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Intel Moblin and Nokia Maemo Combine into MeeGo

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Intel and Nokia made a surprising announcement at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. It was so surprising that nobody saw it coming. We’re talking here of MeeGo, a new open source, Linux project that combines Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo software to form the said Meego platform. Meego will power a range of devices including mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment system.

If you’re not aware Intel’s Moblin OS is currently being used on various netbooks by those who prefer not to use Windows OS in their low-cost netbooks. Moblin was also recently demonstrated to run on smartphone during the CES 2010. Nokia’s Maemo platform on the other hand is currently being used on the N900 smartphone which is being touted as Nokia’s “mobile computer.”

Specifically MeeGo will include the following:

  • Performance optimizations and features which enable rich computational and graphically oriented applications and connected services development
  • No-compromise internet standards support delivering the best web experiences
  • Easy to use, flexible and powerful UI/app development environment based on Qt
  • Open source project organization managed by the Linux Foundation
  • State of the Art Linux stack optimized for the size and capabilities of small footprint platforms and mobile devices, but delivering broad linux software application compatibility

Other information about MeeGo include – current Maemo and Moblin will run on top of MeeGo, support for ARM processors, will include support for tablet PCs, apps can be recompiled to run on Symbian, MeeGo apps will be marketed through Nokia’s Ovi Store, and MeeGo will be released in Q2 2010 while products that support the software will be out in the second half of the year.

Mozilla Releases Mobile Firefox for Maemo, Android to Follow

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Mozilla just released their first mobile Firefox browser, running on Maemo platform. In case you’re not aware one of the mobile devices sporting this platform is the computer-like Nokia N900 handset. So, if you’re one of the probably few users of this handset, you might want to visit firefox.com/mobile using your N900.  Or if you want to be cautious about it, check out the FAQ first.

Better yet, check out these key features first, to help you decide whether you should install  the mobile Firefox on your Nokia N900. Firefox for Mobile lets you:

  • Go to your favorite sites in just a couple of keystrokes with intelligent and personalized searching
  • Sync your Firefox tabs, history, bookmarks and passwords between your desktop and mobile device for a seamless browsing experience
  • Customize your Firefox by adding small pieces of functionality, like games and news readers, that help make the mobile Web browser your own
  • Get maps and information relevant to your location
  • View open tabs as thumbnails to easily identify and select the Web page you’d like to go to next
  • Get an Instant Web Site ID and easily access and edit security settings

What’s great about Firefox Mobile is that it’s probably the first mobile web browser that supports browser add-ons. Yeah, I envy  you N900 users and I’m seriously hoping that Mozilla releases an Android version, specifically for Nexus One soon.

The mobile Firefox add-ons let you cusztomize the browser by adding extra features such as AdBlock Plus, URL Fixer, TwitterBar, language translators and definitely more. In fact, there are already more than 40 of these add-ons that you can use after you’ve installed mobile Firefox.

So, if you’re a Nokia N900 user, check out Mozilla Firefox mobile now. And if you’re an Android phone user like me, let’s wait a while for the Android version to come out.