Nokia has confirmed that the much anticipated N-8 will be the last Symbian based N-series phone. In an interview to Reuters, a Nokia spokes person revealed that all future N-Series phones will now be based on its MeeGo operating system. However, the company will continue to use Symbian on its offerings from the C, E and X series. The Linux based MeeGo Operating system was born as a result of the collaboration of Nokia's Maemo (seen on the N900) and Intel's Moblin mobile OS platforms which was announced at the Mobile World Congress in February, this year.
Although Symbian has the largest market share in the smart phone OS category, it has received criticism for its redundant interface and has not been able to make a mark for itself when compared to other platforms. The move affirms Nokia's shift to a modern, open source platform to counter the likes of Apple's iOS and Google's Android, which are witnessing tremendous growth in terms of popularity and market share.
Nokia's N-Series devices are known for their high end multimedia capabilities and internet integration. The N-8 is Nokia's first smart phone to ship with Symbian's upgraded version Symbian^4, which had received a complete interface overhaul. However, with apps being the buzzword and the differentiating factor, an open source platform like MeeGo will certainly help Nokia to compete with its contemporaries, who have captured the smart phone market in a major way during the recent past. According to some sources the Nokia N-9 will be the first phone to use MeeGo OS.
