It is finally out, the developer version of MeeGo has finally become available and it looks like Nokia and Intel managed to create a very solid contender for the smart phone industry with their latest operating system.

The MeeGo is a combined effort of the teams that handled the creation of Moblin (an Intel made, Linux based operating system) and the Maemo (Nokia’s proprietary operating system which was used in the N900 smart phone). The combined product is the MeeGo, a sleek looking user interface that brings together simple controls, a basic user interface and what might be the easiest platform to developer for. According to Intel, the new OS will not be exclusively tied up to their processors. This means that the MeeGo will still work on devices that make use of ARM made processors.

The developer copy has been released quite early in order to entice developers and enthusiasts to try out the new mobile platform, and from the looks of it, Nokia’s plan is going to succeed. They had quite the large community support for the Maemo despite the low public profile that system had during its development. It is likely that the same devs will also try out the newer MeeGo OS. So far, it has not been confirmed if the N900 will be upgradeable to the MeeGo OS –Nokia has yet to announce if MeeGo is new version of Maemo or a completely new system.

As for upcoming handsets, it seems that the very first Nokia phones to make use of the MeeGo will be popping up by October (alongside the launch of the Windows Phone 7). The Nokia N8 is still a Symbian handset but the Finnish manufacturer announced that after the N8, all other N-series devices will be using the MeeGo operating system.

Christmas is just around the corner and will come and go soon enough, making way for a new year of broken resolutions and bad weather. But despite the bleak winter months ahead 2010 promises to be a good year for mobile phones with some truly jaw-dropping handsets set for release in the first few months alone. Two of the most hotly anticipated phones set for release in early 2010 are the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the Nokia N900.

The Nokia N900 will see a move away from Symbian by Nokia, and some have heralded it as the dawn of a new era as the Finnish company moves to a far superior and advanced OS: Maemo. Unfortunately Nokia has revealed that the N900 will be the only Maemo phone that they will release next year and that Symbian is very much still part of their business plan. While some have taken this as bad news, it actually makes the N900 all the more special.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 on the other hand, will make use of the highly popular and already well established Android and will be the first phone to combine this with the speed and power of a 1GHz Snapdragon. With Android 2.0 Eclair available it is a shame that Sony Ericsson has opted for the older 1.6 Donut edition. Despite this, Sony Ericsson has worked wonders with the X10 through the use of their own Nexus interface that takes the whole Android experience up a level. Combined into this interface are Sony Ericsson’s new Mediascape and Timescape features. Timescape combines information from a wide range of sources such as messages, emails and social networking sites to provide a more intuitive interaction with your phone contacts, rather than having these services disjointed and unorganised.

While there is a trend towards this sort of functionality among many phone manufacturers today, Mediascape will offer something new by attempting the same sort of thing with multimedia. Combining music and video from a range of sources such as PlayNow and YouTube, Mediascape should promise to revolutionise mobile phone entertainment.

As for Maemo; the Linux-based OS is raising eyebrows due to its groundbreaking web-oriented design. Phones making use of Maemo, which for the time being will unfortunately only be the N900, should completely change the way in which people access online content on their phones. With multi-tasking screens and a novel new browser the N900 is certainly one for the web surfers.

For anyone holding out for buying a new touchscreen phone in the New Year the choice is a tough one, but certainly falls between these two phones. While the N900 will offer exceptional web browsing the Xperia X10 will offer a better all round experience and that’s probably the deciding factor, for me at least.

Nokia has today confirmed the availability of Nokia N900 in the United States following the official announcement that Nokia N900 is available for dispatch since last week. For those hoping that the Nokia N900 is going to be subsidized, I have bad news as it is confirmed that the mobile device will not be subsidized regardless of whether it is locked to a major carrier but instead will be sold independently SIM-free.

Following the specification made available to us, the Nokia N900 is furnished with full quad-band GSM support and 1700/2100/900/UMTS/HSDPA support regardless of which Region is being targeted. So our United States users should be getting 3G connection with T-Mobile USA, whereas AT&T subscribers will be only be able to use the EDGE network.

Alessandro Lamanna, Vice president, Retail Sales, Nokia confirmed during the press release, “Consumers from every segment of the population are looking for more out of their mobile device – more power, more ability, more connectivity. The Nokia N900 ushers in a new era with a very powerful mobile computer,” He also added “With an open source operating system, incorporated technology like an OMAP processor, and real time web widgets, the Nokia N900 delivers the experience of a pocket able computer that has the information you’re looking for right there waiting for you thanks to the ability to be connected just about anywhere.”

The Nokia N900 is already been dispatched to users who pre-ordered the device. For our United States users, Nokia N900 will be available very soon in New York and Chicago Nokia Flagship stores, Nokia USA stores, Various Independent retailer and e-tailers for a sultry sum of $649.

A computer in your pocket… A PC in the palm of your hand… A desktop on the go…

You’ve heard them all in relation to mobile phones before and you’ve become weary. So weary you can barely even get up these days, in fact. So tired with the lies and the self-aggrandising and posturing of all these mobile phone manufacturers, in fact, that you’re not even sure how you can carry on any more.

Well, our despondent friend, the answer is: you should carry merrily on along life’s highway with one of these in your pocket, because the N900 is just what all these other chumps have been promising and failing to deliver all along. Okay, so it’s not actually a PC, not really as powerful as a desktop, not in essence a computer. But, in terms of mobile phone computing, there is simply nothing that even comes close. Linux-powered, 1GB of processing RAM, a hefty graphics card, high speed internet access, up to 48GB storage… we’ve four laptops sat around here from only a couple of years ago that are cowering behind filing cabinets in fear of this thing.

But the best thing about all of the above is that you can happily ignore it. Because another thing manufacturers will do is stick lots of impressive stats in your face, shout and scream about this and that, but when it comes down to it, the thing doesn’t actually work very well. Worried about that with the Nokia N900? Then just have a look at the video below.

Nuff said, right?

Well, after this Nokia N900 review, and then after this official stats page. Then that is mos’ def’ nuff said. A’ight?

So Nokia has announced the new Nokia N900, coming to a store near you very soon. We found a rather excellent video of this little device in action and as with all promotional videos it looks absolutely awesome! Whether the interface and OS stands up to anything like what this Video shows remains to be seen, but we are ever hopeful. Make sure you check back here for more info on when the latest Nokia N900 deals become available.. We think this one could be a huge seller.