Nokia was building on top of the Linux kernel, GNU libs, and QT. All of the heavy lifting was done for them. They only needed to release a solid basic OS. I think that this is exactly what it looks like, a former MS exec whose intentions had always been to bring Microsoft in regardless of Nokia's best interests. Nokia could have partnered with Google, reskinned Android and used OVI services instead of Google services and they'd have their stopgap platform. They'd still have OVI store revenue, and most people probably wouldn't even know it was an Android device. Tablets would be covered, and with steady revenue and possibly even some growth, development could have continued on Meego/QT without the pressure of pushing it out prematurely, offering both short and long term solutions. Investors would have been satisfied, and business would've moved on. I don't think the problem was Meego, there was a lot of enthusiasm over it and they had a prominent partner in Intel. The unpleasant truth is that the Nokia board made a very unwise choice in Elop and should have seen this coming.