Wow! You really think that VC's call to companies to give money? And even if they do, you think they have a hard time to get in touch with these guys?
Maybe, just maybe, Jolla has enough finances to go through this first phase (actually I think their CEO said this on some interview) and they'll be looking for investors when they have some actual work done and it's easier to land some real money to the company.
How many companies would get a guarantee from Nokia that there wouldn't be legal problems with their using Meego? Usually companies don't issue such statements. Nokia is demonstrating that it is arm and arm with Jolla.
More like Nokia has no skin in the game. Jolla isn't likely to be a threat to them. If they thought MeeGo was that good, they wouldn't have cut the people loose in the first place.
How many companies would get a guarantee from Nokia that there wouldn't be legal problems with their using Meego? Usually companies don't issue such statements. Nokia is demonstrating that it is arm and arm with Jolla.
MeeGoCE (which MeR+Nemo/Plasma/Cordia etc & Jolla is based on) was never "Nokia's".
The name itself isn't even owned by Nokia, the LF owns the name...
I'm sure at some point some core parts of their OS would require licensing of Nokia IP.*
But that has zero to do with them having to "borrow/license MeeGo" from Nokia.
Jolla need a bigger dragon behind. nokia could be there without being involved. Especially important IF they mange to get any real sales an planning to expand world wide. The big elephants can kill them anytime without backup.
For me, the hardware aspect is currently the most intriguing aspect of this development.
A team of, say 100 to 200 talented people with resources can develop a base OS, UI etc but 'plopping' that into hardware is a completely different matter.
Resourcing the manufacturing process is a big hurdle. What does a mobile network/carrier do when it wants to release a budget branded smartphone? Ties up with the likes of ZTE or Huawei?
The alternative approach is that a start-up, like Jolla, develops something so ground breaking, such a market disruption, that a big player wants 'in'.
Nokia's third pillar ("future disruptions") seems to have crumbled and blown away as dust particles. Ok. the Chairman eluded to a plan B....android?
I think it is unlikely that Nokia could be a hardware partner, especially with the MS connection and financial ties that locks them in.
I have read a few posts suggesting that people do not care about the 'specs' so long as it is an open source device. I disagree. This is not a voluntary project for enthusiastic hackers. It has to have appeal.
I am no smartphone businessman, but a tiny start-up needs either a very big brother or a niche in the market. The latter requires a high-end smartphone with great specs, functionality, individualistic and good margins as sales volumes will be inevitably low.
Nokia Jolla founded by former employees of the company plan to launch a new MeeGo-powered smartphone receives a positive reception from Finnish operators. Both DNA and Elisa are willing to take the phone Jolla selections, as long as the product brand and the features are in place. Nokia's first and last MeeGo phone N9 was well received and it still has a loyal supporter of his.
Given their size I don't think this have to be enormous success.
50 thousands of simpler device (smartphone a la N9) should be enough to keep company going (even if not profitable - just to 'show promise' and get more financing).
It will give time to prepare more ambitious model (mobile computer a la N900) and start to work on second generation of consumer smartphone.
I think the strategy might be to create a developer-friendly keyboard device first.
This would attract the devs and help build up the number of 'apps' in the ecosystem and allow time to polish any rough edges before releasing the mass market N9 style device.
Effectively this would be what Nokia's Meego strategy was pre-elopacalypse (and before the rumoured production issues the N950 suffered from): N950 followed by N9.
