The Nokia-Microsoft connection just got a bit more real today with the CEO of Nokia showing off a model of the code named “Sea Ray”. The handset was supposed to be “super confidential”, but the internet had another idea.
The “Sea Ray”, as it is temporarily called, looks nearly exactly like a N9. The N9 is a Meego smartphone with an arguably better operating system, able to use Android apps. The Sea Ray is using Windows Phone 7, a mobile operating system from Microsoft. The release was supposed to be an event without cameras. The crowd obviously was not playing along, as the Sea Ray is all over the internet at the moment.
The Windows Phone 7 deal was struck this year after what is known as the “burning platform” speech by Stephen Elop, the current CEO of Nokia. Nokia had nearly abandoned the Meego mobile operating system, which they had developed themselves. The Meego system encompassed the “free and open software” ideals that are seen as the future of computer control. The Windows Phone 7 is in the model of the “walled garden” approach that is fully under the control of one company; Microsoft. The Meego system is able to use Android apps, which has 400,000 apps and games available for download. The Windows Phone 7 platform has a little over 22,000 in their support.
The CEO was apparently very happy with the changeover from Symbian and Meego to Windows Phone 7. He called the new smartphone the; “long awaited WP7 powered handset”, as he resumed his speech. He appeared to be confident that no one was filming him as he revealed the Sea Ray to the audience. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The Sea Ray is the same shape as the N9 with the difference being the camera layout on the back. The LED flash for the camera is in a different position, but other than that, looks physically like the twin of the N9. The Sea Ray utilizes the same eight megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics as the N9.
The lucky few in the audience who took the pictures were from Hungary. They were from website Technet.hu and were the ones to posted the “off limits” video of the Sea Ray on Youtube. There is no news yet on how the Sea Ray is going to do on battery life, user satisfaction, or who is going to be selling it. It does not look like it will be much different from the other Windows Phone 7 smartphones already on the market.
