Nokia said keeping MeeGo alive with two budget smartphones
updated 12:15 pm EDT, Wed March 28, 2012
Nokia rumored to be working on two MeeGo phones
Nokia is working on two entry-level MeeGo phones as part of its Next Billion Group project, NetbookNews heard from sources from within that group. The mission of the group is to bring the Internet to a billion people who currently don't have access to it in many third-world countries. To do so requires a free operating system, which Windows Phone isn't, while Symbian is run by Accenture and being phased out from Nokia's smartphone mix.
Currently, only the Nokia N9 runs on MeeGo, but it's a high-end offering. MeeGo can also potentially access Android apps through ports, which is a huge bonus for the operating system, which is based on open source. It can thus be fairly easily adapted and support features such as solar charging, which is key in regions where a power outlet isn't always common. No actual technical specs were revealed about the upcoming MeeGo phones, however.
Nokia's Executive VP of Mobile Phones, Mary Powell, has spoken about the low-end market and the phonemaker's mission as it pertains to the low-end phone market. While the video below focuses on the S40 platform, which recently hit 1.5 billion phones and was around since 1999, she does hint at other possibilities.
