Intel and Orange make a deal

CHIPMAKER Intel and mobile network operator Orange have announced that they will work together to push devices based on the Meego operating system.

Meego is an open source OS for mobile internet devices. Launched at this year's Mobile World Congress, Meego is the result of the merger of Nokia's Maemo and Chipzilla's Moblin software.

For Orange the hookup will help it bring forward the deployment of rich media services such as its Orange TV and Maps. Nokia's Maemo OS brought with it the widely known and generally liked Qt application framework that has been used in Nokia devices since 2005 when it appeared on the firm's 770 tablet device.

Orange is hoping that more of its users will make use of devices that are powered by Meego, though it will have to come up with some enticing new products and services soon. According to the firm, 75 per cent of its subscribers are "yet to embrace mobile Internet".

Mobile Internet devices might represent a chance for carriers to bring in new ways of charging for bandwidth, as the devices are larger than smartphones and have a greater capability to display rich content. As Orange is finding the services it offers right now aren't all that enticing, it apparently wants some shiny new devices to lure punters.

From the hardware side of things, Intel will use this tie-up to push Meego onto its Atom processor. For Intel, it's vital to put itself out there as Meego can run on ARM as well as the x86 architecture and there's no shortage of capable devices that don't bear Chipzilla's logo.

For Orange and Intel this announcement seems like a marriage of convenience, as both firms need to make a move before they get left behind in the growing and lucrative mobile Internet device market. µ