Nokia To Sell Phone Using Linux-Based Software

[w1z4rd]

STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Nokia Oyj (NOK) Thursday said it will start selling a computerized mobile phone that uses Linux-based software, a move the Finnish handset giant hopes will add to its ammunition against Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone.

"I'm sure this will help us in the market situation with iPhone," Nokia Executive Vice President of Markets Anssi Vanjoki told Dow Jones Newswires.

But he stressed that the new Nokia N900 phone, which will start selling in October, wasn't created to directly challenge the iPhone.

"This thing has been moving at a very well-planned pace long before there was any sign of an iPhone," Vanjoki said.

Nokia smart phones that use the Symbian operating system are the ones mainly competing with iPhone, he said. By contrast, the N900 goes "beyond the personal computer and the smartphone," he said.

Nokia's move from its usual Symbian operating system to the Linux-based Maemo operating system will give the new phone a more "PC-like experience," including letting users run dozens of application windows at the same time, the company said.

Nokia declined to say how much revenue it hopes the new phone will generate. It will sell for about EUR500, excluding possible store discounts, Vanjoki said.

Nokia will present the phone at next week's Nokia World event in Stuttgart, Germany.

At 1109 GMT, Nokia's shares traded up EUR0.32, or 3.5%, at EUR9.52, outperforming the OMX index of the 40 largest companies, which was up 0.4%.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090827-706063.html
This is exciting

 

[ColinR]

Very, Vodacom - get cracking - we want this phone available in December latest - in time for Christmas

 

[JK8]

Not bad, hope its not just good on paper....

http://www.gsmarena.com/unannounced_nokia_n900_previewed__turns_smartphone-news-1076.php
Maemo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maemo_(operating_system)

 

[The_Unbeliever]

Now what does this mean for Symbian?

 

[ColinR]

Now what does this mean for Symbian?

Who cares! This looks very good.

 

[Solidus]

Looks good! Wonder what features Linux will bring

 

[blaaislaai]

The phone should not be too expensive, as linux is considered as free and opensource. I wonder if we will be able to make changes to the OS?

 

[d0b33]

Android is Linux
Maemo is Linux

Linux FTW!

Should just have gone along with android IMO, it has an app store with developers ready to develop... but I guess choice is good.