When Nokia got on-board the Windows Phone 7 train, it seemed like the company’s other operating system projects would end up getting the short end of the stick. Symbian continues to receive developer attention, but it’s running on borrowed time, with Nokia having a clear vision of transitioning smartphone production over to WP7. What, then, about MeeGo? Shortly after the WP7 news, Intel announced that it would be continuing its share of work on MeeGo, but we still needed a consumer electronics manufacturer to express interest if we wanted to see any MeeGo-based hardware actually come out. Now it seems that LG may be that company, as it’s announced that it’s working on a smartphone version of MeeGo.
Unlike open-source systems like Android, developed with smartphones in mind, MeeGo is designed for use in everything from embedded systems to laptops, leaving it up to companies interested in working with it to adapt a UI for their particular needs. Nokia had been working on the smartphone side of things, and it still should be releasing one MeeGo smartphone this year, but it’s no longer focused on the platform. LG has revealed that it will be working with ZTE and China Mobile in continuing work on MeeGo, focusing on its use on smartphones. For now, at least, LG has only said it will be building embedded systems based on MeeGo, but it has left the door open for making MeeGo phones one day.
We’d be excited to see what LG can come up with, assuming it ever commits to a MeeGo smartphone, but it’s going to be an uphill battle to draw many smartphone users away from the well-established platforms. Do you think this could be a smart strategy for LG, or could it end up a very expensive mistake?
No related post found.
