Nokia today confirmed it will use the Maemo Linux operating system to try and make a dent in the U.S. smartphone market. The Finnish company will show off its Maemo-powered devices next week during Nokia World, as Apple and RIM dominate outside of Europe.
Nokia has experimented with Linux since 2005, but has seen limited success. Even without a bumpy past, I think using Linux could pay off if Nokia is able to properly promote the platform. Maemo is more flexible and robust than Symbian, which should allow Nokia to be able to make a wider selection of appealing smartphones.
The company will rely on Linux to help it create smartphones that are better able to compete with the popular Apple iPhone and other competitors.
It'd take until early 2010 to see any positive results of Nokia's smartphone sales, which continues to greatly suffer in the United States.
Even though Nokia will use Maemo to make a smartphone impact in the United States, the company will not abandon its Symbian OS any time soon -- Symbian-based phones account for about half of the smartphone market, even with competition from the likes of RIM, Apple and Google.
Linux has become a somewhat legitimate contender in the desktop sector, but transferring that growth to the mobile space has been difficult. Google is seeing growing interest in its Android OS, which has greatly helped bring mobile Linux to the forefront of the mobile phone market.
It's most likely Nokia will switch its Symbian OS to cheaper handsets, opening the door for Linux to be used on higher-end handsets aimed at gaining marketshare in the U.S.
