Hasta La Gadget!

You may remember back at Computex we caught a very quick look at Intel’s MeeGo for tablets. Well, Intel’s landed at MWC with that very same tablet user interface, except it has done a bit of work to the underlying software and it’s finally ready to start letting the press play around with it. If you were to closely compare the design of the UI or what Intel is calling its “tablet user experience” to the one we saw back in June, you probably wouldn’t notice much of a difference in terms of aesthetics, and that’s because most of the work Intel’s been doing has been to the code and framework — it shifted it away from C++ and moved it over to QML, which is part of the Qt language. The brunt of the experience and the individual apps (we’ll get to those, or the lack there of soon) are all built on QML, which Intel’s Mike Richmond promises will enable lots of neat UI elements. So yes, Intel’s done some important retooling on the technical and software end of things, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the interface is anywhere close to done yet. We got a look at the software running on an Atom-powered ExoPC, so hit the break to find out just what we are talking about.

Continue reading Intel shows off more of its MeeGo Tablet UI, still needs lots of work

Intel shows off more of its MeeGo Tablet UI, still needs lots of work originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lookie here. Intel may have been the jilted bride left at the altar by Nokia, but it’s not giving up on MeeGo just yet. The above poster has been hung up here in Barcelona, in the area us humble journalists still aren’t in allowed yet, and shows a smartphone and tablet running Intel’s Linux variant as their OS. There are plenty of details to pore over, such as the multiplicity of home screen items on the tablet that includes Big Buck Bunny — a favorite for testing HD video playback — in its top right corner; the handset, meanwhile, could very well be that Aava Mobile device we’ve been hearing about lately. MWC is opening its doors tomorrow, so even if Intel doesn’t announce these devices in full, we’ll snoop its booth out and find out for ourselves.

Intel promises, teases MeeGo smartphone and tablet for MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yesterday’s announcement by Nokia that it’s switching to Windows Phone 7 as its primary smartphone platform has already had, and will continue to have, great repercussions for plenty of parties besides the Finnish company and its new best bud Microsoft. One of the biggest effects of that deal was that Nokia now no longer considers MeeGo — the open-source OS it was co-developing with Intel — an item of priority, classifying it as a “learning project.” No prizes for guessing Intel’s nowhere near happy about that, but would you have also guessed Nokia kept Chipzilla in the dark about its new direction until the day it announced it to the world? Such is the word from TechCrunch‘s well placed sources, who also say that Nokia dedicated only a three-man external team to the development of UI customizations for MeeGo. Not exactly the hugest investment in the world, we’d say, and when you consider Nokia and Microsoft already have concept devices drawn up, you’ve got to think plans to abandon MeeGo as a sincere flagship strategy were materializing in Espoo a long time before this event. It would probably have been nice to tell Intel, though, just to be classy. Hit the source link for more detail, including confirmation that Nokia’s N9-00, its first planned MeeGo device, was canned — apparently due to complaints from operators about its hinge.

Nokia’s marginalization of MeeGo came as a surprise to Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Steve show just ended with both Elop and Ballmer hosting a very informative media Q&A following the reveal of Nokia’s plan to use Windows Phone 7 as its “primary smartphone platform.” Here are the highlights:

• No specific announcement for when we’ll see the first Nokia Windows Phone. Ballmer mentioned that the engineering teams have spent a lot of time together already.
• Elop also confirmed that Nokia is a Finnish company and always will be — they will not be moving to Silicon Valley or anywhere else.
• Ballmer said that the partnership is “not exclusive” but some things that Microsoft is doing with Nokia are “unique” allowing Nokia to differentiate itself in the market. Elop added that it’s important for the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem to thrive, which means that multiple vendors must succeed.
• Elop didn’t believe that Nokia could create a new ecosystem around MeeGo fast enough.
• Nokia will “substantially reduce” R&D expenditures while increasing R&D productivity moving forward.
• Nokia did talk with Google about adopting Android but decided that it “would have difficulty differentiating within that ecosystem” and the “commoditization risk was very high — prices, profits, everything being pushed down, value being moved out to Google which was concerning to us.” Microsoft presented the best option for Nokia to resume the fight in the high end smarpthone segment.
• Elop clarified that MeeGo will ship this year but “not as part of another broad smarpthone platform strategy, but as an opportunity to learn.” Something that sounds very similar to position Nokia took with its so-called “experimental” Maemo-based N900 last year. After the first (and apparently, only) MeeGo device ships this year, the MeeGo team will then “change their focus into an exploration of future platforms, future devices, future user experiences.” Trying to determine the “next disruption” in smartphones.
• Responding to “hope for a broad MeeGo-based ecosystem,” Elop said that Nokia simply wasn’t moving fast enough to effectively win and compete against Apple and Google. Windows Phone makes it a “three-horse race,” something that Elop says is pleasing to the carriers he’s been speaking with.
• Nokia has different options for its tablet strategy including using something from Microsoft or something that Nokia has developed internally.

Nokia Q&A reveals more MeeGo details and tablet plans — says Android ‘risk of commodification was very high’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pardon us while we catch our breath… Nokia’s bombshell of an announcement’s going to require some serious internal tinkering to execute upon the new strategy. As such, there’s a big-time reorganization effort being kicked off today in order to accelerate the company towards its new goals. Here are some of the highlights:

• Nokia’s “applications and content store” (Ovi) will be integrated into Microsoft Marketplace
• Nokia Maps will be at the heart of Microsoft’s Bing and AdCenter
• Microsoft will provide developer tools to Nokia (So no Qt?)
• Symbian is now described as a “franchise platform” with Nokia planning to sell 150 million Symbian devices into the future
• MeeGo emphasis will be on longer-term exploration with plans to ship “a MeeGo-related product” later this year (not products)

The new team that will leadership team that will drive the effort consists of Stephen Elop, Esko Aho, Juha Akras, Jerri DeVard, Colin Giles, Rich Green, Jo Harlow, Timo Ihamuotila, Mary McDowell, Kai Oistamo, Tero Ojanpera, Louise Pentland and Niklas Savander. Unsurprisingly, Alberto Torres, former head of MeeGo, has quit. Here are some of the key execs:

• Jo Harlow becomes the gal at the center of the Nokia’s Elopcalypse with Smart Devices responsibility for Symbian smartphones, “MeeGo Computers,” and Strategic Business Operations.
• Mary McDowell will drive the Mobile Phones division focusing on growth markets.
• Marko Ahtisaari will lead up design efforts
• Tero Ojanpera will lead Services and Developer Experience
• Niklas Savendar owns Markets
• Rich Green will head the CTO Office responsible for Nokia’s technology strategy and related forward-looking activities

So really, Nokia is maintaining most of its executive staff, unlike the rumors coming into today.

Continue reading Nokia execs reshuffled in Microsoft-centered Elopcalypse

Nokia execs reshuffled in Microsoft-centered Elopcalypse originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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