Ex-Nokia employees launches smartphone to rival big players

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http://www.digitalone.com.sg/news/article/24532

A group of ex-Nokia employees who quit over the company's decision to abandon the planned MeeGo operating system in favour of Windows presented their own smartphone on Monday, hoping to rival the sector's giants.

The Jolla smartphone, which is entirely intuitive and has no buttons, is "a strong candidate" on the mid- to high-range market, the Helsinki-based company said.

The model, which is so far just called Jolla, has a 4.5-inch touch screen and features two different-coloured halves that together make up the phone.

It is to go on sale in the fourth quarter, retailing for 399 euros (S$643).

The company is profiling itself as a "different" manufacturer, and runs on its own operating system called Sailfish OS, a successor to MeeGo and which is compatible with some Android applications.

The company is offering Sailfish products to retailer and operator partners for the medium-price range.

Jolla has already signed two distribution deals, with the largest smartphone retailer in China, D.Phone, and the Finnish operator DNA.

The Sailfish OS will also run on tablets.

Jolla, which counts four former Nokia engineers and directors among its five founders, was started in 2011 and now has some 70 employees.