Well, I can't be sure of that - I think that 'Looks hot! I gets oneoneone11!' approach is more applicable to the USofA market, but it is my general impression that in Europe, especially the less developed part of it, people rely hugely on techieheads in their surroundings when it comes to obtaining a new piece of technology.

I know that I get at least one phone call per day either from some friend or a colleague asking me for an opinion or a recommendation on a device they (or some of their friends/family/colleagues) need/want to purchase. Just last night Nokia lost one C7 sell as I've advised my best friend not to be hasty and wait to see how all of this will unfold - at best, he'll eventually get it for a considerably lower price as it will be considered a DOA device, at worst he will get something from Samsung or HTC. And the true irony is that it was me actually convincing him to wait for S^3 devices to hit the shelves before making a purchase, explaining him the advantages of possibly having an upgradeable OS and the awesome promise of Qt - he's been bragging about needing a new phone since last September.

I really cannot recommend buying any Nokia device atm. except the N900, but I'd recommend that only to those that truly need it. And while I'm just one person and Nokia might lose ten-or-something sales from me not recommending their devices, which might not matter at all in the grand scheme, I'd take there are significant number of 'techieheads' that will be doing the same. The way it is, atm., Nokia's plan on pushing another 150M Symbian devices in the following years is, IMO, the truest form of wishful thinking. And WP7 is even in worse shape, I really couldn't recommend that to anyone.

edit:
Forgot about the 'less-technical forums' part, I do not condone conspiracy theories, but if you take a look at Engadget's post on Nokia WP7 concept device - most of the comments, especially the high-praising ones, are coming from people that have posted only a single comment on a Disqus system - that one highfiving the decission. It awfully smells like guerrilla/viral marketing if you ask me With the NOK stocks spiraling down that day, I would not be surprised if that really was the case.

nokia usa head replaced by ms stooge as per engadget.. so it begins... the end is near!

I too am disappointed about Meego. But is this the end of nokia? Is WM7 really INFERIOR to Meego / Maemo? Apart from opensource what else does it Maemo benifit over WM7?

i would say real multitasking as an example.. but more than that it isn't so much wp7, but the abandonment of a very promising os that is free for all. face it, meego had a real chance of challenging android. in your wildest dreams do u see wp7 doing that?

with consumers like you, the future looks bright for nokia.

Nice article there. It is good to read something a little more positive on the subject even if I am still a little miffed with the Nokiasoft merger.

One thing that I still do not trust though is the intergration of Microsofts schizophreniac search engine Bing. Really, how many times have MS revamped and renamed their search engine and social services in the last 10 years and by the time we see the WP7 phones what will it be called then?

I suppose a more serious question should posed as: What use would adopting a brand for your product when the brand in question has a history of identity issues?

For me absolutely. Probably as the leading (as in sales or innovation) phone manufacturer.

Does the sun rise and set?

Many ways, but that alone is plenty.

My response, for what it is worth, is that while this is definitely not a result i ever wanted to see, it is worth remembering that Nokia will still be investing >around< half a billion annually in the broader MeeGo ecosystem after this change in direction.

While MeeGo is not now going to become one of the 'big-three' or the lead Nokia platform, it probably does have a healthy a viable future as a niche platform.

http://jedibeeftrix.wordpress.com/20...-qt-and-meego/

First of all, the board should be replaced. They don't know the other way and Elop is just executor.

Most likely. QT + Meego may become a potential threat to Microsoft's Window plans on non-computer devices (desktops, laptops, and netbooks) if it were to be a success across various platforms. They already have Android to deal with as it is.