Nokia will drop Symbian from its high-end smartphones in favor of its Linux-based MeeGo platform, in an attempt to stave off competition from Apple’s iPhone and devices based on Google’s Android platform.

 

However, the Symbian platform will still be used in the vendor’s cheaper smartphones Reuters said.

 

Nokia is banking on MeeGo – a combination of its Maemo platform with Intel’s Moblin – to restore its position in the smartphone market, however GigaOm commentator Kevin Tofel believes it was a mistake to announce the migration before the N8 is launched.

 

“Nokia still hasn’t quite figured out what it takes to compete well in today’s high-end, smartphone market,” Tofel said, adding that the decision effectively ends the life of the N8 before it hits the shops.

 

It would also sound the death knell for the nine month-old N900, he added.

 

Despite Tofel’s view, reviews of the N8 suggest Nokia’s decision is sound, with Gizmodo stating the unit “isn’t a high-end smartphone,” and others praising the hardware, but slating the software