maebo

Intel, Nokia join Linux efforts for 'smart' devices

Intel and Nokia are combining their respective Linux operating environments to power future smartphones and tablets, another step in a technology tie-up launched last year.

The technology merger will fuse Intel's Moblin and Nokia's Maemo software to form a new operating environment dubbed MeeGo, which is expected to power a range of devices, including pocketable mobile computers, Netbooks, tablets, connected TVs, and in-vehicle infotainment systems.

Intel's Moblin operating system has been offered on Netbooks from Dell, Acer, and Asus and made an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show on a future smartphone from LG Electronics. Nokia's Maemo OS has powered its N900, a high-end smartphone that Nokia refers to as a "mobile computer"--a likely precursor for future MeeGo-based devices from the Finnish telecommunications giant.

The Intel-Nokia collaboration began in earnest in June when the two companies announced the beginning of a "long-term relationship," focusing on developing new chip architectures, software, and a new class of Intel-based mobile computing devices. This move is part of a major shift for Intel--a giant in PC chips but not a player in cell phones.

The goal for MeeGo is to put more flesh on the bones of last year's announcement. In short, to combine two disparate, unwieldy operating environments under one roof, said Renee J. James, a senior vice president at Intel. "Across a range of devices we're looking to build a single Linux platform with a single developer environment and a merged API," James said in an interview with CNET. An API, or application programming interface, is a way for a program to interact with other software.

Both companies stressed that applications that run on Moblin and Maemo will run on top of MeeGo.

Importantly, MeeGo will support equally ubiquitous ARM-architecture chips, in addition to Intel processors. "It's going to be cross-platform. That means it supports both Intel and ARM," James said. ARM processors are offered by Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Samsung, and others, while Intel's Atom processor powers Moblin-based devices today.

Future devices and apps stores James emphasized that its "multi-device" target markets will include the emerging category of tablets.… Read more