Jolla Launcher

Launched in June 2014 as alpha phase software for testers-volunteers, the software by Jolla designed to replicate Sailfish OS user interface behaviour and features on Android OS devices.

Overview

The aim is to allow the user to feel the Sailfish OS experience with an Android device, in a risk-free method as installation does not change any firmware and can be uninstalled. It works on the top of Android, provides gesture-based UI and basic tools similar to the ones found in Sailfish OS which allows the user to manage and launch Android apps. It is not possible to uninstall Android apps from the launcher. An applications can be removed from the application grid found in the Jolla Launcher, but they are not uninstalled from the Android system of the host device. When starting the launcher for the first time, there is a tutorial which teaches the basics of the UI.

Marketing and development purposes

It should be also recognised as a kind of a beta test tool, as testers are to report remarks or eventual bugs in both the Launcher and Sailfish OS itself via together.jolla.com portal tools. Jolla declared that feedback will have an influence on further development like a feedback from any other Jolla users. As a marketing tool it is supposed to help to convince potential users to try and use Sailfish OS.

Jolla

Jolla Oy (sometimes referred to as Jolla Ltd.) is an technology company. It is vendor of mobile devices as well as the Sailfish OS. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Jolla has research and development (R&D) office in Helsinki and Tampere and also an R&D department and office in Cyberport Hong Kong, and they are establishing R&D and operations in China.

Jolla, in Finnish, is pronounced 'yolla'.The company name, means dinghy (a small agile boat) in Finnish. It can also be recognized as an ironic joke about the "burning platform memo" which contained suggestion "jump into the cold sea water" or "burn with platform" considering Nokia business. It has "accidentally leaked" from former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop in February 2011.

History

Nokia, after rapidly losing marketshare in the smartphone market, decided to create a new operating system based on Linux, naming it Maemo. After merging with Intel's Moblin project (also an open source Linux system), the project was renamed MeeGo.

In October 2011, some of the MeeGo team left Nokia to form Jolla, utilizing funding from Nokia's "Bridge" program which helps establish and support start-up companies formed by ex-Nokia employees.

Jolla Tablet

The Jolla Tablet as a product is the first tablet designed by Jolla running the company's Sailfish OS, a MeeGo and Mer based Linux. As a project it is the Jolla project with huge contribution by the MeeGo Sailfish community in development, creating, financing, testing, reporting, support and maintenance, illustrated by slogan "People Powered". That shaped the final device. In successfully finished crowdfunding campaign over $2.5 million had been raised from 21,633 backers. After multiple issues with production, financing and schedule a small amount of devices was shipped in autumn 2015, while the company stated in December 2015, that due to lack of necessary components that are not available any longer the production was stopped. and the remaining bakers should receive a full refund.

Prototype Awarded

On the 5 March 2015, on the last day of Mobile World Congress 2015, the Jolla Tablet running with Sailfish OS 2.0, the not yet released prototype, was awarded with "The Best Tablet of the whole event" price by Trusted Reviews. The project was unveiled and introduced during the congress for the first time publicly. It was introduction of booth: the new OS and the new product.

Jolla (disambiguation)

Jolla may refer to: