Nokia Not Abandoning Linux After All: Maemo Said to Power Nokia’s Next Generation of High-End Smartphones

It looks like Nokia isn’t abandoning their Linux-based Maemo mobile OS after all. I was disappointed to learn earlier this week that Nokia’s netbook entry, the Booklet 3G (which I still maintain should be named Piglet 3G would run Microsoft Windows instead of Maemo or, perhaps, Ubunut Netbook Remix (which I like a lot). Reuters reports that Nokia is looking at Maemo to power its next generation of high-end smartphones…

Nokia bets on Linux in iPhone battle: sources

So, what happens to Symbian S60 which has powered and continues to power Nokia’s current generation of high-end smartphones like their N-Series (N95, N96, N97)? I’ve been using a Nokia N96 since last December. It is a rock solid phone (though the last couple of firmware updates have wreaked havoc with GPS settings on the N96). But, it has an odd MS-DOS like antique quality to it. Nokia, like Microsoft, needs to take a hard look at its smartphone platform and needs to make some kind of big jump forward. Their Linux-based Maemo platform is probably the best choice for their next generation smartphone. I’m looking forward to seeing if it reaches our shores in the next year or two.

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