The Nokia N9 deserved better. Introduced in the middle of 2011, Nokia's one and only MeeGo phone offered a refreshing mix of original software and striking new hardware. It was, however, quickly swept aside by the Finnish company's grander Windows Phone plans, which took precedence over the promising but unsupported MeeGo platform.
Jolla, a splinter group of former Nokia employees, has taken on the task of keeping the N9's legacy going. It's a project that immediately engenders goodwill through its refusal to simply abandon all that good work in favor of economic practicalities — but that same bravado is also what makes it distinctly utopian. A small and unheralded startup aims to succeed where the formerly giant and resource-rich Nokia didn't dare tread.
The first step has been taken. Jolla is this week shipping out the first consignment of Jollas — yes, the phone and the company have the same name — with 450 of them being handed out in person at a launch event in Helsinki on Wednesday.
he Jolla's strength is in having a lighter software stack — underpinned by the Qt framework, which provides the basis both for its native apps and its UI — than Android while still being compatible with Android apps. Alas, not being an actual Android device, it lacks access to the Google Play Store, so you're left to fend for yourself with the limited Yandex and Jolla app stores and the downloadable Amazon Appstore. You can sideload app APKs if you wish, but that'd require that you understand what the process involves and where to find the requisite software. It's rough going.
