Nokia plans update with dual-boot MeeGo option for N900

The next update for mobile phone manufacturer Nokia's N900 internet tablet and smartphone, PR 1.3, will reportedly allow users to "easily" dual-boot between the Maemo and MeeGo mobile operating systems. According to a blog post by Nokia N900 Project Lead Harri Hakulinen, "There is also a possibility of developing applications supporting both operating systems, based on Qt and Qt Mobility APIs on the Maemo side". This means that developers will be able to develop once using Qt Creator and test their applications on both Maemo and MeeGo directly on the N900.

The Nokia N900 Internet Tablet and Smartphone. Hakulinen provides some background on the state of N900 support from Intel and Nokia and on the co-operation between the MeeGo N900 adaptation team and Nokia's Telephony and Audio team. He says that the developers "now have 3G audio call functionality with proper oFono signalling and pulse audio stack working on N900, including our brand new open source modem adaptation for N900". The developer notes that users who install MeeGo on their N900 devices are doing so at their own risk and that, if they try the still "under development" call software, they should keep a close eye on their phone bills. Additionally, those interested in running MeeGo on their devices now are encouraged to use the latest weekly image from the MeeGo repositories, updated each Monday.

MeeGo is a Linux-based distribution for mobile devices that is the result of the February decision to merge Intel's Moblin platform and Nokia's Maemo platform under the aegis of the Linux Foundation. Currently, the only available Nokia device capable of running MeeGo is the N900, released approximately one year ago. While the former flagship device originally shipped with Nokia's Maemo platform, advanced users and developers can install a version 1.0 image of the Core MeeGo Software Platform. The previous PR 1.2 update for the N900 was released last May.

See also:

• MeeGo port for Dell Streak, HTC Desire and Nexus One, a report from The H.
• Nokia N-series devices to drop Symbian in favour of MeeGo, a report from The H.

(crve)