Following yesterday’s Nokia announcements yesterday, the first images of the collaboration between both Nokia and Microsoft have surfaced, suggesting that the move to Windows Phone 7 was already in the works before Friday’s announcement. The renders also represent Nokia’s desire to keep its identity while also offering Microsoft a chance to showcase Windows Phone 7 in markets where Microsoft typically had no presence for its smartphone operating systems.
In related news, the move to Windows Phone 7 apparently came as a complete surprise to MeeGo partner Intel with this prepared statement, found at the read more link.
“By now you’ve probably heard that today, Nokia announced a new relationship with Windows focused around handsets and Windows 7. While Nokia mentioned they will still participate in the MeeGo ecosystem and ship a MeeGo-based product this year, they outlined a primary strategy strongly aligned with Microsoft.
Although Nokia has been an important partner to Intel and MeeGo and we are disappointed by this decision, it’s important to know that this is by no means the end of MeeGo or the end to Intel’s commitment and the continued progress MeeGo has made and is making to the multi-device ecosystem. Our strategy has always been to provide choice when it comes to operating systems. MeeGo is one of those choices. We support a port of choice strategy that includes Windows, Android, and MeeGo. This is not changing.
There is a solid value proposition for an open source OS that crosses different devices. End users want a consistent experience across all of their devices. MeeGo is a great solution to deliver that single experience. MeeGo is not just a phone OS, it supports multiple devices. It is already shipping and we’re seeing early momentum across multiple segments today, including automotive systems, netbooks, tablets, and set-top boxes.
We look forward to Mobile World Congress next week in Barcelona, where Intel will outline its mobile strategy and have announcements around our mobile platforms and strategy.”
Additionally, more information has surfaced suggesting that Nokia dedicated few of its own resources to MeeGo, with the revelation that Nokia outsourced the latest user interface design for MeeGo to a third-party company instead of assigning its own engineers and the rejection of its first MeeGo device by local European carriers has further worried Intel, as it was looking towards Nokia to assist with the hardware engineering for its series of mobile platforms for future integration into mobile devices.
