Tag Archives: MeeGo

Unreleased Nokia Lauta QWERTY slider emerges, shows where MeeGo might have tread

Posted on by

Unreleased Nokia Lauta QWERTY slider emerges, shows the MeeGo future that never was

Those of us who remember Nokia's late-stage MeeGo phone development will recall how the dreams fell apart: we got the N9 and the developer-tuned N950, but the future grew dark almost immediately as Nokia swung its attention further towards Windows Phone. If MyNokiaBlog's prototype leak is accurate, however, the engineers in Espoo had planned at least one more MeeGo phone for the general public: meet the Lauta, or RM-742. It would have been an "immediate" follow-up to the N9 that brought a tilting, sliding QWERTY keyboard to the party, with performance identical to its touch-only sibling. Nokia was reportedly committed enough that it had fully functional prototypes and had penciled in a fall 2011 release to give the N9 some company. We don't really know why Nokia scrapped the Lauta, although it's not difficult to surmise that the company wanted to simplify its lineup at a time when profits were falling fast. The real tragedy may not be so much the decision to axe the Lauta as the absence of a true heir to what it represented -- between Nokia's public silence and recent departures from the relevant software team, MeeGo's future is more in doubt than ever.

Filed under: ,

Unreleased Nokia Lauta QWERTY slider emerges, shows where MeeGo might have tread originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMy Nokia Blog  | Email this | Comments

Digia buys Nokia’s remaining Qt assets for ‘fraction’ of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android

Posted on by

Digia buys Nokia's remaining Qt assets for a 'fraction' of the purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, AndroidNokia's Qt project could be reinvigorated now that it's been bought out in its entirety by Finnish firm Digia, following a partial acquisition last year. Digia is eyeing porting the development platform, used to code applications for Symbian and Meego, to Windows 8 (the PR doesn't mention Windows Phone 8), Android and iOS in the near future. While a fee hasn't been mentioned, it's reportedly a "fraction" of the $150 million that Nokia originally paid when purchasing Trolltech in 2008 -- which probably won't improve matters on the handset maker's balance sheet.

Continue reading Digia buys Nokia's remaining Qt assets for 'fraction' of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android

Filed under: ,

Digia buys Nokia's remaining Qt assets for 'fraction' of purchase price, eyes Windows, iOS, Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead

Posted on by

IDC Apple and Samsung ship almost half of all smartphones, jockey for first and second place

IDC's latest figures offer some predictable reading. More phones are being sold than ever before; 406 million units were sold in Q2, against 401.8 million in the same period last year -- with a 42 percent increase in smartphone sales. The winners? Perennial court antagonists, Samsung and Apple, with the duo doubling their combined market share over the last two years. Samsung maintains its lead, reaching over 50 million phones sold -- and a new quarterly sales record -- while Apple saw a quarter-over-quarter decline, as buyers presumably wait for Cupertino's latest iteration, or go elsewhere. Nokia, meanwhile, had another "transitional" quarter, with sales of both Symbian and MeeGo devices shrinking, although its Windows Phones proved stronger. According to IDC's figures, Nokia and Microsoft's team-up handset sales have doubled since last quarter. HTC misses out on a top three spot, but its fortunes appear to have improved over the last two quarters, with the IDC pointing the finger at a more streamlined product range from the Taiwan manufacturer. ZTE continues to nip at its heels, reaching the top five thanks to strong entry-level smartphone sales in China, while continuing to inch onto US shores. If you're looking for a full breakdown of all phones sold, dumb and otherwise, read up at the source below.

Filed under:

IDC: Samsung and Apple ship almost half of all smartphones, but Korean manufacturer maintains lead originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceIDC  | Email this | Comments

Security expert shows that Android and Nokia NFC can be hacked — under certain conditions

Posted on by

DNP Security expert shows that Android and Nokia NFC can be hacked under certain conditions

A research consultant has revealed to Ars Technica that he can force NFC-equipped Android and Nokia phones to run malicious code in several ways -- but only with specific devices and constraints. The first violation used the near-field Google Beam function, but only affected certain NFC phones running ICS or Jelly Bean. This could allow an evildoer to send a malicious website to an unsuspecting victim to possibly compromise their data. The next exploit was limited to a Gingerbread-equipped Google Nexus S, since later Android releases patched the bugs necessary for the hack. It allowed a so-called tag to access the NFC functions in the OS, and with a little more legwork could offer up access to more malicious programs. The final invasion was made on the Meego-powered Nokia N9, which the expert controlled by Bluetooth, using NFC -- as long as the dupe overrode the defaults and enabled that function. If so, a hacker could dial out from the phone, send messages or upload and download files, depending on which security settings were enabled. Fortunately, exact hardware and software combinations aside, nefarious types would still have to be within an inch or two of your phone to enable their NFC box of tricks. Take a look at the source for the full interview.

