Intel and Nokia have released version 1.0 of the MeeGo Core Software Platform and the MeeGo Netbook User Experience. The MeeGo Handset User Experience is to follow in June

By now you have probably heard of MeeGo the new OS being created by the synergy between Nokia and Intel. MeeGo is going to be a completely new Free Software Linux based OS. The most striking difference between MeeGo and Maemo, Nokia’s current Linux based OS, is that Maemo was for the most part a Debian derivative, while MeeGo will not be directly based on any existing distribution.

Novell is working on a successor to SUSE Moblin which will use components of the Nokia and Intel driven MeeGo operating system. It's expected that SUSE MeeGo will be available pre-installed on consumer devices within the next 12 months

MeeGo is an open source, Linux operating system based on Moblin (by Intel) and Maemo (by Nokia). MeeGo 1.0 targets mainly netbooks and supports most Intel Atom-based netbooks but MeeGo v1.0 Core also supports ARM-based Nokia N900 and Intel Atom-based in-vehicle. MeeGo doesn't work on netbooks with GMA-500, Nvidia or ATI Graphics chipsets.

The MeeGo project was launched earlier this year when Intel and Nokia brought together their respective mobile Linux platforms in a combined effort to reduce fragmentation and offer device vendors a standardized platform. The MeeGo platform is endorsed by the Linux Foundation, which has taken on a stewardship role with the aim of facilitating collaboration around the software.

Tech companies are playing hardball on smart phones, yet Linux could gain the upper hand with Intel and Nokia going on the defensive with MeeGo. To get you on Facebook while on the bus, play a tune, and - oh, yeah - make a call, Microsoft and Apple are finding new ways to reign in the competition on phones: they're using patent threats.

Intel and Nokia are merging their open source Linux operating systems to create a MeeGo OS, designed for mobile devices ranging from handhelds to netbooks. Hosted by the Linux Foundation, MeeGo builds upon the core from the Intel-backed Moblin technology and adds Nokia's Maemo middleware elements, as well as Nokia's Qt application framework.

Nokia and Intel plan to have a public MeeGo repository open by the end of the month with early source and binaries for the Intel ATOM and the Nokia N900

MeeGo 1.1 will be available soon for the Nokia N900 smartphone, which will be able to boot into either the MeeGo or Maemo flavors of Linux. Meanwhile, Aava Mobile, which is porting MeeGo to its Intel Atom N6xx based Aava Mobile smartphone reference design, joined MeeGo's overseer, the Linux Foundation.