Nokia has two budget MeeGo phones in the works for emerging markets

Netbooknews reports today that Nokia has plans to launch not one, but two brand new MeeGo devices for emerging markets that don’t yet have widespread access to the internet and smartphones. The site’s source got the information from Nokia’s Next Billion group, which is focused on building devices for, well, the next billion smartphone users.

by Dante D'Orazio

Source Netbooknews

Mar 28, 2012, 4:10 PM UTC

Nokia N9

Nokia N9 and MeeGo lovers, rejoice, the OS might not be as dead as you think. Netbooknews reports today that Nokia has plans to launch not one, but two brand new MeeGo devices for emerging markets that don't yet have widespread access to the internet and smartphones. We never thought new MeeGo hardware was in the cards after Nokia's partnership with Microsoft, but the site's source got the information directly from Nokia's Next Billion group, which is focused on building devices for, well, the next billion smartphone users. The company previously looked towards the Series 40 OS to get the job done — it's already been sold to 1.5 billion around the world — and the company announced its S40-based Asha line of feature phones for emerging markets just last year. Unfortunately, we don't have any more information on the affordable MeeGo phones that Nokia has in the works, but it looks like the handsome N9 might not be alone for much longer.

Update: As some readers have pointed out, it’s possible that these upcoming phones are part of Nokia’s “Meltemi” project, which is rumored to be working on the company’s next low-end, Linux-based OS after S40. When CEO Stephen Elop announced the N9 he said that MeeGo’s UI would live on, but we’ll just have to wait and see if he meant “Meltemi” or not.

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