Intel calls for Arabic developers to support MeeGo

Intel is eager to have Arabic software developers in the region support their new MeeGo platform which was announced in collaboration with Nokia at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this month.

MeeGo, a Linux-based open-source software platform, is a merger of Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin platforms. It's designed to work across a range of devices including mobile computers, smartphoes, tablets, connected televisions and in-vehice infotainment systems.

The first release of MeeGo will be released in the second quarter of 2010 with the first MeeGo products expected to be launched by the second half of the year.

Ram Peddibhotla, Open Source business director for Intel's Software and Services Group, anticipates a greater contribution of Arabic developers for MeeGo because of the platform's breadth across different devices and obvious popularity of Nokia devices in the region.

"It (contribution of Arabic developers) is a priority. MeeGo will significantly expand the market opportunities and we expect it to be adopted widely by software developers across the globe, including the Arabic segment," stated Peddibhotla.

He believes that the efforts of the Arabic software developer community are at a key turning point where they now need the support and acknowledgement of the larger open-source community, and he hopes MeeGo will be the catalyst for that.

"We expect to see the attention to the importance of Arabic software increase particularly in countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan in the coming years. Egypt currently has a large community and so does the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia," concluded Peddibhotla.