Nokia not ditching Symbian, to announce Microsoft deal
August 12, 2009 by Bernd Kling
The Finnish handset maker tries different routes. While staying “fully committed” to the Symbian OS, it will use Linux-based Maemo for “high performance mobile devices”. At the same time a Microsoft-Nokia alliance is forming to build a mobile version of Microsoft Office for Nokia’s smartphones.
Nokia was quick to assure it is not ditching Symbian, as some reports seemed to suggest. (This happened because of TechCrunch Europe misinterpreting a Financial Times Deutschland report. Actually the German financial daily had said Nokia was “losing confidence in Symbian” and favoring Maemo for upcoming high-end smartphones. The TechCrunch story by Markus Goebel falsely reported this as “Nokia ditching Symbian for Maemo, German FT reports”.)
But Nokia will not really ditch Symbian, as our own story accurately said. Nokia emphasized this today:
“We absolutely remain committed to Symbian and S60. Symbian remains our choice for smartphones and we’ll continue to see enhancements that further the value and experiences on this platform.”
Seems like a very sincere statement, but the same spokesperson made also clear this is only part of the truth:
“However, recognizing that the value we bring to the consumer is increasingly represented through software, there is logically not just one software environment that fits all consumer and market needs. In addition, as we’ve stated before, we also continue to explore opportunities around a new class of devices that we see as the next segment of high performance mobile devices. Maemo is very much part of that thinking but of course there’s nothing new to announce in this regard.”
Not yet officially announced is Nokia’s RX-51, that already passed through the FCC and is expected to be offered by T-Mobile. It may be an Internet tablet powered by Maemo OS, but at the same time it looks like a high-end version of the Nokia smartphone N97. And why should it have GSM / GPRS / EDGE and WCDMA if is not going to be used as a mobile phone?
In related news Wall Street Journal reports about an alliance between Microsoft and Nokia to be officially announced today. It is not about Nokia building Windows Mobile phones as some people assumed. Actually Microsoft will make mobile versions of its Office applications to run on Nokia smartphones. This is not really exciting as Microsoft already offers Pocket Office for Windows Mobile while other companies developed Office-compatible apps for Blackberrys as well as Symbian phones.
(bk)
Related TecZilla links
Nokia to focus on Maemo instead of Symbian
Nokia RX-51: Is it a tablet? Is it a phone?
Is Nokia planning Cseries, Xseries and more?
Web links
Photo credits: Nokia (N97)
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