Rumor Mill: Nokia preps high-end MeeGo gadget ahead of MWC

Nokia (NYSE:NOK) has remained mum on its 2011 plans for MeeGo devices, but according to a so-called "bug report," specs for a forthcoming MeeGo device have emerged that paint the picture of a high-performance device. 

The report, which was highlighted in a Maemo user forum, references a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, an HSPA+ 21 modem, NFC capabilities, 1 GB of RAM and HDMI-out, among other high-end specifications. Nokia has stated on numerous occasions that it will release a number of high-end devices this year based on MeeGo, the open-source OS it developed with Intel.

A Nokia spokeswoman declined to comment.

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said last week that the company faces significant competitive challenges, and vowed to outline Nokia's strategy for 2011 at the company's investor conference in London Feb. 11, just days before the start of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Tech pundits have been buzzing about Elop's comments that Nokia needs to "build, catalyze and/or join a competitive ecosystem," which some believe indicates a willingness on the part of Nokia to partner with Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform or Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 7 offering.

In an open letter to Elop and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Berenberg Bank analyst Adnaan Ahmad urged the two companies to join hands. "Nokia is no longer in denial," Ahmad wrote in his letter. "Microsoft also faces very big strategic challenges as smartphones and tablets attack your highly profitable installed base business."

Elop--who ran Microsoft's $19 billion business division and was responsible for the company's Office product suite--is the first non-Finn to run Nokia. He has given no clear indication as to what strategy Nokia will pursue, promising only to reveal more details Feb. 11.

For more:
- see this TechRadar post
- see this Slashgear post
- see this Bloomberg article

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