2.05.2011

MeeGo 1.1 Released, Handset-Ready 1.2 Not Coming Until April 2011

A MeeGo 1.1 “project release” has been released by Nokia. But what is it exactly?

As answered by the official Nokia Conversations blog in a post titled “for developers’ eyes only: MeeGo version 1.1″:

So what is a “project release”? Let’s start with what it isn’t. This isn’t a finished product for you to load up on to your phone and use on a day-to-day basis. The user interface is neither finished nor is it representative of what the experience will look like on future Nokia devices (we’re creating our own unique experience using Qt). What it is, is a generic version intended to allow developers and device manufacturers to get familiar with the code and the capabilities of future devices.

The last paragraph in the same post, nestled under some screenshots, contained some telling information for the future:

So that’s version 1.1. Version 1.2 is scheduled for April 2011, by which point the MeeGo handset user experience software should be pretty much complete. For all the technical details, jump to meego.com. And as ever, let us know what you think in the comments below.

Here’s how I read this post:

MeeGo 1.1 is an unfinished version of the final OS. It will probably look completely different by the next version.

MeeGo 1.2 might – or might not – be the full retail version for handsets.

1.2 is coming somewhere around April 2011.

There won’t be any MeeGo phones before April 2011.

Oof. Pretty disappointing news, to say the least. I’m disappointed not just because this means a huge delay for my N9, but because this is some seriously bad news for Nokia. Essentially, it’s going to take another six months to get out what I’d consider to be Nokia’s best chance in the smartphone market.

For developers’ eyes only: MeeGo version 1.1 – Nokia Conversations