As one of the results of the long term relashioship declared about 8 months ago, Intel and Nokia have decided to merge their respective mobile computing platforms Moblin and Maemo to create a unified platform called MeeGo.
Maemo, the Linux distribution which powers the Nokia N900 device shares quite some goals with Moblin, which too aims to be a Linux platform for the mobile devices of the future. With this merger, the resultant MeeGo platform has an even wider scope from the smartphones, to MIDs to In-vehicle Infotainment devices, to Tablets and Netbooks. MeeGo will be able to target all, making the job much easier for software developers as well.
MeeGo will embrace Nokia’s cross-platform application development framework Qt, which can be used to create applications for anything from the Nokia Symbian S60 devices to Linux, Windows and MacOS X.
So what about Nokia’s new Ovi Store for applications, and Intel’s AppUp store for Intel netbooks running Moblin or Windows? Both will continue to exist, and if you wish to target Nokia phones and devices you can use the Nokia Ovi store; for Intel based netbooks and devices, you have the Intel AppUp centre.
Intel and Nokia’s developer programs, Intel Atom Developer Program, and Nokia Forum will still both be continued, and will be the go-to destination for developer for the respective platforms.
MeeGo will feature “visually rich graphics, multitasking and multimedia capabilities and the best application performance” and will be available in devices from Nokia and other manufacturers from the second half of this year. With the same operating system powering such a broad range of devices, application portability will much simpler. No longer will you be locked onto a platform because of your investment in applications for it.
MeeGo will be hosted by the Linux Foundation, and development on it will be done in an open manner, and Intel and Nokia invite participation from the Maemo and Moblin communities.
[Video] The Big Merge: A Message from Intel and Nokia