Nokia developing Meltemi – a Linux-based OS for feature phones
A short while after Intel and Samsung announced they will be working together to develop a new Linux-based mobile operating system, reports have come in of Nokia developing a Linux-based OS as well, except, it will be meant for its low-end phones. The new Nokia mobile OS is reportedly codenamed “Meltemi,” Greek for the summer winds that blow over the Aegean Sea. Nokia has yet to officially comment on the veracity of these reports.
Nearly half of Nokia’s global sales are low-end feature phones, and perhaps a new operating system for these devices may just be a breath of fresh air for the consumers in the segment, replacing the very familiar Symbian interface with something that will hopefully make feature phones seem smart. The consumer, once again, stands to be the winner.
[RELATED_ARTICLE]
From the various times that Meltemi has been spotted on Nokia internal videos and memos, it looks like the OS might just be for touch-based phones, and will bring in learnings from the MeeGo effort. While we can’t say just how well it will do in the market, what we can say for sure is that the Finnish giant sure seems to be expending a fair bit of effort trying to recapture its former glories, from its first dual-SIM feature phones to Symbian Belle and Windows Phone 7 smartphones.