Jolla Reveals New Smartphone With Sailfish OS and Customizable Covers

By: Talha Bhatti  |   May 20th, 2013   |   Business, News, Smartphones

The smartphone has brought a lot of new startups into existence and many of them deal with mobile software and services. The hardware side of the equation is littered with companies producing accessories for popular models like the iPhone of Galaxy lineup from Samsung. Very few companies have tried to launch a complete new smartphone because the competition is being dominated by only a hand full of companies with only the top two making decent profits. The Finnish MeeGo startup called Jolla is not daunted by the hurdles and is creating their own hardware. The company is packed with former staffers from Nokia who have taken on the challenge of a new device that will run on the Sailfish OS. The company recently revealed their latest handset that is a straight forward device with a colorful cover. The shell has the ability to be cusotmized by the user. The color of the cover also influences the color of the Sailfish OS display. Jolla is calling this feature “the other half” and has stated that the new device will go on sale for €399. Jolla will release the smartphone by the end of 2013.

 

The Finnish firm states that, “Expected availability by end of 2013 subject to demand in your local market. Sales will start in European countries with more countries to follow. If you join the Movement and get the pre-order number to buy the phone when available, you’ll pay no more than 399€; including applicable VAT in Europe, but excluding shipping costs, duties and any local taxes.”

 
Tech Crunch reports the devices specs to be “a 4.5 inch Estrade display, a dual-core chip, 4G, 16GB internal memory plus a microSD card slot, an 8MP auto focus camera, a user-replaceable battery. The device is powered by Jolla’s Sailfish OS but can also run Android apps.” The ability to run Android based apps may be a great way to give users the push they need to try a new OS that doe snot have an established app store.

 

Jolla’s reveal of its new hardware is also the the beginning of the pre-order campaign. Early adopters can order the device from the companies website. Curious buyers can also watch the Jolla launch event that will take place in Helsinki on May 20, 2013.

Source: TechCrunch