The annual epicenter of Helsinki’s start-up-smart-up scene is Slush, the venue for all things trendy and tech. The event has so far lived up to its name, with not just one but two talked-about product launches.
The first came on Tuesday as former mobile phone maker Nokia reclaimed a spot in the consumer market with a new tablet computer running the open-source Android operating system. Hot on Nokia’s heels Wednesday was rookie Finnish smartphone company Jolla.
Jolla to crowdfund tablet production
With just one smartphone under its belt to date, Jolla is already looking to expand its territory by stepping into the tablet domain. The device will run on a new version of the company’s proprietary Sailfish platform. Jolla’s handheld will have a 7.85-inch display and provide avid digi-natives with 32 gigabytes of memory. The device also promises to dovetail with applications designed for Android operating systems.
Jolla prides itself on being unique in the field, so the company has adopted a crowdsourcing approach to attract 300,000 euros funding for production of the tablet, which it hopes to bring to the market in 2015. The campaign, on the Indiegogo website, is looking get 2,000 backers to each pledge about 150 euros to back the project.
Jolla’s first smartphone was launched just one year ago, also running on Sailfish. That device is now available in 31 countries in Europe and Asia, and most recently in India and Russia.