Filed under: ,

Security expert shows that Android and Nokia NFC can be hacked -- under certain conditions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceArs Technica  | Email this | Comments

Jolla signs deal to bring future MeeGo handsets to Chinese retailer D.Phone

Posted on by

DNP Jolla signs deal to bring MeeGo handsets to Chinese retailer DPhone

With only vague plans for two new Meego smartphones and a loose commitment from Nokia in its pocket, nervy startup Jolla went ahead and signed its first sales channel -- Chinese retailer D.Phone. The company made the announcement by Twitter, since it doesn't even have a website yet, calling itself a "rising smartphone product company," and saying that it will use D.Phone's 2,000 stores to sell the as-yet nonexistent handsets to Chinese consumers. It also confirmed that the first device would launch later this year featuring a fresh version of MeeGo, though the company didn't discuss dates or any new features that the new OS version might pack. For a mobile platform that was on death's door, it may have just been gifted a possible reprieve -- provided Jolla can build phones to match its ambitious plans.

Filed under:

Jolla signs deal to bring future MeeGo handsets to Chinese retailer D.Phone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechCrunch  |  sourceJolla (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Jolla startup receives MeeGo patents, nod of encouragement from Nokia (update: only partially true)

Posted on by

Jolla startup receives MeeGo patents, nod of encouragement from Nokia

We already know that the MeeGo splinter group, Jolla, is following a slightly different path to what we've known and loved on the N9, but don't fear: there's every chance that the smartest features from the original OS will be retained, not least because Nokia has just given the startup a gift-wrapped bundle of patents. Jolla founder Jussi Hurmola mentioned the altruistic gesture in an interview with ItViikko, and although he didn't specify exactly which patents have been transferred, his warm words towards his former employer -- with whom he said he enjoyed a "good and open relationship" -- give us a strong hint as to their value.

Update: We've seen comments on a number of forums saying that ItViiko's mention of the patents is unconfirmed speculation, so we're reaching out to Nokia for further clarification.

Update: Apologies all. Turns out the source article wasn't quite accurate in its description of patents being given to departing employees. Nokia tells us it's supporting Jolla through an incubator program called Bridge, but it has not actually given over patents to any of the Bridge startups.

Filed under:

Jolla startup receives MeeGo patents, nod of encouragement from Nokia (update: only partially true) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceItViikko  | Email this | Comments

Jolla promises MeeGo will live on, plans new smartphone to reward the faithful

Posted on by

Nokia N9 with Pleo

More than a few N9 aficionados felt their hearts sink when important MeeGo team members left Nokia this week, putting the fate of the entire swipe-friendly platform in doubt. Recently-founded Jolla was clearly watching, as it confirmed just in the nick of time that it's planning to carry the torch further. The Finnish startup, which includes important members of the N9 team as well as veterans of the unofficial MeeGo community, not only plans to iterate on MeeGo but to build its very own smartphone with that foundation. Those attached to Nokia's interpretation of MeeGo will have to adapt to a few changes: Jolla's work is based on the related, partly HTML5-driven Mer Project and will have a "brand new UI" to go with the new hardware. It won't be a literal N10 as a result, but we'll find out just what direction Jolla is taking soon -- it's been working on the phone since late 2011 with plans to show its work later this year. As long as some of the N9's spirit carries forward, we have a hunch that a lot of fans won't mind the absence of a Nokia badge.

Continue reading Jolla promises MeeGo will live on, plans new smartphone to reward the faithful

Jolla promises MeeGo will live on, plans new smartphone to reward the faithful originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2012 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Handheld Blog  |  sourceJolla (LinkedIn), (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Key MeeGo team members leave Nokia, N9 owners swipe away a few tears

Posted on by

Nokia N9 white

This week will be remembered as a volatile one if you're a MeeGo fan. Just hours after Nokia posted the PR 1.3 update for N9 owners, the company's MeeGo development lead Sotiris Makyrgiannis and other team members have confirmed that they're leaving for greener pastures. The split appears to be an amicable one, with the crew largely going to CloudBerryTec to write mobile apps (including for MeeGo) and consult on software even as they share fond memories. What's left is a lot of doubt over the fate of the swipe-driven OS itself. Nokia promised years of support for the OS as a side project following the big leap to Windows Phone, but it also hadn't mentioned the possibility of important staff departures, either. We've reached out to the company for a fuller answer -- if it turns out that MeeGo development is winding down, the staff shift could be the end to completely in-house OS creation at a company that was once defined by its custom platforms.

Key MeeGo team members leave Nokia, N9 owners swipe away a few tears originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GSMArena, My Nokia Blog  |  sourceSotiris Makrygiannis (Twitter), Maemo.org  | Email this | Comments