Intel to pursue MeeGo with or without Nokia

Intel said in a statement on Friday that it will continue development of the MeeGo operating system. MeeGo is a joint venture between Nokia and Intel that merges the Maemo operating system, used by Nokia on its N-series tablets, and Intel’s Mobilin project. The mobile operating system was designed to power smartphones, tablets and embedded systems such as those found in networked television sets and car entertainment systems.

Following Nokia’s announcement that it was adopting Windows Phone as its primary operating system for its smartphones, the Finnish manufacturer hinted that MeeGo will become a research platform used to explore the “next-generation devices, platforms and user experiences.” One MeeGo device will be launched in 2011, but additional devices are not on Nokia’s roadmap. During a Q&A session following Nokia’s and Microsoft’s big announcement, Stephen Elop called MeeGo “an opportunity for learning” , which implies Intel is on its own if it wants to make MeeGo a commercially-viable platform.