A bunch of ex-Nokia engineers have just launched Jolla, pronounced Yol-la, the first mobile devices running the open-source Sailfish OS. The operating system isn’t based on Android but nevertheless it can run most Android apps, and it can also be installed on most Android devices.

At launch, only 450 units will be available for consumers, most of which have already been pre-ordered, but co-founder Marc Dillon stated that they are already in the process of ramping up production.  Jolla has partnered with a Finnish network to launch its device and it plans to strike a similar deal with a UK operator.

Jolla’s major competitor in the open-source is obviously Android, and now it’s faced with the task of proving that the OS is competitive and works.

“It’s easy to characterise this as David v Goliath,” Analyst Geoff Blaber, from CCS, said in an interview.  “But the fact is if Jolla can maintain a competitive cost base, there is already an enthusiast base seeking this product. It could be successful.”

Sailfish OS

Sailfish was originally known as MeeGo, a mobile OS developed by Nokia that was abandoned when the Finnish company decided to start developing devices running Windows Phone. Ex-Nokia engineers believe that MeeGo has enough followers that launching a device running it will be a success.

Features

The Jolla phone features a  4.5″ IPS qHD display with a 5-point multi-touch with Gorilla Glass 2, 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 2MP front camera, 16GB storage, 1GB RAM, MicroSD slot, user replaceable battery that lasts up to 9-10 hours, Sailfish OS beta, dimension of 131 mm x 68 mm x 9.9 mm and weighs 141 g.  Jolla is priced at € 399.

Jolla greatly utilizes touch and gesture operations, has live multitasking which you can easily access with just a swipe of your finger.  To get back to your home screen, just swipe from either side of the screen and if you want to close an app, just swipe from top to bottom of the screen.  Being social with Jolla is just a swipe away, you don’t have to exit any app to check updates, just swipe from bottom to top to open the Event view.  It also has a Pulley Menu that lets you easily access apps like the camera, make a call, write a message and perform other basic tasks.