It is no secret that Google is facing problems with the Open Source Android cellphone project. Manufacturers finding it hard to meet deadlines delivering the handsets themselves, and developers finding it hard to work with Google and get Android compatible applications ready.
Now, just to add to a week of misery for Google, it appears that Nokia has stepped in with a swift kick to the unmentionables.
The Inquirer reports that the Finnish cellphone King is to buy Symbian, the handset OS people.
In fact, according to the report author Tony Dennis, Nokia is buying all of Symbian, every last bit, so as to help "take the whole Symbian ecosystem open source."
The Symbian Foundation will spearhead the march to Open Source, aided and abetted by the likes of Sony Ericsson who are throwing the UIQ UI into the mix, and NTT Docomo from Japan who are adding MOAP(S) assets.
Not to forget Nokia itself with the Series 60 platform. Or Texas Instruments and ST Microelectronics who are both founding members.
If Google is not worried, if the Android is not doing a broken robot dance, by now then it has obviously not been paying attention.
The Symbian Foundation platform is to be royalty-free to anyone who comes on board, and will be truly Open Source. I guess that the cellphone market has just got really interesting again...