Nokia CEO Stephen Elop had several tough decisions to make when he came on board and replaced former chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. Of course the biggest shift for Elop’s Nokia came in mid-February last year when the company confirmed that the burning platform had scorched MeeGo, and Nokia planned to dump its Linux-based mobile operating system for Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS. Nokia still went on to launch the N9, and it was widely believed that the handset would be the only MeeGo device from Nokia to ever see the light of day. According to a recent report, however, the Finnish vendor may have new MeeGo devices works.
Nokia currently has two entry-level MeeGo smartphones in development according to a recent report from Netbooknews.com. The site claims to have learned of the unannounced handsets “directly from Nokia’s Next Billion Group,” which is focused on bringing affordable smartphones to emerging markets. No other details surrounding the supposed devices were provided.
The move would be a curious one at best. Nokia is committed to Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform for high-end and mid-range devices, and BGR revealed exclusive details last year about a secret proprietary operating system Nokia has in development that will address emerging markets. The vendor also acquired cell phone operating system developer Smarterphone AS earlier this year in a move thought to be tied to the development of Nokia’s secret OS.
A Nokia spokesperson declined to comment.
