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MeeGo Startup Jolla Signs Phone Deal
chill writes "Mobile company Jolla, which is continuing development of Linux-based mobile OS Meego, signed its first sales deal today, with D.Phone, China's largest smartphone retail chain. Jolla has not released details about its first product, which is expected to be revealed later this year. The company has not yet received access to any Nokia patents."
I'm a little out of the loop on MeeGo development, but with the recent patent trolling and Microsoft loving from Nokia what makes Jolla think that even previous MeeGo agreements will be honored? If they are even enforceable Nokia has chosen a side in the free vs non-free, and just like any sinking ship honesty and goodwill are the first to go. It's not like a major corporation has ever crushed a smaller one just to be mean... Elop is did learn from the best on that one.
China is a very big and diverse country, and going China doesn't necessarily mean going low cost nowadays. Costal China is first world (or close enough already, in any case not 3rd world by far), with a very high adoption rate for smartphones. And not crappy ones, also high end ones. Plus, Android is impaired in China by no official Google Play support if I understand correctly, and side channels are full of malware making Android reputation poor. The iPhone doesn't support TD-SCDMA so is not carried by the first operator, China Mobile. WP is mostly nowhere (as everywhere). There is a gap to fill there, and if you come with a new OS it may be easier to get a foothold in such a context than in Western countries with entrenched iPhone and Android, and only a few slahsdotters like me possibly interested in a Meego phone ;) Historically China Mobile was interested in Meego for this reason BTW. And Nokia was very popular there. So there could be a card to play for a well spec'd phone in China, seen as a successor to the old Nokia.