Jolla yesterday announced that its Sailfish mobile operating system (based on the defunct Meego OS) is now compatible with the Android ecosystem. Essentially, any Android app will now be able to run on a Sailfish-powered smartphone without any modifications needed on the part of developers. In other words, Sailfish has overnight gained hundreds of thousands of apps and can offer its users an expansive collection of apps and games.
“For example, highly popular apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Spotify run directly on Sailfish OS. Also Chinese WeChat – already with over 400 million users – runs on Sailfish OS,” says Jolla CEO Tomi Pienimäki.
Jolla expects that the announcement could help spur Sailfish adoption, especially in Europe and Asia. “We believe Sailfish with Android compatibility is a highly relevant mobile operating system option for major mobile companies in Europe and in Asia. We are already in discussions with several major Asian vendors regarding this opportunity,” said Pienimäki.
Jolla will cooperate with leading global app stores to ensure that they are able to use these stores just as they would if they were using an Android device. It remains to be seen if Google will open up Google Play to Sailfish!
A first Jolla smartphone pre-order round has already sold out. A second round will be offered this week, focusing on “Finnish customers who want to express their passion for the Finnish mobile industry.” Shipments are expected to begin before the end of the year.
The Jolla is powered by a dual-core processor and the Sailfish OS. It comes with 4G connectivity, a 4.5-inch display, 16GB of onboard storage with expansion via microSD cards, an 8MP rear-facing camera and a user-replaceable battery.
Sailfish OS achieves compatibility with Android ecosystem
HELSINKI – September 16, 2013. Sailfish OS has achieved a major milestone whereby the OS is now compatible with the AndroidTM ecosystem, in terms of application and hardware compatibility.
Android applications run directly on Sailfish OS without any modifications
Users enjoying the unique gesture-based and modern Sailfish OS user experience will be able to take full advantage of the Android application ecosystem available through various app stores globally. Jolla will cooperate with leading global app stores to ensure users can seamlessly download Android apps just as they would do on any Android device.
“For example, highly popular apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp and Spotify run directly on Sailfish OS. Also Chinese WeChat – already with over 400 million users – runs on Sailfish OS,” says Jolla CEO Tomi Pienimäki.
Sailfish OS runs on common Android hardware
Jolla has made a major breakthrough in Android hardware compatibility by developing Sailfish OS to run on common hardware produced for Android, particularly smartphones and tablets. Vendors interested to utilize Sailfish OS are now able to develop phones and tablets based on many different chipset and hardware configurations. This new level of compatibility will enable device vendors who use Sailfish OS to fully utilize the existing Android hardware ecosystem.
Jolla believes that this breakthrough offers growth opportunities of significant scale for Sailfish OS globally, especially in China. “We believe Sailfish with Android compatibility is a highly relevant mobile operating system option for major mobile companies in Europe and in Asia. We are already in discussions with several major Asian vendors regarding this opportunity,” says Tomi Pienimäki.
Next production batch will be opened for pre-orders this week
The last weeks have been very dynamic in the mobile industry and after the Microsoft-Nokia announcement the strategic position of Jolla and Sailfish OS has strengthened significantly. “Due to extremely positive feedback and increased demand in the past weeks, we are offering another pre-order opportunity for our second production batch later this week through jolla.com. This will be targeted to Finnish customers who want to express their passion for the Finnish mobile industry,” Pienimäki concludes.
About Jolla
Jolla Ltd., headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is developing mobile devices and open Sailfish OS based on the heritage of MeeGo project. In addition to its R&D sites in Helsinki and Tampere, Jolla has offices in Hong Kong.
[/toggle_item]Sources : Jolla // Facebook (Jolla)