Nokia denies shift towards Linux handsets

Reports that Nokia was planning to use Linux as a platform for its handset have been slapped down by its PR officials. This strategic shift--carried by many leading news organisations--that Nokia was to focus on Linux came from Rick Simonson, the company's financial director, who said that Nokia was 'well on the way' towards using Linux on handsets, and prompted widespread speculation about a tie-up with Google's Android platform.

However, this statement from the senior Nokia executive was labeled as no more than a confusion over what constitutes a mobile phone. The PR department hurried out a release stating that Nokia already uses Linux on its internet tablet class of devices, exemplified by the Nokia N810, and is planning to expand that class into more feature-rich devices. This says little about Nokia's confidence in using Symbian as a platform for internet tablet devices.

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