully commit to Windows Phone. Recently they have been backtracking a bit and promised to keep updating/supporting Symbian until 2016, but the plans for MeeGo are unclear. However, they have stated that they will continue providing OTA updates…
And they didn't.
And they may have accidentally produced the second most interesting phone of the year? ...which also happens to be a dead end.
The N9 would be underpowered if it were released today; the trick where videos continue playing as they're swiped into the multitasking ether is cute, but time will tell how well it can perform those tricks when it's been piloted for a few days (or months) by a careless human without so much as a reboot, especially as compared to the dual-core, spec'd-out superphones it will have to compete against this Fall/Holiday.
Also, something something apps. Even if you only need 10 of them. I'm in the "you need the ecosystem to draw the developers to make the two or more third-party apps you give a damn about" camp.
All that notwithstanding, aesthetically and (to the extent that I can infer anything of value from the video demos up now) in terms of ui/ux execution, this thing looks really good.
Physically, it somehow looks as just I would expect of an object which, when slid across the surface of another, would cause music (or anything else) to come out of the second object. Even if it's an unexpected hit, in 5 years it'll still probably look like a 3303. But for now I think it looks more like the future than any computer we've carried in our pockets to date.
Regardless of the quality of the software experience, the hardware execution makes me feel like Nokia is positioned well in the role they're assuming. It actually makes me wish they'd compete directly against HTC/Samsung on Android as well, although admittedly I have no idea when, if ever, their agreement with msft would allow them to do such a thing.
If I could ignore the part of me which is fairly confident they'll release a slight variation on this running WP7 within the same general timescale that the N9 is on the market and shift most of their resources/support in that direction, I may actually have considered purchasing a Nokia in 2011 or 2012, something I would not have assumed at any point in the last 3 or 4 years.