Nokia Sticking With Symbian [Finish Cell Phone Manufacturer Commits To Symbian, Only One New Linux-based Phone]

Nokia, which is still the world’s #1 mobile phone manufacturer (remember, not all mobile phones are flashy smartphones that us technophiles use), is going to stick with the Symbian OS, according to a source inside Nokia. When the flagship Nokia N900 was released earlier this month running Linux-based Maemo, it started rumors that Nokia would abandon Symbian for Maemo.

A source inside Nokia spoke to international wire service Reuters, and reported that only one Nokia phone will sport Maemo next year, and that all other Nokia phones will come with Symbian. The source reports that Nokia sees Maemo as a platform for competing against popular phones like the iPhone and Android-equipped models, but only plans to sport the Linux-based OS on phones competing against those models.

The Nokia N900, Nokia’s top-of-the-line phone and MID was released earlier this month sporting Nokia’s Maemo, however, that won’t become the norm. Despite still being the #1 overall cell phone maker, increased popularity in iPhones, Blackberries and Droids has hurt the Finish company.

Earlier this year, we reported on a rumor that Nokia was abandoning Symbian for Google’s popular Android mobile OS. Last year, Nokia stopped their Japanese business divison and revealed that they want to be an ‘Internet company”. Despite recent setbacks, BusinessWeek found that Nokia was the world’s #5 most valuable global marketing brand. This Tuesday is Nokia’s Captial Markets Day, held at Nokia’s Headquarters in Espoo, Finland. Expect more information to be release this week.