MeeGo: Intel and Nokia's new mobile operating system revealed
MeeGo, Intel and Nokia's new open-source operating system, has made its debut on netbooks, TVs and phones at Intel's Developer Forum
Like the hamster we got when we were ten, we instantly fell in love with Maemo, the Linux-based operating system on the Nokia N900. But like that hamster, Maemo is destined for a life that is brutish and short -- not because of a wayward hoover nozzle (sob), but because it's been subsumed into Nokia and Intel's MeeGo platform, seen for the first time at Intel's Developer Forum in Beijing.
A video from Intel, below, gives an up-close look at its version of MeeGo's user interface, which shows an uncomplicated tab-based look that's focused on media, applications and the inevitable social networking.
We like the idea of a fast-booting, easy to use OS for our simpler computers and gadgets. Alternatives already available include an Android-powered netbook, the Acer Aspire One D250 Android, or the Apple iPad, which runs the iPhone OS. There's even the NIMble Android-powered microwave.
Another video from Intel shows MeeGo running on a netbook, a TV, a mobile phone and a shopping kiosk, demonstrating how MeeGo shares media over the cloud to all your gadgets.
A version of MeeGo for the N900 is in the works for release in the next few months. We're not sure whether the N900 will be tweaked to suit the new OS, and Nokia's version of MeeGo is likely to look pretty different from what Intel has created. Possible screenshots of MeeGo were leaked on meaemo.org forums just this week.