Let’s speak for a moment about a non-Android cousin of our favorite mobile operating system and it’s hardware buddies. The Nokia N9 with MeeGo in tow was introduced this week, our good pal Chris Davies getting his hands on several of these bright units for SlashGear with some great things to say about them. What’s been re-introduced today is a bit of software called Alien Dalvik, one that allows in this case Android applications to run on the Nokia N9 (which is indeed running MeeGo) – this opening a WHOLE new door for the device and indeed washing the device into the prospective pockets of a much larger cross-section of smartphone fans.

What Alien Dalvik does, as a refresher, is to allow developers and app stores to very easily repackage Android .apk files for this system, allowing them then to run on MeeGo hardware, in this case the brand new Nokia N9. Myriad, the group that represents the Alien Dalvik software, offers an Android SDK plugin that allows Android developers to tweak their apps as far as they like, allowing complex integrations with the hardware at hand. Even without tweaks as such, apps appear to be working here without modification – out of the box, as it were.

This is not the first time a group has attempted to bump their audience with a method for allowing Android applications – just a few months ago we first heard of RIM adding Android app support to the BlackBerry PlayBook, this news coming with a wave of oohs and ahhs until we realized the PlayBook wasn’t the rough and radical bit of hardware we’d hoped. That said, this Finnish piece of magic, the Nokia N9, is shaping up to be quite the magic maker, a bit of hardware that’s certain to entice more than a moderate share of folks looking to stay in or get in to the MeeGo game.

Myriad tells us that Alien Dalvik will be commercially available for the MeeGo platform sometime inside 2011. It’s important to note that this system will be available on OTHER os platforms as well later on, Myriad having yet to list more than a few. Thus far we’re aware that they’re targeting vehicle computers, an area that MeeGo is also aiming to work with – BMW, GM, Hyundai, Renault, Delphi and Peugeot-Citroen all appearing in this Chris Davies / SlashGear post on the subject.

For a full review of the hardware we’re talking about, the brand new Nokia N9, head over to SlashGear for some high-class hands-on.

Now lets have another look at this software in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWEyKjwk2g

[via SlashGear]

17 COMMENTS

  1. I like what i just read…if the N9 can hook up with Android market then most likely it will be my second device after i bag the upcoming new Nexus with ICS in tow. B4 i became an Android man i was a Nokia man. Looking back can u believe i actually paid almost $800 for the original N95, after that the N95 8Gig both non touch screen devices..wow guess i was just a sucker for high end devices

    • Yeah, the question is will Nokia try to pull a RIM and make devs do a simple port to their app store, though that’s now MS’s app store lol
      or will they let users just have at the Android market?

      If they let us at the Android market this could be a great device but they still need carrier support in the states.

    • The N9 is a Meego device and is actually pretty cool. If you are referring to nokia windows devices check ‘see ray’ in google or youtube, which is the codename for their first windows device. It is a great device and I am sure after seeing that you will sell your ‘iphone’ and will no longer be a ‘fanboy’.

    • How is it
      similar? Check nokia N9 videos on youtube. It is completely unique. There are a
      lot of great ideas in N9. I have been using android for a year. It is ok but it
      is definitely lacking a lot. I was actually thinking of a Nokia windows 7 phone
      as my next phone but with this, I will go for the Nokia N9. A problem with
      android is it is slow, multitasking is not that great. And if you
      want a decent android phone (in terms of specs) like SGS 2 or htc sensation
      they are very expensive and in terms of design the Nokia N9 is superior to all
      android phone designs and is even better than iPhone design. 
       

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.