Rumor Mill: Nokia replacing Symbian with Maemo in N-Series devices

Nokia plans to stop using the Symbian platform by 2012 in its entire N-Series line of devices in favor of Maemo, according to a report on The Really Mobile Project blog.

[1]The blog, citing comments from Nokia's Maemo marketing team at an event in London, said that the transition will be gradual. Nokia's first Maemo-based smartphone, the N900, has been intended as a "bridge" device aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts, the blog said, but the company will gradually release more mass-market Maemo devices in the coming years.

Nokia declined to comment on the specific claims in the report, but said it remains committed to Symbian. "While it is our policy not to disclose details of our product roadmap, we'd like to explicitly communicate that we remain firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice," the company said in a statement. "Any speculation on what our 2012 roadmap, including operating systems and product branding, are completely premature."

In the statement, Nokia said that it has multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets. "Symbian is more successful than ever in bringing smartphones to the masses," Nokia said. "Maemo is our software of choice for devices based on technology that you'd typically find inside a desktop computer. It delivers a different user experience and enables us to widen the market we can address."

Nokia's N-Series typically denotes high-end smartphones that run the Symbian operating system, though Symbian has been trickling down into Nokia's mid-range line of phones.

The N900 went on sale in the United States today for $649, and will be sold online and in Nokia's flagship stores. Notably, the device did not attract support from any of the major U.S. carriers. Amazon.com is selling the device unlocked for $510. 

For more:
- see this The Really Mobile Project blog post [2]
- see this N900 release [3]

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Nokia delays N900 until November [5]
Nokia clarifies: N900 can be customized [6]
Nokia will not customize the N900 for carriers [7]
Nokia may make more acquisitions in services push [8]